YOUR NinDB Top 25!

[Nester the Lark]

So, it's been a good while since we've had a NinDB Top 25, and as you know, the current activity level of the forum makes it impractical to create a proper tallied list. However, I decided that we could each still post our own personal top 25 games. It would be a nice update to see what new games we like, and how our tastes have changed in the past several years.

And since we don't have to conform to a set of rules for the sake of counting things fairly, then that means you can make your own rules! Decide whether you want to include third-party games, whether Virtual Console counts, whether compilations count, whether you want to include individual games or lump things together. Maybe you just want to include a minigame for some reason. Make your list reflect your preferences! (Although, I would hope you would at least still include a short explanation for each entry, just to keep things interesting.)

For my list, I'm doing things a little differently. First off, I've decided to include only Nintendo games (that is, games produced and/or published by Nintendo), mainly for the sake having a more focused list. It always felt a little awkward including certain third-party games that I did not originally play on a Nintendo platform. Also, while I generally stick to one game per slot, I do lump things together in a couple of places.

Trying to create a "Top X" list always drives me a little crazy because it often doesn't make much sense. For example, how can you really measure a game like Fire Emblem again something completely different, like F-Zero? So, I've just tried not to take it too seriously, and instead, aim for making it interesting by representing different Nintendo series' and eras (and trying not to spam too many Zelda games).

Again, these are just the criteria I'm setting for myself. You don't need to follow my lead. Make your list your own!

Above all, have fun with it!

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And without further ado, here is my countdown of my NinDB Top 25!

25. Mario Bros. (arcade)

Gotta represent Nintendo's classic arcade era. It's hard to explain why this game appeals to me, but I was always happy to find it in arcades back in the day. It's fun and addictive, and two people can play it together (if only I had friends that wanted to play it with me).

24. Super Mario Bros. 2/USA

While I enjoyed this game when it first came out, I've come to appreciate it more over time. Its departure in gameplay was jarring at the time (I didn't know it wasn't originally a Mario game until a few years later), but for what it is, it's still a great platform game. It has earned its right to be part of the Mario series, and has had a profound influence on it ever since.

23. Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water

This game left a strong impression on me due to its themes and characters. As someone who struggles with mental health issues, I was driven to see the characters make it through their own struggles, and it was oddly therapeutic.

So far, this is the only Fatal Frame game I've ever played, but I hope to try another someday.

22. Star Fox Zero

I can understand why this game is divisive, but it's my favorite Star Fox game. The controls have a really steep leaning curve (if not a learning cliff), but once I got the hang of them and they started to become second nature, it changed everything, and the game ascended to an entirely new level.

It's also one of the most immersive video game experiences I've ever had. The use of the Wii U Gamepad, with its extra screen and speakers, really extended the game beyond the television, making it feel more like one of those enclosed arcade games. It is, perhaps, an indication of the untapped potential of the Wii U Gamepad.

21. Splatoon

I never thought I would get into an online arena shooter, but Splatoon is, essentially, the Mario Kart of online arena shooters. It's approachable, easy to get into, and has a very warm and welcoming community. It also had the added benefit of not causing me motion sickness, likely because it's third-person instead of first-person.

20. “Nintendo Tetris” (various)

Like many people, I got hooked on Tetris when I played it for the first time on the original Game Boy. I still find Tetris to be relaxing to play even now. You could say Tetris is Tetris, but Nintendo's takes on it, particularly with Tetris 99 and Tetris DS, are my favorites.

19. Super Mario Bros.

The original Super Mario Bros. really left an impression on me when I played it as a kid. There was simply nothing else like it at the time, and if it seems simple or generic by today's standards, that only serves to show how incredibly influential it was. But it also has a timelessness to it, and I can still go back and enjoy it all these years later.

18. F-Zero X
17. F-Zero GX

I like F-Zero X and GX almost equally, even though I think they feel distinctly different from each other. X is more methodical and flowing, whereas GX is more frenetic with course designs that like to troll you. But despite being a little too difficult for its own good, I give the slight edge to GX for purely sentimental reasons.

F-Zero GX brings back memories of my mother before she passed away. It's a little hard to explain why, as there's not much of a story to tell, but those final memories I have from the last year of her life are extremely precious to me.

