Dokkanojo
1993
2018
2010
2008
I don't think so many of the franchise's advancements needed to be cast aside, but even without slides, charged shots, and fast weapon switching, the game is immensely fun and captures the feeling of what playing an old game is like in a good way. The difficulty is a bit uneven, with a lot of instant deaths being balanced out by the most overpowered arsenal in the series, but there's almost a sort of charm to that, skewing it more towards a platforming challenge than an action one.
1996
There's a definite sense that they wanted to try and mix things up with the franchise at this point, with stages divided into acts that featured varying, new gameplay. It's not quite an identity crisis, but there are enough divergences that miss more often than not for me, but it's still pretty fun.
1998
1995
1993
1992
Maybe a little easy because of how easy it is to get 1-ups, and Power Stone is maybe the worst weapon in the franchise, but this is one of the most beautiful games on the NES and the gameplay is still every bit as solid as it's ever been, while adding some optional collectibles and a vehicle segment to boot.
1991
1990
1989
1987
2006
2021