Support NeoGAF

[GnawtyDog]

1. Super Mario World
2. Donkey Kong Country
3. Super Mario Bros 3.
4. Donkey Kong Country 2
5. Super Mario 3D World
6. Donkey Kong Contry: Tropical Freeze
7: Super Mario Galaxy
8. Donkey Kong Country 3
9 New Super Mario Bros. U
10. Donkey Kong Country Returns.

Honorable mentions: Metroid Series, Pikmin, Yoshi Island spin offs (aka SMW2 etc)
Meh series: Zelda Series - and yes that's correct. I've never been able to stand Link as a protag nor the cookie cutter world and lore - meh.

 

[Battlechili]

1. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess ; Its basically Ocarina of Time with a fresh coat of paint and an amazing sidekick that's an actual character for a change. I love Midna. But besides Midna, characters like Colin and Telma helped flesh out the world and make it a tad more real than most Zelda games.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ; Ocarina of Time is an amazing landmark in gaming that created the core of the 3D Zelda series since its inception. Having an awesomely big world to explore full of freedom and interesting sites to see along with wonderfully well built dungeons, its some of the best Nintendo has to offer.
3. Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon ; Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon takes all the strong traits of the PMD series and improves upon them with much harder, more item-oriented dungeon exploration where a large emphasis is placed on preparation before embarking into a dungeon. This game spends a large portion of time on the characters early on to make sure you care about them when it kicks the story into high gear later on, and boy oh boy, the story is amazing. The music is also complimentary to this, featuring some of the best tracks in any Nintendo game ever.
4. Pandora's Tower ; An underrated classic, this Operation Rainfall title was basically a 3D Zelda game without an overworld, featuring many well-developed and challenging dungeons while utilizing the same sort of time mechanic as Majora's Mask to help bring up the tension, all while boasting a soundtrack of classical music.
5. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky ; Being the 2nd best PMD game, this game features gorgeous spritework and a wonderful story full of twists and heartbreak.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker; This world was HUGE and helped give Zelda a bit of a twist by making the game more about sea-faring. Medli is best girl, and Link in this had a good bit of childlike wonder to him that isn't often seen in most Zelda games.
7. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask; This Zelda is one of the darkest, if not the darkest 3D Zelda, and it takes advantage of this by also having an incredibly well-developed world. The citizens of Termina really show a sense of fear and the time mechanic of this game really helps make everyone seem like an actual person with their own objectives, goals, and families to attend to. Its somewhat realistic to how people would act and has a lot of heart, and the otherworldly feel of this game makes it extremely chilling and atmospheric.
8. Star Fox Assault; This is my favorite Star Fox game. Featuring very varied gameplay mechanics from on-rails Arwing battles to an actual world you can interact with either on foot, in a Landmaster, or in the air via Arwing, this game kept things fresh so that no one gameplay mechanic ever got too boring. This game's cheesy science fiction storyline also had a lot at stake, with Borg-like Aparoids that were truly fearsome in how they spread themselves throughout the galaxy. The music was also great, and the romance between Fox and Krystal was cute.
9. Super Mario World ; Best 2D Mario with the most varied levels.
10. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team ; Has all that makes PMD games great, but sadly has a weaker storyline in comparison to the others.

EDIT: I really hope this isn't hard to read.

 

[balgajo]

1 - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
2 - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
3 - Super Mario Galaxy 2
4 - Xenoblade Chronicles
5 - Super Mario World
6 - Pokemon Yellow
7 - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
8 - Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal
9 - Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
10 - Donkey Kong Country

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

I'll add my thoughts in a bit:

1) Super Metroid
2) Metroid Prime
3) Super Mario Galaxy 2
4) Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
5) The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past
6) Kid Icarus: Uprising
7) Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
8) Sin and Punishment: Star Successor
9) Splatoon
10) Punch-Out!!

 

[TheYanger]

1. Super Mario World
2. Super Metroid
3. Zelda ALTTP
4. Mario 3
5. Metroid Prime
6. Mario Kart
7. Perfect Dark
8. Mario RPG.
9. Zelda: Link's Awakening
10. Super Smash Bros. Melee

 

[LunarKnite]

Thought I'd be the only one here to mention Picross 3D. Really hope the sequel makes it over too. It'd be nice if OP could run the Affinity lists like the GOTY thread does. Might be worth asking them for their scripts?

I was so close to putting Pocket Card Jockey on my list too but I figured it's just an infatuation right now. I've got like 50 hours logged into that and I'm still absolutely hooked.

I almost didn't put it on my honorable mentions because of the reasons I said. I love all the Picross games, I actually just got and beat the Zelda one from MyNintendo within a few days. It's hard to have a favorite Picross game, especially when Jupiter has Picross E1-6.

And I had thought the same with Pocket Card Jockey, but I do think it's worth the mention.

 

[Takyon]

1. Super Smash Brothers Melee; To me, this game is an arena which constantly tests my speed, creativity, discipline and heart. In that way, what makes Melee special isn't what it offers me, but how I can express myself through it.
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2; I prefer linearity in Mario games, so SMG2 is pretty much perfect to me. Polished to perfection, imaginative, challenging and, most importantly, great fun.
3. Super Mario 3D World; I like it for much the same reasons as SMG2, but it's design makes it a little less satisfying in a single player experience. However, the versatility SM3DW displays in sharing the campaign between 4 different possible sets of players, plus all the different ways those players may interact, shows the craftsmanship behind its development.
4. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze; This game is the golden combination of fun and challenging. What makes it more than just 'great is Tropical Freeze's aesthetic quality. At certain times, the mechanics, visuals and music meld together to create this transcendent moment. The climax of Grassland Grove is a perfect example of this.
5. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword; Super flawed game, but nonetheless I love it. A big reason behind that may be that it was the first Zelda game I played. I believe that it motion plus controls will only become more appreciated as time goes on.
6. Kid Icarus: Uprising; One of the most tryhard games ever made, and I mean that in a good way. It's a game that holds nothing back and wears its heart on it's sleeve.
7. Yoshi's Island
8. Pokemon Black/White

 

[squid]

