 A Look At Souped-Up Gold!Over the years, games have had many different kinds of items and power-ups. Some were useful, like invincibility icons. Others were so useless and stupid that the programmers actually lost I.Q. points thinking about them over their ten-week, coffee-induced "brainstorms", like anything found on Milon's Secret Castle. Here you will find what are without a doubt the best of the best in gaming enhancements. 
Number 10: The Dice
Game: Monopoly
Purpose: Movement
The NES version of Monopoly was a time-saver for those who loved the game but could not stand setting-up and putting-away the game. When they released this game, gamers wondered "Everything is set-up, but how do we move?" Enter "The Dice." "The Dice" opened up many windows for future board games. You knew they would be fair and consistant, because the computer rolled them instead of you. And "The Dice", unlike other make-shift dice, would never accidentally knock over Chance cards or little green houses. So the 10th greatest item is the little cubed wonder known as "The Dice."
Number 9: Pile Of Gold
Game: Lode Runner
Purpose: Clearing A Level
In Lode Runner, you were this little guy who ran around, shot at the floor in an attempt to kill invincible space dudes, and try to escape. But escape was not possible, because the guy needed something to collect to get a ladder down to him. Fortunately, the items needed to escape are piles upon piles of gold! Gold cluttered everywhere! Are they worth anything? No. You can't exchange it for cash, and you can't exchange it for any kind of weapon that can kill invincible space dudes. But you can escape in time to catch Green Acres. Because of this simple pile of yellow stuff, you will never miss an episode, and that is why it is number 9 in the list.
Number 8: Hammer
Game: Donkey Kong
Puropse: Destroys Barrels
What's a plumber to do? King... er... Donkey Kong has captured some chick, holds her hostage, and throws barrels all over the place. What can Mario do to protect himself? Long before he learns that mushrooms make him grow, Mario learns an important skill that helps him in his future RPG adventures: Hammer swinging! When those evil barrels come rolling towards you, a single swat will turn a barrel into points. Why just jump over them when you can destroy them. The downfalls to this item include a time limit and the inability to climb ladders while using it. When it comes to bashing evil barrels, it's the number one choice. When it comes to anything else, it falls to a number 8 spot.
Number 7: Bottle of XX
Game: Gauntlet II
Purpose: When Red Warrior Needs Food Badly
Gauntlet is a classic arcade game. Any Gauntlet game is a classic. But when adventuring through endless mazes and battling an infinite amount of monsters, your guy hungers for some eats. Exploration reveals a bounty of steaks and lamb legs. Yet, a truly mighty feast is best served with a truly mighty ale. After some more exploration, you stumble upon the number 7 greatest item, a bottle of XX. Slightly weaker than the hillbilly XXX Moonshine, but stronger than ordinary Circle K-purchased beer, XX delivers a thirst-quenching swallow of alcoholic gold! And your mighty warrior or wizard or whatever never gets drunk from it! Thou must have a mighty liver to survive an entire gallon of XX, and it makes for a more bar-like fight!
Number 6: Slice Of Pizza
Game: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Purpose: For A Radical Boost Of Health!
Back in the late 80s and early 90s, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were pretty popular. They would fight endless hoards of Foot Clan wusses, dance to cheesy Vanilla Ice songs like "Ninja Rap", and eat pizza. Boxes upon boxes of pizza! When adventuring through warehouses and sewers in this NES game, pizza slices would litter your path, waiting for someone to eat them. The pro to this was the fact that health would be restored. The con to this was the fact that they weren't in any containers and they were in sewers, warehouses, and all sorts of dingy, dirty places. I guess when you're a Mutant Ninja Turtle, everything tastes the same, huh?
Number 5: Sword
Game: The Legend Of Zelda
Purpose: Cures Loneliness And Kills Monsters
When the world is in danger, a fat little elf who looks as though he has never fought a battle in his life and is in dire need of some good exercise is the only hope. So our favorite character, the Old Man, bestows upon the elf with a sword. And he shares his wisdom: "IT'S DANGEROUS TO GO ALONE! TAKE THIS." Thank you, Old Man! Without your help, the elf would have been alone for the rest of his life. After a while, though, you realize that the sword is actually useful. You find that it can kill monsters that attack you. It can help you save the world! Of course, it's only a step towards reaching the Magical Sword, but it's a good start.
Number 4: Mushroom
Game: Super Mario Bros.
Purpose: Growing Big
Mario is as big as a Goomba, but with a Mushroom, he becomes as big as two Goombas stacked one atop another. With this new found ability, Mario finds he can break brick blocks with his head, collect Fire Flowers, gain 1,000 points, and take a hit from anybody. You must always remember, however, that just because Mario can grow big from eating mushroom he found inside a question mark block doesn't mean you can eat just any mushroom to grow big. Some mushrooms are poisonous and can make you ill, trippy, or even make you as dead as a post, or a flattened Goomba.
Number 3: POW Block
Game: Mario Bros.
Purpose: Knocking Over Enemies
Mario and Luigi are professional plumbers. They are so good at their trade that they don't need tools. All they need to do is venture into a sewer, knock over turtles and crabs standing on rubber platforms, kick them while they're down, and collect coins that little kids flush down toilets for fun. But when the rubber platforms become overrun by too many turtles, crabs, and other weird sewer things, you need a weapon that can knock them all over. You need a POW Block! POW Blocks, when hit, cause an earthquake that knocks over everything. They work better at plumbing than wrenches and plungers ever can, don't you agree?
Number 2: Holy Water
Game: Castlevania
Purpose: Old-Fashioned Grenade
Battling vampires is a tough job. When confronted by one, you must always remember that vampires hate garlic, for they contain a stench no undead being can handle. As most people know, vampires have sensitive lungs. Also, a stake through the heart works well. Make sure the stake is made of wood, not beef, or it will not work. Vampires have circulation that is unaffected by artery-clogging beef products. And above all tools of the trade, Holy Water does the job well. Back in Old Country, grenades were not around. As most priests know, Holy Water is made by pouring tap water into a church-made bottle. The bottle turns the water holy, and thus makes for a extremely combustable material. When tossed onto the feet of Dracula, Holy Water explodes, making glass shrapnel stab the Count in the eyes, thus saving humanity, and making it the second-best item of all!
Number 1: Kuribo's Shoe
Game: Super Mario Bros. 3
Purpose: Because It's True!
Super Mario Bros. 3 introduced a lot of neat power-ups. The ability to fly was one. The ability to throw hammers like a Hammer Bros. was another. But out of all power-ups known, Kuribo's Shoe is, was, and always will be the greatest! You can only find it at World 5-3, though, but getting there is always worth it. They are held by Goombas, so you find a way to boot them out of their shoe to get it. After Mario hops into one of these giant shoes, he gains the ability to stomp on anything! So let us all remember the greatest power-up of all, Kuribo's Shoe!So there you have it! The top 10 greatest items and power-ups the NES has to offer. There were so many that were deserving, and many that we'd all like to forget. So here are five runner-ups: Item: "T"-shaped Tetris Block
Game: Tetris
Purpose: Fill In Spaces Power-Up: Horse
Game: Gun.Smoke
Purpose: Take More Hits Power-Up: Bomb
Game: Wacky Races
Purpose: Blow Up Anthill Mob! Item: "J" Key
Game: Faxanadu
Purpose: Open Doors With "J" Etchings Item: Bottle 5
Game: Shadowgate
Purpose: Float Over Dilapadated Bridges Use your EXIT spell to go back to the archive, or fight ten GrImps! |