40. Banjo-Kazooie (N64)

Rareware put out several platformers on Nintendo 64, each with their own pros and cons, but the Twycross team arguably never topped the debut of the bear and bird. There's something in the precise platforming and fairytale formula of Banjo-Kazooie that resulted in the quintessential 3D collectathon.

It's big, but not sprawling; sweet, but not sickly; challenging, but never unfair (okay, a couple of those Rusty Bucket Bay jiggys walk a fine line). From the roaming grublins to Mumbo Jumbo's hilarious transformations, its colourful characters and varied worlds are shot through with humour, adorable animation, tight controls, and an 'oom-pah' musical box soundtrack that nails the spirit of a cheeky storybook adventure perfectly.

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Mario 64 might have the edge when it comes to prestige, invention, and influence — that's the one you vote for with your head — but Banjo steals hearts. An absolutely brilliant game.

39. EarthBound (SNES)

EarthBound succeeds at not only being one of the most unique and refreshing RPG experiences ever created, but also one of the most epic and entertaining as well. Combining classic RPG gameplay elements with a heart-warming modern spin, the game somehow feels familiar yet strange all at the same time.

With a peerless visual style, soundtrack and storyline, playing EarthBound is like revisiting a vivid childhood memory of fun and adventure. You can't repeat the past, but you can certainly revisit it. Mother!

38. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (Switch)

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury takes everything that made the cat-filled Wii U original special and throws in various small gameplay tweaks to make it even more enjoyable. The first four-player 3D Mario game fuses the freedom of the third dimension with the more constrained (yet no less imaginative) courses from his 2D games to wonderful effect.

The cooperative multiplayer element brought Princess Peach, Luigi, and Toad back into the fold, mirroring Super Mario Bros. 2's lineup, and both Cat Mario and Captain Toad were also introduced here. It's the additional open-world-y Bowser's Fury mode that makes this Switch version a must-buy, even if you 100%'d the Wii U original.

The only real mark against the awkwardly acronymed SM3DW+BF is patchy online multiplayer implementation, but this Switch release is otherwise up there with the very best of the plumber's portfolio.

Bowser's Fury is probably the best Mario game for people who have never played a 3D Mario before, serving as an unintimidating introduction to a larger three-dimensional Super Mario world that can also be played with friends and family.

37. Pokémon Platinum (DS)

From the new characters to the addition of the Battle Frontier and an enhanced online experience, Pokémon Platinum certainly offered a lot of game for your money back in 2009.

Instead of taking the easy way out and adding only a couple of minor things, Game Freak went out of its way to add a ton of worthwhile additions that were enough to warrant a purchase even if you'd previously travelled across the Sinnoh region in Diamond & Pearl two years prior.

If you're only going to play one Gen IV game, this is the one.

36. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (3DS)

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D was a magnificent refurbishment. A visual overhaul and streamlined features make this version even more enjoyable than the original N64 release.

Minor flaws seem insignificant against its unique gameplay ideas, its dark and haunting theme, and the ticking clock of its cleverly crafted world. It's strange, perhaps, that a game in which the main premise revolves around repeatedly travelling back in time was so ahead of its time.

In its enhanced form, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D belies its age and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the very best games on its host system or anywhere else. Simply put, it's a masterpiece that every 3DS owner should play.

35. GoldenEye 007 (N64)

The best movie tie-in ever made? Not only was Rare's game (which after decades finally broke out of its Nintendo 64-shaped cell onto Switch and Xbox) hugely influential on the console FPS genre, but it also gave N64 owners a proper 'adult' experience to sink their teeth into.

At a time when PlayStation was too cool for school, GoldenEye 007 provided some real ammo in the console wars, and its four-player deathmatches — remarkably, a last-minute addition before the game went gold — led to some of the best multiplayer memories we have, for any system. You Only Live Twice>Bunker>Power Weapons? How about Licence to Kill>Facility>Pistols?

We're easy, but whatever you do, make sure you've got 'Sight ON Auto-Aim OFF'. And no Odd Job.

34. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES)

Yoshi's Island is the absolute summit of not just Yoshi games, but platformer games in general, with a wonderful vision of pastel colours, majestic backdrops, and character-oozing sprites.

Honestly, it's difficult to remember any other game that matches or even comes close to the amount of detail that Yoshi's Island did, past or present. The presentation is second to none on the system. The level of charm is astronomical. There will be moments when you refrain from killing an enemy just to watch its animation.

With its deep exploration-based platforming and gorgeous art style, Yoshi's Island is still a joy to play all these years later. Yoshi's Island isn't just a great game: it's a reminder of why this silly hobby of ours is so wonderful.

33. Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS)

Fire Emblem has always enjoyed the adulation of a passionate fanbase, but it wasn’t until Fire Emblem: Awakening with fan-favourite characters Chrom and Robin that its popularity went mainstream. Beyond series-best mechanics, subtle use of stereoscopic 3D made the battlefields even more readable and wonderful writing made a large roster of characters truly memorable.

The relationships and bonds we created on and off the battlefield here stick in our minds to this day (ah, Sully). The contribution made by 8-4's fantastic localisation can't be overstated, and the characters became far more than mere units to level up; you really invested emotionally in the fates of Chrom, Cordelia, Lon'qu, Tharja, Gregor, Donnel, and company.

Without Awakening, it's quite possible that the series would be languishing in the doldrums of dormant Nintendo franchises. This game rejuvenated the series, catapulting it into the top tier of Nintendo IPs on the international stage in a way Intelligent Systems hadn't achieved previously. You can’t really go wrong with any entries in the Fire Emblem series, but the first 3DS game left a particularly strong impression.

32. Super Mario 64 (N64)

The 3D platformer that defined what that label meant, it's remarkable just how much Shigeru Miyamoto and his team got right with its first foray.

It feels effortless, as if these mechanics were somehow self-evident or arrived at through natural evolution. Nintendo absolutely nailed the formula from the very beginning – so much so that the basic 3D template hasn't really changed much, even today. We still control Mario much as we first did with that wonderfully odd-looking N64 controller.

Super Mario 64 is available on Switch if you nabbed a time-limited copy of Super Mario 3D All-Stars or as part of a Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscription, and blather on endlessly about its genre-birthing mechanics, how it set the stage for 3D gaming as we know it, and the infinity of tiny details that make this a joy to fire up all these years later.

But you know all that. Do yourself a favour and blast through a couple of dozen stars next time you're pondering what to play. It still feels almost as good as it did the very first time.

31. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (GCN)

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess took the series back to an art style closer to Ocarina of Time, albeit a little earthier and benefiting from the power of the 'Cube.

For many fans, it was the 'realistic' Zelda they'd been pining for after Nintendo took a left turn with The Wind Waker's cel-shading, and although it didn't quite strike all the right notes, it still features some breathtaking dungeons, memorably oddball characters, and a unique atmosphere.

Setting a precedent that Nintendo would later repeat with Breath of the Wild, Twilight Princess straddled generations, bookending the GameCube and launching the Wii with some added waggle and widescreen.

We'd recommend Wii U's HD remaster over this, but if you happen to have a copy of the (now very expensive) GameCube disc to hand, TP still delivers.

30. Metroid: Zero Mission (GBA)

Metroid: Zero Mission is an excellent 2004 remake of the original Metroid, and a game that's in the conversation for 'best remake evs' (if that conversation is being held with a teenager during the 2010s).

Zero Mission tells the story of the first entry, but with far snazzier visuals and Super Metroid-inspired gameplay. With save rooms and a bunch of new items, areas, and mini-bosses, this is the way to experience Samus' first mission. Sorry, zero-st mission.

If it came down to a duel, there are Nintendo Life staffers who would actually take this over the SNES game. It's that good.

29. Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition (Switch)

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is an expertly crafted revamp that gives us all the bells and whistles we could wish for in terms of graphical upgrades. However, it's actually Monolith Soft's attention to clever gameplay revisions that impresses most here.

This is X streamlined and modernised, carefully recast and reset in order to play better than ever. Additional characters, a new ending, and all that snazzy stuff is all well and good, and fans will be excited by the fresh revelations that occur, but it's in how everything flows so much better now that we reckon the hardcore will find themselves most impressed.

And for newcomers a recommendation is even easier; this is up there with the all-time great sci-fi RPGs and an absolute must-play.

28. Super Smash Bros. Melee (GCN)

There's a reason that to this day Super Smash Bros. Melee has a dedicated hardcore following in the fighter community. 

Fans will say it's tighter, faster, and requires more skill than other entries. They'll point to it being far more entertaining to watch than its successors, down to this faster pace. They'll point out its better balance. All compelling arguments.

More broadly, though, it's a brilliant local multiplayer brawler that sanded the rough edges off the N64 original, added a metric ton of content, and — yes — feels the most balanced of all entries in the series before the roster ballooned. 

Smash would continue to grow from here on out, but there's an elegance and purity to the GameCube iteration that makes it worth revisiting if you're knee-deep in Ultimate and want to try a different flavour of superstar brawling.

27. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64)

Known colloquially around these parts as Majora's Marmite, the three-day cycle added a constant pressure that turned off many players. However, that cycle is also key to the unique way Majora's Mask focuses on its cast of uncanny characters and soaks the adventure in melancholy and madness.

