Ninja Gaiden

Ninja Gaiden was the first NES game with cinematic cutscenes between levels — animated scenes telling a revenge story worthy of an action film. Difficulty was legendary: level 6-2 with hawks knocking you into pits is still synonymous with frustration. But gameplay was precise and fast, with Ryu wall-clinging and using ninja sub-weapons. The NES trilogy remains an action platformer pillar.