1. Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
3. Pokemon Red/Blue
4. Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones
5. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
6. The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap
7. Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
8. Mario Tennis 64
9. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
10. Fire Emblem
1. Super Mario World
2. Skyshark
3. Contra 3
4. Mario 64
5. Super Mario 3
6. RC Pro Am
7. Mario Kart 64
8. Zelda OOT
9. Bubble Bobble
10. Star Wars Shadows of the Empire
This is hard. Not just keeping it down to only 10 but also the order.
1. Sin and Punishment: Star Successor
2. Golden Sun: The Lost Age
3. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
4. Paper Mario
5. Super Mario Galaxy 2
6. Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
7. Mario Tennis: Power Tour
8. Super Metroid
9. F-Zero X
10. Star Fox 64
1. Metroid Prime; This game is to me the pinnacle of any sort of interactive experiences. The world feels alien, cold, and alive. Scanning makes the world feel like it exists despite you. The way encounters are designed always evokes a strong feeling of being an cruel invader. The game is just beautiful in every regard. No game has ever come close to eliciting the enjoyment or thrills that this game has for me.
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2; It's fun indubitably. The design is really clever, probably the best-designed platformer to date.
3. Super Mario World; I think World is a more grounded refinement of the gimmick-centric levels of SMB3. It really did a good job of blending the simple level styles of SMB1/2 with the more crazy and unique styles of SMB3. SMW is just such a fun game. From the very first time I popped it in the SNES to playing it for three days straight on the VC. It never gets old, it never ceases to be fun.
4. Metroid Fusion; Out of the dozen or so GBA games I had, this was *my* game for the GBA. I must've beaten it at least seven times. My love for it is unyielding, and while I do prefer Super Metroid as a game, I prefer this as a memory of how fun games can be.
5. Super Metroid; It's a prime example of why side scrollers is a godly genre, applicable to almost all styles of games. It exudes ingenuity behind every door, in no small part to its impeccable balance.
6. Super Mario Bros. 3; Almost every level is something entirely new and distinct. There are so many levels. Each one puts forth a new type of gimmick and asks that you master it. The creativity that went into this game is mind boggling; I think only Galaxy games topped it.
7. Pokemon Red/Blue; I played an unholy amount of Red. As a '90s kid, Pokemon has always been a big part of my life, so this is just kind of a given for me. While the games have gotten progressively better, nothing can replace the addiction's roots.
8. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword; I know its lows are close to series lows, but its highs are the apogee of the series for me. The density of the pre-dungeon areas reminds me of ALttP's and Link's Awakening's overworlds, the dungeon and boss fights are series highs, the puzzles are actually puzzling, and the supporting characters, items and combat are the best in the series.
9. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga; Easily among the best RPGs. I feel dirty for putting this instead of its Paper Mario, but I feel as if it's a better game. Long trips and late nights were characterized by utterly mastering this game. I swear to god I at one point had this game memorized. The dungeons were distinct, and the boss battles were insane. The overworld abilities made the traversal feel like a platformer; it did a lot to extend the core gameplay outside the battles. From what I remember of both games, this had a cooler RPG mechanics. It's a fricken hilarious game, too.
10. F-Zero GX; I don't even have this game but whenever I had a chance to play it I took it. As a racer fan, F-Zero is the epitome of the genre. GX just took it and ran. Insane speed, mind-bending tracks, brutal competition, high player-skill. That's all I want from a game.
Well this was harder than I thought, even just to get the last seven in some meaningful order.
1) Super Metroid : Perfection in a cartridge. Infinite replay value, the best atmosphere ever, terrific gameplay, graphics, and sound.
2) Zelda: A Link to the Past : Link's most epic adventure. Ocarina of Time has nothing on this gem.
3) EarthBound : The game with the most heart out of any game ever.
4) Super Mario Bros 3 : The greatest platformer ever made.
5) Zelda: Ocarina of Time : Link's second most epic adventure.
6) Zelda: Majora's Mask : Fantastic, puts a spin on the Zelda formula in a great way.
7) Super Mario 64 : Set the standard for 3-D games forever.
8) Pokemon Red/Blue : Pokemon reinvented handheld gaming as we know it.
9) Xenoblade Chronicles : Yes, I went there. The best modern JRPG out there. I haven't enjoyed a JRPG so much since Chrono Trigger, and that's saying something.
10) Metroid Prime : One of the most immersive games ever.
There are just so many great games to choose from. It's almost a crime to only list 10 Nintendo games. I'm going to hit submit before I change the list.
1: Super Mario Bros.
