Ranking every Hudson Soft NES Game - ruclips.net/video/tPrhr6cpMKU/видео.html Ranking every Tradewest NES Game - ruclips.net/video/Q1gvCXgAfc0/видео.html
@JohnRiggs : We can’t reply to your speech, conversationally/real time, to tell you whether your pronunciation of “Bungeling” is correct, or not. 😄 This dang video thing only goes one way... 😁
Guardian Legend deserves a sequel! Your rating for it is perfect. Interesting enough this game is actual a sequel to a game in Japan called Guardic. If you never played Guardian Legend its a MUST! If you have a rapid fire controller it makes the game easier so your not mashing the buttons all the time. lol Thanks again for your time JohnRiggs.
Guardian Legend is definitely worthy of its "S" ranking. I wish Compile would've made a sequel to this game either themselves or teamed up with another developer like Treasure or Konami (when they were still good).
I know what you mean. Same with The Battle of Olympus. If you need more TGL, try out Sigma Star Saga on GBA. It's not as good and the shooter stages aren't as well thought out (I think they're procedurally generated or just randomly selected and therefore bland), but it's a fun game with a decent story and lots of weapons.
I couldn't agree more. There's just something about discussing games and having a simple rating system like the one John uses that makes this video format so much fun. Don't stop JohnRiggs! We love these videos man!
Same here! I stumbled across Dusty Diamond at a yard sale some 20+ years ago for $1 and it will always be one of the best dollars I have ever spent. :) It's such a fun game and the amount of characters gives it something that most baseball/softball games lack...replay value!
@@caseyhayes4590 More cryptic, sure, but I wouldn't say it's less polished at all. Legacy of the Wizard is an EXTREMELY well thought-out game once you dig into it, with far more depth to it than most people give it credit for, and a lot of really interesting puzzles and platforming challenges that keep you coming back for more again and again. In my opinion, it's one of the best 8-bit games of all time, but you need to REALLY sit down with it to fully appreciate it. Like, it's not a pick-up-and-play game at its core, but a full-on COMMITMENT to play through and explore. Make that commitment, though, and man... you'll be hard-pressed to find a more engaging, satisfying experience. Absolutely one of the all-time underrated classics. IMHO, Dragon's Trap has nothing on this game. (And yes, I have beaten Legacy of the Wizard... on NES, MSX1, and MSX2 alike, with each version having its own unique quirks and slight alterations. The MSX2 version is the best IMHO, but YMMV.)
Spelunker was one of the handful of NES gems I had back in the day, and really loved it. You're right about the whole "fall one millimeter too high and you die" thing, though. Wow, hadn't thought of this one in a long time!
Legacy of the Wizard was known as Dragon Slayer 4: Drasle Family in Japan. Faxanadu, which was published by the Big N, is related to it. The Guardian Legend was made by Irem & Compile.
Just a probably not important note, the original versions of these games (except The Guardian Legend) were made by Falcom (that one company who made Ys and The Legend of Heroes series) but for Japanese computers (MSX2 and PC-88 respectively, Faxanadu was called Xanadu on there, the latter was totally different in gameplay and would take WAY longer than Faxanadu to complete) for me that was the golden era of Falcom and one of the games that defined the company along with Ys. Edit: I'm pretty sure Xanadu/Faxanadu (not really sure about the latter) would be Dragon Slayer II since they are a sequel to the original Dragon Slayer, that's the connection between Drasle Family and them.
Spoiler: When you beat Bomber Man, There is an ending cutscene where Bomber Man removes his armor; Revealing himself to be "The Runner" in Lode Runner. The enemies in Lode Runner are Failed Bomber Man Robots gone Rogue.
@@DirectorCM thank you i was gonna type that in till i saw u...also how HUGE load runner on the famicon was at the time... it would be like a game from Rockstar today...in japan at the time it was a big deal that shaped alot of game developers, and gave hudson enuff cash to work with NEC on the PC Engine after they took their ideas to Nintendo and they rejected it
Dusty Diamond All star Softball is an S for sure. You forgot to mention every player has a different skill sets so it's a strategy to know who you want to pick before your friend.
Loadrunner was great with two players. My friend played by taking turns. One would leave the room while the other would create levels. It was like an early version of Mario Maker!
Glad to see Guardian Legend getting love. Great game by Compile and Irem. Gun Nac is very similar. Battle Of Olympus is underrated but the grinding can be tiresome.
I dunno how it would be done but I would LOVE to see Battle of Olympus to be remade. That and Guardian Legend given proper remakes especially with some of the tech we have now?! SHOOT! Let me roam around Naju in 3rd person dealing with some of those messed up life-forms. I will PROMISE you no one hears from me until I beat that damn game into the pavement!
The Guardian Legend is another one of those games that I wish had gotten a “sequel” on Super Nintendo. Given how great Space Megaforce is I have no doubt Compile had the chops for it, but I guess maybe they Guardian Legend didn’t sell well enough or something. Oh well. TGL is awesome. No NES retro gamer should miss it.
