After the near total collapse of the console market in the US, it looked like video games might never recover. It took a gamble from a former playing card company in Japan to give gaming its rebirth, which came about when Nintendo launched the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in the US. Gaming would never be the same again.

The NES dominated the home market in the US and Japan like no console before or since, and when you look at its library it's not hard to see why. Many of today's biggest franchises got their start on the NES, whether from Nintendo or the dozens of great third party devs. Here's our list of games that made the NES a beautiful part of gaming history...

Back in 1990 there seriously wasn't anyone cooler than Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, or Raphael. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were on top of the world, and their second video game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game, made sure they were there to stay.

The classic beat-em-up featured crisp visuals, a radical soundtrack, and combat that holds up to this day. Fighting through popular locations and taking down classic enemies like Bebop and Rocksteady made it a must-own for any TMNT fan.

Compared to many other early platformers, Bubble Bobble was ahead of its time. The arcade-port featured two dragons, Bub and Bob, trying to save their girlfriends from monsters. In order to do so, they needed to navigate over 100 levels, capturing enemies in bubbles, as the name sort of suggests.

The game featured multiplayer support, addictive gameplay, and even the ability to unlock multiple endings depending on how well you played. If it's not the first game to do that, it's certainly among the first.

Like most NES games, the plot of Adventure Island revolves around the protagonist trying to save his girlfriend. Master Higgins's significant other was whisked away by King Quiller, and it's up to him to navigate levels filled with enemies, traps, and other pitfalls.

Though its basic mechanics are strong, and it looks and sounds fine, it's really the gameplay that makes Adventure Island stand out. Many NES games were difficult because they were simply bad, but Adventure Island was difficult by design, with challenging levels that never felt unfair.

Not many sports games from the NES are still actively played to this day. In fact, Tecmo Super Bowl might be the only one. While other sports games struggled to create an authentic experience with two buttons, Tecmo made it work, and created a sports game that's simple and easy to learn.

The simplistic art style and simplistic audio worked well together to create a minimalist interface that didn't get in the way of the game. The only time things ever really broke away into something more complicated was during the cutscenes, which showed the game's big plays with awesome pixel-art, but those were so awesome that we don't think anyone minded the sudden change of direction.

Though we wish Blaster Master kept its Japanese name when it was translated for US audiences (Super Planetary War Records: Metafight), the game still holds a place in our hearts for providing some awesome run-and-gun action. Featuring smooth controls and slick level design, he game was praised for its smooth play control and fantastic level design, which was well ahead of its time when the game released in 1988.

It also looked good, either when in side-scroller or top-down mode, though the lack of passwords or save features made this otherwise stunning game simply too difficult for many.

The second Ninja Gaiden game improved over the original in just about every way, while managing to maintain the same vibe the first conveyed. Players still slashed and dashed as Ryu, but they did it with slicker graphics, better sound, and stronger controls.

Even more important, however, was the improved gameplay. Ryu could clone himself to fight larger battles, and climb more objects than he could in the past. New power-ups joined many of the same ones from the original, too creating a more robust experience.

The NES version of Contra might not have been as good as the arcade iteration, but it was still a fine game in its own right. Running through themed levels and blasting apart bad guys had never been more fun, and the game's harsh (but fair!) difficulty made it a memorable experience.

It was also one of the earliest games to use the Konami Code, giving players 30 lives for memorizing the inputs. With a game this hard, those 30 lives were a necessity, too, so if it's engrained into your brain it's likely because of Contra.

Oh, Battletoads. Though it was essentially a weird, off-brand rip-off of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it was still amazing for its time. The gameplay was awesome, the visuals were amazing, and the music was some of the best around.

Though that's not what you remember it for. You remember it for the difficulty. The painful, brutal difficulty. While it's true that some of Battletoads is cripplingly hard, it was still fun, and that's really all that matters, right?

Dragon Quest/Dragon Warrior got its start on the NES and went from being a Japanese oddity inspired by Wizardry to being one of the most popular franchises on Earth. Developer Enix pulled it off by making an RPG with all the trappings of the more hardcore PC games, but made it accessible to almost anyone.

Why'd we pick DWIII out of all the entries that came to the US? Because even if its plot was fairly predictable, its job system was so dense, rewarding and easy to understand that it set the standard for future JRPGs and still influences games to this day. If you have a NES and 100 hours free, be sure to check this one out.

