Alex95's Top 150 Games (is now a review thread)

[Alex95]

Hello! I wanted to do something special for The 'Shroom's 150 Issue, but I was not able to get this idea done in time. The issue comes out tomorrow and, even at the time of this writing, this special segment is still not done! But I still wanted to show what I had, so I'll be updating this every Friday with five games each because it was way too massive for me to finish in time for Issue 150's launch.

These are 150 games of what I own somewhere in my house and are based on my experiences with them. So this will be completely subjective, but I know some will be agreeable with others as well. I will try to make nostalgia not a factor ''too much'', but it's something that makes a game your favorite, so I can't completely disregard it. I have hundreds of games in my house, owned between me and the rest of my family, so it was a massive undertaking just to list them in order alone, never mind write about them.

If a game is not on this list, assume I haven't played it, haven't played enough to get an accurate rating, or it sucked (I'll post a full list near the end of this whole thing). With that, enjoy the Top 150 Games of All Time as Told by Alex95 List (either by reading the whole thing or just searching through the tabs until you find out where your favorite game is ranked)!

Spoiler: #150

DIG DUG

​

Namco classic Dig Dug is a good title. The object of the game is to dig through dirt and fill up little balloon guys before getting eaten by an alligator. I break this game out rarely, it's usually my dad that pulls this out with this Namco Compilation gaming device that's shaped like PAC-MAN. It's a funny enough concept with simple game play that holds your interest for a while.

PROS​	CONS​
Good graphics	Controls can be a little wonky
Simple and humorous concept

Spoiler: #149

TETRIS

Tetris is a blast. There really isn't anything more you can say about it. The Game Boy launch title that took the world by storm and also been scientifically proven to relieve stress. You stack colorful blocks on top of each other and hope you placed them in the right spot. A line of blocks earns you points, but too many stacked to the screen and you lose. This game tests your coordination and puzzle solving, but even just trying to see who can get a better score is a lot of fun.

PROS​	CONS​
Fast-paced action
Memorable music

Spoiler: #148

PAC-MAN

You can spend hours upon hours playing Pac-Man. The little yellow guy goes around eating dots and fruit while avoiding getting attacked by ghosts. And then you just keep doing that indefinitely! What's not to love? As you keep playing, the game continues to get faster and faster, testing your skills and timing.

PROS​	CONS​
Fast-paced action	Controls may not register sometimes
Simple and recognizable graphics

Spoiler: #147

SUPER MARIO KART

The first of the Mario Kart series, and it really shows its age here. Super Mario Kart doesn't really have anything special to separate itself from its sequels (except playable Donkey Kong Jr.), and the controls take some getting used to. But it's still an interesting game to play on occasion, and the controls really test your driving skills more so than any other title.

PROS​	CONS​
Cool music	Controls are a little wonky
All-star cast of Mario characters	Screen is always split to show a map, rather than a mini-map like F-Zero did before it
	Rainbow Road

Spoiler: #146

Battalion Wars 2

Behold, the only Advance Wars game I have! The sequel the GameCube's 'Battalion Wars', Battalion Wars 2 improved upon much of it. This tactical strategy game has you deploy troops of foot soldiers, tanks, airships, and more to recover bases, rescue allies, and rage war against opposing forces. The controls are a little wonky and the difficulty ramps up quickly, but fans of Fire Emblem should definitely give this series a go.

PROS​	CONS​
Cinematics	Controls are a little wonky
Great voice acting	Difficulty spikes quickly
Completely different tactical levels than Fire Emblem	Foot soldiers die way too quickly (or maybe I just suck at this game)

----

Well, after several months, the final games were revealed on April 10. Here's the full list, feel free to keep reading for the individual thoughts ^^