1. Paper Mario ; the charm, the writing, the battle system, even the locations and chapters, just so many things to love about this game. I can't even guess how many times I've played through this!
2. Super Mario 64 ; from here through to 6 is pretty much a tie, they're all incredible games. Mario 64 was just so epic. The perfect first big 3D game. The castle hub world was so much fun to explore, let alone the levels!
3. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask ; Incredible atmosphere. The music, the characters, the whole tone of the game was so sombre and bizarre. Clock Town is still the best Zelda town and the focus on side quests made you more invested in the characters and world than any other Zelda.
4. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ; the most well rounded Zelda. An epic adventure with perfect pacing and memorable dungeons. Deserves it's reputation.
5. Super Mario Galaxy ; really inventive game with a cool physics mechanic, great levels, amazing music and terrific art style. Another really epic feeling game.
6. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker ; art style and music are again terrific here, and the characters and sense of adventure are strong points too. The story is one of the best in a zelda game, along with Majora's Mask.
7. Super Smash Bros for WiiU ; the mechanics and feel of the game are great and it's more fully featured than any smash game before. The perfect multiplayer game. Having 8 players is crazy chaos.
8. Banjo Kazooie ; took Mario 64 and focused more on story and adventure. Loved the hub world, the music and the humour and quirkiness of the game.
9. Mario Kart 64 ; had so much fun playing this multiplayer. Racing was as good as ever, but the battle mode was by far the best in the series. So much time spent laying bananas and fake items, while seeing green shells bouncing around the arena endlessly!
10. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door ; I didn't think it quite had the same charm as the original, but still a great adventure, with refined battle mechanics and some absolutely awesome chapters (Glitz Pit and Excess Express). Still looks great due to its art style too.

Yeah, I'm a fan of the Nintendo 64...

 

[bman94]

Basing this solely on games that I had personal experience playing:
1. Pokemon Crystal Version
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2
3. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
4..Mario Kart 8
5. Fire Emblem Awakening
6. Kid Icarus: Uprising
7. Splatoon
8. Super Mario 64
9. Super Mario World
10. Pokemon Red

Now realizing how hard it is to ONLY pick 10 Nintendo games.

 

[relewis2011]

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
2. Perfect Dark
3. Super Smash Bros. Melee
4. Super Mario 64
5. Super Mario World
6. Pokemon Red
7. Diddy Kong Racing
8. Mario Kart Double Dash (come on, Gaf, you know it's the best MK!)
9. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
10. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

 

[BigJonsson]

1. Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time
2. Super Metroid
3. Legend of Zelda - Link to the Past
4. Super Mario World
5. Super Mario Bros 3
6. Legend of Zelda
7. Super Mario Bros
8. Metroid Prime
9. Mario Kart
10. Goldeneye

 

[Terraforce777]

1. Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn
2. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
3. Kirby Super Star Ultra
4. Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
5. Fire Emblem Fates
6. Pokemon Black 2 and White 2
7. Super Mario 3D World
8. Legend of Zelda Wind Waker HD
9. Super Smash Bros Brawl
10. Splatoon

 

[Lathentar]

1. Super Mario 3; Favorite 2D Mario game
2. Super Mario 64; Best controlling Mario in 3D so far, amazing world full of secrets to discover
3. Super Mario Galaxy 2; Pure 3D platforming goodness. Straight forward and to the point. Loved it. Not as mind blowing at the first game, but all the fluff removed.
4. Super Smash Bros. Wii U; With a most played ranking I'd put Melee in here, but I think Wii U version will hold up better in the long run. The roster is just too large/amazing
5. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time; Incredible game. Just so well designed.
6. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest; Best Donkey Kong Country game, great theme, challenge, graphics, secrets. Just amazing from beginning to end
7. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island; Not much to say other than another near perfect 2D platformer
8. F-Zero GX; Greatest racing game ever.
9. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze; 2nd best Donkey Kong Country game (though Returns is VERY close, I consider Returns to be the better polished experience, but TF is still likely the better overall package)
10. Metroid Prime; Incredible how the atmosphere in this game still holds up

I'm ranking these games as if I were to pick them up and play them today. If we were going by how much I played them or their importance to Nintendo, things would be wildly different.

Honorable Mentions:
Super Smash Bros. Melee; Easily my most played Nintendo game, just feel that WiiU is a better package overall
Goldeneye 007; Incredible at the time, just doesn't hold up anymore
Star Fox 64; Just couldn't crack my top ten
F-Zero X; GX was better in nearly every way for me, still a great game though
Elite Beat Agents; Great game, just not important enough for me to crack top ten
Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey, Jr.; In terms of sheer play time those would be up there with Melee
Diddy Kong Racing; Better than all the Mario Karts
DKCR; Just edged out by TF

 

[leroidys]

Is it too late to change the format OP? Allocating points past a top ten (maybe 15 or 20?) will give a much better relative ranking of titles after the obvious heavy hitters.

 

[Spieler Eins]

1. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
One can only hope that one day a version structured closer to the original will come out with the graphics of the remake.
2. Super Metroid
3. Super Mario Galaxy
4. Metroid Prime
The trilogy would be higher and I usualy think of it it as a single release, not last because of the new controls. On their own, all parts of the trilogy are about on par, each with a few individual annoyances.
5. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
6. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
7. WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$
8. Super Mario World
9. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
10. Kirby Super Star

x. Super Mario 64
x. Donkey Kong Country 2
x. Hotel Dusk: Room 215
x. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
x. Sin & Punishment: Star Successor

 

[Arkain]

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ; Blew my mind when it first released and it also aged incredibly well. The best 3D adaptation of Zelda we could have wished for. Still play it once every few years. A masterpiece.
2. Xenoblade Chronicles ; Masterful setting, world building and music, a solid cast and interesting RPG mechanics. Reignited my interest in RPGs
3. Metroid Prime ; My favorite Metroid game. Just like Super Metroid, they really made me feel like I was exploring an alien planet. The best 1st person conversion of Metroid we could have asked for.
4. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask ; One of the strangest Zelda games, but also one of the best. Great atmosphere, and loved the three day mechanic. Truly deep.
5. Super Mario Galaxy ; My favorite Mario game. Loved the galaxy twist. Just feels incredibly smooth to play.
6. Super Mario World ; A classic. If you haven't played this, you should.
7. Super Metroid ; Amazing atmosphere! This game really made me feel like I was exploring an alien planet. Too bad about the quicksand in Maridia, probably would ranked higher on this list without it. Hated that.
8. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes ; Many people didn't like the light/dark mechanic. I actually liked it, created tension. Really great, but the environments were less interesting to me compared to Metroid Prime 1.
9. Mario Kart 8 ; Great fun with friends or family, great levels and topped off with actually good DLC. The best Mario Kart thus far imo.
10. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons ; Controversial opinion probably, but I always liked this one more than Link to the Past. Loved the puzzles that used the seasons. Great dungeon design as well.