Lode Runner - I loved this game on the C64. It was the puzzle element of it that appealed to me. There were built in cheats that allowed you to give yourself extra men and to jump to any level you wanted, both of which I made heavy use of. I don't consider it cheating too much, because the fun for me was figuring out the levels and the game made you do each one with a single life. So even though I could have unlimited lives, I still had to do each level perfectly. The NES version puts you at a disadvantage by scrolling the screen. That makes it hard to see where the guards are, where the gold you need to collect is and where the escape ladder appears. Raid on Bungeling Bay - I thought this was an OK game on the C64. It had a cool intro where the Blue Thunder helicopter would fly back and forth on the screen before finally rising up from the bottom and firing directly at the screen. I used to be able to beat it. Spelunker - (C64) I always liked the idea of this game, but it was way too easy to die. I never got very far in it and always found it frustrating.
Guardian Legend is one of my favorite games of all time. The boss test fired those "girders" gave me serious fits, and beating it made me feel a huge sense of accomplishment, and when you fought it again I ALMOST rage quit.
I rented Legacy of the Wizard a bunch of times as a kid and never beat it, but had fun playing and exploring. One day when I was in high school, I found a copy for sale at a used video game store and quickly snatched it up. To this day, I’ve never beaten it without a password, but still love it as much as I did when I was 8.
@Andy Hurd: In order to beat LOTW, you pretty much have to commit to mapping out the game and learning exactly where to send each character. There's a lot of work required but it's worth it. Trust me...beating LOTW is SO gratifying and honestly, it was a blast diving completely into the game for a few months back in the day. The music, if nothing else, will keep you going. :)
I absolutely love The Guardian legend, the music is great the story is kind of sad but one of my all time favorites. I actually enjoyed spelunker on the atari 800 a lot more and the intro music was awesome. Broderbund Did music really well. I now have the guardian legend music stuck in my head all day today, but that is certainly not a bad thing.
Pre-NES, I remember Broderbund making Print shop Pro software. Battle Of Olympus was freakin’ amazing. And the soundtrack for The Guardian Legend was awesome.
Raid on Bungling Bay was one of my favourite games ... on the c64 ... never knew it came out on the NES. I’ll need to take a look and see a comparison between the two. I often find the game play (controls) on the c64 very different ... sometimes for the better sometimes fore the worst. Interesting to see your take. Great video as always!
Riggs, I just mentioned Legacy of the Wizard your last vid.. Good call. My favorite underappreciated NES gem. Soundtrack itself is legendary far as I'm concerned. The main dungeon theme "All Together Now" is probably my favorite track on the NES. Everybody, check it out, seriously.
@Omnitrash: It really is an underrated game! I probably wouldn't give it a higher rating than a "B" myself but it's certainly worthy of that rating. The music is superb and the element of exploration really gives this game a cool atmosphere. It's immensely nostalgic as well.
Spelunker is the one I'm most familiar with. Man I remember staying up late watching my cousin master that one! Definitely a publisher I didn't own much from. Guardian Legend is fantastic even though I've never played through it!
There is something so soothing about how you review these nes games. Never stop buddy. And we all have love for some games that others may hate but keep your personal touch. Well done
I love how you remind me of a late 80s to kid 90s childhood and talk about titles that stick in my mind, even though I don't always remember why, like guardian legend
The Guardian Legend is one the most overlooked, least talked about games on the NES. It's my favorite NES game and to this day I'm still kinda floored at it's presentation, story and it's mix of 1943/Zelda game play.
Hey, I ALSO like Deadly Towers and Super Pitfall! Deadly Towers starts out as a total mess, but once you get better stuff, it becomes a lot more playable. Super Pitfall is clunky and admittedly kinda bad, but it also has a really neat visual design that's reminiscent of the early days of Nintendo that I like. Guardian Legend is an absolute classic; it's one of those rare hybrids that almost seemlessly fuses the two genres that comprise it. Legacy of the Wizard is my second-favorite game on the NES, only topped by Esper Dream 2; there's just such a wonderful sense of discovery to it, and visually, it's such a wild trip. Battle of Olympus is great, too; a bit clunky, but a solid Action-Adventure that's visually impressive for its time, and has some cool gear to collect. I'm also with you on Lode Runner; I've never been able to get into it.
Guardian Legend was a game that looked so cool when I discovered it. I was a kid who grew up on the NES, but that game was never on my radar at all until like five years ago when the Internet brought it to my attention. Still haven't gotten around to get to play it, but it's definitely on the list as everyone who has played it just raves about it.
Nice video as always, JohnRiggs! I love how you sometimes choose an "under-the-radar" company and Broderbund was certainly one of those. Thank you for giving Dusty Diamond some love as well! I absolutely LOVE Dusty Diamond and I feel that it was the best baseball/softball game on the NES by far because of the customization and general character of the game. The controls are nice and tight and the atmosphere is just really fun...especially with two players! It is at least an A for me if not an S but it's super cool to see you give it a B. Legacy of the Wizard is a game that I literally had to map out as I played and you said it perfectly in that without the manual and/or a guide, you are sunk. That's part of the fun though as beating this game was SO gratifying for me personally as I beat it without looking anything up. I know that the characters I used in order were the pet (Poochi I think?), the daughter, the mother, and then the father. The easiest crown to get is probably the one with the pet (since most other enemies like the pet alone).