Spoiler

1​	Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
2​	Kid Icarus: Uprising
	Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definite Edition (retroactively added)
3​	The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (GCN / Wii / HD)
4​	Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
5​	Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
6​	Super Mario Galaxy
7​	The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (3D)
8​	Super Mario 64 / DS
9​	The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GCN / HD)
10​	Dragon Quest IX: Sentinals of the Starry Skies
11​	Fire Emblem Awakening
12​	Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker 2
13​	Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
14​	New Super Mario Bros. Wii
15​	The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
16​	Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES / SNES / GBA)
17​	The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (3D)
18​	Metroid Prime
19​	The Legend of Zelda
20​	Project X Zone 2
21​	Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
22​	Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
23​	Super Smash Bros. Brawl
24​	The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
25​	Metroid: Samus Returns
26​	Super Mario World
27​	Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
28​	Super Mario Galaxy 2
29​	Soul Calibur II
30​	Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
31​	Super Paper Mario
32​	Mario Kart Wii
33​	Luigi's Mansion
34​	Super Smash Bros. Melee
35​	Donkey Kong Country Returns
	Super Mario Odyssey (retroactively added)
36​	Portal II
37​	Star Wars: Battlefront II
38​	Mario Party 6
39​	The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
40​	Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
41​	Super Mario 3D Land
42​	Fire Emblem
43​	Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon
44​	Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
45​	Kirby Air Ride
46​	Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
47​	The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
48​	Super Mario Sunshine
49​	The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
50​	Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
51​	Mario & Luigi: Partner's in Time
52​	Mario Party 8
53​	Super Mario Bros.
54​	Final Fantasy X
	Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (retroactively added)
55​	Mario Party 5
56​	Hyrule Warriors
57​	Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen
58​	Ape Escape 2
59​	Pokémon Omega Ruby
60​	Mario Kart 8
61​	WarioWare Inc.: Mega Party Game$!
62​	F-Zero GX
63​	New Super Mario Bros.
64​	Mario Kart 7
65​	Lego series
66​	Kingdom Hearts series
67​	Xenoblade Chronicles X
68​	Mario Sports Mix
69​	Final Fantasy VIII
70​	Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
71​	Wario World
72​	Fuzion Frenzy
73​	Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
74​	Mario vs. Donkey Kong
75​	Star Wars: Episode I Racer
76​	Mario Party 7
77​	Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
78​	Street Fighter II Turbo
79​	Nintendo Land
80​	Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
81​	Portal
82​	NES Remix / 2
83​	Pokémon Yellow
84​	The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
85​	Mario Super Sluggers
86​	Soul Calibur V
87​	Golden Sun
88​	Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
89​	Chip's Challenge
90​	Pokémon Colosseum
91​	Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
92​	Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
93​	Sonic Adventure 2 Battle
94​	Rage of Mages
95​	Mario Kart 64
96​	New Super Mario Bros. U
97​	Super Princess Peach
98​	Mario Tennis (N64)
99​	Codename S.T.E.A.M.
100​	Fortune Street
101​	Fire Emblem Heroes
102​	The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
103​	Pokken Tournament
104​	Super Mario 3D World
105​	Super Mario Strikers
106​	New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
107​	Tomb Raider series
108​	Mario Power Tennis
109​	The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
110​	Fire Emblem Fates
111​	Kid Icarus
112​	Mickey's Speedway USA (N64)
113​	Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
114​	Halo series
115​	Pokémon Y
116​	Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
117​	Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
118​	Paper Mario
119​	Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
120​	Star Fox 64
121​	Mario Sports Superstars
122​	Sword of Mana
123​	Wii Sports / Resort
124​	Punch-Out!!
125​	Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
126​	Wii Fit / Plus
127​	Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES / SNES)
128​	Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
129​	Super Mario Bros. Deluxe
130​	Power Master 1: A Strange Journey
131​	Super Smash Bros.
132​	Super Mario Land
133​	Speed Racer: The Videogame
134​	Pokémon Stadium / 2
135​	Mario Party DS
136​	Teen Titans (GBA)
137​	Guitar Hero series
138​	Box Boy!
139​	Detective Pikachu
140​	Excitebike 64
141​	Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix
142​	Metroid: Other M
143​	Frogger
144​	Pitfall
145​	Donkey Kong
146​	Battalion Wars 2
147​	Super Mario Kart
148​	PAC-MAN
149​	Tetris
150​	Dig Dug
151​	Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
152​	Yoshi's Woolly World
153​	Kirby's Epic Yarn
154​	Mario Party: Star Rush
155​	Tonic Trouble
156​	Metroid
157​	The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
158​	Wii series
159​	Spider-Man (GCN)
160​	Paper Mario: Sticker Star
161​	Metroid II: Return of Samus
162​	Super Mario Run
163​	Mario Kart Tour
164​	Ice Climber
165​	Star Fox Guard
166​	Dr. Mario World
167​	Dr. Mario (NES / GB)
168​	Kirby Star Stacker
169​	Pokémon Snap
170​	Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge
171​	Team Kirby Clash Deluxe
172​	Mario Golf (GBC)
173​	The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes
174​	Mario Party 10
175​	Excite Bike: World Rally
176​	Superman
177​	Hey You! Pikachu
178​	Pokémon Rumble World
179​	Pokémon Shuffle
180​	E.T. The Extraterrestrial

----

I'm still playing games, so you can keep reading for my thoughts on them.
*Super Mario Odyssey
*Super Mario Maker 2
*Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
*Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition

 

[Ray Trace]

battalion wars and advance wars in general needs a sequel

 

[YoshiFlutterJump]

I do like me some Super Mario Kart, idk if it's nostalgia goggles but the artstyle of it also is a pleasant serotonin boosting appeal

SMK is fun but the controls are pretty erratic and it ultimately just hasn't aged well.

Its Rainbow Road wasn't that bad though, imo.

 

[Alex95]

Its Rainbow Road wasn't that bad though, imo.

It's not, but combined with the quirky controls can make it more challenging than it should be.

 

[YoshiFlutterJump]

It's not, but combined with the quirky controls can make it more challenging than it should be.

Fair enough.

 

[Alex95]

Spoiler: #145

Donkey Kong

​

The game that put Nintendo on the metaphorical game map, Donkey Kong is where it all began for our favorite carpenter-turned-plumber and villain-turned-cranky-old-ape characters. The game is simple: jump over obstacles and make your way to the top to rescue Lady from Donkey Kong. Many of the core game play remains in main Mario titles today, such as, er… Well, just jumping, actually. Hammers show up every now and then, and Pauline is finally making her return to stardom. While Mario feels a little sluggish in his movements, the difficulty is pretty solid and this game paved the way for future games to come.

PROS​	CONS​
The start of it all	Mario is very slow
Varied levels	Barrels can sometimes be cheap
Memorable music (what little it has)	Jumping feels awkward

Spoiler: #144

Pitfall

Fans of Raiders of the Lost Ark will probably enjoy Activision classic Pitfall. At least in terms of exploration similarities, not so much story. I don't even know if there is a story. The point of the game is to get rich, and you do this by navigating a jungle full of pits, moving logs, swinging vines, opening sinkholes, alligators, snakes, and fire to reach a pile of money at the end of the segment. And then you keep going. Clearly these treasures are worth more than Pitfall Harry's life. You have a time limit and your life pulls from your score, so if you want to get a high score, you have to make as few mistakes as possible. It's a pretty simple game, about what you'd expect from an arcade platformer, but it has enough varied game play to hold your interest for a while.

