1. The one with the mutated, radioactive frog
The game: Blaster Master (NES)
Published by: Sunsoft
You played it in: 1988
What's Cool: Baffling levels. A jumping tank named Sofia III. Giant, squishy, eyeless mutated frogs. If anyone claims to make a lick of sense of Blaster Master, they're a damn liar. But you'd always find your way back to its surreal, amphibian-bashing world.
The game's addictive, exploratory nature echoes what made Metroid such a favorite. As you explore a vast underground complex of caves, ruins, and technological fortresses, you'll discover new powers for the Sofia III (like flight and wall-grabbing tires), which in turn allow you to uncover entirely new nooks and crannies in the interlocking levels.
It's also one of the few games that successfully blends two different styles of play. At times, you'll escape the confines of your tank and explore Zelda-like dungeons (minus the clever items, plus a lot of mutant-blasting) and that's where you'll fight the game's grotesquely oversized, biology class bosses. In essence, Blaster Master brings together two captivating play styles to become one of the lost classics of the NES era.
Back to science class?If pet frogs can morph into monsters, anything's possible.
