75. Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber (N64)

A hybrid of turn-based and real-time strategy and RPG gameplay, Quest’s Ogre Battle 64 is very much a prettier and better version of the first game that attempted this volatile mix, The March of the Black Queen for SNES.

Mixing 3D maps with DKC-style pre-rendered sprites, Ogre Battle 64 was so jam-packed with content, Nintendo stepped in as co-publisher and sprang for a 40MB cartridge – the second-biggest ever released for N64.

The game’s sophisticated systems reveal themselves layer by layer as players figure out how to capitalise on character alignments, balance good and evil actions to maintain their hidden “chaos frame” stat, and evolve characters and classes to become more powerful. While the “Ogre” brand survives in the isometric turn-based “Tactis” off-shoot, Ogre Battle 64 remains a true forgotten gem worth playing.

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Peer Schneider (IGN)

74. Wave Race 64 (N64)

Few games dare to tread where Wave Race 64 went: to try and simulate races on a track that constantly changes. Wave Race occupies a rarely visited genre of racing game – Beetle Adventure Racing or Split/Second come to mind – where the elements and the circuit itself are more formidable opponents than the opposing drivers, human or AI.

Other racers challenge you to learn proper cornering – in Wave Race, even going straight is a skill to be learned as the undulating waves try to toss you off your path. Weather hazards, changing tides, and varying wave conditions unlock shortcuts and constantly challenge racers to weave and dive to maximum success.

That control learning curve is steep. Wave Race 64 is a hard game to get into – but learn its language and it’s still one of the most technical and rewarding racers around.

Peer Schneider (IGN)

73. Sin and Punishment: Star Successor (Wii)

Sin & Punishment: Star Successor is the sort of game we just don't see enough of these days. A fast-paced, on-rails shoot 'em up with no intentions of taking it easy on you, dear player. This 2009 epic — a sequel to Treasure's Japan-only N64 original — serves up high-octane, incredibly good-looking action against some fantastically deranged and tricksy enemy types.

Think Space Harrier, in how your character appears hovering on-screen, and then add some amazing level design, top-notch baddies, and excellent use of the Wii's motion controls for targeting. For high-score chasers and lovers of stiff challenges, this one is hard to beat.

PJ O'Reilly (Nintendo Life)

72. Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader (GCN)

A GameCube exclusive, Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader was the envy of any owner of PS2 or Xbox in 2001.

Virtually an improvement in every way when compared to the N64’s original Rogue Squadron, this slice of rebel alliance fantasy was a feast for both the eyes and ears, even holding up remarkably well today.

Its arcade-like approach to dogfighting was a thrill to pilot, whether launching daring Y-Wing bomber runs or reenacting A New Hope’s iconic Death Star assault, Rogue Leader remains the gold standard when it comes to Star Wars space battles (unless you lean more toward the dark side with 1994’s TIE Fighter, that is).

Simon Cardy (IGN)

71. Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition (Switch)

Xenoblade Chronicles X got a highly deserved re-release on Switch, and we can only hope that gamers who skipped it or missed it the first time around give it another go, as it's quite possibly the best the series has to offer, certainly with regards to hot mech-on-mech action.

What starts out, and continues for the first half of the game as 'just' another excellent Xenoblade adventure, takes flight — quite literally — once you fully unlock the ability to zoom around and battle in a big fancy robot. Beating most dedicated mech games at what they do best, XCX is every bit the all-timer.

PJ O'Reilly (Nintendo Life)

70. Live A Live (Switch)

It's remarkable how many amazing JRPGs didn't make it to the West during the lifetime of the SNES / Super Famicom - and Live A Live is perhaps one of the most notable examples.

A time-travelling epic which spans multiple scenarios and boasts a varied cast of protagonists, Square's 1994 classic is unlike any other game in this genre; it's a shame, then, that it was considered a commercial flop at the time of its original release.

Thankfully, the 2022 remake not only spruces up the presentation, but it also gave Live A Live a global release for the first time, allowing a much wider audience to experience its amazing qualities.

Damien McFerran (Nintendo Life)

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69. Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream (NES)

Adapting 1984's Punch Out!!! and Super Punch Out!!! arcade games to consoles, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!! (also known as Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream) saw the boxer lend his likeness to a game that, if you're of a certain vintage, you can only have sweet memories of.

Yes, it may not look all that to modern eyes, but it's still got it where it counts, with a simple, tight control scheme that puts bobbing, weaving, blocking, ducking, and punching at your fingertips. Are you ready to take on a roster that includes Glass Joe, Piston Honda, and Mike Tyson himself? Terrifying final boss material.