In fact, 'adventure' isn't quite the right word for this Zelda game. It's more of a Lynchian dreamscape in cartridge form, which isn't for everyone. The excellent 3DS remake is the best way to play these days thanks to some welcome additions for managing your limited time, although the original is conveniently available to play via Nintendo Switch Online.

Wherever you play, the clockwork land of Termina offers something truly unique in the Zelda series.

Oh, and we don't really call it Majora's Marmite.

26. Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Switch)

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is, quite simply, the best 2D Mario game since Super Mario World in our opinion; the slickest, sharpest, and smartest that two-dimensional Mario has felt since 1991.

In its Wonder Flowers, badges, and online aspects, it serves up an endlessly inventive and impressive platforming adventure that will utterly hook you. From its myriad animation details to its infectious anything-could-happen spirit, it's got charm up the wazoo.

A refinement of a well-established formula, it doesn't totally upend the 2D tea table, but with local co-op and online fun adding to the replayability factor, this feels like 2D Mario with its mojo back. Super Mario Wonder is one of the very best platformers we've played.

25. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS)

When we first heard that the 3DS entry in this venerable series would revisit the world of A Link To The Past, our excitement was tempered with trepidation. The SNES classic is sacred ground and perhaps returning to that Hyrule might sully our memories, or worse, reveal that it wasn’t quite as good as we remember.

Of course, our concern was unwarranted; A Link Between Worlds proved to be spectacular. Like all the best mechanics in the series, its novel wall-painting transformation puzzles were so ingeniously simple that you wondered why the concept hadn’t been hit upon before.

Great use of the system’s 3D feature brought Hyrule to life in a game that rivals the greatest in the series. If – shock! horror! – you’re reading this and you don’t own a 3DS, it’s time to track one down and play one of the very best games in a franchise of winners.

24. Donkey Kong Bananza (Switch 2)

Donkey Kong Bananza is an almighty re-introduction to the world of 3D platforming for DK, and arguably the Switch 2's first absolute must-play. The punching and crashing is a passing novelty that, once you get your fill, quickly becomes just another way of exploring the wonderfully varied and beautifully presented layers.

Whether it's smashing through the scenery with a Bananza Transformation or carefully planning a route to a hidden Banandium Gem, you'll have trouble finding more originality and, crucially, more enjoyment from a platformer in recent years. As the DK Rap so wisely said, "Donkey Kong is here." Now let's just hope he stays.

23. Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Switch)

As soon as Switch launched it seemed like the perfect console for Fire Emblem. Portability and strategy games are a marriage made in heaven, but being able to throw the battle on the big screen in HD gives Three Houses a scope that wasn't possible on the diminutive 3DS.

Three Houses added new strings to the series' bow, with the Garegg Mach Monastery providing a Hogwarts-style academy to explore as you build those ever-important relationships with the Black Eagles, Blue Lions, and Golden Deer. It's clearer than ever before that the key to the franchise is its ability to evoke feelings for your units through canny writing and charismatic characters; Three Houses created the perfect environment to foster and develop the students in your chosen house.

Indeed, the huge number of options open to you, not to mention the alternatives closed off with each choice you make, makes Three Houses a daunting prospect, but it excels in forging a vital and worthwhile experience whichever house you pick or route you take. And, thankfully, you don't need to buy another game to go back and travel the road not taken. Take that, Fates!

And if that's still not enough for you, there's always DLC. Did somebody say four houses?

22. Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii)

2010's Xenoblade Chronicles was epic in scale and setting in a way few games of the era were, and this isn't a title to rush through. You'll need many hours to examine and enjoy its incredible complexity, enhancing your abilities and exploring the world's ecosystem as you go.

The creativity Monolith Soft employed in producing this world was staggering. In terms of presentation, the immense landscapes remain a delight to traverse. While some close-up camera angles expose the Wii's graphical limitations, the art design more than compensates. Although some of the voice acting is hit-and-miss, the soundtrack is superb, genuinely enhancing the experience.

The sublime Definitive Edition on Switch is the easiest and best way to catch up with the first entry these days, but this game delivers a huge (and hugely enjoyable) JRPG experience wherever you play, laying a foundation that Monolith would build on with its sequels.

21. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD (Wii U)

Nintendo breathed new life into The Wind Waker in this HD remaster, taking its timeless art style and giving it a glorious high-def sheen and also making worthwhile improvements to previously flawed aspects of the original. Sailing across the Great Sea, discovering new islands, and exploring exciting dungeons — the designs of which still shine even today – has never been more fun than on Wii U.

Nintendo could have done more in certain areas — there really isn’t anything substantial in the way of new content — and the updated lighting, though lovely in its own right, is not necessarily 'better'; it's heavy on the bloom compared to the sublime original.

Still, The Wind Waker was never in need of a drastic overhaul; this refinement made welcome tweaks that brought it more in line with modern standards. A great game made (for the most part) even greater, then.