 

[Haloid1177]

1. Super Mario Galaxy
2. Super Mario Bros. 3
3. Legend of Zelda Wind Waker
4. Super Smash Bros Melee
5. Metroid Prime
6. Mario Kart 8
7. Super Metroid
8. Pokemon SoulSilver
9. FZero GTX
10. Super Smash Bros Melee

 

[Cyrano]

1. Earthbound
2. Metroid
3. Super Metroid
4. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
5. Metroid II: Return of Samus
6. Super Mario 64
7. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
8. Sin and Punishment: Star Successor
9. Kirby's Dream Land
10. Splatoon

 

[eXistor]

edit: I'll add thoughts later.

In a way this list kinda sucks because it's full of Mario and Zelda. If I could make a top 50 myself it would be a lot more interesting, but as it stands I have to go with my gut feeling and simply list the games I think are some of the best ever made even if there are multiple from 1 series.

1. Super Metroid ; To me this is as good as it gets; the game I point to when people ask: is there a perfect game? The atmosphere, music, pitch perfect-controls (it's the Mario 64 of Metroids), level design. As a series it's been slipping a lot these last few years to the point where I'm not sure I even want a new Metroid from them when it's clear they don't understand what makes traditional Metroid so damn good. This is Nintendo firing on all cylinders and that makes it the best game ever made by anyone.

2. Earthbound ; Another game close to perfection as far as I'm concerned. At its core it may be a Dragon Quest clone, but the end product is so much more. A completely unique flavor of game that has never quite found its equal. The wonderful Undertale comes to mind, but in the end it's standing on the shoulders of Earthbound.

3. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ; Well weare talking about best Nintendo games ever made so of course Zelda is gonna rank high. My top 3 of all time probably looks the same as this one. To this day Zelda remains comfortably my favorite games series. I don't think a series has ever reinvented itself so much over the years and still remain more than relevant (people who say all Zelda's are the same really have no idea what they're talking about). It was a hard choice, but overall I'm gonna follow my heart on this one and say OoT is the best Zelda game that resonated the most with me. It has all the traditional elements and it all gells perfectly. Another wonderful game like Majora's Mask is actually better in many regards, but I'd go as far as to say that you can't really appreciate MM if you haven't played most previous games in the series. Which is not a bad thing of course, but it does help cement OoT as a great entry point and perfect singular entry.

4. Super Mario 3D World ; Another hard one to choose. Mario 64, Mario 3, World. All classics that everyone with a passing interest in videogames must have played at one point or another. 3D World took what made Mario 3 (arguably the best 2D Mario) great and made it work in 3D. You could take a picture of any moment in 3D World and frame it and it looks like art, I truly think the game's aesthetics are that good. Perfect (I know I'm using this word a lot, but again, we're talking Nintendo games here) controls, fantastic music and wonderful level-design make this of one the best Mario's there is. I'm not usually for multiplayer games, but you know you have a damn well-designed game when it works just as well in single player as in multiplayer.

5. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening ; an oft-overlooked game, but as far as 2D Zelda goes, there is none better. Setting and story-wise it ditches most traditional elements, but the game might actually be better for it. In terms of gameplay it's very akin to LttP, but it has a unique vibe that is all its own. Great dungeon design, an overworld packed with secrets, fun characters, peppy music, this game has everything you love about Zelda and more (I'm starting to sound like back-of the-box quotes here).

6. Kid Icarus: Uprising ; Oh man, this game. I never thought we'd see the day that we'd get a new Kid Icarus let alone one of the best Nintendo games ever. Do the controls take a bit getting used to? Yes, but then a lot of the best games have a learning curve, it just means you have to put in some actual effort to play the game and when you do get the hang of it, oh man, get ready for one of the best playing games there is. It's super-addictive too with its simple but effective crafting system. But when you do find that perfect weapon you'll want to part with it again.

7. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
8. Super Mario Bros. 3
9. Super Mario World
10. Metroid Prime

Honorable mentions. These games are still firmly God Tier, I could put these in my top 10 easy if it weren't for the ones actually in there.

X. Super Mario 64
X. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
X. Super Mario Galaxy 1
X. Mario Kart 8
X. Pikmin 3
X. The Legend of Zelda: a Link Between Worlds

 

[Sadist]

Is it too late to change the format OP? Allocating points past a top ten (maybe 15 or 20?) will give a much better relative ranking of titles after the obvious heavy hitters.

I want to keep it at just a top 10 per poster. I know it's hard to pick from Nintendo's 30 + years of history, but I want people to make the hard choices.

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

Tough one here, but I'm going to let my heart do the talking.

1. Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link
2. Super Mario Galaxy
3. Metroid: Zero Mission
4. Wave Race 64
5. 1080 Snowboarding
6. F-Zero GX
7. WarioWare: Mega Microgames
8. Advance Wars
9. Mario Kart DS
0. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

Not enough room here!!! I'm sorry Kid Icarus and Ocarina of Time.

 

[PillarEN]

1. Super Mario Bros. 3
2. Super Mario World
3. Super Mario Galaxy
4. Metroid Prime
5. Pokemon Silver
6. Donkey Kong Country 2
7. Super Smash Bros. Melee
8. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
9. Pokemon Blue
10. Super Mario Kart Wii ; (yes this is the one I spent most time with)

I never owned a N64

 

[Anth0ny]

Tough one here, but I'm going to let my heart do the talking.

1. Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link
2. Super Mario Galaxy
3. Metroid: Zero Mission
4. Wave Race 64
5. 1080 Snowboarding
6. F-Zero GX
7. WarioWare: Mega Microgames
8. Advance Wars
9. Mario Kart DS
0. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

Not enough room here!!! I'm sorry Kid Icarus and Ocarina of Time.

Anyone who has Zelda 2 at #1 is good in my book.

miyamoto is a doodoo head

 

[wild wild rice]

Is it too late to change the format OP? Allocating points past a top ten (maybe 15 or 20?) will give a much better relative ranking of titles after the obvious heavy hitters.

This would definitely be nice. Otherwise we're just gonna have 5 Mario games and 5 Zelda games.

 

[Choomp]

This is gonna be super hard. Ok.

1. Super Mario 64
2. Animal Crossing
3. EarthBound
4. Super Mario Galaxy
5. Super Smash Bros 4
6. Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time
7. Super Mario World
8. Legend of Zelda Wind Waker
9. Mike Tyson's Punch Out
10. Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

Anyone who has Zelda 2 at #1 is good in my book.

Zelda 2 (alongside Kid Icarus and Metroid) were the Nintendo games that grabbed me from the NES and started cultivating me as a lifetime fan.

 

[Yoshi]

Oh man, that's almost impossible to do without restricting to one per franchise. I will list my top 10, but I will also name a top 10 with one per franchise, because it's going to be a very Mario & Zelda centric list otherwise:

The list I came up with at first without looking at my previous votings:

1. Yoshi's Island
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2
3. Super Mario Galaxy
4. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
5. Banjo-Kazooie
6. Super Mario 64
7. Super Mario World
8. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
9. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
10. Pikmin 3

I decided to follow my format from last time: Two or less per franchise.
1. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island; The best game ever, simply put. Incredible level design, perfect game design, infinitely charming, great deal of variety. I couldn't even imagine how one could improve upon this sheer time less classic.
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2; EAD Tokyo at it's best! Once again, perfect game design paired with extremely fresh and playful level design. Also a bit more challenging than Super Mario Galaxy 1. Yoshi also felt great in this game. To me, this game is the pinnacle of 3D gaming and I'm waiting desperately to see, what's next for EAD Tokyo's flawless track record. IMO, it's the most talented studio there is.
3. Super Mario Galaxy; See Super Mario Galaxy 2. If it were a bit more challenging, maybe I'd even have given it the edge over part 2, but both of them are equally amazing!
4. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword; The grandmaster of puzzle-gameplay and the most focused of all the Zelda-games. I was really skeptical before release, even thinking that it might be quite low on my Games of this year list (Behind Sonic, Mario, Rayman, Mario Kart) after playing the Gamescom demo. How wrong I was, how great this game turned out. A masterpiece that shamefully didn't get nearly as much credit as it deserves.
5. Banjo-Kazooie; Wonder why there are still so many people caring for Rare? Well, this right here is the answer, the only platformer not by Nintendo, that can live up to Nintendo's heights in this genre. Awesome level design, cheerful characters, super tight gameplay, classic humor, this game alone is enough for me to play any Rare game in an instant.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask; The game that defines atmosphere in games. I found this game to be way more frightening than any horror game I've ever played, due to it's wacky design, incredible characters and timeless time-feature. Before Skyward Sword, this was the unrivaled master of Action-Adventure gaming and it was barely edged out by its own successor, Skyward Sword.
7. Pikmin 3 ; The best game of this generation in my opinion. Fantastic blend of action-adventure and strategy, featuring outstanding world design and fantastic gameplay. A timeless classic
8. F-Zero GX; The fastest, most difficult, most tight, most intense racing game ever created. Amusement Vision and Nintendo simply was a match made in heaven, the result is a timeless classic that still is my favourite racing game of all time!
9. Yoshi's Woolly World ; A fantastic return to the console, featuring an amzing level design and one of the cutest looks ever conceived. There are a lot of fantastic 2D platformers on Wii U, but Yoshi's Woolly World is very special among them in my opinion.
10. Metroid Prime; Metroid Prime is a fantastic expierience with a well thought-out gameplay mechanic and an organic, livid world, that needed to be explored. I absolutely adore this game and I also love parts 2 and 3 of this series.

Only one per franchise:
1. Yoshi's Island
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2
3. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
4. Banjo-Kazooie
5. Pikmin 3
6. F-Zero GX
7. Metroid Prime
8. Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze
9. Fire Emblem Fates Conquest
10. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

Changes from last time: Banjo has risen, Pikmin 2 got replaced by Pikmin 3, Yoshi's Island DS got replaced by Yoshi's Woolly World

 

[ec0ec0]

1. F-Zero GX (GCN)
2. The legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64)
3. Super Smash Bros Melee (GCN)
4. Super Mario 64 (N64)

 

[Zebei]

This will be hard. . .very very hard. Doesn't help i've still got a few "masterpieces" to play through.

1. Kid Icarus Uprising; Favorite game of all time, not just Nintendo. A game made by Sakurai, which means it is going to be overflowing with so much content it isn't even funny. I didn't even get to experience the multiplayer (which was allegedly amazing). The gameplay is AWESOME if you can get used to the controls, and it has a difficulty system that allows players to decide how hard they want it to be. IF you want to die in 2 hits you can put it to 9.0. If you want a little less? 8.7. And so on until piss easy. It's not a perfect system but it is still amazing. The soundtrack is insanely varies, from pieces made to feel epic, to a song with acoustic guitars made for dueling, to some kind of weird electro jazz. And of course, the cast of characters and the world they inhabit is top tier.

The biggest negative I can give it is that a sequel seems unlikely. :/

2. Xenoblade; RPG goodness. An amazing group of characters, ith growth, and plenty of lines, beautiful locations, an awesome battle system, a good/great story, and so much content. SO. MUCH. CONTENT. And an OST that is absolutely beutiful as well.

3.Wonderful 101; A game filled with charm, like so many other Nintendo games. While the game may have sold horribly, the amount of variety in this game, combined with it's absurd over the top action makes it an amazing experience

4. Metroid Prime; When the game went from 2d to 3D FPS it was a crazy idea. The entire formula had to be reworked. But unlike so many other series, Metroid did not succumb to the pitfalls of the 2d-->3D transition.