Move everything down a grade, then move Lode Runner up 2 grades. Then you've got it. Lode Runner is underrated, especially for the fact that you can make your own stages to challenge your friends.
the guardian legend is one of my all time favorites for sure. glad to see it in the S tier. between that, kirby's adventure. and mario 1 - 3. i had years of entertainment out of my NES
Broderbund was one of my favorite publishers on the computer. It's too bad that the Learning Company destroyed them. Also, Lode Runner is a classic! I'm not sure about the NES game, but the original computer version was awesome! I played it in the early 80's on DOS.
I had Deadly Towers as a kid, but I never knew what was going on with it. I played some of it later with a guide, and there was a decent amount to it I wasn't aware of. A remake that communicated what was going on and updated the gameplay a bit would be a decent, though probably not great, game.
Deadly Towers was the 2nd NES game I ever played. If Ducktales hadn't been my 3rd game, I suppose I wouldnt be here today watching this video. I still hold Legacy of the Wizard dear to my heart.
Thank goodness for DuckTales!! LOL...I really tried to like Deadly Towers but the game is honestly an "F" for me. It had a lot of potential but so did E.T. for the Atari 2600. :p
Check out the Romhack "Spelunker: Don't Skip Leg Day" which lets you choose infinite fall or 2X fall distance. The game's much funner with it! From the notes: "The Fall 2X patch is closer to the original Atari XL/XE version’s fall height."
Another cool video JR. Guardian Legend is a top 10 game on the entire system. Battle Of Olympus is right there on the S tier. Legacy Of The Wizard is A tier for me. I still own all 3 and feel the difficulty is just right. They are tough but definitely not unfair. Thanks for these videos and keep em coming please.
Legacy of the Wizard was one of my favorite NES games. Loved the open world exploration element. I even ordered a map for it, I don’t remember from where. And I did eventually end up beating it. Btw… I also actually loved Super Pitfall growing up, like your friend, as broken as it was. Once again, it was the open world exploration that endeared me. And all the cryptic secrets. One of the only times I called the Nintendo game counselor line was to help me with that game.
Broderbund was best known for the Carmen Sandiego games, but only one of those games came out for the NES, Where in Time, and it was released by Konami for some reason. Good list. I actually like Lode Runner. One of those old school arcade like games that is fun to play for ten minutes. Guardian Legend is one of the best games for the NES and one of the most underrated ones as well.
Another good Broderbund game which was originally on the Apple II computer, but also was released on the Nintendo Famicom by Soft-Pro in Japan and was later included in the 31in1 Asian Pirate cart was Karateka, it was a great game and challenging
Absolutely spot on with your rankings. I have a soft spot for The Guardian Legend. I bought it used from the video store in my small town one summer. And spent that summer beating it.
Thanks John! There’s 2 out of 3 of my review requests! Loved all the Brøderbund games in the 80’s! Yes even Deadly Towers! Hey when it’s all you had at the time 30+ years ago you played it and loved it! Also remember making graph paper maps for Legacy of the Wizard! Great review! Hoping to see an SNK list in the mix sometime!
Guardian Legend is a fantastic game and the final boss is extremely hard. Interesting note: TGL is connect to FCI's Zanac & Gunac considering all 3 were produced by Irem and the Blue Lander makes an appearance in all 3. Lode Runner and Raid On Bungeling Bay are connected where the enemies of both games are the Bungeling Empire.
The Nes has a lot of superb baseball games and Dusty Diamond Softball is one of the best. A hidden Gem. Should be "S" Tier... also the players all have their own unique abilities.... I think the manual for the game goes into this in detail.
I LOVE Legacy of the Wizard. One of my top favorite NES games. Love the open world exploration and how giant the map is. It’s also related to another of my favorite games, Faxanadu. Both are in the Dragon Slayer series of games from Japan.
Really enjoyed this list. Legacy of the Wizard is always been a personal fav of mine despite its issues. I need to try Battle of Olympus and the baseball one
Battle of Olympus and The Guardian Legend were the two games which made me realize the difference between game publishers and game developers. The issue with the "bomber man" sprites in lode runner is also a bit interesting.
I’m glad you were so fair to Deadly Towers. It’s way too ambitious for its own good. You’re absolutely right that with a few tweaks it would be a decent adventure game.
Man I was really crossing my fingers Guardian Legend gets an S. Totally deserves it. Music was so memorable, and the story pulled me in. Did you know if you type "TGL" in the password screen you'll bypass the overworld and play the entire game like a shooter? I love that game so much.
I watched this video thinking, "If he gives The Guardian Legend anything below an A, I'm never watching him again". Spot on review. Hands down, one of my favorite NES games. I'm so glad to find someone who agrees.
Having played some of these games back in the day (Legacy, Dusty), but not others (Olympus, Guardian), it feels like Broderbund games were well done but kind of over the heads of a lot of us as kids. Would be awesome for them to put out a comp so we can check them out now that we’re older and hopefully smarter/better gamers.
