Jeff Gerstmann, a respected games critic and streamer, is on a mission to play and rank all 751 8-bit Nintendo games. Over the past three years, he has been diligently working his way through the extensive library of games released in the 1980s and ’90s to determine which ones stand the test of time.
Gerstmann’s project involves playing a selection of NES games every Friday on Twitch and adding them to a comprehensive ranked list. Rather than completing each game entirely, he spends around half an hour to an hour playing each one to form a fair assessment before moving on to the next title.
Motivated by a desire to provide authentic evaluations of classic games, Gerstmann noticed a trend of recycled opinions in online discussions about NES games. This led him to embark on his ambitious endeavor to reevaluate the works of other gaming critics and offer his unique perspective.
As an industry veteran with about 30 years of experience in games journalism, Gerstmann is well-equipped to assess the historical significance and gameplay quality of these retro titles. Having grown up with the NES as a pivotal part of his childhood, he brings a critical eye to his evaluations, comparing the games’ merits against modern gaming standards.
Among the games he has reviewed, “Mega Man 2” holds the top spot on his list, praised for its exceptional music, visual design, and engaging gameplay mechanics. In contrast, classics like “Super Mario Bros.” and “Duck Hunt” occupy different positions on the ranking, showcasing the diversity of gaming experiences available on the NES platform.
While some titles shine brightly in Gerstmann’s evaluations, others languish at the bottom of the list due to poor quality and lackluster gameplay. He highlights the influx of unlicensed and subpar games that flooded the market as the NES gained popularity, tarnishing the platform’s reputation with their inferior offerings.
As Gerstmann nears the completion of his exhaustive project, with only “Super Mario Bros. 3” left to be reviewed, he anticipates the game’s placement on the list to spark debate among fans and critics. Despite the challenges and controversies, he remains committed to exploring gaming history and plans to undertake a similar ranking project for another iconic console in the future.