16. StarTropics

This is just a childhood game that I still love, perhaps even more than I did back then. It has such an appealing theme with fun characters and lots of dumb jokes. I remember first seeing the ad on TV, and being intrigued. Then I was fascinated by the coverage in Nintendo Power magazine. I finally got the game for myself, and I enjoyed it every bit as much as I thought I would.

I love the sequel, too, and it's a shame the series never continued past the NES.

15. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition

The original Xenoblade Chronicles was one of the games that helped get me back into RPGs. It was also a game I wasn't sure I'd get to play due to Nintendo of America's reluctance to publish it, so it felt a bit more special when I finally did get to play it.

I'm listing the Definitive Edition here because I appreciated the game even more replaying it all these years later. Also, I highly enjoyed Future Connected. While short, it was a satisfying addition.

14. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

With the original Legend of Zelda, I relied a lot on strategy guides to help me get through it. But with A Link to the Past, I decided from the outset that I would figure it out on my own... and I did! (Although I did sequence break at one point, but since I figured that out on my own, too, I don't consider it cheating.)

A Link to the Past is also one of the earliest examples I can think of where a video game made me feel a little emotional.

13. Fire Emblem (series)

I'm cheating a little here and lumping the whole Fire Emblem series (or, at least, the ones I've played) into one entry. I have to admit, I don't think there's one individual game that stands out to me above the rest. The Blazing Blade is the one I have some sentimental feelings toward, due to it being the first Fire Emblem game I played, and it was quite satisfying to finally be able to try one after having read about the series in Nintendo Power magazine all those years prior. But from a gameplay standpoint, I think I enjoyed other games more. Ultimately, I just appreciate the series as a whole.

12. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
11. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

Here are another two games that are hard to measure against each other, as I think they're both great. But I'll give the edge to Diddy's Kong Quest due to having played it first and having more nostalgia for it. They are both superb platform games, and I appreciate their high challenge levels. And perhaps it's not a coincidence that both have amazing soundtracks by Dave Wise.

10. Hyrule Warriors

When I first got Hyrule Warriors on Wii U, I figured I'd play it for about a month and then move on to the next game. And that's exactly what happened. But when I was done with that other game, I came right back to Hyrule Warriors, and I continued to play it regularly for the next two years. I bought all the DLC, and even got the Link amiibo to unlock the spinner weapon.

This was one of the most addictive games I'd ever played, and it was such a great celebration of the Zelda series.

9. Super Mario Bros. 3

The original Super Mario Bros. was a phenomenon, and SMB3 was a dramatic evolution of that game's core gameplay. After the departure of SMB2/USA, it also felt like a return to form. In fact, I would say the impact was even greater because of SMB2/USA (as opposed to if the original SMB2/Lost Levels had been released here instead).

This was also one of the first games I remember getting a lot of hype. Heck, there was even a movie that felt like a promo for it. But it was so big and creative, it still managed to surpass expectations.

8. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

While I do acknowledge this game has its flaws, to me, they're more like minor annoyances than major experience-ruining missteps like many people make them out to be. Overall, there's far more to love than hate about it. It has some of the best dungeons in the series (a water temple that's actually fun is an accomplishment in itself), and a well-paced overworld. The combat is excellent, with enemies that are actually challenging (and yes, I liked the motion controls). It also had versions of Link and Zelda that I really cared about, and I wanted to see them be together.

And not only did Skyward Sword introduce elements that would later be staples of Breath of the Wild, but it also contained a precursor to Hyrule Warriors.

Also, Groose is one of the best side characters ever in a Zelda game.

7. Sin & Punishment: Star Successor

My favorite rail shooter ever. I consider this to be Treasure's magnum opus. Yet, it's so underappreciated, stuck in the shadow of the original Sin and Punishment. If this game had been the hit it deserved to be, perhaps Treasure would still be developing games today. Sure, it could use some more unlockables, and the online leaderboards are no longer online, but in true Treasure style, it's a hardcore action game that stands with the best in the genre.

6. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

In a way, this is the most formulaic Zelda game, conforming closely to the traditional framework, and almost feeling like a remake of Ocarina of Time. But it's also highly refined. I love the atmosphere. It has some of my very favorite dungeons in the series (especially the triple threat of Temple of Time, Snowpeak, and City in the Sky), as well as great combat. I've always highly enjoyed every playthrough of this game.