These are my favorite videos from you. Categorizing all the NES games that were produced by the third party companies.☺️ Can’t wait to see you do this with the Super Nintendo and Genesis.😁
THQ will assume responsibilty for Broderbund's licensed Nintendo NES games - The Battle of Olympus, Legacy of the Wizard, Dusty Diamond's All-Star Softball, The Guardian Legend, and the U-FORCE video game controller. The moves enables THQ to double their release for the NES in 1991. The sale also postpones indefinitely the release fo the 4-in-1 cartridge, U-Force Power Games, designed specifically for used with the U-FORCE.
Hey, John! I love your content! I've been watching a lot of your hidden jems videos with Metal Jesus and I've yet to see Shadowman on the N64 hidden jems! It's such a great game!
When you run out of companies to do these videos on, you should do a best of the worst ranking of all the F (and maybe D if there's not enough) games. Or a best of the best ranking all the S list games. However you do it, please keep doing these videos! They're really addicting and are my favorite videos on RUclips right now.👍👍
Legacy of the Wizard Is an “A” borderline S. Had an excellent soundtrack, very creative map that was unique for its time, multiple characters with different abilities, different weapons that only certain characters could use. An execellent all around game that is slept on too much.
Ranking every Hudson Soft NES Game - ruclips.net/video/tPrhr6cpMKU/видео.html
Ranking every Tradewest NES Game - ruclips.net/video/Q1gvCXgAfc0/видео.html
ouch $66 dollars loose for dusty diamon softball
@JohnRiggs : We can’t reply to your speech, conversationally/real time, to tell you whether your pronunciation of “Bungeling” is correct, or not. 😄
This dang video thing only goes one way... 😁
Please could you do a code masters ranking . Micro machines , the adventure of dizzy . Fun games . Love your content !!. From East coast Canada 🇨🇦
Ø is a Danish letter. It is pronounced "uuh"
Guardian Legend deserves a sequel! Your rating for it is perfect. Interesting enough this game is actual a sequel to a game in Japan called Guardic.
If you never played Guardian Legend its a MUST! If you have a rapid fire controller it makes the game easier so your not mashing the buttons all the time. lol
Thanks again for your time JohnRiggs.
The Guardian Legend is one of my favorite games of all time on any system. Freaking love that game...
Guardian Legend is definitely worthy of its "S" ranking. I wish Compile would've made a sequel to this game either themselves or teamed up with another developer like Treasure or Konami (when they were still good).
I know what you mean. Same with The Battle of Olympus. If you need more TGL, try out Sigma Star Saga on GBA. It's not as good and the shooter stages aren't as well thought out (I think they're procedurally generated or just randomly selected and therefore bland), but it's a fun game with a decent story and lots of weapons.
Couldn't agree more. This game is in my top 10 games of all time.
@@theinfinity7s Top-5 for me. The music alone is worth playing but the game is great too.
@@Slightly_Sadistic Compile Wuz Kangz... Power Strike, the Aleste series, Golvellius, Puyo Puyo, etc... again... KANGZ
...a Treasure-made sequel to The Guardian Legend?! Never have I ever wanted something so BADLY...
Battle of Olympus was a gem , the music was outstanding. Great video as always.
agree
The music.. So good. I still play it to this day on my steam deck ♥
Dunno what it's about these ranking videos, but I absolutely love them. Keep 'em coming forever!
thank you!
I couldn't agree more. There's just something about discussing games and having a simple rating system like the one John uses that makes this video format so much fun. Don't stop JohnRiggs! We love these videos man!
Easy to watch. Fast delivery. No brain engagement needed. Get to see lots of games. John seems nice.
Perfect bite sized videos.
Just discovered your channel. Its A1 man. Love the style and the simplicity. Awesome job 👍
Dusty Diamond’s All Star Softball is one of my favorite sports games for the system! The girls team at the end is BRUTALLY difficult!
I dont think I ever beat the Amazonian women. Such a badass game still.
Same here! I stumbled across Dusty Diamond at a yard sale some 20+ years ago for $1 and it will always be one of the best dollars I have ever spent. :) It's such a fun game and the amount of characters gives it something that most baseball/softball games lack...replay value!
Dustin Diamond never struck me as a jock. If they had named it Slater's All Star Softball it probably would have fared a bit better.
I’m getting the Famicom original Softball Tengoku (Heaven) which has crazy animal and monster characters that DDASS didn’t have
I love legacy of the wizard, particularly once you realize there are different areas meant for each character
I'd say it's a more cryptic less polished WonderBoy III the Dragon's Trap/Dragon's Curse. Feels more like that than Metroid games.