PROS​	CONS​
Funny sound effects	Scorpions
Simple but solid game play	Greed

Spoiler: #143

Frogger

Frogger is a game about frogs that just want to eat. But the food is on the other side of a busy highway and a crowded river. This game tests your timing skills, as hitting a car or falling into the water (for some reason, despite being a frog, Frogger can't swim) will kill you. The cars and logs all move at different speeds, but you can move backwards if you think you made a wrong move. You have to plan ahead and really watch what's happening in order to get all five frogs to the end... and then you do it all again!

PROS	CONS
Simple game play	Traffic is worse than rush hour
	Why can't the frog swim?

Spoiler: #142

Metroid: Other M

Oh boy, here we go. The Metroid game that wasn't really much of a game. I actually did like Metroid: Other M to an extent, but after going over this list, I guess I didn't like it as much as I thought. The main point of contention is the story and the heavy focus on it. Game play is effected by it, and that's not a good thing. Samus starts off with all of her skills, but doesn't use a majority of them because father-figure Adam Malkovich says not to. Okay, restricting the Power Bombs makes sense, but the defensive Varia function? So much for Samus being a strong character. Samus herself is lazily handled and her voice actress sounds like she's asleep at the microphone on occasion, and there are a few plot holes in the story that could've easily been clarified. As far as game play itself, it's pretty decent. While navigating a 3D space with the sideways Wii Remote control scheme takes some getting used to, Samus's improved athletic abilities and melee attacks are a lot of fun to see in action. The graphics looks amazing, but this probably would've made a better movie than a game.

PROS	CONS
Amazing graphics	Story-focused exploration
Melee attacks are a neat plus	Control scheme is awkward
Game gives some insight into Samus's backstory...	...but it didn't really add anything new
Anthony is freaking awesome	Adam kind of sucks

Spoiler: #141

Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix

The residents of the Mushroom Kingdom put their dance skills to the test in Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix. Mario or Luigi dance through various music kingdoms to recover the Music Keys that Waluigi lost. It's just dance battle after dance battle, but the remixes of various Mario soundtracks are really good. Wario World's Greenhorn Funk and that one Beethoven song that plays in Mario Bros. are my personal favorites. As with other Dance Dance Revolution titles, the game play is pretty simple: You just dance. Dance to your heart's content until it gives and you pass out. I've never actually had the dance mat to this game, I had to use the GameCube's controller (which uses the control stick and C stick as inputs), so I probably would've had a bit more fun with this game if I did. Still, it's a pretty silly game to see in action at least once.

PROS	CONS
Amazing soundtrack	Game feels too easy compares to previous DDR titles

 

[Vivian]

Ah yes one of the few times Waluigi got to shine

 

[Alex95]

Spoiler: #140

Excitebike 64

​

Excitebike 64 is pretty fun... in the right places. It certainly has that Excitebike feel to it, as in you are on a bike and can crash it into things. But the controls are pretty clunky and can take a while to get them down. Combine that with the closed courses, and you'll find yourself running into things more often than not. Still, this game is a fun time with my brothers and it has a number of modes that will keep you interested for a while. There's a mode where you can pull of stunts for points, but I have yet to figure out how to do that. There's also a track designer!

PROS​	CONS​
Courses are pretty well detailed and fun to navigate...	...though they feel pretty cramped.
Humorous announcer	Controls are pretty bad

Spoiler: #139

Detective Pikachu​

I liked Detective Pikachu more than I thought I would. The game is heavily story-based, revolving around Tim Goodman and his talking Pikachu trying to figure what happened to Tim's father. Pikachu can talk to the other Pokemon and relay messages to Tim, and the two solve crimes and puzzles in order to progress further in their case, which leads to the discovery of a substance called R, which can cause Pokemon to go berserk. Because of the game's focus on Professor Layton-styled story and puzzles, there aren't any real Pokemon battles or any other kind of game play here. There's a few instances where you have to press the A button at the right time or direct Pikachu in what you want to happen. The puzzles, though, feel like they're built around children; I solved all of them except for one or two easily. Pikachu is also kind of annoying, often obstructing your progress just to tell you something you already know. Still, this game is certainly interesting, and you should definitely give it a go. Good thing there's a sequel to this game coming out, because there's still more to the story.

Also, go watch the movie, that's a lot better!

PROS	CONS
Top-notch voice acting and writing	Pikachu is not Danny DeVito, and he also talks a lot. More than he should.
Graphics are nice to look at	Even if you find something suspicious or obvious, you can't investigate it until you reach a specific story point
	No real game play outside of the story

Spoiler: #138

Box Boy!​

What do you do when you can create blocks out of nowhere? Build a house? A tower? Something you can just ram into and watch fall over? Nope, you solve puzzles! Box Boy! is actually really fun, I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. Though the game play is pretty simple and the puzzles feel reused over and over again, the game is visually appealing and there are plenty of different obstacles that make even the same puzzles feel different. The premise of the game has Box Boy trying to save his world by creating boxes to press switches, protect from lasers, build stairs and bridges, and more. He also has different costumes that can effect how you play the game, such as one that makes him jump higher, one that makes him move faster, and one that can help him make an extra block. Plenty of content here, and from what I've seen of the sequels, they only improve on everything.

