6 Games I Wish Were On The NES Classic
When the NES Classic was released I thought it was a really good idea by Nintendo and, judging by how quickly it sold out, so did they. Hopefully we will see lots more retro throwbacks from gaming companies in the future (and less people buying them just to resell them for extortionate amounts on Ebay). The list of games on the NES Classic was very impressive but for some reason Nintendo decided against asking me personally which games I wanted included so they missed out some of my favourites. Here are my top 6 games I wish had been included on the NES Classic.
6) California Games.
California Games is such a ridiculous game. It is the only game I can think of where you can play frisbee or hackey sack. There isn't too much depth to it but it would have made a nice addition as something you can just pick up and play for a couple of minutes. I was pretty good at BMX and roller skating but all these years later and I still can't work out how to do anything on that bloody half-pipe.
5) Joust.
There was a time when I had some embarrssingly good high scores on Joust. They included Balloon Fight on the NES Classic but it is pretty much just a poor mans version of Joust. This is a beautifully simplistic game where you fly around on some type of giant Ostrich with the goal of knocking other people off their own giant Ostriche's. Oh, and you have to collect eggs whilst occassionally getting attacked by a Pterodactyl. They really don't make them like this anymore.
4) Bad Dudes Vs. Dragon Ninja.
This game has two clear distinictions. One for possibly having the best name of any game ever made and the other for having possibly the best intro to any game ever made: 'The President has been kidnapped by ninjas. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue the President?'. This was a simpler time when that was all the storyline you needed before being thrown into the action. The NES port of this game is genuinely quite undderrated in my opinion.
3) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
This is a genuinely brilliant game that would have been an excellent addition to the NES Classic. It could have possibly even been number one on this list if it wasn't for one thing; that bloody water level.
2) Marble Madness.
Another strange premise for a game. You control a marble through various obstacle courses. It sounds dull but the gameplay is so perfectly balanced and satisfying to control that it really is a bit of an underrated classic. There are only a few levels so you can complete quite quickly but other than that there really isn't much to fault about it. Definitely deserving of more attention that it gets.
1) Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers.
Disney made so many great games back in the day. The Lion King, DuckTales, Aladdin and many more. However, for me, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers is the best of the lot. A platformer so perfect I honestly rate it as being almost as good as Super Mario Bros. 3. Maybe I'm biased due to the nostalgia of being a 90's kid but I think the 90's were the greatest decade for Disney in regards to both films and video games.
Honourable mention: Tetris. How did they not include Tetris?
Great Films You May Have Not Seen Yet
When I am trying to choose a film I often feel as if I have seen most of the 'classics' I want to watch. Therefore, I find myself looking up; 'best films I haven't watched', 'best unheard of films', 'best under the radar films' etc to try and find something new that I might find interesting.
Due to my own reliance on these types of lists I thought I would have a go myself at writing a small list of films that I really enjoyed but don't think everyone will have watched. I based my choices on films that I had not heard much about myself before I watched them.
If you have already watched all of these, well...sorry.
#6 - Blue Ruin.
This film is about a man attempting to take revenge for something that happened to his family a long time ago. What makes it a bit different is that, unlike most films like this, the main character isn't brave, tough, cool or even well prepared. It is his unusual character that kept me so interested in the story.
#5 - Blue Valentine.
Carrying on the theme of having blue in the title this is possibly the most well known film on the list. It looks at a couples relationship by switching the story between two very different time periods in their relationship. It is probably the best acting I have ever seen from Ryan Gosling and he and Michelle Williams feel very believable as a couple.
#4 - Choke.
The only film on this list that doesn't have great reviews. I only watched it initially because I love Fight Club and this is also based on a novel by Chuck Palahniuk. It is a dark comedy and I like how it switches between seeming completely ridiculous and somewhat believable. Does have some gross out humour but also has a good amount of substance to it.
#3 - Lilya 4-Ever.
I'll warn you now, this film is REALLY bloody depressing. However, it is about human trafficking so if it is upsetting then it is doing its job right. Really can't think of many times that I have felt more sorry for a character than I do for Lilya in this film. Parts of it are very difficult to watch but it is a strong example of fiction shedding light on a real issue.
#2 - Shooting Dogs.
Really surprised that I haven't heard many people talk about this film. It is about the Rwandan genocide and another example of a film that creates true empathy for its characters. Lots of extremely tense moments where you don't know what will happen next. Also important because it is one of the few films tackling this important piece of recent history.
#1 - Dear Zachary: A Letter To A Son About His Father.
This film. Wow. Only just watched it today and was amazed at what a good piece of filmmaking it is. It is a documentary about the true story of a man, his son and his parents. For me, it was an exploration of how evil people can be but also how much people can love each other and how much of a positive impact one person can have on the lives of the people that knew them.
Bonus - Lizzie & Sarah.
Not a film but a pilot episode of a dark comedy that never got a series starring the awesome Jessica Hynes. I watched this not knowing anything about what it was going to be like and thought that it was genuinely hilarious. A real shame that it never got a series but the pilot episode is definitely worth a watch.