PJ O'Reilly (Nintendo Life)

68. Wario Land 4 (GBA)

If, in the early ‘90s, you had been asked to imagine a Mario spin-off platformer, it’s unlikely that you’d land on anything quite like the Wario Land series. The boisterous movement, grotesque power-ups, and vocal sample-filled soundtrack couldn’t be further from the pleasantries of the Mushroom Kingdom, and nowhere is this funky format better presented than in Wario Land 4.

It’s tough and it’s weird, but good lord, does it feel good. The bopping soundtrack and uber-detailed visuals make each level a delight to explore, but it’s in the areas’ explosive second phases where the game really sings. It requires a particularly slick moveset to make escaping a crumbling ancient tomb feel satisfying, and Wario brings it.

Nintendo has been behind some of the most prolific platformers we’ve ever seen, but few stand apart for their rulebook-throwing quirkiness as much as Wario’s pyramid-raiding adventure.

Jim Norman (Nintendo Life)

67. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA)

Mario games are almost always delightful, but only a select few are genuinely laugh-out-loud funny. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga is definitely one of them, chucking out ludicrous jokes left, right, and centre from beginning to end.

It represents the Mario franchise at its most self-aware, constantly putting poor ol’ Green ‘Stache down for his supposed lack of appeal next to his heroic brother, while berating Bowser for his sheer buffoonery. And who can forget the magnificent Fawful, who would return in the also-excellent Bowser's Inside Story?

But none of Superstar Saga’s storytelling would hit half as hard were it not for the excellent RPG mechanics at its core. Moves learned throughout the game become useful both in and outside of battle, while timed button presses add a layer of immediacy to the turn-based combat. Not a moment feels wasted.

Ollie Reynolds (Nintendo Life)

66. Donkey Kong (Arcade)

Mario might have gotten the jump(man) on this game's eponymous ape in the years that followed, but it was Donkey Kong who everyone associated with Nintendo in the early '80s.

To entire generations of console gamers nowadays, arcades sound almost apocryphal. Pumping actual, physical cash into a hulking great machine to play a video game for a few minutes? What a strange concept.

Spend those few minutes with DK lobbing barrels at you, though, and it's easy to understand, even with its old-school fall damage and somewhat stiff feel. It's a shame that high-score controversy tends to dominate discussion of this coin-op classic these days because, given the chance, Kong is still king. Scaling 100 metres across four screens is a challenge every gamer should undertake.

Gavin Lane (Nintendo Life)

65. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition (Switch)

While not strictly a Nintendo game, Dragon Quest XI makes our list due to the franchise’s strong ties to Nintendo and the simple fact that it's on the short list of the best pure JRPGs ever made.

Announced as an early NX game (the codename for Nintendo Switch) in 2016, Dragon Quest XI made it to Switch in 2019 and proved to be its definitive version, with additional story content, a fully orchestral soundtrack, and an optional 2D mode with SNES-inspired pixel art.

Beyond the Switch release’s enhancements, Dragon Quest XI is just a treat for old-school RPG fans with great turn-based combat and a beautiful, vibrant world to explore alongside an unforgettable band of characters. Everything in Dragon Quest XI feels so meticulously designed and lovingly polished, and it’s easy to see that this is the game Square Enix made to celebrate the legendary franchise’s 30th anniversary.

Logan Plant (IGN)

64. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (3DS)

Smooth and acrobatic movement is something that many people take for granted in modern games, but there aren't many that show the evolution quite like Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.

Its predecessor already left countless thousands besotted with its over-the-top weaponry and combat contrasted against the shocking realism of its eponymous beasts, but MH4 broke the shackles of the Earth and let your hunter traverse the verticality of its world. That, and send a surprisingly well-behaved insect to do some of your dirty work whilst you pole-vaulted up to smash the face of a not-so-hapless Gore Magala.

Oh, and this was all done on the 3DS, a console about as powerful as a particularly milky cup of tea. Marvellous stuff.

Alex Olney (Nintendo Life)

63. Street Fighter II' Turbo: Hyper Fighting (SNES)

It’s hard to imagine the fighting game world without Street Fighter, but it’s a series that didn’t truly make its mark until Street Fighter 2 Turbo arrived on the SNES in 1993.

The legacy roster of Street Fighter that’s still predominantly used today started here, with Street Fighter 2 being the first appearance for series favourites like Blanka, Chun-Li, Guile, M. Bison, and Zangief. It’s only Ryu and Ken that featured as playable characters before this, marking Street Fighter 2 as the true starting point for the iconic cast of characters we’ve loved and played for decades.