PROS	CONS
Visuals are simple and appealing	Crown collecting asks too much of me
Puzzles range from very simple...	...to way too difficult and time consuming
Lots of buttons to press

Spoiler: #137

Guitar Hero (series)​

I wasn't entirely sure which of our Guitar Hero games we own to put on this list, so this is the series as a whole because they're all pretty much the same thing. You play songs with a guitar controller, and it's as fun as it sounds! Get a whole group together and it can really feel like you're playing in a band (and so you can have someone else to blame when the song fails). There's a wide variety of songs to choose from between the many games in this series, and it really tests your finger coordination with the rapid-fire button presses one higher difficulties. We also had a drumset controller for this game, which we broke because we banged it too hard ^^;

PROS	CONS
Lots and lots of songs!	You can't really enjoy any of them because you're too busy looking at scrolling colors

Spoiler: #136

Teen Titans​

Here's an odd-ball choice. Teen Titans was our first Game Boy Advance game, and was our only Game Boy Advance game for a while, so we sunk a lot of time into it. We enjoyed the TV show when it aired, and we enjoyed the game as well. It's a pretty simple beat-em-up platformer, and all of the Titans have skills of their own that can make navigating even the same level different. Robin can throw boomerangs and use technology, Starfire can fly and fire starbolts, Beast Boy can fly and ram into things, Raven can fly and fire dark magic, and Cyborg can fire lasers and ram into things. I'm sure there's more to their abilities, but it's been a long time since I played this game. I don't remember ever having a bad time with this game, though.

PROS	CONS
It's the Teen Titans, yo!	Sometimes the platforms don't know how to be platforms

 

[Vivian]

didn't know Excite Bike had an N64 game, neat

 

[Koops]

Man it must be hard to narrow down 150 games in one ranking.

Do you actually have the whole list of games down, or do you gradually do it?

 

[Alex95]

I have the whole list ready, just didn't really have the time to write for all of them in one go.

 

[Koops]

Ah I see. That makes sense.

It's pretty interesting so far, in any case, keep it up!

 

[Alex95]

Almost forgot it was Friday

Spoiler: #135

Mario Party DS

​

Nintendo's second attempt at a handheld Mario Party, Mario Party DS is a lot more fun than its Game Boy Advance predecessor. It has an interesting theme, too: Mario and friends are shrunken down to the size of potato chips and have to traverse large environments and rescue people to recover Stars. The minigames make great use of this, too. However, Mario Party is best spent with friends, and because our DS wireless connections are spotty, I never really put in a lot of time into this and always pass it up for console titles. Still, if you want a traditional Mario Party on the go with lots of boards, this is the game to get.

PROS​	CONS​
Well-thought out environments and minigames	DS's bad connections make multiplayer a hastle
Lots and lots of requirements and rewards	Sometimes the touch screen doesn't accept quick movement

Spoiler: #134

Pokemon Stadium / Pokemon Stadium 2

​

Seeing your Pokemon in 3D for the first time made Pokemon Stadium and Pokemon Stadium 2 a big hit! You can transfer your Pokemon from Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, and Crystal and have them fight either each other or a friend/rival's team in 3D. And that's really it! There are some minigames, and you can tackle Gym matches, but the real fun comes from battling each other in 3D. Just Pokemon battle after Pokemon battle can get pretty boring after a while, so it's really more of a novelty than anything. You can also play your Game Boy cartridge on the TV using the N64's Transfer Pak.

PROS	CONS
Pokemon in 3D	Minigames are interesting, but not that interesting
You can use this game to play your handheld game on the TV...	...but the Super Boy for the SNES already did that

Spoiler: #133

Speed Racer: The Video Game

​

About as close to an F-Zero game on the Wii as you're going to get! Speed Racer: The Video Game let's you control the titular Speed Racer and his friends and enemies among various gravity-defying tracks mixed with demolition derby. Sounds exactly like F-Zero, but you can pull off various stunts with these cars, too. The character interaction during races is also humorous and well done. Like with F-Zero, you have Boost Power, but using four blocks of it at once sends you into this psychedelic, seizure-inducing, trippy alternate dimension-like zone of speed that makes you incredibly fast. But all it is is essentially drag racing, no items or advantages. Just stunts and speeds. The game is fun and a blast to play with my brothers (though only one at a time, since it doesn't support more than two players), but I guess we just aren't big on more traditional racing games.

PROS	CONS
SPEEEEEEEEEED	It is very easy to lose control of your car, especially in anti-gravity sections
Characters are great and amusing	F-Zero is better

Spoiler: #132

Super Mario Land

​

Super Mario Land was our only Game Boy game for a while, so we sunk a lot of time into it in my early years. I remember getting to World 4-4, but never beating it, numerous times. It wasn't until I think 2006 (we had this game since launch) when I was finally able to beat the level, to discover it was the end of the game. Yeah, it's pretty short and Mario's physics are a little wonky, but it's nonetheless an enjoyable trip to the Kingdom of Sarasaland and seeing all the weird inhabitants therein.

PROS	CONS
Simple and easy to play	Pretty short
Catchy music	Mario's physics do not make challenging platforming any easier

Spoiler: #131

Super Smash Bros.

​

Growing up with Super Smash Bros. Melee, the original Super Smash Bros. felt like a jarring step backwards. The game introduces many character to players, especially characters like Ness, Captain Falcon, and Pikachu, among the likes of more popular ones like Mario and Link to really make it sell. And sell it did, the game was a blast. It doesn't really hold up well anymore, but the core mechanics and all the characters have been part of the series since. This game was the building blocks, Melee was the cement that held it together.

PROS	CONS
Recognizable characters mixed with obscure ones to bring them to light	Not a lot of content, just characters and stages
Familiar locations, soundtracks, and items to use to bash each other with	Controls feel sluggish and clunky, even for an N64 title

 

[Alex95]

Please yell at me Friday mornings somewhere kthx

Spoiler: #130

Power Master 1: A Strange Journey

​

Yes, I'm putting a game I created on this list. It counts.

