Games Like Balloon Fight

Cross the road, hop the logs, avoid the cars — Frogger's deceptively simple concept became one of the most addictive arcade games of the early 1980s.

Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima's dreamlike arcade game soared beyond conventional genre definitions, putting players in the role of a dream jester in spectacular aerial levels scored on precise, stylish flying. NiGHTS into Dreams is one of the most original games Sega ever published and the Saturn's most celebrated exclusive.

The most recognized arcade game in history — a yellow circle eating dots while evading four colored ghosts. Pac-Man defined the arcade era and remains a cultural touchstone 45 years later.

A landmark crossover event for early 90s beat-em-up fans, Battletoads & Double Dragon unites Rare's bruising amphibian warriors with Technos' iconic martial arts duo against the shared threat of the Dark Queen and the Shadow Warriors. The game wisely tempers Battletoads' notorious difficulty with Double Dragon's more accessible combat pacing, resulting in a co-op brawler that rewards skilled play without punishing newcomers at every turn.

Rare's beat-em-up masterpiece is one of the most technically impressive NES games ever made — and one of the most brutally difficult. The Turbo Tunnel alone has broken thousands of controllers.

The NES game that dared to remove the jump button. Bionic Commando replaced conventional platforming with a grappling hook mechanic that created one of the most unique action experiences of the era.

One of the NES's most ambitious action games, blending side-scrolling tank combat with top-down on-foot dungeon exploration. Blaster Master's SOPHIA III tank handles with remarkable precision, and the transition between vehicle and foot sections creates a seamlessly varied experience that was technically impressive for 1988.

The controversial Castlevania sequel that introduced open-world exploration, day/night cycles, and RPG mechanics — a divisive game that proved ahead of its time.

The definitive NES Castlevania — Dracula's Curse returns to linear stage action and adds branching paths and three playable partners, making it the most feature-complete classic Castlevania.

Simon Belmont's legendary first mission to slay Dracula. Castlevania is a masterpiece of Gothic horror atmosphere and methodical action-platformer design that defined the genre.

Capcom's excellent NES platformer based on the Disney animated series — featuring excellent two-player co-op where players can pick up and throw crates, enemies, and even each other.

The greatest co-op run-and-gun ever made. Contra put two commandos against an alien invasion and challenged them to survive on one hit — unless you knew the Konami Code.