Rare was one of the top western game developers on the NES, and out of all its great games, we have the most admiration for Rare rarity Cobra Triangle. This title from 1989 doesn’t just hold up, it embodies everything that’s beautiful about several other NES games that didn’t make the list.

You’re looking at an isometric combat racing delight in the same vein as R.C. Pro-Am, with Life Force-esque weapon/speed ability upgrades, and some of the most wildly diverse game types ever to grace an 8-bit console. Race boats, shoot enemies, engage in giant boss battles, mine detonations, rescue missions, and music by the celebrated David Wise?! Cobra Triangle is 200 KBs of pure longevity.

The Nintendo Entertainment System wasn't home to a ton of popular racing games, but Excitebike is one most players remember fondly. Many underestimated the game for its simple graphics and small number of tracks, but Excitebike was about more than going fast.

Balance was the name of the game, as correcting your bike's position following jumps or after changing lanes meant the difference between winning and losing. Still worth playing on the NES or on the 3DS, Excitebike might be simple, but don't call it easy.

Though the pink puffball is more famous for his starring roles in portable games, Kirby made a real splash with his console debut. Taking the concepts created in the first Dream Land game, Adventure expanded on them in great detail, including introducing Kirby's now famous ability to copy his enemies powers.

A late era NES game that featured high production values, Adventure had the same level of platforming excellence Kirby was known for on the Game Boy. Now available as a 3D Classic on the 3DS, those that download it will see Kirby's Adventure still holds up in this modern era.

Color-matching puzzle games are a timeless genre and since it premiered over 20 years ago, Dr. Mario remains one of the most celebrated of the genre. While it may not be as deep as some of its counterparts, it has more than enough charm to be considered a classic.

After years of jumping on turtles, Mario got his MD and fought the common cold the only way he knew how: throwing pills of matching colors at viruses. The doc's vibrant colors, habit-forming gameplay and infectious music made it a must own title that crossed generations. It's been remade many times, but the core gameplay of the original remains intact no matter the console.

Looking at games like Bugs Bunny’s Crazy Castle and even Disney’s own Mickey Mousecapade, the 8-bit era was none too kind to animated licenses. Not until this relic from the Disney Afternoon fell into the hands of Capcom in 1989 had any home console done justice to cartoons. The characters in DuckTales not only looked like their TV counterparts, so did the enemies created specifically for the game, making for one of the most authentic pieces of interactive animation the world has ever known.

With its nonlinear approach to sprawling levels, its imaginative use of established characters, unforgettable music, hidden secrets, and multiple endings, DuckTales defies as many expectations today as it did twenty years ago. Remember: This is a game based on a TV show! Take a look at the rest of this list and see if any other game can boast that.

Nintendo has never been synonymous with sports game (Ken Griffey Jr. notwithstanding), the publisher certainly made its mark on boxing with the Punch-Out!! series. The secret to that success? Disguising a brilliant puzzle game as a sports game.

As Little Mac slowly climbed the ranks of boxing's elite, he faced ethnically diverse enemies like King Hippo and Bald Bull, each with their own tells and timing that needed to be mastered. Once you unlocked their patterns it was just a matter of time till you stored up enough stars and knocked them to the mat. Even the seemingly unbeatable Iron Mike could be taken down, though that incredible challenge was a badge of honor for any player to actually defeat the baddest man on the planet.

These days every sequel is just a gradual improvement on the last game, but back in the 8-bit days it seemed like every follow-up was attempting to be totally different from the original. Super Mario Bros 2 changed so much about the classic Mario formula, and yet it still managed to be an unforgettable sidescroller on its own terms.

Originally a very non-Mario game reskinned, the colorful world and gameplay were still inviting even though the world had changed. SMB2 had more engaging enemies and bosses, a killer soundtrack, and a twist ending that was unheard of at the time. Maybe it wasn't what players expected from a sequel, but those that played it got over that real fast.

The original Castlevania was a great (if punishingly difficult) platformer from early in the NES's lifetime, while Castlevania II focused more on exploration and RPG elements, but stretched the gameplay too thin. Castlevania returned to the platforming roots, but featured a surprisingly open number of options.

Dracula's Curse might have been a return to form, but it also shook things up with branching paths that demanded replaying, something we did happily. The third game took the series to new heights, and defined many of the concepts used in future games.

Dragon Warrior put RPGs in the mainstream, introducing the populace to experience points and dungeon crawling, but it only took the genre so far. It wasn't until its rival developer Squaresoft releases Final Fantasy did storytelling in games reach new heights.