5. Super Metroid

I was a bit late to the party with Super Metroid. I actually wasn't into the original or Metroid II, and while I was impressed with Super Metroid when I first played it as a rental, I didn't actually own a copy until a few years later when it was re-released under the Player's Choice label. But I quickly realized what a brilliant game it was and became a fan of the series.

4. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

I remember when this game came out, the graphical style was a little bit divisive in the same way as The Wind Waker was when it was first shown. But I, personally, really liked it because it was so fresh and unique compared to everything else at the time. Despite being labeled as a sequel to Super Mario World, the gameplay was almost as different from that game as SMB2/USA was from the original SMB. That never bothered me, though, because the game was so relentlessly inventive from start to finish. This was one of the few games at the time that I was willing to 100 percent because I enjoyed playing it so much.

3. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

While Majora's Mask is not a true open world like Breath of the Wild, it does have the most “alive” world of any Zelda game. I remember being fascinated with each NPC having their own schedule and agenda, and being able to alter it depending on how you interacted with them. (I was particularly fixated on the Anju-Kafei side quest.) It was a very unique type of puzzle solving.

Also, while it's smaller than Ocarina of Time in terms of scope and scale, I also appreciated that it was more focused. There's less wasted space than in most other 3D Zelda games, and that made the moment-to-moment experience more substantial.

2. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (+Torna ~ The Golden Country)

While I enjoyed the original Xenoblade Chronicles, I pretty much moved on once I had finished it. Xenoblade Chronicles 2, however, clicked with me in a way I didn't expect, and it resonated with me long after I was done playing it. It is a flawed game (Monolith Soft clearly rushed the development a bit), but everything falls into place to create an experience greater than the sum of its parts.

I'm also including Torna ~ The Golden Country here. While it can be considered its own standalone game, I got it as part of the expansion pass, so for me, it's part of the whole Xenoblade Chronicles 2 experience. It's short, but more refined than the main game, and has an ending that still wrecks me emotionally no matter how many times I've seen it.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

I've spoken before about how Breath of the Wild and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 are like companion games to me, so naturally, I'm placing them side-by-side on this list. And if that means occupying the top two spots, then so be it.

Breath of the Wild is another example of a game that surpassed my expectations, despite my expectations being extremely high to begin with. It's been four years since its release, and I still feel like I could go back and play it almost indefinitely. Even if I'm not actually accomplishing anything, it's just such a fun and relaxing world to simply be in. It almost feels like a form of meditation.

Breath of the Wild and Xenoblade Chornicles 2 are two games that have come to mean a great deal to me. Maybe they were just the right games at the right time, but playing them back-to-back and having them both make such equally strong impacts on me is an experience that I'm not sure I'll ever have again in my lifetime.

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For reference, here is my full list in descending order:

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (+Torna ~ The Golden Country)
3. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
4. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
5. Super Metroid
6. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
7. Sin & Punishment: Star Successor
8. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
9. Super Mario Bros. 3
10. Hyrule Warriors
11. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
12. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
13. Fire Emblem (series)
14. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
15. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
16. StarTropics
17. F-Zero GX
18. F-Zero X
19. Super Mario Bros.
20. “Nintendo Tetris” (various)
21. Splatoon
22. Star Fox Zero
23. Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
24. Super Mario Bros. 2/USA
25. Mario Bros. (arcade)

[nocturnal YL]

No list yet because I'll need to think about what to put in it. I already talked about my favourite games series, my favourite gaming events in the last decade, the worst Nintendo games (which turned into a debate on Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival) and more. This is to say, a pure list of "my 25 favourite games" alone won't be interesting.

Maybe I'll approach it from a different angle. Who are my favourite characters? Which game world do I want to see myself in? Something like that. The list will still be similar, but the accompanying explanation will change.

Apr 17, 2021 10:54:16 GMT -5 Nester the Lark said:

For example, how can you really measure a game like Fire Emblem again something completely different, like F-Zero?

I can't even compare between games in the same series! At different points I said either Radiant Dawn or The Sacred Stones is my favourite main series Fire Emblem. Radiant Dawn does have some good ideas (most of the weapon system, defence maps, ledges), but it's also plagued with tons of balance (awful tome might, unit availability, unit class mismatch) and story issues. The Sacred Stones has a great story, but isn't well-designed for infinite play and I was wary of being biased as it's the first one I finished.