Along with Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter 2 Turbo created and defined a new genre of video games, and both are still the standard bearers to this day.

Dale Driver (IGN)

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

Is it a Mario game? A Yoshi game? Ultimately, it doesn’t matter, because Yoshi’s Island is an absolute banger either way. The colouring book aesthetic and beautiful sunset gradients are simply astonishing, looking just as gorgeous now as they did 30 years ago. With the now-iconic flutter jump and egg-hatching mechanics, this cemented the character as a permanent fixture in the platforming genre in his own right.

As a latecomer to the SNES, the game demonstrated the developers’ mastery of the console, too, with Nintendo EAD pushing creativity to the max to produce what might well be the company’s finest 2D platformer until Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

Ollie Reynolds (Nintendo Life)

61. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii)

Public opinion on Twilight Princess has radically ebbed and flowed over time, but nearly 20 years after its launch there’s a dedicated subset of Zelda fans who consider it Link’s greatest adventure – and it’s easy to see why.

Following formula shakeups such as Majora’s Mask’s three-day time limit and The Wind Waker’s open ocean, Twilight Princess’ quest doubles down on the classic lock-and-key dungeon gameplay franchise traditionalists adore. It’s a worthy pseudo-sequel to Ocarina of Time, with grand, atmospheric dungeons like Arbiter’s Grounds and Snowpeak Ruins, a truly epic story with some of the most cinematic moments in Hyrule history, and the best companion to ever join Link’s side in Midna.

Sure, Wolf Link’s bug-hunting segments can be annoying at times and Hyrule Field is a little too empty, but don’t tell me you can watch Twilight Princess’ final farewell and not feel something.

Logan Plant (IGN)

60. Pokémon Black and White 2 (DS)

The first direct sequel to a Pokémon game, Black and White 2 built on the foundations of its predecessor through a remixed Unova region filled with pocket monsters of all generations and the returning looming threat of Team Plasma.

Capping off arguably the most engaging story of the whole series, the enigmatic N serves as a fantastic rival with an edge not often seen in the mostly sanitised series.

It’s relatively dark and epic in scale, all the while pushing the technical boundaries of the Nintendo DS far beyond its ending, offering a real sense of exploration deep into one of the most generous post-games Pokémon has to offer.

Simon Cardy (IGN)

59. Perfect Dark (N64)

GoldenEye may have put consoles on the map for first-person shooters, but Perfect Dark managed to take everything that delighted us in the ground-breaking Bond shooter and just ratchet it up to ridiculous levels. It’s as if Rare played Santa and checked off virtually everything on GoldenEye fans’ wishlists: a two-player co-op mode, crazier gadgets, bots, advanced stats tracking, and seemingly endless amounts of customizability and settings.

There’s even a counter-operative mode where the second player tries to stop the other from succeeding in the main campaign. The customizability and high ambitions overall could bring the framerate to a crawl, but forgiving fans (count us in) didn’t care and kept slapping each other and blowing each other up in increasingly spectacular ways.

A defining split-screen experience in need of a better preservation effort on Nintendo Switch Online (seriously, someone please finally address the native control options).

Peer Schneider (IGN)

58. Donkey Kong (GB)

Donkey Kong ‘94 disguises itself as a handheld remake of the arcade original through its first four stages, but after you dismantle the girders and drop the big ape on his head, the true game reveals itself to be one of the most ambitious reimaginings in Nintendo history.

What follows is over 100 stages of pure puzzle platforming inspired by Nintendo’s timeless classic where Mario must climb ladders, flip switches, and hurdle over enemies to reach the elusive Donkey Kong.

It’s not just a nostalgia trip, though; DK ‘94 is responsible for introducing some of Mario’s most formative moves – like his triple jump and backflip – a full two years before Super Mario 64 would bring them into 3D.

Logan Plant (IGN)

57. Splatoon 3 (Switch)

Nintendo took the winning gameplay of its first two ink-’em-ups and added a much-needed set of quality-of-life improvements to make the finest Splatoon experience so far.

Did you know Splatoon 3 is the first in the series that guarantees you to be on the same team as your friends? Along with basic matchmaking functionality that finally allowed its phenomenal team-based gameplay to fully shine, Splatoon 3 also brings the biggest single-player campaign to date, a fantastically dystopian roguelite mode, an in-universe collectable card game, and more maps, weapons, and customisation than ever before.