@@caseyhayes4590 More cryptic, sure, but I wouldn't say it's less polished at all. Legacy of the Wizard is an EXTREMELY well thought-out game once you dig into it, with far more depth to it than most people give it credit for, and a lot of really interesting puzzles and platforming challenges that keep you coming back for more again and again. In my opinion, it's one of the best 8-bit games of all time, but you need to REALLY sit down with it to fully appreciate it. Like, it's not a pick-up-and-play game at its core, but a full-on COMMITMENT to play through and explore. Make that commitment, though, and man... you'll be hard-pressed to find a more engaging, satisfying experience. Absolutely one of the all-time underrated classics. IMHO, Dragon's Trap has nothing on this game. (And yes, I have beaten Legacy of the Wizard... on NES, MSX1, and MSX2 alike, with each version having its own unique quirks and slight alterations. The MSX2 version is the best IMHO, but YMMV.)
Spelunker was one of the handful of NES gems I had back in the day, and really loved it. You're right about the whole "fall one millimeter too high and you die" thing, though. Wow, hadn't thought of this one in a long time!
It even has a huge following in Japan.
Legacy of the Wizard was known as Dragon Slayer 4: Drasle Family in Japan. Faxanadu, which was published by the Big N, is related to it.
The Guardian Legend was made by Irem & Compile.
Just a probably not important note, the original versions of these games (except The Guardian Legend) were made by Falcom (that one company who made Ys and The Legend of Heroes series) but for Japanese computers (MSX2 and PC-88 respectively, Faxanadu was called Xanadu on there, the latter was totally different in gameplay and would take WAY longer than Faxanadu to complete) for me that was the golden era of Falcom and one of the games that defined the company along with Ys.
Edit: I'm pretty sure Xanadu/Faxanadu (not really sure about the latter) would be Dragon Slayer II since they are a sequel to the original Dragon Slayer, that's the connection between Drasle Family and them.
Dusty Diamond is so great. What makes it great is all the players are different in there abilities. Fun to draft players also
You should try Softball Tengoku for Famicom, there are monster and animal characters in it
Spoiler: When you beat Bomber Man, There is an ending cutscene where Bomber Man removes his armor; Revealing himself to be "The Runner" in Lode Runner. The enemies in Lode Runner are Failed Bomber Man Robots gone Rogue.
No way, you serious!?
@@chrisvanderhoef9885 Yup. That is the actual lore behind Lode Runner/Bomber Man
@@DirectorCM thank you i was gonna type that in till i saw u...also how HUGE load runner on the famicon was at the time... it would be like a game from Rockstar today...in japan at the time it was a big deal that shaped alot of game developers, and gave hudson enuff cash to work with NEC on the PC Engine after they took their ideas to Nintendo and they rejected it
So Lode Runner is a Hudson Soft game then?
@@TrainmasterCurt Yes.
Dusty Diamond All star Softball is an S for sure. You forgot to mention every player has a different skill sets so it's a strategy to know who you want to pick before your friend.
Loadrunner was great with two players. My friend played by taking turns. One would leave the room while the other would create levels. It was like an early version of Mario Maker!
This video series is unique. I have not seen any other RUclipsr or videos ranking games per publisher. Great idea Riggs
Glad to see Guardian Legend getting love. Great game by Compile and Irem. Gun Nac is very similar. Battle Of Olympus is underrated but the grinding can be tiresome.
I dunno how it would be done but I would LOVE to see Battle of Olympus to be remade. That and Guardian Legend given proper remakes especially with some of the tech we have now?!
SHOOT!
Let me roam around Naju in 3rd person dealing with some of those messed up life-forms. I will PROMISE you no one hears from me until I beat that damn game into the pavement!
The Guardian Legend is another one of those games that I wish had gotten a “sequel” on Super Nintendo. Given how great Space Megaforce is I have no doubt Compile had the chops for it, but I guess maybe they Guardian Legend didn’t sell well enough or something. Oh well. TGL is awesome. No NES retro gamer should miss it.
Lode Runner - I loved this game on the C64. It was the puzzle element of it that appealed to me. There were built in cheats that allowed you to give yourself extra men and to jump to any level you wanted, both of which I made heavy use of. I don't consider it cheating too much, because the fun for me was figuring out the levels and the game made you do each one with a single life. So even though I could have unlimited lives, I still had to do each level perfectly. The NES version puts you at a disadvantage by scrolling the screen. That makes it hard to see where the guards are, where the gold you need to collect is and where the escape ladder appears.
Raid on Bungeling Bay - I thought this was an OK game on the C64. It had a cool intro where the Blue Thunder helicopter would fly back and forth on the screen before finally rising up from the bottom and firing directly at the screen. I used to be able to beat it.
Spelunker - (C64) I always liked the idea of this game, but it was way too easy to die. I never got very far in it and always found it frustrating.
Guardian Legend is one of my favorite games of all time. The boss test fired those "girders" gave me serious fits, and beating it made me feel a huge sense of accomplishment, and when you fought it again I ALMOST rage quit.
I rented Legacy of the Wizard a bunch of times as a kid and never beat it, but had fun playing and exploring. One day when I was in high school, I found a copy for sale at a used video game store and quickly snatched it up. To this day, I’ve never beaten it without a password, but still love it as much as I did when I was 8.