2: GoldenEye 007
3: Super Mario Bros. 3
4: Super Mario 64
5: Excitebike 64
6: Super Smash Bros Melee
7: Metroid Prime
8: Super Mario World
9: Super Mario Galaxy
10: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
1. Super Mario World (SNES)
2. Star Fox 64 (N64)
3. Super Metroid (SNES)
4. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GC)
5. Super Smash Bros. Melee (GC)
6. Wario Land 4 (GBA)
7. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (GC)
8. Diddy Kong Racing (N64)
9. Sin & Punishment (N64)
10. Excitebike (NES)
1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
2. Super Mario 64
3. Super Mario Galaxy
4. Super Metroid
5. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
6. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
7. Super Mario World
8. Super Mario Bros. 3
9. Metroid Prime
10. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
1. A Link to the Past
2. Super Mario World
3. WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!
4. Rhythm Tengoku
5. Pokémon Blue/Red
6. Mario Kart DS
7. Elite Beat Agents
8. The Wind Waker
9. GameBoy Camera
10. Wii Music
My top ten probably changes daily. I just like too many of their games. Apart from aLttP this list probably could go in any order.
1. Super Mario 64
2. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
3. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
4. Super Mario Galaxy
5. Super Mario Galaxy 2
6. Super Metroid
7. Earthbound
8. Pokemon Red/Blue
9. Mario Kart 64
10. Star Fox 64
1.Zelda: A link to the past. Still my favorite game ever made. 2.Super Metroid. This game is what sci fi exploration is all about. Couple that with the final boss fight sequence ( SO BAD ASS) and you have a game for the ages. 3.Mario Kart 64. While there are mario karts which may be superior, I spent so many hours playing this in college with multiple friends, probably the best local multiplayer game of all time imo. 4.Super Mario 3. There is too much awesome to even relate, but tanooki suit is still one of the greatest things EVAH! 5.Advance wars. So much time playing multiplayer with friends and family, such a great turn based strategy game.
Eeek.... Missed this thread - gotta get list in before cutoff!
1) Metroid Prime
2) Super Mario 64
3) Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
4) Xenoblade Chronicles
5) Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
6) Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
7) Perfect Dark
8) Super Smash Bros Melee
9) Metroid Other M
10) F Zero X
1) The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
2) Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
3) Metroid Prime
4) Super Mario Galaxy
5) Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
6) Super Mario World
7) The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
8) Pikmin 2
9) Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
10) Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Hardly a definitive list beyond the first two or three slots. I more or less love all of the games mentioned in this thread that I've played, which is most of them, lol.
I just feel that Majora's Mask is probably Nintendo's most groundbreaking title in that it's the only true "4D" game (time and space) on the market. It also takes the wonderful Zelda formula, wraps it in darkness and a carnival of colors, and drives it with a heart full of humanity. Clock Town, the Moon, Skull Kid, the Four Giants, Anju and Kafei, the Indigo-Go's, etc -- all timeless. To me, Majora's Mask is Nintendo's crowning achievement, yet to be surpassed... It spars with Resident Evil 4 for my all-time favorite game.
EDIT: I keep changing the second half of my list. I can't decide whether to view things more from a "well-made game" standpoint or a "industry significance" standpoint or a "special place in my heart" standpoint... There are many ways to define "greatest."
Lol I know exactly what you mean. I was debating adding a self inflicted rule of only one game per series but it would not reflect my true list. I found it incredibly difficult and ended up with so many Mario, Metroid and Zelda titles in my list that I felt bad for all the other amazing titles I had to leave out.
1. Super Mario World; First video game I ever played, and still the best. The music, AMAZING level design overflowing with secrets, introduced the world to mother effin YOSHI
2. Mario 64; It boggles my mind how this game not only invented the blueprint on how a 3D game should be done, but absolutely perfected that very same formula, all at the same time
3. Pokemon Red/SUPERIOR BLUE; This was more than a game when it came out....it was a way of life. Launched a multimedia dynasty. Every Pokemon game since, while adding some cool things, has not really changed much from this Game Boy title.
4. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars; introduced me to RPGs while retaining some of that Mario platforming I loved so much. Great writing, music, interesting battle mechanics. Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi are awesome series, but I will always love this weird ass game the most. Sequel please
5. Goldeneye 007; I always go back and forth between this and Perfect Dark. Perfect Dark vastly expanded the multiplayer, but I prefer the single player campaign of 007. The stealth and objective-based gameplay makes these games more enjoyable to me than the Halos and Call Duty games of today. Oddjob. RCP-90. Proximity Mines. This stuff was legendary. Mention this game to anyone of a certain age and you'll likely hear all kinds of funny ass stories.