An action filled intro, followed by an atmospheric experience from beginning to end. Exploration is just as fun with the new environments that are all beautiful and interesting. The game does too many things right to list in one post.The music is amazing too.

5. Super Smash Bros. Melee; I suck but, I loved this game so much as a kid. It introduced me to a world I didnt understand, Nintendo. The gameplay is amazing for casuals and competeive players alike. Very few games have the competitive power and length that melee does, which is impressive in its own right. Roy is still Our Boy

6. Super Metroid; Do I even need to say why this game is amazing? I feel like at this point if you are surprised a game like this is here, you ned to go out and learn.
Hell, here is a stream from Lab Zero, talking about the beuty that is Super Metroid's game design
1. https://www.twitch.tv/labzero/v/50686436
2. https://www.twitch.tv/labzero/v/50686651
3. https://www.twitch.tv/labzero/v/50687463

7. Mario Galaxy; The soundtrack and the gameplay are both some of the greatest in all of gaming. I put it above 2 because it felt more original, and IMO had better presentation.


8. Donkey Kong Country; Haven't played 2 or 3 yet so i'm sticking with this one. Pure platforming perfected. On thing I love in 2D platformers is a sense of flow. Rayman Origins/Legends and DKC are the masters of this IMO

9. Metroid Zero Mission; An absolutely amazing game. For players who get easily lost, you can be told where to go, or you can just ignore the thing and explore as you please. Great gameaply, the same old amazing exploration, and an amazing part of the game, the zero suit. It strips your powers away an makes you helpless. The hunter becomes the hunted. It's a hge tone shift done very well. But at the end, you get even more power than you had before. WAYYYY mo repower, and you get the absolute rush of going from zero to god on a moment. It is very empowering.

10. Earthbound; I'm not even sure if Earthbound counts as a game sometimes. This games writing is insane, and elevates an average RPG, to one of the most interesting experiences in all of media.




Honorable Mentions
Pikmin 3- Pikmin 3 does almost everything very right. But it's so short that this little problems means it's juuuuuust short of making the list. Still an utterly amazing game.

LoZ series; Never been my thing. Sorry

Pokemon; Too old to really say I love it. Red and Blue is undeniably important though.

Fire Emblem Series; Only played Awakening, 7 and some of 6. I need to hit the Radiant games

Mother 3; Hasn't hit the West so I can't judge it

 

[andytjm]

1) The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time
2) Super Mario 64
3) Goldeneye
4) The Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker
5) Super Mario Galaxy
6) Lylat Wars
7) Metroid Prime 2 - Echoes
8) Super Smash Bros. Melee
9) Wave Race 64
10) Mario Kart 8

 

[Deleted member 59090]

1. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
2. Picross 3D
3. Animal Crossing: New Leaf
4. Xenoblade Chronicles X
5. Super Mario 3D Land
6. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
7. Kirby: Canvas Curse
8. Super Mario Galaxy 2
9. Rhythm Heaven
10. Metroid Prime

Being a PC gamer my whole life and living in Poland I didn't have access to Nintendo games for a long time. Couple of years ago I started catching up on their stuff but still I've only played a small subset of their games so my list might seem unconventional.

 

[ec0ec0]

Sadist, from the OP...

[...]2.List up to ten games[...]

So, i assume that it is perfectly fine to list less than 10 games, for example, just 4?

 

[charlemagne55]

1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
3. Super Smash Bros Melee
4. Pokemon Red/Blue
5. Super Mario World
6. Super Smash Brothers
7. Metroid
8. Mario Kart 64
9. Super Metroid
10. Mario 64

 

[Otakumegane]

I've been debating how to score these games between how well they hold up today to what kind of legacy they wrought. In the end I'm going to give more points towards the former, but I will include certain games that I feel highly deserve and mention.

1. Metroid Prime ; This was a near perfect game then, and it is a near perfect game now. How the game handles the flow of traversal and sets up the eventuality of confrontation is stunning. It nails the feeling of being isolated and alone and even gives the enemies a story arc that gradually escalates into copying Samus and sheer desperation. A better horror game than a lot of horror games, and one of the best "exploration" games out there with stunning amounts of verticality and fantastic area design.
2. Xenoblade Chronicles; The single best JRPG of the 7th generation. From a spawling world filled with verticality and some of the finest design choices for a JRPG, to a score that I still listen to this day. Operation Rainfall and this game was what prompted me to join GAF. While the sequel may have not been perfect and the game barely has a legacy, it's placement here is a testament to how great the game is.
3. Super Mario 64 ; The game that proved the worth of 3D. This game was the first to show the masses that the extra dimension did factor in as a extra layer to the gameplay. Unsurpassed in movement options in a Mario game since, this game nailed everything from the design to the camera to the variety of environments.
4. Super Smash Brothers: Melee ; There is a reason why this game is regarded as one of the greatest fighting games of all time. While SSM may have introduced the series, Melee refined and completed it, with the innovative way of winning that game more attention to positioning and movement rather than combos and blocking, there's no question that on the merits of this game alone, the world has seen the biggest of the fighting game communities in history. Melee Magic.
5. The Legend of Zelda : Ocarina of Time ; The reason this isn't so high is due to how poorly the game actually hold up today. The 3DS version fixes a lot of issues I've had with the game prior and while to some it is seen as a gold standard, I share a lot of Egoraptor's criticisms when it comes to the actual formula. Still, it's legacy alone is enough to rank it quite high, and BotW looks to actually surpass it.
6. Pokemon Gold/Silver ; It's easy to cash in on a hit, it's hard to expand that into a multi-media madhouse spanning 20 years with a combat system that is not only easy to get into but has a dedicated player base of hardcore breeding and smogon enthusiasts. Improving on the original in nearly everyway, and with the addition of elements that still remain a staple of the series, Gold/Silver cemented the change from a phenomenon into an empire.
7. The Legend of Zelda : Majora's Mask ; Honestly, I feel as if this is the better game, with the darker themes and focus on character building. However, I do understand why it isn't as highly regarded and seeing that, it must be ranked lower.
8. Splatoon ; I don't even need to explain this. It sold 1 million as a new IP, in Japan alone, as a console, on the WiiU. Boom. This should leave quite a hell of a trail.
9. Super Mario Galaxy 1 (and 2) ; These games are great. Just look at the reviews. It may seen that it's spot is low and I understand that sort of concern, but I just really have a problem with the purple coin levels and I'm not a fan of Hayashida's 4-step design. But those are my only complaints, in terms of everything else it's perfect.
10. Super Mario Bros ; Saved the age of video games. Does not hold up as well today (though still enjoyable). On legacy alone it is placed here. For years has been the best selling game of all time, and was the premier reason for the continued existence of consoles. DA DA DA DA DA!