Power Master 1: A Strange Journey spent years in the making, taking inspiration from earlier titles like the original Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior... Mainly because RPG Maker VX Ace was restricted to that kind of game play. Once I finally found an engine to make this on, it took me less than a year to develop, as it used almost all of the ready-made graphics the engine provided. My brother and I worked together on the other assets, like enemies, but it's overall a very basic RPG that I hope to improve upon with my remake. A lot of things are wrong with this game, but hey, full adventure for free!

PROS​	CONS​
Eight years gave me a lot of time to solidify concepts	As basic as RPGs get
My brother's art style is great	My art style kind of sucks, creating this art clash I don't like

Spoiler: #129

Super Mario Bros. Deluxe

​

What was supposed to be an improvement to the original game, Super Mario Bros. Deluxe ended up being kind of underwhelming. It was Super Mario Bros. mixed with a lot of neat modes and challenges, like the Red Coin hunt and You VS. Boo, that gave a lot of content on the little cartridge. But the small screen did not benefit the game at all and made navigation difficult if you didn't already know your way around the original game. Even then, some obstacles are hard to avoid at a moment's notice. Still, the original Super Mario Bros. game on the go was a big hit back in the day!

PROS	CONS
Portable Super Mario Bros.!	The small screen makes the game feel cramped
Plenty of new modes and little side games

Spoiler: #128

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games

​

Who would've thought Mario and Sonic would ever appear in a game together... and at the Olympics, no less! I got Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Christmas of launch year, and it's interesting. The game isn't a bad game by any means, it plays pretty well and it's a lot of fun to see Peach go against Knuckles in a Hammer Throw event. But the game does get kind of boring after a while and didn't end up holding my interest for very long. Still a fun time with my brothers whenever we do crack it out. I probably ranked this higher than I should, but MARIO AND SONIC GUYS EEEEEEEEE!

PROS	CONS
MARIO AND SONIC GUYS EEEEEEEEE!	The events can take a toll on your arms if you play for too long
Killer soundtrack of remixed Mario and Sonic songs	I suck at the quizzes

Spoiler: #127

Super Mario Bros. 2

​

The start of the various character traits for Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad, Super Mario Bros. 2 was a radical shift from the first game. Gone was stomping on your enemies' heads, jumping at flagpoles, and time limits. Instead of The Lost Levels Japan got, USA got this reskinned Doki Doki Panic game. Despite this shift, the game is still a lot of fun with it's own challenges and platforming skills.

PROS	CONS
Characters and enemies introduced here have become mainstrays for spin-offs	Two-player is missing for some reason
Memorable soundtrack and visuals	This game is long and can get pretty difficult

Spoiler: #126

Wii Fit / Wii Fit Plus

​

If there's one thing you can expect from Nintendo, it's being innovative. Wii Fit came with a bathroom scale-like Balance Board with the intent to mix games with exercise. And it worked pretty well! While I don't know if anyone other than me still uses this on a daily basis (and even then, Ring Fit Adventure is looking like a lot more fun), it was at least interesting enough to get people to try it for a few weeks. Sometimes, I don't feel like the Balance Board is accurate (I weigh myself and then do it again a minute later and I lost 2 pounds???), but the plethora of exercises and actually really fun mini-games is worth getting up for.

PROS	CONS
Great mix of workout material with fun games	The Balance Board doesn't feel like it works properly sometimes

 

[Koops]

Wii Fit is a masterpiece.

 

[Alex95]

Spoiler: #125

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire

​

If you were a big Star Wars fan in the late 90s, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire was a must have. A full adventure title that takes you to both new and old locations with new and old characters from the original trilogy. It starts off pretty strange, you're immediately thrown into a Snow Speeder and told to take down AT-ATs before you get to control the main character on foot. I actually never made it further than the first foot level, the main character (whatever his name is) is difficult to control. There's no targetting system like in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and you can get swarmed with enemies pretty easily. My dad really likes this game, though, and he's made it much farther than I have, and up until he reached a battle with Boba Fett, he's been having a blast.

PROS​	CONS​
As far as I can tell, there's a good story here	Controls are difficult to use and sometimes unresponsive

Spoiler: #124

Punch-Out!!

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Punch-Out!! was one of the first NES games we owned. A Rocky-inspired story of how a runt like Little Mac takes on bigger and larger opponents to make his way to the top. The game handles pretty well and the opponents' special skills are easy to spot... though can be difficult to counter. The opponents tend to take cheap shots and don't leave a lot of room for an opening, barring Glass Joe. But this is a great challenge and if you can overcome them all, you are one of the best NES players.

PROS	CONS
Good controls	Opponents are pretty cheap and don't go down easily
Hilarious animations that make you want to see who comes next	Doc Louis's advice makes no sense
Great music

Spoiler: #123

Wii Sports / Wii Sports Resort

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If you've ever bought a Wii, chances are it came with Wii Sports. The game was a big reason why the Wii was so popular, the way it worked with the Wii Remote allowed people of all ages to understand how to play. There were very little button presses involved, it was all motion controlled. The original Wii Sports had five sports to choose from, but a direct sequel called Wii Sports Resort added even more. I don't actually have Resort, but I play it at my friend's a lot. Our favorite sports are Bowling and Basketball.