But beyond its wealth of content, Splatoon is simply the most stylish Nintendo series around and the developer’s shining example of how to consistently support a game for years after launch. Nintendo even held a Coachella-like music festival to send off Splatoon 3, and it was even more awesome than it sounds.

Logan Plant (IGN)

56. Super Mario Party Jamboree - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV (Switch 2)

After 25 years of rolling dice, playing minigames, and betraying friends, the Mario Party formula reached new heights in 2024’s Super Mario Party Jamboree. It has the greatest set of boards in the franchise, and whether you’re buying game-changing items in a colourful shopping mall or planning around high tide at the pirate-themed lagoon, there are more ways to strategise than ever before.

Of course, Mario Party wouldn’t be Mario Party without its crazy luck-based antics, but Jamboree strikes the best balance between skill and chance we’ve seen so far.

It also has the biggest character roster in the series, a thrilling set of new and returning minigames that celebrate Nintendo history in surprising ways (You play WarioWare! And Donkey Konga!), and gorgeous presentation, making it an easy choice to crown Jamboree as Mario Party’s defining superstar.

Logan Plant (IGN)

55. Bayonetta 2 (Switch)

For its sequel, Bayonetta made the shift from multiplatform to Nintendo exclusivity as the astonishing follow-up landed on the Wii U with an elegant, slicing backflip and planted its feet as one of the console's few truly essential games.

PlatinumGames’ trademark action excess is on full display as the titular acrobatic witch dispatches with all manner of heavenly and hellish entities thrown her way in an ultraviolent style most of us can’t even dream up, yet only program in such polished detail.

Bayonetta 2 is a masterclass in character action and a prime example of a developer working at the peak of its powers.

Simon Cardy (IGN)

54. Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS)

Before New Horizons let villagers essentially play God by moulding an entire island to their exact specifications, Animal Crossing: New Leaf represented a finish line of sorts for the franchise’s original concept that began on GameCube (Or N64 in Japan).

There’s plenty of customisation to be found for sure, but New Leaf is more about living as a resident in a quirky community as opposed to building the perfect island paradise.

Its inviting, relaxing atmosphere worked its way into our daily routines for years, and whether it was collecting furniture from the largest catalogue in the series to date, chatting with the lively, well-written townsfolk, or simply soaking up the immaculate vibes, there’s an unquantifiable charm to New Leaf’s slice of life that’s still worth revisiting even after New Horizons gave us tons of new toys to play with.

Logan Plant (IGN)

53. Metroid Dread (Switch)

After Other M and Federation Force made fans wonder if the Metroid experience they fell in love with during the 8- and 16-bit days was gone forever, Spanish developer MercurySteam pitched Nintendo on a remake of Metroid Fusion. We got a competent Metroid II remake instead – but little did we know then that it was just the warm-up course.

Released in 2021, Metroid Dread arrived as a triumphant return to classic 2D Metroid. Challenging, often downright scary, and absolutely gorgeous, it wraps up the Samus Story by paying homage to all that came before.

Metroid Dread at times makes you question whether you can beat the next challenge – but those who persevere will come to the most satisfying realisation: it was inside of you from the very beginning. It’s not all about speed and dexterity – you overcome Dread… when you no longer fear dread.

Peer Schneider (IGN)

52. WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! (GBA)

WarioWare might be one of Nintendo’s most difficult sells. A back-to-back marathon of seconds-long microgames is hardly the most appealing concept on paper, but it absolutely rules in practice.

And is there any better way to see it in action than with the title that started it all? WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! is the tightest entry of the bunch, and the perfect introduction to Wario's wonderful world of weirdness. It’s got it all: Nintendo references, nose picking, a life-like sleepy cat. Throw in some addictive side content and perhaps the most intuitively simple controls going, and you’re onto a winner.

The series would go on to make the most of almost every system gimmick Nintendo could throw at it, but when it really comes down to it, microgame mayhem has never been purer than back on the GBA.

Jim Norman (Nintendo Life)

51. Advance Wars (GBA)

Ah, Advance Wars. So ahead of the curve. So perfectly crafted as to be almost impossible to criticise.

There aren't too many games out there that stand the test of time quite as well as Intelligent Systems' dinky turn-based classic, and even with a flashy Switch remaster knocking about, we wouldn't think twice about settling in for a night with the exquisitely made Game Boy Advance original.

Intense, addictive, strategic to a fault, and with a learning curve that teaches you gently as you go, Advance Wars is the definition of a pure strategy classic for the ages.

PJ O'Reilly (Nintendo Life)