Honorable Mentions.

Super Metroid. This was incredibly difficult not to include, but the very minor issues in control and the improved functionality of the later GBA games was a big factor in this decision. But the GBA games too don't have the stellar story telling or the quality of the level design and hidden options that this game has. Very hard choice.

Pikmin 3. God I wanted to include this. I really really did. But there are quirks with the game that may not be for everyone and other than the fantastic cast and design, it does little to advance the worldview and central theme/plot and leaves with some to be desired. Still rank it quite high on my personal list but this isn't a thread for that.

Fire Emblem. I had some trouble with this one. I would have included it due to it being now one of the most popular and long-running turn based strategy out there, but there really isn't a single game that I would pick that sparked the legacy worldwide. My personal fav is PoR, and FE7 was the first international game, Fates is the best seller, and Awakening saved the franchise. All these lack that perfect combination of everything to put in this kind of list.

 

[DecoReturns]

Hardest List ever for me but here goes,

1. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance ; Best western Fire Emblem Story, as its told well and doesn't let itself drag on. Great soundtrack and fun gameplay, even tho its super easy. I never cared for challenge if the story is good enough. I remember when I was a kid, my mom let me skip school to pick this up at gamestop and let me play it all day. Times were good as a kid.

2. Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker: My Favorite Zelda game, as it finally gave me a reason to care for Link with he expressions. The artstyle is great, even tho it received a lot of hate, this game felt more mature then Twlight Princess ever did.

3. Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn; My favoirte Fire Emblem in terms of gameplay, with a story that starts well, buts gets silly; However the way it is told makes me enjoy the story even if I question some of the logic. The way of spliting armries was amazing in my opinion, yet I hate that future game don't try it again. Amazing Soundtrack, great characters, but a game that came at the loweset point in the series making it a treat that many never got to experience.

4. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door; Best game starting Mario. Sakurai please put Paper Mario in Smash, but call him Great Gonzales.

5: Metriod Prime: Alien is one of my favorite movies, this game reminded me so much of that movie. A perfect feeling of isolation, reading the scanner as a mean to learn the world and its story. A perfect conversation from 2-D to 3-D. Prime is one of the few games I would consider Perfect. Also this was the best looking game I had ever seen, later games have never impress me the same way Prime did.

6. Pokemon Sapphire: Gen 3 is my favoirte Pokemon generation, this game felt like an adventure, rarely did the game interupt you, you had to figure it out on your own and it was the last Pokemon game to feel like that.

7. Pokemon Colosseum: Best Pokemon Soundtrack and a story concept I hope they return to, but not like Gale of Darkness

8. Super Mario Bros. 3: Platforming perfection

9. Super Smash Bros. Melee: possbliy 2nd or 3rd most played game ever for me. Its at the same play time as Brawl actually.
10. Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time:


Honorable Mentions:
Mario 64
Super Mario World
Super Metriod
Mario Kart DS
Mario Kart Double Dash
Super Smash Bros Brawl/ Wii U
Paper Mario
Pokemon Emerald
Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver
Fire Emblem
Fire Emblem Sacred Stones
Super Mario Galaxy
Luigi Mansion
Star Fox 64
Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Mario Strikers
Super Mario Strikers

 

[Menitta]

1. Metroid Prime - I only played this game on the trilogy in 2015, but I'm glad I did. This game is the greatest experience one can have with a video game. Go to Tallon IV. Walk around the entire planet with not a single friendly character. It's just Samus. When I play this game, I feel like I'm there. It has the best environments and enemies. It's lore and storytelling is probably the precursor to the Souls games. Not only is this Nintendo's best game, but I'd say it's the best game of all time.

2. Super Mario Sunshine - To me this game has the most memorable places in a video game ever. Isle Delfino is beautiful and it's a blast to run around it. Galaxy should be higher on my list, but this game is much more charming.

3. Kirby Air Ride - The perfect spin off. This game nails the theme of Kirby and has one of the best game modes ever, City Trial.

4. Super Mario World - Not much to say here. The best 2D Mario for sure, and the first video game I ever played.

5. Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door - One of my favorite Nintendo games when it comes to tone. It has so many goofy characters, a world that doesn't take itself seriously, and Mario becomes a wrestler in this.

6. Bayonetta 2 - This game shouldn't exist really. It's a vanity fantasy for me. It's an action game that controls perfectly.

7. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - The dark Zelda game. Every character you meet has some kind of deal in Clock Town. I love it.

8. Super Mario Galaxy - Probably the tightest 3D Mario game.

9. Splatoon - A fantastic multiplayer shooter. Nintendo managed to keep me playing a year after release.

10. Super Smash Bros. Brawl - I would put Smash 4 for the roster or Melee for the gameplay at 10 but Brawl had one of the best story modes of any fighting game ever. Sheik shattering the Arwing window! It's so hype.

Honorable Mentions:
Pokken Tournament
Pokemon Platinum
Pokemon Soul Silver
Super Mario Strikers Charged
Luigi's Mansion
Super Smash Bros Melee
Super Smash Bros for Wii U
Metroid Fusion
Yoshi's Woolly World
The Wonderful 101
Super Metroid

 

[Sadist]

Sadist, from the OP...

So, i assume that it is perfectly fine to list less than 10 games, for example, just 4?

It is

 

[Shion]

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
2. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
3. The Legend of Zelda
4. Super Mario 64
5. Super Metroid
6. Super Mario Galaxy
7. Metroid Prime
8. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
9. Super Mario World
10. Super Mario Bros. 3

Damn, there's simply not enough room for 30 years of history.

