As vital as it was in saving the gaming industry, the Nintendo Entertainment System's legacy has been reduced to a couple of classics, and that was also the case during its initial run. Everyone had Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Kirby's Adventure, but plenty of generally fantastic NES games slipped through the cracks, and I'm not talking retroactively. Quite a few titles that were massive in Japan failed to strike a chord in North America or Europe, and that's assuming they were brought over in the first place.
I love looking back at these older systems in search of forgotten games that prove to be hidden gems, but what about the titles that were never really remembered in the first place? These NES titles might have impressed critics, but they didn't incentivize players to pick them over the 600+ other games released in North America.
Just to avoid any confusion, I'm specifically talking about NES games that commercially flopped in North America (NTSC region). Obviously, some folks played these releases, but they came and went without leaving much of an impact (at the time).
For the "near-perfect" part, I'm talking primarily within the context of their era, rather than how well they have aged. That said, the latter is a nice bonus.
Arguably the most important turn-based RPG of the '80s, Dragon Quest 3's influence on the Japanese scene is so long-lasting that (Square) Enix has released 4 remakes over the decades, and I won't be surprised if a few more pop up in the future. I mean, we haven't gotten a full 3D remake yet, have we?
Launching in February 1988 in Japan, DQ3 instantly blew the competition out of the water in terms of ambition, innovation, accessibility, and even narrative impact, thanks to an awesome early story twist. Unfortunately, DQ3 didn't arrive in North America until March 1992, when it released as Dragon Warrior 3. The 4-year localization delay completely robbed this groundbreaking JRPG of its impact, and Enix essentially sent it out to die in a post-SNES world that had already produced Final Fantasy 4.
After Dragon Quest 4 also failed outside Japan, Enix stepped away from North American releases altogether, opting not to localize Dragon Quest 5 or 6. Thankfully, the series found an international audience during the PS2 era, mainly thanks to Dragon Quest 8, and the rest is history.
Speaking frankly, I don't think you should play DQ3 or DW3 on the NES. Don't get me wrong, the RPG was near-perfect for its era, but every newer version is far more enjoyable. The HD-2D remake is the most accessible nowadays, but my personal favorite is the SNES remake (although you need a fan translation). Even the Game Boy Color remake is way better than the NES original.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://gamerant.com/nes-perfect-games-nobody-played/
