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Mega · Apr 25, 2017

Return of the Joker as the most technically impressive. Problem is there's never more than one enemy on screen.

TMNT III if factoring multiple big sprites attacking you at once and everything happening on screen.

Statues in the back come to life.

That water fills the back/foreground and Leatherhead swims in before the fight begins.

Some of the foot soldiers in the back are built and come out to fight.

Tokka is a favorite. He eats you, blocks your jump kicks with a shield and smashes you into the large electricfied sign in the back.

Breaks in two and each half attacks independently

The Hermit · Apr 25, 2017

Gaspard said:
Gimmick!

Yeah, it looked like an early Snes game

Edit:

What the fuck at Batman?!

spazchicken · Apr 25, 2017

JasonMCG said:
Sword Master

No, seriously. It's Sword Master.

How did they pull that off in the NES?

Elixist · Apr 25, 2017

hokahey said:
Punch-Out.

no contest for me. probably my favorite sound overall as well.

jett · Apr 25, 2017

Other games might be pushing parallax backgrounds and shit, but SMB3 has, for my money, the most enduring, consistent and polished aesthetic among all NES games.

VARIA said:
Hands down.

GIF from the last time this thread came up:

Well that's stupid good looking for the NES.

Timu · Apr 25, 2017

Mega said:
Return of the Joker as the most technically impressive. Problem is there's never more than one enemy on screen.

What are you talking about, the shoot em up sections have multiple enemies on screen.

Glad you mentioned TMNT 3 though.

7DollarHagane · Apr 25, 2017

I think it's pretty clearly Kirby's adventure.

The parralax tricks in Batman and vice are nice but they require context to understand why it matters.

Kirby is just a nice looking game in general and technically impressive compared with other releases on the platform in obvious ways.

Recca is amazing in its own ways but the level of flicker and lack of a background points out the limitations of the hardware.

I think for a "most impressive" title taking into account masking the hardware's limitations has to be considered.

Also Kirby has a huge amount of varied content which is an important consideration for the Nes's limited ram and processor. Being able to transform your abilities rapidly and with barely anything but a transformation animation and into so many varied abilities and animations is its own technical achievement on such limited hardware.

Arkage · Apr 25, 2017

dragonzdogma said:
OMG!
how could I forget- especially GIANT world - that was yeah- that's amazing.

never heard of this- I'll check it out
milton bradley made games ?

This was the only good thing to come out of Time Lord.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bde7mNPjhlE

Kelsdesu · Apr 25, 2017

Mega · Apr 25, 2017

Timu said:
What are you talking about, the shoot em up sections have multiple enemies on screen.

Glad you mentioned TMNT 3 though.

Well mostly one enemy! Point is that there's considerably less interactivity than other top NES games.

Secret Character · Apr 25, 2017

I gotta go with Recca. Not only does it look amazing, but it still is fresh to play. Not clunky, not dated.

jett · Apr 25, 2017

Double Dragon II makes excellent use of the NES's color palette

inner-G said:
It's not the best, but TMNT II: The Arcade Game looked pretty amazing coming off of TMNT 1.

I thought TMNT1 had some nice tile art.

Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles_%281989_video_game%29_gameplay.png

Timu · Apr 25, 2017

Mega said:
Well mostly one enemy! Point is that there's considerably less interactivity than other top NES games.

Fair enough, plus there's some sprite flickering when 2 or so big enemies are on screen!=p

Serge84 · Apr 25, 2017

Mitsume ga Tooru ("The Three-eyed One") was released in 1992 and was one of the most technically impressive games on the NES in my opinion.

Keep in mind, that game looks much better in motion with parallax scrolling.

Flink · Apr 25, 2017

Thread needs some Little Samson love:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLTGrwAz6Gg

Serge84 said:
Mitsume ga Tooru ("The Three-eyed One") was released in 1992 and was one of the most technically impressive games on the NES in my opinion.

Keep in mind, that game looks much better in motion with parallax scrolling.

Wow, this is gorgeous!

00ich · Apr 25, 2017

7DollarHagane said:
The parralax tricks in Batman and vice are nice but they require context to understand why it matters.