Honorable Mentions:
x1. Super Mario Bros.
x2. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
x3. Metroid: Zero Mission
x4. F-Zero GX
x5. Wave Race 64
x6. Banjo-Kazooie
x7. Donkey Kong Country 2
x8. Perfect Dark
x9. Xenoblade Chronicles
x10. Eternal Darkness
x11. Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
x12. Star Fox 64
x13. Excitebike (NES)
x14. 1080° Snowboarding
x15. Sin and Punishment: Star Successor
x16. Hotel Dusk: Room 215
x17. Yoshi's Island
x18. Wario Land
x19. Advance Wars
x20. Diddy Kong Racing

 

[T.O.P]

1. Metroid Prime
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2
3. Bayonetta 2
4. Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
5. Pokèmon Red & Blue
6. F-Zero GX
7. Super Smash Bros melee
8. Super Mario 3D World
9. Super Metroid
10. Metroid Fusion

 

[Fred-87]

I know my list is a bit unconvential. But as a kid i only owned the original gameboy.. later i purchased gba, ds and 3ds. And i own a wii. And some games i simply didnt played yet.. for example super mario galaxy. In the future i wanna build a game room and buy a crt tv to play older games on it. Mb my list will look different after that.


1. Super mario land - Yes that gameboy game a lot of people dislike. Personally i think if you like it or not is based on what you grew up with. I was old enough to play on the nes but im from a smaller city so i knew no one who had a nes and myself also not. For me it was this game on the gameboy. Because of this game i had for a long time difficulty adjusting and liking the new super mario series. Because of the gliding feeling of platforming. Super mario land you have 0 gliding/sliding feeling. This game for me feels quicker and preciser and mb more acadey-feeling then all other mario games and thats why i like it. But dont get me wrong, i love now all mario platforming games. Still this one is my favourite. Also it was just a gameboy game.. so for that time it was quite nice how much charm they could put into all the different type of levels. Also awsome music.

2. Wii sports resort - This game is second place for me because it brought my whole family into gaming with me. And its such nice to be able to play games with your whole family from young to old. Whole gaming evenings we spend on it. For example we would play dog frisbee game with everyone taking turns. Then dad and me would play the golf game while dinner is being cooked. After dinner we close of the evening with everyone playing bowling game. Perfect evenings.

3. Warioware: Smooth Moves - Same like wii sports.. this game we played with the whole family often. It was hilarious and fun! My grandma for example making weired poses because the game forces her to hold the wiimote a certain way. But dont get me wrong.. it seems like a stupid party game. But the gameplay is rock solid (yes the wii-mote is actually put to good use.. even if i said to hold it in weired poses.. it worked) and it can get quite compeititive.

4. Pokemon blue - I wonder how good the game is if pokemon wasnt such a hype. Would i like to collect the pokemon in the game as much if the tv show didnt excisted to give the pokemon more character... I dunno. But the nostalgia kicks always in the strongest when i see one of the 151 original pokemon. And i enjoyed playing it whole summers.

5. Fire emblem GBA - Im not a blind nintendo fan-boy. I play more ps and xbox games then nintendo games. But i tried a lot of games in similair style of Advance wars/fire emblem.. lately a lot on my tablet and some can entertain me. But im always amazed and wonder how nintendo does it that they can make there games feel so much more complete. Some games try to make there games charming. But it feels to me like tacked on charm, with nintendo games it feels natural. (not all ofcourse valkyria chronicles also feels natural). Anyway its a game i have so wonderful memories of. The story, the music and the gameplay. All perfect.

6. Mario kart 7 - No matter how complicated you make a new kart racer or how many features you add.. nothing beats mario kart games.

7. Luigi's mansion dark moon - Such a fun game. In itself the game wouldnt be such great. But the game is such fun to explore because of all the details nintendo put into it and the humor. I love Luigi.

8. Animal crossing New Leaf - This is my relax and close the day with a nice hot tea game. I play it just for 10-30 minutes but they are the best 10-30 minutes. This is perfect example of nintendo-charm. There are a lot of games who try this but for some reason Nintendo can perfect this. Also this game always reminds me of 'faabeltjeskrant' if you dont know what it is google image it.

9. Dr mario wiiware - I played more then 2000 matches online of this game. If you talk about a puzzle game what is fast and simple but with a lot of depth.. then this game is perfect. Singleplayer was boring.. but online 1vs1 it feeled like who's brain and reflexes are the best. Very personal. Very fast. Very fun.

10. Tennis for gameboy - i admit its a simple game and there are much better tennis games out there. But at the time it was a amazing game i played all the time. You can compare it now to simple quick-gameplay smartphone games.. only that this old game has more charm then most of them still to this day.

 

[Sadist]

Super Metroid is racking up points like no tomorrow

 

[arturo2666]

1. Super Mario Bros.
2. The Legend of Zelda
3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
4. Pokemon Red
5. Super Mario Maker
6. Animal Crossing
7. Super Mario World
8. Earthbound
9. Super Smash Bros. Melee
10. Fire Emblem: Awakening

 

[Timeaisis]

This is really, really, really hard. On one hand there are so many classics I want to put down. On the other hand, their modern games are fantastic too. So it's a really difficult balancing act for me. For instance, Super Mario World and ALTTP were my two favorite games back when I was 8 years old. These days, other titles in these franchises displace them as my favorites. So I've had to leave some classics off the list in room for modern stuff, but the classics are still fantastic in their own place and time. Anyway...

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - The obvious choice. A perfect example of a game being much, much more than the sum of it's parts. Also introduced concepts in adventure game design still in use today (Lock-on Targeting, Context-Sensitive Actions, "Direcitonal" equipment swapping", etc.)
2. Metroid Prime - Took action-adventure puzzle solving into first person still not replicatedto this day.
3. The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker - The most charming, simlistic of the Zelda games.
4. Super Metroid - Pitch-perfect level design.
5. Super Smash Bros. Melee - Arguably the best couch multiplayer game ever made.
6. Super Mario 64 - Mario in 3D. Most sumblime movement mechanics of any game I can think of.
7. Super Mario 3D World - I'll just quote myself from the GOTY thread: "If I went back in time and asked my 12-year old self what I wanted the future of Mario games to be, I think I'd come up with something like this. SM3DW has enough new mechanics to build five games around, but nothing overstays its welcome and every level is fresh, new and most of all fun."
8. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door - A fun, memorable RPG experience in the Mario universe.
9. Earthbound - Weird, quirky, and fun.
10. Splatoon - Again, I'll quote myself from the GOTY thread: "No other game comes close to the joy Splatoon has brought me this year. It is the not only the most fun I've had all year, it also boasts the most refreshing and brilliant game design I've played in a long, long time. Blending the mechanics of old while synthesizing completely new ones, Splatoon plays like nothing else before it and stands assuredly on it's own as one of the most fantastic and unique multiplayer experiences."

