Nintendo made a huge impact with its NES console, forever changing the video game landscape while introducing players to franchise characters Mario, Luigi, Kirby, Samus and Link. Now in the past, we attempted to cover the best NES games with a massive Top 25 list, but clicking through all those slides just angered a lot of people. On top of that, we were missing a fresh perspective.

Enter GoNintendo, the most comprehensive Nintendo website. We teamed up with them to get their take on the greatest NES games of all time. They already covered games ten through six, and now it's time for the remaining five.

Read GoNintendo's Top Ten NES Games: Ten through Six.

5. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Most gamers would probably choose Link's original adventure over the sequel, but hear us out. Although we have a lot of love for the first Zelda, The Adventure of Link stands out because its designers mixed elements to create one of the NES' best games.

First, non-player characters play a much larger role, something that continued in future sequels. Second, this is the first game that allowed Link to earn experience points to upgrade his attacks and magic.

Nintendo also deserves praise for skillfully combining a top down world map with side scrolling gameplay. We didn't mind abandoning either perspective.

Sure, it receives plenty of criticism, but Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is a fun action RPG that helped Nintendo lay the groundwork for the entire franchise. That makes it just as important (if not more so) as its prequel.

4. Contra

Contra earned a spot on this list, simply because despite the at times unyielding difficulty, we happily came back for more. Some may consider that masochistic, but we feel it's a sign of an excellent 2-D shooter with huge bosses, lots of enemies to blast and tight controls.

We'll always remember Contra for its incredibly difficult enemies and furious run-and-gun combat. Konami made us feel tough by giving the game's heroes (Bill Rizer and Lance Bean) machine guns with unlimited ammo. Then the designers upped the ante with several high-powered weapons, such as the spread gun and laser. A high-powered arsenal, however, wasn't enough to stop Red Falcon, the alien force invading Earth. A relentless artificial intelligence made us burn through lives faster than the cash in our pockets.

Of course, Contra will always be famous for the legendary Konami code (up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A) that gave us 30 lives per continue. Without that, we would've never reached the end.

3. Metroid

This brilliant 2-D adventure whisked us away to the planet Zebes, where bounty hunter Samus Aran attempts to destroy the villainous Mother Brain. First, we were captivated by an open world full of danger. The ability to go anywhere, per Samus' abilities, was a big switch from the more linear games on the market. In addition, we also fell in love with the catchy theme music that hooked us the moment powered on the NES console.

Metroid's multiple endings, however, had the greatest impact. For hours, we were under the impression that Samus was a man. Nintendo proved us wrong, as the bounty hunter was revealed to be a voluptuous blonde. This game changing plot twist proved that women could kick just as much butt as muscle bound guys (or in Nintendo's case, a mustachioed Italian plumber).

2. TMNT: The Arcade Game

Konami first brought the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to NES under its Ultra label. Unfortunately, that game suffered from horrible controls and cheap enemies. TMNT: The Arcade Game, on the other hand, was pure Foot Clan stomping bliss. In it, up to two players set out to rescue April O'Neil and stop Shredder's plans for world domination. Gamers can select from any of the four ninja turtles and explore a handful of environments, such as a burning building and the city streets. In addition, gamers fought over that last pizza (this handy power-up replenishes a turtle's life bar) and teamed up to battle familiar bosses from the cartoon series, including Bebop and Rocksteady.

While not a long game, TMNT was a wonderful arcade port (sans four-player support) with attractive graphics, excellent controls and unique characters with different ninja weapons. In short, the definitive TMNT experience, at least until The Manhattan Project and Turtles in Time showed up. Bottom line, we played this game till it broke.

1. Super Mario Bros. 3

Choosing the greatest NES game was tough, but in the end, we had to go with Mario's third adventure. Super Mario Bros. 3, aside from being one of the most anticipated sequels of all time, has already gone down in history as one of the greatest video games ever made, a delightful adventure with varied levels, multiple environments and a colorful cast of characters that include Mario, his brother Luigi, Bowser and his Koopalings. Players explored the desert, dodged oversized goombas in Giant Land and navigated through dangerous waters while avoiding hungry fish.

We also can't forget Bowser's airships, the cheery music, winning power-ups via Memory Match and Mario and Luigi's new suits; respect the P-Wing. Nintendo combined all this stuff to create a game that's still enjoyable today, but it goes much deeper than that. Super Mario Bros. 3 is the must have game for NES, the killer app that helped catapult video games. Besides, you can't go wrong with Giant Land.