You can create that context easily:"does this look like nes or genesis?"
Batman looks really impressive in that gif.

Bgamer90 · Apr 25, 2017

Kirby's Adventure looks like an early SNES game. Best looking NES game I've seen.

D.Lo · Apr 25, 2017

7DollarHagane said:
I think it's pretty clearly Kirby's adventure.

The parralax tricks in Batman and vice are nice but they require context to understand why it matters.

Kirby is just a nice looking game in general and technically impressive compared with other releases on the platform in obvious ways.

Huh? Kirby looks like a good NES game with a solid, simple art style. Batman ROTJ looks like a Mega Drive game. What 'context'? It looks way more advanced.

Kirby is the 'best looking game many people played' but many games did things much more advanced. Little Sampson and Gimmick do a Kirby type game with more colours effects and detail. Crisis Force, Recca, Shatterhand, Sword Master - all do more than Kirby graphically.

OpinionatedCyborg · Apr 25, 2017

Kirby and Megaman 5 and 6

L.O.R.D said:
More GIFs

nevermind, this is better. looks like a Genesis game

Vanadium · Apr 25, 2017

Kirby.

or SMB3

Man God · Apr 25, 2017

OpinionatedCyborg said:
Kirby and Megaman 5 and 6

nevermind, this is better. looks like a Genesis game

It is a Genesis game, though I swear the NES version looks better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU8DLrCwEBo

The Dutch Slayer · Apr 25, 2017

jacob armitage said:
Kirby's Adventure i'd say.

Yeah def Kirby.

polyh3dron · Apr 25, 2017

Kitsune Sama said:

Come on, that's the SNES All-Stars version.

boiled goose · Apr 25, 2017

L.O.R.D said:
More GIFs

Holy shit. Looks a gen ahead.

Drain You · Apr 25, 2017

Wow I really need to get my hands on that Batman and Gimmick game. How do they control? That's usually my biggest issue going back to NES games these days.

Prism Sentence · Apr 25, 2017

Mihos said:

For me, it's this, hands down.

Return of the Joker looks impressive, but Punch Out's character sprites are large, beautifully realized and animate nicely.

ASaiyan · Apr 25, 2017

Kirby's Adventure is probably best, but there are lots of 90s-era titles with beautiful sprites. Some I would suggest are:

Ufouria

Hello Kitty World

Bomberman II

Mega · Apr 25, 2017

Man God said:
It is a Genesis game, though I swear the NES version looks better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU8DLrCwEBo

I see it as a master artist with a dozen colored pencils and a better understanding of all the fundamentals vs less talented, less capable copycats with a 100 markers.

CrashPrime · Apr 25, 2017

Gaspard said:
Gimmick!

This and Kirby.

D.Lo · Apr 25, 2017

Mega said:
I see it as a master artist with a dozen colored pencils and a better understanding of all the fundamentals vs less talented, less capable copycats with a 100 markers.

Famicom/NES version - Japanese developer. Mega Drive/Unreleased SNES version - western developers.

Of course many western devs were much better, but despite different platforms it is a pretty demonstrative example of east vs west development in the era IMO.

OnPoint · Apr 25, 2017

Always thought Crisis Force looked great. It's not Batman though.

D.Lo · Apr 25, 2017

OnPoint said:
Always thought Crisis Force looked great. It's not Batman though.

Yeah I mentioned it earlier but could not find a gif of 'that chasm' lol.

K' Dash · Apr 25, 2017

L.O.R.D said:
More GIFs

Wrap it up kids, we have a winner

Jack The Nipper · Apr 25, 2017

jett said:
Double Dragon II makes excellent use of the NES's color palette

I thought TMNT1 had some nice tile art.

agree with you here, it wasn't nearly as popular but that's a pretty good look in hindsight

If they could have pulled off that increase detail and style in the beaten ups. Or similar games like dd, would be nice.

OnPoint · Apr 25, 2017

D.Lo said:
Yeah I mentioned it earlier but could not find a gif of 'that chasm' lol.

Hah I had to make it.

Mega · Apr 25, 2017

D.Lo said:
Famicom/NES version - Japanese developer. Mega Drive/Unreleased SNES version - western developers.

