This is my Famicom and NES selection. I prefer most of the time japanese versions because they are usualy unsensored. But some games were only published in US and Europe.
The meaning of the columns should be obvious.
Last edited on : 08.02.2026
| Name | Type | Nb Players | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abadox | Shoot 'em up | 1 | Set inside a giant organism. Known for high difficulty. A hack exists to change the player color for better visibility. |
| Adventures of Lolo | Puzzle | 1 | Developed by HAL Laboratory. Requires intense logic. Later levels are notoriously difficult. |
| Airwolf | Simulation / Action | 1 | Western Exclusive (Not released in Japan). Very different from the Arcade version; mission-based system. |
| Akumajou Densetsu | Platform / Action | 1 | Japan Exclusive Perk: Uses the VRC6 chip for 3 extra sound channels, offering a vastly superior soundtrack to the US version. |
| Akumajou Special: Boku Dracula-kun | Platformer | 1 | Japan Exclusive. A cute parody of Castlevania. A high-quality translation hack exists. |
| Antarctic Adventure | Racing / Adventure | 1 | Early Konami title featuring penguin racing. A "Speed" hack exists to make the penguin faster. |
| Argos No Senshi | Action / Adventure | 1 | Japanese version of Rygar. A hack exists to improve the map and navigation system. |
| Balloon Fight | Shoot 'em up | 2 | Classic programmed by Satoru Iwata. Features "Balloon Trip" mode. A hack exists to add more varied levels. |
| Batman Returns | Action | 1 | Late-release beat 'em up with impressive graphics. A hack exists to adjust the hit detection. |
| Batman: Return of the Joker | Action / Platform | 1 | One of the most visually advanced games on the system. A "Balance" hack exists for the difficulty. |
| Battle Formula | Racing / Shooter | 1 | Japan Exclusive (US version is Super Spy Hunter). Features elite-tier music and graphics. |
| Bionic Commando | Platform / Action | 1 | Unique grappling hook (no jumping). The Japanese version contains Nazi symbols censored in the West. |
| Captain Skyhawk | Shoot 'em up | 1 | Features impressive pseudo-3D scrolling. A hack exists to improve HUD and menu clarity. |
| Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers 2 | Platformer | 2 | Late-gen classic. An "Enhanced" hack allows both players to pick up the same object. |
| Conquest of Crystal Palace | Platform / Action | 1 | Includes an AI dog companion. A hack exists to restore the original Japanese difficulty balance. |
| Contra | Run and Gun | 2 | An "Easy" hack exists. Japan Exclusive Perk: Uses the VRC2 chip for superior animations missing on NES. |
| Darkwing Duck | Platformer | 1 | Built on the Mega Man engine. A popular fan hack adds 2-player co-op support. |
| Debiru Wārudo (Devil World) | Puzzle | 2 | Japan / Europe Exclusive (Censored in USA for religious icons). Directed by Shigeru Miyamoto. |
| Donkey Kong 3 | Shooter / Puzzle | 2 | A unique shooter-puzzle hybrid. A "Color" hack exists for more accurate arcade colors. |
| Donkey Kong Jr. no Sansuu Asobi | Edutainment | 2 | Known as DK Jr. Math. Part of the rare "Education" series. |
| Double Dragon II: The Revenge | Beat 'em all | 2 | Regarded as the best entry on NES. Features a great co-op mode and iconic soundtrack. |
| Dr. Mario | Puzzle | 2 | Highly addictive puzzle game. A hack exists to add more music tracks. |
| Duck Hunt | Light Gun | 1 | Requires Zapper (NES) or Beam Gun (Famicom). Player 2 can control the duck on certain versions. |
| DuckTales 2 | Platformer | 1 | Rare late-gen title. A "New Work" hack adds secret areas and more difficulty. |
| Excitebike | Racing | 1 | Japan Perk: The Famicom version allows saving custom tracks to a data recorder. |
| Formation Z | Shoot 'em up | 1 | A transformation-based shooter. A hack exists to fix some collision bugs. |
| Gargoyle's Quest II | Action RPG | 1 | Prequel to the Game Boy title. Features overhead exploration and side-scrolling action. |