PROS	CONS
Bowling	Golf
Baseball	Frisbee
Boxing	Power Cruising
Basketball	Canoeing
Swordplay	Cycling
Wakeboarding
Archery
Table Tennis
Air Sports
Tennis

Spoiler: #122

Sword of Mana

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I wasn't entirely sure what I was getting into when I bought Sword of Mana. I knew it was a remake of Final Fantasy Adventure, but I never played that, so I assumed it would play like any other Final Fantasy. Boy, was I wrong. Unless the traditional titles, the action takes place in real time, and the weapons you use have different properties to them. It's actually more like The Legend of Zelda with traditional RPG elements than it is a Final Fantasy title. There are also two stories to go through, depending on what gender you start off as. This is Game Boy Advance game, but it certainly doesn't feel like it. My only real gripe is it was very easy for me to lose my way and there's no real map to look at (that I've found) that gives you an accurate representation of where you are. I'm still playing this game, so it might be a bit low on placement here, but this is nonetheless a great title to pick up.

PROS	CONS
Real time action	Very easy to lose your way
Plenty of weapons with different mechanics	Enemies can be annoying sometimes
Two stories for the price of one

Spoiler: #121

Mario Sports Superstars

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Mario Sports Mix on the Wii was a great game, it had four sports in one package with plenty of characters and fun controls. But what if it had five sports, and was portable? Mario Sports Superstars seems to act as a direct sequel to Mario Sports Mix, though without Square Enix's involvement. While Sports Mix had three of the four sports being completely new to the Mario world, Sports Superstars only adds one: Horse Racing. The other four we've seen before: soccer, baseball, tennis, and golf. And the sad thing is, soccer and baseball aren't nearly as fun as Mario Strikers or Mario Sluggers respectively, and tennis and golf are about the same as the newer installments in the Mario Tennis and Mario Golf series by then. That doesn't mean the sports are terrible, but previous usages of the sports left a lot to be desired here. Also, amiibo Cards are a thing. They look cool, but don't really do a lot.

PROS	CONS
Horse Racing is the most fun out of all of them	Baseball sucks
Tennis is still fun, you can't go wrong with tennis	Soccer is annoying with that many characters on the field

 

[Koops]

Tbh in Frisbee golf Wii Sport Resort it's easier to do Hole-in-ones.

It's satisfying.

 

[Alex95]

Spoiler: #120

Star Fox 64

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I didn't own a Star Fox game until the beginning of this year, getting Star Fox Guard and Star Fox 64 around the same time. Star Fox 64 is an on-rails shooter, where you are constantly flying an Arwing or driving a Landmaster in one direction and firing at things. During boss fights or squadron battles, you switch to all-range mode, which allows you to freely move around. You take control of Fox McCloud, leader of the Star Fox team, as they go from planet to planet defeating Andross's hostile forces. Introduced in this game is an opposing mercenary team, Star Wolf, which acts as a direct parallel to Star Fox. Overall, the game is a lot of fun and keeps you on your toes, but the lack of a real save feature or way to recover your allies after they fall really killed my mood on a few occasions. I made it to the second to last level as only Fox, and I had to take on Star Wolf alone. I didn't make it.

There's also a 3DS remaster I don't have.

PROS​	CONS​
"Do a barrel roll!"	No save feature, you always restart at the beginning
Controls are solid	Slippy is a dork

Spoiler: #119

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

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Kirby made the jump to 3D with Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. Well, the game was visually in 3D, but Kirby still moved around in a 2D environment. It was pretty odd, as while Mario and Link had full 3D adventures, Kirby was still stuck to his 2D roots. But he made it work! The environments really take advantage of the 3D space, allowing multiple paths and some 3D puzzles with some very nice visuals. But the real draw comes from its cast and new abilities. Kirby gains a way to fuse two Copy Abilities together, creating a plethora of options. King Dedede uses his hammer to break through strong objects, Waddle Dee provides a mine cart/toboggan to ride on, and Adeline can make helpful paintings come to life. Kirby is the only real playable character, though; the other three only appear during select points, so you can't call up King Dedede into a boss fight, for example. But the game is cute and a lot of fun, I honestly spent a good half hour just fusing Copy Abilities together at one point heh.

PROS	CONS
You can make a Darth Maul lightsaber and turn into a refrigerator	The controls do not feel very responsive, Kirby does not run or jump as soon as he needs to
The music and visuals are awesome	Helpful allies are only helpful when they absolutely need to be, otherwise they just eat a picnic

Spoiler: #118

Paper Mario

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Paper Mario is a charming title. It takes 2D sprites of Mario and friends, but puts them in a 3D environment, which is put together by paper and cardboard. It's like they turned physical dioramas into a video game. Gameplay-wise, Paper Mario is an RPG title, with health points, special points, and experience points. It's not a traditional RPG, like Final Fantasy, it has its own style to it. When you get enough experience (Star Points), you can choose which parameter to boost between health (Heart Points), special (Flower Points), and equipment (Badge Points). Battles are turn-based, with Mario-partner-enemy rotation, and they all have a variety of moves to choose from that you have to think about to find which move works best against which enemy. Jump attacks don't work on spiked enemies, and hammers don't work on flying enemies, for example. Like other RPGs, Mario has a team of people that follow him, including a Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Bob-omb, and more, but unlike standard RPGs, they all have abilities they can use in the field. Sort of like Pokemon, except to a greater extent. Each environment Mario explores has its own story to it and the dialogue is very humorous and well-written.

PROS	CONS
An interesting take on the Mario visuals	Partners become immobile for several turns after taking only one hit
Classic Mario story with an impressive spin	Music is hit-or-miss, and the quality isn't too great
Well-written dialogue

Spoiler: #117

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

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Have you ever looked at the Captain Toad levels in Super Mario 3D World and thought "Man, I wish they made a full game out of this!"? I certainly didn't, but I'm glad they did! Enter Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, a game which stars Captain Toad solving diorama-box-like puzzles to gain Power Stars and save the captured Toadette. Unlike Mario, Captain Toad can't jump, so the puzzles rely mainly on basic movement, power-ups, and the Wii U gamepad. The game actually does incredibly well with this restriction, the puzzles are simple to understand and gradually get you thinking more and more. I never found this game too difficult, any real challenge was all timing based, unless you go out of your way to collect the Super Gems and Golden Mushrooms.