@Andy Hurd: In order to beat LOTW, you pretty much have to commit to mapping out the game and learning exactly where to send each character. There's a lot of work required but it's worth it. Trust me...beating LOTW is SO gratifying and honestly, it was a blast diving completely into the game for a few months back in the day. The music, if nothing else, will keep you going. :)
I absolutely love The Guardian legend, the music is great the story is kind of sad but one of my all time favorites. I actually enjoyed spelunker on the atari 800 a lot more and the intro music was awesome. Broderbund Did music really well. I now have the guardian legend music stuck in my head all day today, but that is certainly not a bad thing.
Pre-NES, I remember Broderbund making Print shop Pro software. Battle Of Olympus was freakin’ amazing. And the soundtrack for The Guardian Legend was awesome.
If I remember correctly, Broderbund is the group that created our beloved Carmen Sandiego.
Spelunker is one of the funnest games I've played. Recently discovered it, and I can't stop playing it
Raid on Bungling Bay was one of my favourite games ... on the c64 ... never knew it came out on the NES. I’ll need to take a look and see a comparison between the two. I often find the game play (controls) on the c64 very different ... sometimes for the better sometimes fore the worst. Interesting to see your take. Great video as always!
Riggs bringing the goodness.
Riggs, I just mentioned Legacy of the Wizard your last vid.. Good call.
My favorite underappreciated NES gem. Soundtrack itself is legendary far as I'm concerned. The main dungeon theme "All Together Now" is probably my favorite track on the NES. Everybody, check it out, seriously.
@Omnitrash: It really is an underrated game! I probably wouldn't give it a higher rating than a "B" myself but it's certainly worthy of that rating. The music is superb and the element of exploration really gives this game a cool atmosphere. It's immensely nostalgic as well.
I had no idea that Spelunky was named after a game called Spelunker. They also were heavily inspired by it in more than just it's name.
Spelunker is the one I'm most familiar with. Man I remember staying up late watching my cousin master that one! Definitely a publisher I didn't own much from. Guardian Legend is fantastic even though I've never played through it!
I kept coming back to it, too. See how far I can get.
The Guardian Legend is my favorite NES hidden gem! Such a great game!
Lode Runner and Raid on Bungeling Bay are related. In both games, you're fighting the Bungeling Empire.
Battle of Olympus was so memorable for me as a kid. Concept, graphics, and soundtrack were all so good.
There is something so soothing about how you review these nes games. Never stop buddy. And we all have love for some games that others may hate but keep your personal touch. Well done
The guardian legend and battle of the Olympus are one of my faves, too. Check them out. Great to see ranked here as S and an A. Well deserved!
I loved guardian legend. I still have and play that game
I love how you remind me of a late 80s to kid 90s childhood and talk about titles that stick in my mind, even though I don't always remember why, like guardian legend
The Guardian Legend is one the most overlooked, least talked about games on the NES. It's my favorite NES game and to this day I'm still kinda floored at it's presentation, story and it's mix of 1943/Zelda game play.
Hey, I ALSO like Deadly Towers and Super Pitfall! Deadly Towers starts out as a total mess, but once you get better stuff, it becomes a lot more playable. Super Pitfall is clunky and admittedly kinda bad, but it also has a really neat visual design that's reminiscent of the early days of Nintendo that I like. Guardian Legend is an absolute classic; it's one of those rare hybrids that almost seemlessly fuses the two genres that comprise it. Legacy of the Wizard is my second-favorite game on the NES, only topped by Esper Dream 2; there's just such a wonderful sense of discovery to it, and visually, it's such a wild trip. Battle of Olympus is great, too; a bit clunky, but a solid Action-Adventure that's visually impressive for its time, and has some cool gear to collect. I'm also with you on Lode Runner; I've never been able to get into it.
Guardian Legend was a game that looked so cool when I discovered it. I was a kid who grew up on the NES, but that game was never on my radar at all until like five years ago when the Internet brought it to my attention. Still haven't gotten around to get to play it, but it's definitely on the list as everyone who has played it just raves about it.
Guardian Legend was one of my favorites as a kid and it is still an amazing game! Fantastic music! Always hoped for a remake!!!!
Nice video as always, JohnRiggs! I love how you sometimes choose an "under-the-radar" company and Broderbund was certainly one of those. Thank you for giving Dusty Diamond some love as well! I absolutely LOVE Dusty Diamond and I feel that it was the best baseball/softball game on the NES by far because of the customization and general character of the game. The controls are nice and tight and the atmosphere is just really fun...especially with two players! It is at least an A for me if not an S but it's super cool to see you give it a B. Legacy of the Wizard is a game that I literally had to map out as I played and you said it perfectly in that without the manual and/or a guide, you are sunk. That's part of the fun though as beating this game was SO gratifying for me personally as I beat it without looking anything up. I know that the characters I used in order were the pet (Poochi I think?), the daughter, the mother, and then the father. The easiest crown to get is probably the one with the pet (since most other enemies like the pet alone).
Carmen Sandiego and Lode Runner 🤟 Love these vids!
Dusty diamonds is amazing and I have it my collection, one of the funniest sports games on the nes
Did you ever play the original Japanese Famicom one, Softball Tengoku? It has even cooler, weirder animal characters then the NES DDASS has
Move everything down a grade, then move Lode Runner up 2 grades. Then you've got it. Lode Runner is underrated, especially for the fact that you can make your own stages to challenge your friends.