The original Final Fantasy started with the predictable band of heroes saving the princess, but it then expanded into a much bigger story on a scope not scene before. Boasting some of the best graphics and music on the system, the first Final Fantasy introduced many of the trappings that still exist in the series. Despite some rough edges, you see much of what made people love the series to this day.

Games like Double Dragon, Ghost 'n Goblins and Legend of Kage are memorable titles, but they didn't capture our hearts in the way this beat 'em up did. River City Ransom took the fairly predictable concept of high school boys saving their girlfriend and the school to places we'd never before seen.

With an open world, non-linear setting, economy and RPG elements, RCR was incredibly ahead of its time. As you build up your characters skills and powers, you end up with a level of personal investment almost unheard of in NES games. Still inspiring brawlers to this day, 8-bit punching doesn't get much better than River City Ransom. *BARF*

Like several entries on this list, time hasn't been all that kind to the first entry in a famous series, but it remains at the top of design for its time. One of the first games to popularize stealth and sneaking, Metal Gear was far more nuanced than most players were used to.

Designed by series mastermind Hideo Kojima, the plot involved Solid Snake breaking into Outer Heaven to confront a group of mercenaries that stole the dagerous Metal Gear prototype. An early example of Kojima's focus on gameplay and storytelling, Metal Gear is more than an historical footnote; it's a damn fun game.

Despite later versions improving on it exponentially, the original Metroid was fantastic for its time. Sure, its gameplay feels a little clunky in a post-Super Metroid world, but out of all the games that hit the NES, few were as uniquely engrossing as the first game.

Introducing Samus, one of the few female leads in gaming, the desolate sci-fi setting and open-ended gamplay were a revelation at the time. Collecting items, exploring every corner of the map and slowly realizing just how dense the world was kept players coming back to their NES (and password sheet) over and over again.

Loosely based on an arcade game of the same name, Bionic Commando is another Capcom classic of many that dominated the NES. A sidescroller with an interesting hook, Bionic Commando is more about exploration and combat than running right to left. And despite being a platformer, you jumping has is ingeniously replaced with swinging and pulling yourself around with your grapple arm.

Tasked with saving Super Joe, the mechanically enhanced Ladd Spencer takes on the Badds to dash their hopes of world domination. Though remade as Bionic Commando Rearmed a few years ago, the next-gen paint job only made the iconic gameplay more impressive.

Arguably the Mega Man franchise never shined brighter that it did on the NES. And Mega Man 2 is the pinnacle of the 8-bit years. There’s next to nothing to complain about – the controls are dead-on, the level designs are immensely distinct and the glorious music has drilled its way into our collective hearts. To shun Mega Man 2 is to deny everything that makes games fun.

But why honor this Mega Man over all the rest? Because it’s the only one that’s perfect. The other NES entries have at least one or two minor issues. Here, every boss design is amazing, the challenge is just right and Mega Man has just enough weapons without cluttering the experience. Since then Capcom has been trying to match the greatness of MM2, and while they've been close, this game remains unmatched.

There's little more praise to heap onto Legend of Zelda that hasn't already been heaped onto it. Its mix of complexity, open world design, and timeless graphics make it an adventure for the ages.

Taking the dungeon exploration trappings and item collection that was already becoming popular in RPGs but making it more inclusive than ever, Zelda introduced players to a world bigger than many thought possible on the system. The gameplay and fantastical setting work just as well now as it did then, and only ranks slightly lower on this list because later 2D Zeldas perfected the formula, while later sequels of our number one entry basically never topped...

The original Super Mario Bros might be the game that the world associates with the Nintendo Entertainment System, but while it defined the platformer genre that dominated 8-bit gaming, it didn't perfect it. Super Mario 3 took everything you loved about 2D sidescrollers and expanded on it with new ability, stages and genre conventions that are still used today.

Not only was the ability to fly revolutionary from a gameplay and level design perspective, SMB3 has a laundry list of little touches and secrets that make it unforgettable. Few can forget the first time they saw Dry Bones reassemble itself or when an angry sun left the background and chased you with deadly intent. With power-ups, enemies, music and graphics that are just as memorable now as then, no other game is more deserving of being named the best NES game of all time.

Obviously not every game could make the list - there are only so many games that can be labeled the absolute best. We're sure that some of you have games you think should have been added, cut, or rearranged, so let us know in the comments below what you would change about our list of the Best NES games of all time.