| Ghost'n Goblins | Platform / Action | 1 | An "Easy" hack exists. Known for brutal difficulty. A "True Color" hack exists to improve the graphics. |
| Gimmick! | Platformer | 1 | An "Easy" hack exists. Japan Exclusive Perk: Uses the Sunsoft 5B chip for extra sound channels. |
| Gradius II | Shoot 'em up | 1 | Japan Exclusive. Uses the VRC4 chip for enhanced visuals. An English translation hack exists. |
| Gremlins 2 | Platform / Action | 1 | Developed by Sunsoft. Features an amazing soundtrack and very polished controls. |
| Gun Nac | Shoot 'em up | 1 | Frantic shooter by Compile. A hack exists to adjust the weapon balance. |
| Gun Sight | First Person Shooter | 1 | Known as Laser Invasion in the West. Supports the Zapper and a flight stick. |
| Gun Smoke | Shoot 'em up | 1 | Western-themed Capcom shooter. A hack exists to improve the color palette. |
| Hector '87 | Shoot 'em up | 1 | Known as Starship Hector. A fast caravan-style shooter. A hack exists for better visibility. |
| Highway Star | Racing | 1 | Known as Rad Racer in the West. Developed by Square. Supports 3D glasses. |
| Hoshi no Kirby: Yume no Izumi | Platformer | 1 | Kirby's Adventure. One of the largest games on the system. Uses advanced graphics tricks. |
| Ice Climber | Platformer | 2 | Launch title. A hack exists to fix the "slippery" jumping physics. |
| Intergalactic Ninja | Platform / Action | 1 | Known as Zen in the West. Features high-quality animation and environmental themes. |
| Isolated Warrior | Shoot 'em up | 1 | Rare isometric view. A hack exists to improve depth perception issues. |
| Kabuki: Quantum Fighter | Platform / Action | 1 | Excellent music. A hack exists to give the main character more modern hair colors. |
| KiraKira Star Night DX | Action | 1 | Japan Exclusive (Homebrew). 2016 release pushing hardware to its absolute limits. |
| Little Nemo: The Dream Master | Platformer | 1 | Based on the film. A hack exists to allow Nemo to use his scepter more frequently. |
| Little Samson | Platform / Action | 1 | Stunning late-gen graphics. Features 4 characters. A "Color" hack exists to enhance the sprites. |
| Mad City | Action / Driving | 1 | Known as Bayou Billy in the West. Western version is significantly harder than the original. |
| Mario Bros. | Platformer | 2 | Classic arcade port. A "Classic" hack exists to make sprites look more like the arcade version. |
| Metal Storm | Shoot 'em up | 1 | Gravity-flipping mechanic. A hack exists to restore the original Japanese intro and ending. |
| Mighty Final Fight | Beat 'em all | 1 | Chibi" version of Final Fight. A popular fan hack adds 2-player co-op support. |
| Mike Tyson's Punch Out | Sports | 1 | Uses the MMC2 chip for large sprites. A "Gold" hack exists to update the roster. |
| Dead Fox | Action / Shooter | 1 | Known as Code Name: Viper. A hack exists to improve the character palette. |
| Ninja Ryukenden II | Platform / Action | 1 | Ninja Gaiden II. An "Easy" hack exists to reduce the enemy respawn rate. |
| Ninja-Kun: Majou no Bouken | Platform / Action | 1 | Early Famicom hit. A "Speed" hack exists to make the movement more fluid. |
| Nuts & Milk | Puzzle / Platform | 1 | The first 3rd-party game ever on Famicom. Simple but iconic puzzle mechanics. |
| Pac-Man | Maze | 2 | Classic port. A hack exists to restore original arcade colors and speed. |
| Pizza Pop! | Platformer | 1 | Quirky Japanese arcade port. A full translation hack exists for the story. |
| Power Blade | Platform / Action | 1 | Hardcore game. A Western overhaul of the Japanese Power Blazer. |
| Quarth | Puzzle / Shooter | 2 | Unique hybrid of Tetris and a shooter. An "Improvement" hack adds better SFX. |
| R.C. Pro-Am | Driving | 1 | Western Exclusive (Not released in Japan). Considered the grandfather of combat racing. |
| R.C. Pro-Am II | Driving | 4 | Western Exclusive. One of the few 4-player games using the NES Four Score. |
| River City Ransom | Beat 'em all | 2 | Part of the Kunio-kun series. A hack exists to remove flickering during combat. |
| Road Fighter | Racing | 1 | Simple top-down racer. A "2020 Edition" hack exists with updated graphics. |
