9. Bionic Commando

By Capcom | Released: 1988

It may strike some as strange that one of the NES's very greatest platformers dispenses with jumping – that essential component of Mario's repertoire – entirely. But Bionic Commando's Rad Spencer gets by just fine with the help of his bionic appendage. At first, Bionic Commando's emphasis on swinging seems counterintuitive and limiting, but at some point the smooth grappling action just clicks, you find yourself zipping around the stages in a blur of red and green pixels. Taking cues from open-ended adventure games like Metroid, you'll need to find certain weapons and equipment to progress in Bionic Commando, and that sometimes means returning to area you've previously visited to take care of unfinished business. A thinly-veiled plot about the resurrection of Adolf Hitler and an epic soundtrack go a long way towards making Bionic Commando a totally unique experience on the NES.

Our Fondest Memories

Every self-respecting gamer has fond memories of Bionic Commando, and most of the time those memories are of the first 12 minutes of the game or so. Over the years though Bionic Commando is a game I keep going back to, and it wasn't until I really realized the RPG-lite experience in there (trucks lead to 1Ups, kills equal strength and RPG-like leveling) that I was able to really dominate the game. Wow… 15+ years later and I can still find fun in this game? Add it to the list!

- Mark Bozon, IGN Nintendo Editor