This game was later ported to the Nintendo 3DS and Switch systems, and all three versions have something to offer.

PROS	CONS
Amazing visuals	Puzzles felt too simple and I made it through the game quickly
Charming music and expressions

Spoiler: #116

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

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While the original Super Mario Land was great, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins improved upon it in every way. Visuals that more closely matched Super Mario Bros. 3, better power-ups and challenges, longer and more plentiful levels, and better sound quality. This was a Game Boy title, but it felt more like one for the Super Nintendo. Some of the platforming felt kind of weak, and Mario still has an odd movement to him. But the many different environments offer up new challenges and a great time on the go. Also, Wario!

PROS	CONS
Great graphics and sound	Sometimes the platforms don't know how to be platforms
Plenty of levels and variety	Mario does not move very well in the air
	Small screen means you can get hit with some cheep shots

 

[Vivian]

Star Fox is a series I have also been missing out on, I like what I've seen of 64.

 

[Alex95]

Spoiler: #115

Pokemon X and Pokemon Y Versions

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Pokemon Y was the first Pokemon game I owned for myself. I played emulated versions of Kanto and Hoenn games, by Y was my first physical Pokemon game. My friend got it for me for Christmas one year, so I could battle his X team one day. Pokemon X and Y has you exploring the new Kalos region, and like any new Pokemon game, there are new Pokemon. A lot of them are hit and miss for me, none of them really stand out as impressive to me. Xerneas and Yveltal are pretty cool, but they're just another group of Legendary Pokemon and the series feels like it's gotten to a point where there's just too much (which is part of why Sword and Shield's PokeDex was diminished). Gameplay is not that much different from past titles, though Mega Evolution is an awesome mechanic and I wish it returned in later generations. Pokemon games also have a pretty good story, but Team Flare just feels too generic, even more so than Team Rocket, and AZ feels completely unnecessary. Still, Pokemon is always an enjoyable game.

PROS​	CONS​
Mega Evolution	Team Flare and AZ feels like a weak story
Graphics and music are pretty good	Most of the new Pokemon aren't that impressive

Spoiler: #114

Halo series​

Those of you that know me well enough know that I'm not big on M-Rated titles. They usually revolve around too much blood, profanity, and sexual themes that the games never really seem enjoyable. The Halo series is an exception, though all I've experienced is the multiplayer free-for-all. My friends and my brothers have spent a lot of time just shooting each other or pulling off stunts in Warthogs, and blood and swears take a backseat in this mode. Yeah, guns and rockets aren't exactly "family friendly" either, but screw that we can drive TANKS! Halo is the only M-Rated game I've played that actually acts like a game we can play with friends and doesn't focus on horror or provocative themes. Story mode on the other hand, eh, not my style. I'm actually really terrible at shooting games so trying to make my way through a story will be terrible, I'll be stuck on the first level for days because I can't aim worth crap. So while I may be getting my butt handed to me in multiplayer, at least I'm having fun.

PROS	CONS
Combat is pretty solid and has lots of weapons to choose from	I suck

Spoiler: #113

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour​

Golf is my least favorite sport, but it's also one I'm actually good at. I'm no athlete, but I like running around and golf does not have that, so it seems pretty uneventful to me. Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour takes everything about golf and cranks it up to 11. There are impossible holes, dangerous hazards, Warp Pipes, special shots, a good interface, and various modes you can't do in reality. If golf was like this in reality, I'd probably enjoy it, so Mario's whimsical take on the golfing greens is the best I got. I even think it holds up better than the other Mario Golfs, case in point being that I have no others!

PROS	CONS
Mario's take on golf with deadly obstacles makes the sport actually fun	But it's still golf

Spoiler: #112

Mickey's Speedway USA​

Growing up playing Mario Kart 64, Mickey's Speedway USA for the Nintendo 64 is much of the same. Except instead of Mario characters, you have characters from the Mickey Mouse series. A lot of the items behave the same way, you got your speed boost can, ricocheting projectiles, movement reducing oil slicks, and even a storm cloud. Unlike Mario Kart 64, there is actually a story to this game, so it's more comparable to Diddy Kong Racing; which makes sense, both Mickey's Speedway USA and Diddy Kong Racing were developed by Rare. The game is fun, but it also feels kind of slow compared to Mario Kart for some reason. There's also a Game Boy Color version that you have to use to unlock Huey, and we don't have that, so we never unlocked the kid.

We also managed to do this one time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFA1aLg1kd0

PROS	CONS
Voice overs are hilarious and graphics are pretty good	For a racing game, it feels pretty slow.

Spoiler: #111

Kid Icarus​

The Nintendo Entertainment System is known for its difficult games, and 1987 had a lot of them. Kid Icarus fits right in with Zelda, Metroid, and Mega Man, as it is a brutal climb up through the Underworld filled with strong enemies at the start and a deadly chasm below. At the start, the game is a true test of skill, but it actually gets easier as the game progresses. Pit increases in strength and, while there are new enemies that come up, they don't really scale to match Pit's power aside from the bosses. Kid Icarus is an odd game to categorize: you got vertical platforming, horizontal platforming, dungeon crawler, on-rails shooter, and modern elements mixed in with mythical ones. What kind of Greek Gods use credit cards? Kid Icarus is a true test of skill to the point that many players don't even see the second level.

