Retro hidden gems
Games that got overshadowed when they came out and never got the reputation they deserved. We picked these by hand, because no database can tell a forgotten classic from a game that was forgotten for good reason. Some came out late in a console's life, some barely left Japan, and some just had terrible box art. Every one is worth your time.
Switch between four heroes with different powers. A tiny print run made the cartridge rare, but the game itself is a joy.
Demon's Crest Classic
Capcom's moody Gargoyle's Quest spin-off. Play as the demon Firebrand and collect crests that change your form.
Rocket Knight Adventures Classic
A jetpack-wearing opossum in a Konami platformer packed with set pieces. One of the best games on the Genesis that Sega didn't make.
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile Classic
A 2.5D platformer with lovely art and a story that hits harder than you'd expect. Grab enemies, then use them to double-jump.
Treasure's oddball platformer where you grab, shake and throw almost everything, enemies included.
A puzzle game with Shigeru Miyamoto's name on it, where a mole digs between the surface and the tunnels underneath.
SNK's action RPG plays like Zelda crossed with a Japanese RPG, set in a world after the apocalypse. Ahead of its time for 1990.
Wild Guns Classic
A shooting gallery set in a steampunk Wild West, with two-player co-op and brilliant bosses. A remastered version exists for modern consoles.
Ristar Classic
A star with stretchy arms who grabs everything. It came out late in the Genesis era, when everyone was looking at 32-bit consoles.
You're a tiny robot who takes over robot animals to solve puzzles. Funny and original, from DMA Design, the studio that became Rockstar North.
Astro Boy: Omega Factor Classic
A gorgeous action game from Treasure and Hitmaker. A strong candidate for the best licensed game on the Game Boy Advance.
Guardian Heroes Classic Co-op
A Treasure beat 'em up with branching story paths and a versus mode for up to six players.
Shatterhand Classic
A punchy action platformer from Natsume where you build little robot helpers by collecting letters. Tight, colorful and ignored on release.
Dynamite Headdy Classic
Treasure's puppet-show platformer, where your detachable head is your weapon. Wildly inventive from start to finish.
The Firemen Deep cut
Put out fires floor by floor with a hose and a computer-controlled partner. It never came out in North America.
A charming mech platformer about a dog police officer rounding up mischievous kittens.
Kid Dracula Classic
A comedy Castlevania spin-off starring a very young Dracula. Short, silly and well made.
Rocket: Robot on Wheels Deep cut
A physics-heavy 3D platformer set in an amusement park, full of clever puzzles and buried by Rare's bigger releases.
Beyond Oasis Classic
A Zelda-like action RPG with beautiful sprites and elemental spirits you summon to fight and solve puzzles.
Started life as a Terminator game. Sunsoft's soundtrack is one of the best on the NES.
Drill Dozer Classic
Game Freak's other series: a drilling action game with a rumble motor built into the cartridge.
Stunt racing on unicycles. That's the whole idea, and it's brilliant in two-player split screen.
A frantic 3D space shooter from Polyphony Digital, the studio behind Gran Turismo.
Goemon's Great Adventure Deep cut Co-op
A side-scrolling entry in Konami's quirky Mystical Ninja series, with two-player co-op.
Shoot lightning and command little monster companions in this unusual action game from Game Arts.
Rez Classic
A rail shooter where every shot adds to the music. Play it with the lights off and the volume up.
Gargoyle's Quest Classic
The Ghosts 'n Goblins spin-off that introduced Firebrand, mixing action stages with a small RPG overworld.
You attack with your hair. A short, tough action game with excellent sprite work.
A 3D Mega Man adventure built around exploring and digging up ruins. The sequel it set up never arrived.
Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand Classic
A vampire-hunting game from Hideo Kojima with a light sensor on the cartridge, so you charge your weapon in real sunlight.
Beetle Adventure Racing! Deep cut
Huge tracks crammed with shortcuts and secrets. Few racers of the era were this much fun to explore.
A gentle, beautiful platformer from Sunsoft that only came out in Japan and Europe.
A quirky RPG where the game's professor talks straight to you, the person holding the DS.
Neutopia Classic
Hudson's answer to Zelda, and the best way to scratch that itch on a TurboGrafx-16.
A fast platformer where you swap between animal forms with different abilities.
Hunt aliens across different eras, commandeering any vehicle you find. Rough around the edges, full of big ideas.
Still can't decide? Let the Matrix pick for you