25 Gaming Experiences You Must Have Before You Die - Part V: Mega Man 2 & 3

Mega Man 2 (NES, 1988)

Mega Man 3 (NES, 1990)

Why You Should Play It

I was somewhat trepidatious about having Mega Man on this list. Of the five 8-bit era games/series I've chosen for this piece, Mega Man is the closest to Mario and Zelda levels of popularity.

25 Gaming Experiences You Must Have Before You Die - Part IV: The NES Ninja Gaiden Trilogy

Ninja Gaiden (NES, 1988)

Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos (NES, 1990)

Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom (NES, 1991)

Why You Should Play It

Ninja Gaiden is a lot more important than initially apparent.

25 Gaming Experiences You Must Have Before You Die - Part III: The MSX Metal Gears

Metal Gear (MSX, 1987)

Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (MSX, 1990)

Why You Should Play It

As you can see, Konami was a major player in the development of the games industry in the early years after the Atari Crash in 1983.

25 Gaming Experiences You Must Have Before You Die - Part II: Ys Book I & II

Ys: Ancient Ys Vanished (Various, 1987)

Ys: Ancient Ys Vanished – The Final Chapter (Various, 1988)

Why You Should Play It

I'm willing to bet that unless you're a particularly snooty gamer, you've never heard of Ys before.