6. Super Smash Bros. Melee; Had a hard time picking from the three Smash games, but I went with Melee because I put the most time into it.
7. Mario Kart 64; I like the different Mario Karts for different reasons (Super is really good) but I went with N64 because it STILL has the best multiplayer (Block Fort 4 Life)
8. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!; This is a perfect video game. Mike Tyson is the best boss of all time.
9. Star Fox 64; Super tight gameplay, nice variety (all-range mode, tank, submarine, cool bosses) and the most memorable dialog ever
10. Donkey Kong Country 2; I almost put 3, but 2 is the superior game by a hair. There have been some DKC haters over the years (even Miyamoto at one point!), but this is really as good as platforming gets.
-I feel terrible for not including Yoshi's Island.....it's neck and neck with DKC2, I basically flipped a coin.
-I couldn't decide which Zelda or Metroid to put on the list, so they somehow didn't make my list? I don't know. Hard list is hard.
-Animal Crossing deserves a mention, as does WarioWare. And, ummm.... a lot of other ones. I think I'll play a Nintendo game now....
1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time; Yeah, it's a cliché choice, but OoT is my favorite game of all time. Some of it might be nostalgia, but I feel like Nintendo got the pacing, dungeons, difficulty, and puzzles perfect with this installment.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask; A perfect complement to OoT. This also boasts two of the best Zelda dungeons in the series (Stone Tower and Great Bay temples). The boss fights aren't nearly as good as in OoT, but it's the living, breathing world outside of the temples that puts this game so high on my list.
3. Super Mario World; A classic. This is my favorite iteration of the 2D Mario franchise. So many levels and secrets, and the spritework holds up extremely well for being a SNES launch game.
4. Pokémon Puzzle Challenge; I wavered between putting this or Tetris Attack on the list, but I went with this one because I think there's slightly more single-player content and there's the bonus of portability (I should probably check out Planet Puzzle League/Express).
5. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes; My favorite Gamecube game. The first Metroid Prime was fun, but it didn't fully click with me as to why everyone gushed over it so much. The sequel is where the formula really shines for me, with incredible bosses like Quadraxis, Ing Emperor, Boost Guardian, and the addition of the dark worlds. Sanctuary Fortress is my favorite level of the trilogy.
6. Super Mario Galaxy 2; Those first three sentences for MP2? Replace Metroid Prime for Mario Galaxy and you'll get how I feel about SMG2. The sequel refines things to a fantastic degree, and it also adds some wonderful fan-service, such as including
a remix of the Butter Bridge theme and the Ghost House themes from SMW (I pretty much squealed like a little girl when I first entered Hightail Falls and heard the music playing)
. This is the best 3D platformer I've ever played.
7. Pokémon Black/White; My 2011 GOTY. I've written about this elsewhere, but suffice to say I think this is the most refined version of this beloved series (until Gray).
8. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker; This game's biggest strength is the sense of breezy, light-hearted adventure you get from sailing the Great Sea, listening to this track. Every section of the map has at least one thing to check out, treasures to dredge up, and fish to feed. No, the dungeons aren't the best, but exploring the vast blue ocean makes up for it. Oh, and the gorgeous artstyle and charming character animations and designs certainly help. I wasn't as bothered by the
Triforce hunt as so many seem to be, possibly since I knew about it ahead of time and spaced out Triforce searching between the later dungeons.
9. Banjo-Kazooie; My favorite exploration-based 3D platformer. A huge world with lots of moves and just the right amount of items to collect (the sequel goes a bit overboard). What really puts this over the top is the climax with the
Gruntilda's Furnace board game
and the fantastic final boss fight with Gruntilda (one of the best final bosses ever). Also, I love the concept behind Click Clock Wood. Truly the golden age of Rare.
10. Elite Beat Agents; I had a tough time deciding between this and Ouendan, but I've played this version more. Whenever I'm feeling a little down, playing this game can cheer me up a little (well, as long as it's not that track). This game's scenarios are so ridiculous it's hard not to smile when you're playing it.
Honorable mentions (I'll try to keep it down to three):
x. Metroid: Zero Mission;
x. Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan!!; (import, I'm from the U.S.)
x. Pikmin;
Looking over that big list of games in the OP, there are still loads of great Nintendo games I need to play, even some that I own but haven't gotten around to yet (DKCR, S&P2, Skyward Sword, etc.). While I was writing up my list, I was struck with a powerful temptation to replay some of those top ten games, despite my non-Nintendo backlog.
1. Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time
2. Super Mario 64
3. Super Mario Bros. 3
4. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
5. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
6. Pokemon Blue, Red
7. Super Mario World
8. Star Fox 64
9. Pikmin
10. Golden Eye
I really wanted to put Super Metroid on the list. Couldn't find the right spot.
1. Super Mario Bros. 3
2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
4. Super Mario World
5. Super Mario 64
6. Super Mario Bros.
7. Super Metroid
8. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
9. Metroid Prime
10. Mario Kart 64
x. Star Fox 64
x. Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan
x. Super Mario 3D Land
x. Super Mario Galaxy
x. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
x. Donkey Kong Country
x. Super Mario Bros. 2
x. The Legend of Zelda
x. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
x. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
x. Dr. Mario
x. Pikmin
x. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
x. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
1. Metroid Prime
2. OOT
3. Mario Galaxy 2
4. Mario Galaxy
5. Wind Waker
6. Super Metroid
7. Kirby's Adventure
8. Mega Man 2
9. Mario 64
10. Link's Awakening: DX
Kind of a weird list, but those are the games I think are deserving of my votes.
1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
2. Super Mario World
3. Super Mario 64
4. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
5. Fire Emblem (the first localized one for GBA)
6. Advance Wars
7. Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat
8. Rhythm Tengoku (GBA)
9. Metroid: Zero Mission
10. Elite Beat Agents
1. Paper Mario (N64)
2. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
3. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
4. Banjo-Kazooie (N64)
5. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (GC)
6. Super Mario 64 (N64)
7. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)
8. Super Smash Bros Melee (GC)
9. Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)
10. Mario Kart DS (DS)
That was quite hard... Surprised to find only one portable game on my list but not surprised to see so many N64 games. Such an underrated console!
1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
2. Star Fox 64
3. F-Zero GX
4. Metroid Prime
5. Super Mario World
6. Super Mario Bros. 3
7. The Legend of Zelda
8. Fire Emblem (7 in Japan)
9. Star Fox
10. Mario Kart 64
Just saw this thread, had to get a list in before the deadline.
Probably missing something, but it's good enough.
1. Mother 3; Oh man, this game. It just gave me every feeling, ever.
2. Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver; I am such a sucker for monster training/battling games, and Pokemon is the monster training/battling game. HeartGold is my favorite because on top of being super polished, the game is also huge. The main story is pretty satisfying, and then the postgame goes and makes the experience pretty phenomenal. It kind of spoiled me, too; White was a disappointment, mostly as a result of the lackluster postgame in comparison.
3. Chibi-Robo!; This is one of the most charming games I have ever played, hands down. The cast is wonderful, the dialogue is hilarious, and the story is actually pretty engaging and oddly touching. It's truly commendable how fun they made a house-cleaning simulator.
4. Paper Mario 2: The Thousand Year Door; There seems to be a theme here with me liking charming, well-written games. I APOLOGIZE FOR NOTHING
5. Earthbound; Mother 3 makes this game obsolete in a lot of ways, but that doesn't necessarily make it any less amazing. One way EB tops M3: (ending spoilers)
the playable epilogue
. Kinda wish that sort of thing was in every RPG.
6. Super Smash Bros. Melee; I still love Brawl for all the content and fanservice it added, and I think wavedashing turned Melee's competitive scene pretty dumb pretty fast, but I still think that Melee just works better than Brawl as a game. When I won a match in Melee it usually felt that it was thanks to my own skill. When I win matches in Brawl, it just feels like luck was the most in my favor that round.
7. Wario Ware Twisted; WarioWare's hilarious twitch-based gameplay is a great and addictive thing, and I think this title was just the most insane fun. It had a lot of the most clever microgames in the series, and so many unlockables. I was hooked for at least a month.
8. Super Mario Bros 3; This was just 2D Mario platforming at its peak for me. The whimsical style and having some of the best powerups in the franchise didn't hurt either.
9. Kirby's Dream Land 3; My favorite Kirby game switches between this and Kirby Super Star on almost a weekly basis depending on my mood. Super Star probably wins on the nostalgia angle since some of the best multiplayer experiences of my life were had with that game, but I dunno, I just have a huge mushy soft spot for Dream Land 3. It's deceptive in just how much it's got going on. Looks like your standard Kirby game at first, and then your powers changing depending on your animal friend is brought back from KDL2 which expands your options, and then it turns out that if you want the true ending, you have to solve a sort of puzzle in every level. In my opinion it was super successful at mixing up the gameplay enough to feel new, while also keeping all the usual Kirby stuff in there that I love.
10. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening; I am still impressed to this day by what this game was able to accomplish with the Game Boy hardware. The depth of the gameplay, the phenomenal soundtrack (Ballad of the Wind Fish is my favorite song in the franchise), and how it was actually able to tell a pretty good story. I think it's my favorite Zelda because it's so much more personal than your average Zelda title. Most of Link's other adventures are about the quest. This one was more about the people he interacted with.
x. Elite Beat Agents
x. Jump Ultimate Stars Import Note: I am from the United States.
This was REALLY HARD, hence me stalling till pretty much the last minute to write this up. I'm still not sure I'm 100% satisfied with this list, but I think this is as close as I'm gonna get.
1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past ; I grew up with this game and all the imagery and music has left a profound impact on me.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ; Perfect adaptation of Zelda for 3D.
3. Super Smash Bros. Melee ; Countless hours of fun.
4. Super Smash Bros. Brawl ; Different style than Melee but it's replaced it in my circle for various reasons, although we probably don't play it as much as we did Melee.
5. Super Mario Bros. ; I was playing this recently. Timeless fun.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX ; Really compact game, it somewhat reminds me of a dense city where there's something to do around every corner.
7. The Legend of Zelda ; Not as timeless as Super Mario Bros. because of the hidden-with-no-hint elements, but the feeling of adventure was strongest in this one.
8. New Super Mario Bros. Wii ; Multiplayer SMB is something that maybe should have happened long ago. It's just so good.
9. Advance Wars ; Strategizing, outwitting your opponent in multiplayer, and creating new map scenarios to share were all great.
10. Golden Sun ; It hit the right notes with me, and I love the fast pace of the battles.
I still need to play the Mother series, Super Metroid, Yoshi's Island, etc. etc....
1. Super Mario Galaxy 2; pure platforming perfection
2. Metroid Prime 3; Metroid at its best, perfect pointer controls, everything else sucks now
3. Endless Ocean 2; this game, oh this game, I just love it, so calming
4. Pikmin 2; I just love this game, where is my Pikmin 3, Nintendo?
5. Donkey Kong Country Returns; Retro strikes again
6. Super Mario Galaxy 1; platforming perfection, but not as good as SMG2
7. Yoshi's Island; platforming perfection on the SNES
8. Disaster: Day of Crisis; I just love the variety in this game, Die Hard the videogame
9. Eternal Darkness; innovative survival horror, I want another title like this
10. Donkey Kong Country 2; Rare platforming perfection, but not as good as the other ones listed here
This is quite difficult. So many superb games. Y no 20 titles
1. Zelda Majora's Mask (N64)
2. Metroid Prime (GC)
3. Super Metroid (SNES)
4. Legend of Zelda (NES)
5. Metroid (NES)
6. F-Zero X (N64)
7. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
8. Super Mario 64 (N64)
9. Zelda Ocarina of Time (N64)
10. Kid Icarus (NES)
1. Banjo & Kazooie
2. Super Mario 64
3. Super Mario Land 2
4. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
5. Donkey Kong 64
6. Animal Crossing
7. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Adventure DX
8. Donkey Kong '94
9. WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!
10. Paper Mario
The problem with the top 10 format is that there are certain games that usually wouldn't make someone's 10, but should certainly make a top 50. Super Mario Bros. 2 (Doki Doki Panic) for example should easily be top 25, top 30, but I'm not sure it'll even make our 50 because no one lists it.
Bitching aside, this is a fun thing to do and I can't wait to see GAF's ultimate Nintendo list.
Alright folks, I've tabulated the results and passed them back to Sadist for posting in a new thread.
Having seen the overall rankings, I can't say I'm too surprised at how very, very close some of the top-ranked games wound up being. The games ranked 4 and 5 received the exact same number of points, so the game at rank 4 took it by the tiebreaker stat of having a higher average rank. The game at rank 3 beat those two games by a mere one point.
It's not for a lack of sample size, either: there were 335 ballots counted.
1. Super Mario 64
2. Zelda: A Link to the Past
3. Super Mario Galaxy 2
4. Super Mario World
5. Metroid Prime
6. Banjo-Kazooie
7. Zelda: Ocarina of Time
8. Pokemon Red/Bliue
9. Super Mario Galaxy
10. Zelda: Skyward Sword
1) Banjo-Kazooie
2) Banjo-Tooie
3) Yoshi's Island
4) Super mario world
5) Pokemon black
6) Pokemon heart gold
7) Mario kart 7
8) Metroid: zero mission
9) Jet force gemini
10) Mario & luigi: bowser's inside story
