When I was younger, I really enjoyed playing RPG games.  I loved the idea of going around an open world, exploring and battling to get stronger.  As I have gotten older I still enjoy RPG games but I find so little time in my life to invest in them now.  My brother and I recent decided to use our weekly game night to focus on Secret Of Mana for the SNES and after two months, we have beat the game, something we haven't done since we were both in high school.  After beating that game. I got to thinking about all the RPG games I played on the NES and SNES when I was younger and now I have a Top Ten NES RPG list.

One note for this list, I have not played every RPG for the NES system, not yet at least.  These are the ones that I had the most fun playing almost all when I was a younger kid.  Down the road I might update this list as I start playing more of ones that I never did as a kid.

10.  Dungeon Magic Sword Of The Elements (1990)

I used to watch my brother play this game when we were kids.  I tired it a few times myself but I never got really far in the game.  This is a first person RPG that has you going around exploring the landscape, fighting monsters and going into dungeons. The game had a really neat magic system where you combined different words together for a variety of different spells.  We used to sit there and try to find the most destructive spells and give them weird names.  We spent years playing this game off and on and it wasn't until years later we finally beat this game when we were in college.

9.  The Battle Of Olympus (1989)

Being a big history fan, this game was a fun one for me.  The game is rooted in Greek mythology and has you going all around ancient Greece meeting gods and fighting mythical beasts.  This is a side scrolling RPG game where you go around exploring, jumping around on platforms, defeat enemies and earning upgrades.  I also liked the games presentation and music.  While the game isn't incredible hard, it did take me a while to beat this game back as a kid.

8.  Faxanadu (1989)

Another side scrolling RPG that my brother and I spent a lot of time with as kids.  The game has you going around defeating enemies, upgrading your gear and learning new spells.  I always liked the music in the game and I felt the game looked good for a NES game.  The game also handled well and I never felt the game was unfair.  Another game from my past that I beat so long ago now.

7.  Dragon Warrior (1989)

While Dragon Warrior is a big series worldwide, I never got into the series besides this game.  I did like this game, but I always felt the game was rough around the edges.  I remember one part in the game where I went to way to early but somehow got to the chest where I believe the axe was which was a huge power increase for me and made a decent part of the game easier than it should have been.  Despite my feeling about it being rough around the edges, I still liked the combat system in the game.  Also, no matter what I say about this game good or bad it is a classic.

6.  Zelda II:  The Adventure of Link (1988)

I have always liked this game and how it radically changed the game play from the first game.  This game feels like a more grown up and mature version of a Zelda game.  This is a side scrolling RPG vs the top down style the first game used.  The game had good music and I liked the graphical direction the game took.  While I have more memories and playtime with the first Zelda game, this one is also a classic. 

5.  Swords and Serpents (1990)

This game is a personal favorite of mine.  I have spent hours and hours playing this game but have yet to beat it.  This is a first person dungeon crawler where you create a team of four characters to explore, find items and defeat enemies.  While the game is straightforward, there are a decent amount of secrets scattered around each floor of the game.  Plus this is a game where I like to sit and grind my characters levels up before I move to the next floor.  I will also say this game has some of the best box art that I have seen from any game.

4.  The Legend Of Zelda (1987)

This game is a classic, plain and simple.  This is a top down game where you go from screen to screen, fighting enemies, earning coins and looking for items in secret places.  The game does have a lot of secrets scattered throughout the game world along with the eight dungeons you have to go through.  The game is not that hard, but that does not take away from the fun of trying to find your way around the game.  I always liked the fold out map that came with the game.

3.  Castlevania II:  Simon's Quest (1988)

Simon's Quest is my favorite side scrolling RPG for the NES.  I have beaten this game multiple times over the years and I still come back to it time and time again.  This game was a slight departure from the first game since the first one didn't really have a RPG feel to it.  The game has you going around to different dungeons to gather pieces of Dracula so you can defeat him.  Along the way you fight multiple types of enemies and collect items and upgrades to aid your quest.  While others will say there are better games in the series, this was my favorite one.

2.  Final Fantasy (1990)

This is the first party based RPG game I ever played and it was great way to get into them.  The game gave you the freedom to create your party any way you wanted with the given classes and what you chose affected how you approached battles later in the game.  The game had a fair amount of exploration and while most things were straightforward, talking to NPCs was important to get an idea where to go if you weren't using a guide.  The enemy graphics were well done and the music was really good.  While the game is basic compared to today's RPGs, this was a great start to the Final Fantasy series.

1.  Crystalis (1990)

This is one of my favorite game for the NES and it made to the top of my RPG list.  The game has good, vibrant graphics and the music was also good.  The story particularly stuck with me and how it unfolded as you progressed through the game.  The game play was also well done and I enjoyed the combat in the game.  While I have not played every RPG on the NES, this one is easily my favorite and I don't see it getting dethroned anytime soon.

Honorable Mention

Hydlide (1989)