3. The Legend Of The Mystical Ninja
Developer: Konami Year: 1991 Availability: SNES, Wii Virtual Console Otherwise known as Ganbara Goemon, legend of the Mystical Ninja is half beat-em-up half platformer and all awesome (if a little bit strangely translated). Set in Feudal Japan, you play as kid Ying (Goemon) or Dr. Yang (Ebisamaru). The plot is barely existent, but like with many old games that does not matter too much: the general idea is that there is a princess that needs saving, and for some reason the heroes care. The first half of each level plays like river city ransom as you fight your way through a city bustling with citizens that all seem to want you dead. If you can make through to the second half with at least a few lives intact after being attacked by angry fisherman and businessmen, you arrive at the real meat of the game. The second half of the level is filled with good old fashioned platforming action, wherein kid Ying and Dr. Yang hop from one platform to the next trying to avoid the ghoulish monsters that stand in their way. If you can make it to the end of the level, you will be met with a monstrous boss battle. What really makes this game shine is the co-op multiplayer, something that was not entirely common in that era. Between the beautiful 16-bit graphics, the diverse soundtrack and the fun (if extremely challenging) gameplay, this game is every bit as worth playing as the day it was released.