I played guardian legends so much as a child. Loved owning this
Really feeling your series of ranking videogames. Keep them coming.
These videos are a huge help to me adding to my physical NES collection. Thank you.
I've always loved Legacy of the Wizard. Also, it has awesome music by the master, Yuzo Koshiro.
@Coorhagon: AMEN!! The music is deliciously nostalgic (and super good) isn't it?
You have the best ranking videos on RUclips. I really like how you break them down by publisher / developer.
the guardian legend is one of my all time favorites for sure. glad to see it in the S tier. between that, kirby's adventure. and mario 1 - 3. i had years of entertainment out of my NES
I enjoy Guardian Legend, it’s one of my favorites from when I was a kid. The game is longer than you’d expect too!
Broderbund was one of my favorite publishers on the computer. It's too bad that the Learning Company destroyed them. Also, Lode Runner is a classic! I'm not sure about the NES game, but the original computer version was awesome! I played it in the early 80's on DOS.
I had Deadly Towers as a kid, but I never knew what was going on with it. I played some of it later with a guide, and there was a decent amount to it I wasn't aware of. A remake that communicated what was going on and updated the gameplay a bit would be a decent, though probably not great, game.
Deadly Towers was the 2nd NES game I ever played. If Ducktales hadn't been my 3rd game, I suppose I wouldnt be here today watching this video. I still hold Legacy of the Wizard dear to my heart.
Thank goodness for DuckTales!! LOL...I really tried to like Deadly Towers but the game is honestly an "F" for me. It had a lot of potential but so did E.T. for the Atari 2600. :p
And yes...Legacy of the Wizard was a special one. The music is still stuck in my head to this day. :)
I have a powkiddy and I use your videos to seek out games I never played. A pure gift. Cheers
For some reason I've been re-binging this series lately. Its just really good.
Check out the Romhack "Spelunker: Don't Skip Leg Day" which lets you choose infinite fall or 2X fall distance. The game's much funner with it! From the notes: "The Fall 2X patch is closer to the original Atari XL/XE version’s fall height."
The Guardian Legend is one of my top 5 games. I owned it as a kid. It is just a fun game.
I agree with your assessment/grade on Deadly Towers. Would love to see someone remaster it, as it is in depth for being an early NES open-world game.
Another cool video JR. Guardian Legend is a top 10 game on the entire system. Battle Of Olympus is right there on the S tier. Legacy Of The Wizard is A tier for me. I still own all 3 and feel the difficulty is just right. They are tough but definitely not unfair. Thanks for these videos and keep em coming please.
I'm waiting for that Data East video. Really want to hear your take on stuff like Werewolf The last Warrior. Karnov and Joe and Mac ect.
Need to make one soon. It's on tap.
@@JohnRiggs I figured it had to be sooner later. Been really enjoying all these so far. Thanks Mr.Riggs
Legacy of the Wizard was one of my favorite NES games. Loved the open world exploration element. I even ordered a map for it, I don’t remember from where. And I did eventually end up beating it. Btw… I also actually loved Super Pitfall growing up, like your friend, as broken as it was. Once again, it was the open world exploration that endeared me. And all the cryptic secrets. One of the only times I called the Nintendo game counselor line was to help me with that game.
Broderbund was best known for the Carmen Sandiego games, but only one of those games came out for the NES, Where in Time, and it was released by Konami for some reason.
Good list. I actually like Lode Runner. One of those old school arcade like games that is fun to play for ten minutes.
Guardian Legend is one of the best games for the NES and one of the most underrated ones as well.
I love Super Pitfall. I never knew how to beat it, I just loved exploring and trying different routes when I died.
Another good Broderbund game which was originally on the Apple II computer, but also was released on the Nintendo Famicom by Soft-Pro in Japan and was later included in the 31in1 Asian Pirate cart was Karateka, it was a great game and challenging
Dusty Diamond is a Top 20 NES game. The roster the fields the gameplay. All of it. It’s such a tremendous under the radar game.
Legacy of the Wizard, Guardian Legend, and Battle of Olypmus are all stellar games no one knows about. I love these three games.
Absolutely spot on with your rankings. I have a soft spot for The Guardian Legend. I bought it used from the video store in my small town one summer. And spent that summer beating it.
Thanks John! There’s 2 out of 3 of my review requests! Loved all the Brøderbund games in the 80’s! Yes even Deadly Towers! Hey when it’s all you had at the time 30+ years ago you played it and loved it! Also remember making graph paper maps for Legacy of the Wizard! Great review! Hoping to see an SNK list in the mix sometime!
Guardian Legend is a fantastic game and the final boss is extremely hard. Interesting note: TGL is connect to FCI's Zanac & Gunac considering all 3 were produced by Irem and the Blue Lander makes an appearance in all 3. Lode Runner and Raid On Bungeling Bay are connected where the enemies of both games are the Bungeling Empire.
The Battle of Olympus. Man, i grew up with this gem. Of course I still play it to this day on my steam deck. ♥ It really is a perfect score.