Honorable Mention:
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - My first Zelda experience, so holds a special place in my heart.
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! - My heart wants to put this one higher, because goddamn it might be the most fun game I've ever played
Super Mario Bros. 3 - I don't know what can be said that hasn't already about SMB3.
Super Mario World - My favorite of the 2D Mario's because. The first one I really got hardcore into, discovering all the secrets and 100%ing.
Super Mario Bros. - The game.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 - A mechanically diverse masterpiece.
Mario Kart 8 - The logical evolution of the series, insanely fun.
Animal Crossing - Relax in the simple joys of your fictional town.

See what I mean? I love Mario games, but I can't fill the list with all Mario games, so I just picked my top 2. But There's SMW and SMB3 and SMG2 and the original granddady of the all. It's a similar thing for Zelda, but each Zelda has more of a unique twist so it's easier to see them as separate entities and not a logical evolution of mechanics (platforming, in the case of Mario).

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

Wow, this is going to be super tough

1. Super Mario World
2. Metroid: Zero Mission
3. Super Mario Galaxy
4. Punch-Out!! (Wii)
5. Super Mario World
6. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
7. Star Fox 64 3D
8. Super Smash Bros. Melee
9. The Wonderful 101
10. Splatoon

I hate myself because I couldnt put all this games:
Honorable Mentions:
x1. F-Zero Climax
x2. Super Metroid
x3. Xenoblade Chronicles
x4. Kid Icarus Uprising
x5. Mario Kart 8
x6. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
x7. Bayonetta 2
x8. Super Mario Galaxy 2
x9. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
x10. Super Smash Bros WiiU and Brawl (not 3DS version, thats was fucking crap)
x11. Golden Sun
x12. Star Fox Zero
x13. Elite Beat Agents
x14. Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan!
x15. Wario Ware Touched!
x16. Metroid Prime
x17. Fire Emblem Awakening
x18. Endless Ocean
x19. Pokemon Red
x20. Ryhythm Paradise

You are too good Nintendo.

 

[xzoowy]

1. Super Metroid
2. Zelda: A Link To the Past
3. Super Mario 3
4. Super Mario World
5. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
6. Xenoblade Chronicles
7. Metroid Prime
8. Super Mario Galaxy 2
9. Pikmin 3
10. Donkey Kong 94

Unfortunately, I never had a N64. I should really try the Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask remasters on 3DS at some point.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

1. Legend of Zelda : A Link to the Past ; It turned out to be the final evolution of Zelda from 1986-2016 for a good reason - even today it remains unmatched in its field, with well designed dungeons, a superb overworld full of secrets and a surprising amount of freedom of choice as to how you take on the dungeons.
2. Super Metroid ; A perfect game.
3. Legend of Zelda : Link's Awakening ; Takes the Zelda 3 framework and wraps it in a surreal, dreamlike quality for a brilliant atmosphere
4. Super Mario Bros 3 ; The best platformer ever made, with an incredible array of secrets many gamers will never find.
5. F-Zero GX ; Nintendo and Sega join forces to create the greatest racing game ever devised, with one of the hardest single player campaigns ever, yet never unfair.
6. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link ; A radical shift from the first game in many ways, it resulted in one of the best metroidlikes, with a very fun battle system that rewards focus and punishes haste, and some oddly addictive music/sfx.
7. Metroid: Zero Mission ; Incredible re-imagining of the nes classic
8. Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 ; Nintendo effortlessly makes a platformer that feels different to mario but is just as good. Fantastic treasure seeking subquest.
9. Kirby's Dream Course ; A crazy yet compelling game of kirby golf with very fun puzzle/physics elements.
10. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door ; A beautiful, fantastically written RPG that would have been included just for the sublime wrestling arc, but the rest of the game is almost as good.

The games that came close:

x Super Mario RPG
x Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
x Super Mario 64
x Star Fox 64
x Super Mario Galaxy 2
x The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
x Super Mario Galaxy

 

[Hexagon!]

1. Rhythm Heaven Fever ; This game caught my eye when I saw the monkeys high-fiving around the clock. Bought it and ending up loving how dang jolly and creative it was.
2. Elite Beat Agents ; The best game to feature an Ashlee Simpson song.
3. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door ; Loved by all. And for good reason.
4. Super Mario 3D World ; I got to play through this with two other people, and oh man the co-op in this game is amazing.
5. EarthBound ; One of the best OSTs ever.
6. Picross 3D ; My first exposure to Picross. It turns out I got into the series at a good time.
7. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past ; Love how fast-paced this is compared to a lot of recent Zelda games.
8. Pushmo ; Back when no one was expecting anything from the 3DS eShop, this comes out and ends up being impossible to put down.
9. Mario Kart 8 ; The best in the series. Hope they continue the Nintendo crossover theme in the future.
10. Pikmin 2 ; I asked my brother what my last pick should be.

 

[ec0ec0]

Unfortunately, I never had a N64. I should really try the Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask remasters on 3DS at some point.

Regarding majora's mask, i would play the Nintendo 64 version instead, if possible.

 

[CrazyHorse]

1, Goldeneye 007
2, Super Mario Galaxy
3, Yoshi's Island
4, Twilight Princess
5, Majora's Mask
6 Punchout Wii
7, F-Zero X
8, Earthbound
9, Donkey Kong Country
10, Mario Bros 3

Edited to may favourite Nintendo games. First I tried to list what I thought were the best games only but not my personal favourites. I still think Goldeneye is GOAT from a neutral perspective.

 

[CrazyHorse]

Regarding majora's mask, i would play the Nintendo 64 version instead, if possible.

Why?