The Legend of Zelda

With the possible exception the Super Mario games, the game that left the greatest legacy for the NES is The Legend of Zelda. To say the game was influential, may be the understatement of the millenium. Here is a game that basically leaves you in the middle of vast area with no real directions on where to go. The player had to figure out everything as the game went along. It was completely non-linear: A radical idea for its time.

Also, the first ever console game to have an internal battery which allowed you to save the game. No more mounds of paper with passwords written on them. The developers knew that the game had so much depth that it would be almost impossible to finish the game in one sitting.

It was a hybrid of genres. It mixed classic adventure with RPG, puzzle, and strategy. Before, The Legend of Zelda most games didn't have a backstory. The instruction manual that came with the game gave a long story of Link, Ganon, and Princess Zelda. So even before you played the game, you were already hooked into the story.

The original Legend of Zelda has led to amazing sequels thoughout the history of the Nintendo consoles and handheld systems. But, by many, its the original that will always be regarded as THE revolutionary game in the series.