Some day compilation vid of all the A's or S's would be sweet
The Nes has a lot of superb baseball games and Dusty Diamond Softball is one of the best. A hidden Gem. Should be "S" Tier... also the players all have their own unique abilities.... I think the manual for the game goes into this in detail.
i beat deadly towers as a kid.loved it from what i remember.
I LOVE Legacy of the Wizard. One of my top favorite NES games. Love the open world exploration and how giant the map is. It’s also related to another of my favorite games, Faxanadu. Both are in the Dragon Slayer series of games from Japan.
(prays to the Gaminglords that JohnRiggs gives Guardian Legend an A or an S).
Seriously, the game is difficult but VERY VERY good.
Your prayer was answered!
I love it and I still never beat it.
@@JohnRiggs Good friggin' luck.
GL makes Zelda 2 feel like Kirby's Adventure.
@Oh Ok I highly disagree but hey, I'm probably the only one who didn't care about the 3 Castlevania NE$ games.
@Oh Ok , speaking of dreadfully boring, women think that about you all the time.
Really enjoyed this list. Legacy of the Wizard is always been a personal fav of mine despite its issues. I need to try Battle of Olympus and the baseball one
I'm really enjoying your "Let's Rank" video series. Keep em coming! Maybe do some for the 2600 library?
Beat Guardian Legend many many years ago good old days of game playing on Nintendo Shout 2 mom luv n miss u 🙏🏽
Battle of Olympus and The Guardian Legend were the two games which made me realize the difference between game publishers and game developers.
The issue with the "bomber man" sprites in lode runner is also a bit interesting.
Your rankings are so honest I can't think of another reviewer I trust just off word of mouth. Excellent job Mr. Riggs.
I worked for Broderbund at one point. You pronounced it correctly.
Awesome! I too didn't really know how to pronounce Broderbund until this video. Better 25+ years late than never, right? ;)
I’m glad you were so fair to Deadly Towers. It’s way too ambitious for its own good. You’re absolutely right that with a few tweaks it would be a decent adventure game.
I'm surprised Broderbund didn't try to squeeze a Carmen Sandiego game onto NES!
Man I was really crossing my fingers Guardian Legend gets an S. Totally deserves it. Music was so memorable, and the story pulled me in. Did you know if you type "TGL" in the password screen you'll bypass the overworld and play the entire game like a shooter? I love that game so much.
I watched this video thinking, "If he gives The Guardian Legend anything below an A, I'm never watching him again". Spot on review. Hands down, one of my favorite NES games. I'm so glad to find someone who agrees.
The Guardian Legend and Legacy of the Wizard are my favorites.
The Guardian Legend is one of my all-time favourite games! Still play it to this day! Definitely deserves the S rating!!
These videos make my day John. Are you going to do other systems as well like SNES and Genesis?(keep it old school obviously)
I plan on it sooner than later.
Great video John keep them coming
Having played some of these games back in the day (Legacy, Dusty), but not others (Olympus, Guardian), it feels like Broderbund games were well done but kind of over the heads of a lot of us as kids.
Would be awesome for them to put out a comp so we can check them out now that we’re older and hopefully smarter/better gamers.
In terms of old-school PC Games, Broderbund is right up there with Sierra and LucasArts. The Myst series and Carmen Sandiego games were awesome.
I’m excited to see you snes lists! I really enjoy these videos. A lot of games I played and a lot I never heard of.
These are my favorite videos from you. Categorizing all the NES games that were produced by the third party companies.☺️
Can’t wait to see you do this with the Super Nintendo and Genesis.😁
Guardian Legend is one of my favorite NES games of all time
I still remember the Guardian Legend/ Battle of Olympus commercial back in the day. I rented Battle of Olympus, and loved it but didn't finish it.
THQ will assume responsibilty for Broderbund's licensed Nintendo NES games - The Battle of Olympus, Legacy of the Wizard, Dusty Diamond's All-Star Softball, The Guardian Legend, and the U-FORCE video game controller. The moves enables THQ to double their release for the NES in 1991. The sale also postpones indefinitely the release fo the 4-in-1 cartridge, U-Force Power Games, designed specifically for used with the U-FORCE.
I really enjoy the video, always a fascinating watch. Can't wait to see you tackle other systems with this format
Hey, John! I love your content! I've been watching a lot of your hidden jems videos with Metal Jesus and I've yet to see Shadowman on the N64 hidden jems! It's such a great game!
It may have been on the Dreamcast hidden gems - but it's a unique one for sure.
When you run out of companies to do these videos on, you should do a best of the worst ranking of all the F (and maybe D if there's not enough) games. Or a best of the best ranking all the S list games. However you do it, please keep doing these videos! They're really addicting and are my favorite videos on RUclips right now.👍👍
Ty for mentioning Guardian legend one of my favorite games on the NES even over Zelda great game
Legacy of the Wizard Is an “A” borderline S. Had an excellent soundtrack, very creative map that was unique for its time, multiple characters with different abilities, different weapons that only certain characters could use. An execellent all around game that is slept on too much.