| RoboCop | Action | 1 | Great atmosphere. A hack exists to increase the walking speed and jump height. |
| Rockman | Platform / Action | 1 | First entry. A hack exists to add a "Save" feature or fix the pause glitch. |
| Rockman 2 | Platform / Action | 1 | Often called the best. A hack exists to add a "Difficult" mode to the Japanese version. |
| Rockman 3 | Platform / Action | 1 | Adds the slide and Rush. A hack exists to fix the slow-down issues. |
| Rockman 4 | Platform / Action | 1 | Adds the Mega Buster. "Rockman 4 Minus" is a popular hack that overhaul levels. |
| Rockman 5 | Platform / Action | 1 | Features gravity man. A hack exists to balance the charge shot power. |
| Rockman 6 | Platform / Action | 1 | Late-gen graphics. A hack exists to allow switching suits without a menu. |
| Rollergames | Action / Sports | 1 | Western Exclusive (Not released in Japan). Features an incredible rock soundtrack. |
| Salamander | Shoot 'em up | 2 | Japan Exclusive Perk: Translucent cartridge. A hack exists to restore arcade power-ups. |
| Shadow of the Ninja | Platform / Action | 2 | An "Easy" hack exists. Known for excellent co-op and tight ninja controls. |
| Sky Kid | Shoot 'em up | 2 | Side-scrolling shooter where you can loop. A hack exists to make bombs more powerful. |
| Spartan X | Beat 'em all | 1 | Known as Kung-Fu Master. A "Jackie Chan" sprite hack exists to match the movie. |
| Super Contra | Run and Gun | 2 | Sequel to Contra. An "Enhanced" hack adds better weapon colors and effects. |
| Super Mario Bros. | Platformer | 2 | The game that saved the industry. Hacks exist to add infinite lives or level selection. |
| Super Mario Bros. 3 | Platformer | 2 | Massive world. The "Brauer" hack improves colors; other hacks add a "Save" feature. |
| Super Xevious: GUMP no Nazo | Shoot 'em up | 1 | Japan Exclusive. Features puzzle elements inside a shmup. A translation hack exists. |
| Talespin | Shoot 'em up | 1 | Unique "reverse scrolling" mechanic. A hack exists for faster scrolling speed. |
| TMNT 2: Manhattan Project | Beat 'em all | 2 | Often considered the best TMNT game on the system. High-quality 2-player action. |
| Terra Cresta | Shoot 'em up | 1 | Features a "formation" system. A hack exists to improve the ship's firing speed. |
| The Goonies II | Platform / Action | 1 | A SRAM patch exists to allow saving on real hardware instead of passwords. |
| The Guardian Legend | Shoot 'em up / RPG | 1 | A SRAM patch exists to allow saving on real hardware instead of passwords. |
| Tiny Toon Adventures | Platformer | 1 | Polished Konami title. A hack exists to play as any character in any level. |
| TwinBee | Shoot 'em up | 2 | Vertical "cute 'em up". Japan Perk: P2 can shout into the microphone to hit enemies. |
| Vice: Project Doom | Platform / Action | 1 | A patch adds infinite bullets/grenades and no timer. Combines 3 different genres. |
| Wanpaku Dakku Yume Bōken | Platformer | 1 | Japanese name for DuckTales. A hack exists for a one-button pogo jump. |
| Wild Gunman | Light Gun | 1 | Japan Perk: Shouting into the P2 microphone can startle enemies in some versions. |
| Super Mario Bros. USA | Platformer | 1 | The well known convertion of "doki doki panic" |
| Skate or Die | Sports | 1-2 | Western Exclusive (Not released in Japan). Classic multi-event extreme sports game. A "Graphics" hack exists to improve the color contrast of the ramps. |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Platform / Action | 1 | Known as Gekikame Ninja Den in Japan. Two good hacks exist to make the game more enjoyable: "Easy Hack" and "New Work". |
| Skate or Die 2 | Sports / Action | 1 | Western Exclusive (Not released in Japan). Features a unique adventure mode. A hack exists to clean up the digitized speech and audio clips. |
| Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers | Platformer | 2 | Known as Wana n' Chip in Japan. A hack exists to make the game look "prettier" by adjusting the sprite palettes to be more faithful to the cartoon. |