Of course many western devs were much better, but despite different platforms it is a pretty demonstrative example of east vs west development in the era IMO.

Good point, there's an Amiga/DOS design aesthetic, although worse like you said.

OnPoint said:
Always thought Crisis Force looked great. It's not Batman though.

That's great. You normally see that on PC Engine shooters!

7DollarHagane · Apr 25, 2017

D.Lo said:
Huh? Kirby looks like a good NES game with a solid, simple art style. Batman ROTJ looks like a Mega Drive game. What 'context'? It looks way more advanced.

Kirby is the 'best looking game many people played' but many games did things much more advanced. Little Sampson and Gimmick do a Kirby type game with more colours effects and detail. Crisis Force, Recca, Shatterhand, Sword Master - all do more than Kirby graphically.

People say Batman looks like a genesis game but there is a clear world of difference between it and even this:

And that's the system's launch title.

Obviously this is all opinion but I think it's hard to poke any holes in Kirby's style, visuals, color, effects, content, and variety. All around I think it's the best choice. Just my opinion obviously.

Durock · Apr 25, 2017

dragonzdogma said:
OMG!
how could I forget- especially GIANT world - that was yeah- that's amazing.

never heard of this- I'll check it out
milton bradley made games ?

Milton Bradley published, Rare developed. They published a lot of games back then actually.

l2ounD · Apr 25, 2017

Deckard Chapel said:
Aside from Batman: Return of the Joker, Konami's Track & Field II was really impressive also:

Oh man, so good! Loved this game. Archery was so much fun

Jack The Nipper · Apr 25, 2017

artistically batman on the nes doesn't even look good and that music isn't great. No matter what, I am not seeing the praise here. It looks sort of bad cause of the large sprites with subpar animation. Much prefer the good batman game on NES to this . Prefer it over the more ugly genesis though for sure.

whitemex88 · Apr 25, 2017

Double Dribble

polyh3dron · Apr 25, 2017

Serge84 said:
Mitsume ga Tooru ("The Three-eyed One") was released in 1992 and was one of the most technically impressive games on the NES in my opinion.

Keep in mind, that game looks much better in motion with parallax scrolling.

That's like if Krillin and Tien combined together. lol

andymcc · Apr 25, 2017

Drain You said:
Wow I really need to get my hands on that Batman and Gimmick game. How do they control? That's usually my biggest issue going back to NES games these days.

Return of Joker isn't my favorite hand mechanically but gimmick is masterclass.

polyh3dron said:
That's like if Krillin and Tien combined together. lol

That character probably influenced the design of both to some capacity so not really shocking.

Conezays · Apr 25, 2017

Thanks for the recommendations. Definitely going to have to check out the Batman game and some of the others mentioned here on my AVS.

Mihael Mello Keehl · Apr 25, 2017

Kitsune Sama said:

LOL

iamaustrian · Apr 25, 2017

As much I was wow'ed by Batman and all the parallax scrolling etc, I have to pick Recca.

What they pulled of on the famicom hardware is simply amazing; almost physically impossible.
dozens of sprites on screen without a hint of slowdown.
high speed scrolling(one of the fastest scrolling I have EVER seen in a game even), scaling, rotation hell even morphing

basicly the "Super Aleste" of it's time.

It's available on 3DS Virtual Console btw (even in the US and EU). get it

OnPoint said:
Always thought Crisis Force looked great. It's not Batman though.

Crisis Force uses an additional chip on the cartridge though (I think the same like in Gradius II). so it's not all Famicom power.

Branduil · Apr 25, 2017

Didn't realize that Batman game was also on the NES. Such an incredibly bizarre game.

Link1110 · Apr 25, 2017

No pics cause I'm on mobile but go check out Metal Slader Glory. Iwata strikes again

eso76 · Apr 25, 2017

VARIA said:
Hands down.

GIF from the last time this thread came up:

Holy shit

120v · Apr 25, 2017

L.O.R.D said:
BATMAN: RETURN OF THE JOKER (NES)

off the top of my head this was first that came to mind. quite the technical achievement for its time

NES carts were really doing some nutzo stuff by '93 or so

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