The 1980s were the golden age of the arcade and the birth of the home console: the pixel takes shape, genres are invented, legends begin. This Top 50 gathers the 8-bit and arcade games that laid the medium's foundations. RomWize re-tests and ranks them by its re-evaluated scores, each with its versions, their rarity and their collector value.
"An absolute masterpiece. Blaster Master blends tank exploration and on-foot dungeon action. Vast, inventive, visually splendid for NES. Essential in every form."
"The sequel to Konami's comic Japanese thief adventures. Bigger, more varied, even funnier. Japanese folklore enters a colorful action-adventure. Japanese only but visually expressive."
"Western version of 1943 with some welcome adjustments. The Midway historical backdrop is nicely used. A classic 8-bit shoot'em up worth revisiting without apology."
"ICOM's graphic adventure on NES. Explore a haunted castle by making decisions. Dark and oppressive atmosphere, ingenious puzzles. Point-and-click that works remarkably well on NES."
"One of the most iconic shooters in video game history on NES. Enemy bees capturing your ship and the double firepower are still as exhilarating. Timeless."
"Namco's arcade in a faithful NES port. Inflate monsters with a pump or crush them with rocks: emblematic concept still satisfying. A timeless gem that can be rediscovered effortlessly."
"Konami's Salamander under its western title on NES. Brilliant co-op multidirectional shoot'em up. Organic levels and original mechanics. Among the best shooters on the console."
"The peak of the original trilogy. Creatable characters, immense world, legendary final twist. DQ III caused queues in Japan and you can see why. A J-RPG masterpiece."
"The sequel improves everything: controls, levels, variety. One of the best beat'em ups on NES. The attack direction system is far more intuitive. Essential for genre fans."