PROS	CONS
Solid platforming with varied enemies	Reapers
Music is great and memorable	Difficulty spikes at the start of the game and slowly dwindles from there

 

[Alex95]

Spoiler: #110

Fire Emblem Fates

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I probably give Fire Emblem Fates more flack than it deserves... but it deserves a lot of flack. There are many things wrong with this game, ranging from an underwhelming story to one-sided characters, with fanservice galore. Characters range from playful kitsunes to the criminally insane to the creepy gay stalkers, and all are very poorly written. Characters from Nohr absolutely cannot fathom how their father could possibly be the bad guy in the Birthright route. I've only played the Birthright route, but I heard Conquest and Revelations routes are an improvement, though... not by much. And yes, there are three of these games for some reason.

Writing aside, the trio of games do handle gameplay pretty well. The reworked Pair Up mechanic from Awakening takes some time to get used to and strategize around, but I like how the now non-breakable weapons have stat modifiers and limitations to them. Some characters, particularly the royal members, are capable of changing level terrain to make it easier on yourself or harder on the enemies. My Castle is also fun to mess with, you can design your own layout of shops and crops, boost your allies up with meals, and customize your units with accessories. The multiplayer mode is also revamped, playing like an actual Fire Emblem game map rather than just having units fight each other in some arena with no movement. The music is the best thing about this game, to be honest.

I really wanted to like this game, but the more I played, the less interested I became.

PROS​	CONS​
The music and graphics are fantastic	Characters are lazily written and rely mainly on fanservice
Weapon modifiers and new skills really shake things up	The story is generic at best and nonsensical at worst

Spoiler: #109

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion​

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is an absolutely massive game. Side quest upon side quest, different career paths, real-time combat, a lot of character customization, incredible visuals, and great voice acting. For a while, this was the pinnacle RPG. We have the Windows version, and I don't play computer games very often, so I never sunk any real time into this game. My brothers have, though; I watched them play and the game is fantastic, even among all the wacky physics, odd controls, and graphical mishaps.

And The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an even bigger game improving on Oblivion in every way. Despite everything about this series being awesome, it just didn't hold my interest for very long. But it's always a fun time to save your game and then go on a murder spree with absolutely no consequences

PROS	CONS
Real-time combat and plenty of quests	Odd glitches that could actually end up game breaking happen frequently

Spoiler: #108

Mario Power Tennis​

I spent a long time looking for Mario Power Tennis, and I was glad when I finally found it. I grew up playing Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64, and Mario Power Tennis looks to be an improvement in most cases. The introduction of Special Skills and various modes have many players considering Power Tennis to be the best tennis game until the release of the recent Mario Tennis Aces. The only real complaint I have is the way characters move around. Some of the animations seems stiff and even the slow characters move way too quickly, making even the easiest difficulty more difficult than it should be. Despite that, the movement does feel like an improvement over the previous installment.

Pros	Cons
Improved movement and special skills make for a harder difficulty than the previous game	The extra modes are easily forgettable and we tend to just stick with the regular tennis matches

Spoiler: #107

Tomb Raider series​

A lone woman exploring the depths of ruins with magical creatures, Tomb Raider has plenty of content to keep players satisfied. Protagonist Lara Croft has plenty of equipment at her disposal, from various guns to grappling hooks, that make navigating these structures and solving puzzles a blast. There's plenty of reflex testing segments, too: In various cutscenes, you are prompted to press the correct button or else Lara will likely die from an event, such as getting eaten by a dinosaur. She interacts with her environment a lot, every little thing could be a piece to the puzzle. Lara moves around kind of awkwardly, though, at least on the computer, the controls aren't that great. I never really got far in these games (at one point, my save file actually got corrupted...), but I have not had a dull moment so far.

Pros	Cons
Great use of environmental navigation	Controls are pretty awkward and some collision is weird

Spoiler: #106

New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat​

A game where you beat on bongos to beat up enemies, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat is one weird game. The entire game is played based on your interaction with the DK Bongos controller... Except I played the Wii's New Play Control! version, so I'll be talking about that instead! Going completely Bongo-less, you instead shake the Wii Remote and Nunchuck to interact with your surroundings, using them to beat up enemies and swing on vines and et cetera. This game was made by the developers of Super Mario Galaxy, which means it's good. It does get a bit tiring having to constantly move your arms up and down, but the game has a lot of variety for how you do so. The requirements for getting max rank in levels are pretty steep, though.

Pros	Cons
Hilarious control scheme that makes great use of the environment	The entire game revolves around arm movement, so it gets tiring quickly

 

[MiracleDinner]

Wow really interesting to see all that, though I don't see PM64 < SML2 but its your opinions not mine.
Not sure if this is the right place lmao but my list (much shorter) is here: https://www.thetoptens.com/l/#video-games/MiracleDinner

 

[Alex95]

Didn't know a site like that existed, that's pretty neat. I'll stick to here, though :P

SML2 is mainly higher due to me spending more time on it, I'm more familiar with it than I am the original Paper Mario. It's only a two-placement difference, though.

 

[MiracleDinner]

I generally prefer to call the game "Paper Mario 64", "Paper Mario 1", "PM1", or "PM64" even if its official name is simply "Paper Mario" because eh it just sort of feels wrong just on its own and it gets confusing with the series or less often the character or the stage in SSB3DS.

What did you think of my list?

Edit: I'll take it that you approve then

 

[Alex95]

I think you have a good collection there. A majority of those games are on my list, so you'll see them eventually