Apr 17, 2021 10:54:16 GMT -5 Nester the Lark said:

14. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

With the original Legend of Zelda, I relied a lot on strategy guides to help me get through it. But with A Link to the Past, I decided from the outset that I would figure it out on my own... and I did! (Although I did sequence break at one point, but since I figured that out on my own, too, I don't consider it cheating.)

A Link to the Past is also one of the earliest examples I can think of where a video game made me feel a little emotional.

I'd say A Link to the Past is the first "fair" Zelda game where you can figure out everything you need in the game itself. (Zelda II hints don't feel as cryptic as many make it to be, but as an action game it's difficult.)

If they do ever think about remaking this, I hope they make the dungeons themed. The original ones look too uniform compared to what A Link Between Worlds had.

Apr 17, 2021 10:54:16 GMT -5 Nester the Lark said:

5. Super Metroid

I was a bit late to the party with Super Metroid. I actually wasn't into the original or Metroid II, and while I was impressed with Super Metroid when I first played it as a rental, I didn't actually own a copy until a few years later when it was re-released under the Player's Choice label. But I quickly realized what a brilliant game it was and became a fan of the series.

Have you played the remake of Metroid II? Samus Returns is pretty linear and doesn't have much story to go with it (save for a pretty scary scene <spoiler>), but it excels in the "feeling like you're there" department.

Apr 17, 2021 10:54:16 GMT -5 Nester the Lark said:

4. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

I remember when this game came out, the graphical style was a little bit divisive in the same way as The Wind Waker was when it was first shown. But I, personally, really liked it because it was so fresh and unique compared to everything else at the time. Despite being labeled as a sequel to Super Mario World, the gameplay was almost as different from that game as SMB2/USA was from the original SMB. That never bothered me, though, because the game was so relentlessly inventive from start to finish. This was one of the few games at the time that I was willing to 100 percent because I enjoyed playing it so much.

I can't imagine getting to 100% in any Yoshi's Island game. My biggest impression on Yoshi's Island isn't the graphics or how fun the game is; it's its difficulty that I remember Yoshi's Island for. And it got even crazier in Super Mario Advance 3, which added the Secret courses.

[Nester the Lark]

Apr 18, 2021 8:55:11 GMT -5 nocturnal YL said:

I can't even compare between games in the same series! At different points I said either Radiant Dawn or The Sacred Stones is my favourite main series Fire Emblem. Radiant Dawn does have some good ideas (most of the weapon system, defence maps, ledges), but it's also plagued with tons of balance (awful tome might, unit availability, unit class mismatch) and story issues. The Sacred Stones has a great story, but isn't well-designed for infinite play and I was wary of being biased as it's the first one I finished.

One of the problems I have with making a list like this is realizing that I will rank games in a completely different order depending on the context. Like, games in a series might show up in a different order than when I rank them among games in other series. I feel like the list I ended up with generally follows how I would still rank them by series or by platform. But still, it's just another reason why we shouldn't take lists like this too seriously.

Apr 18, 2021 8:55:11 GMT -5 nocturnal YL said:

I'd say A Link to the Past is the first "fair" Zelda game where you can figure out everything you need in the game itself.

Definitely. I think the SNES, in general, is the era in which game design really matured and became more player-friendly. Older games were rooted in arcade difficulty, or PC games that were designed to sell player's guides due to the software being pirated.

Apr 18, 2021 8:55:11 GMT -5 nocturnal YL said:

Have you played the remake of Metroid II? Samus Returns is pretty linear and doesn't have much story to go with it (save for a pretty scary scene <spoiler>), but it excels in the "feeling like you're there" department.

If I'd had a 3DS, I definitely would have played Samus Returns, but I haven't had any experience with it at all. (Nor the fan remake.)

[nocturnal YL]

I forgot you said you don't have a 3DS. My bad.

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Alright, here's my list. It's actually quite different from my previous Top 25 lists, with fewer fillers and more actual favourite games. No specific restrictions on what can be included, because I'll otherwise run out of games to consider.

These are not strictly my top 25, and they aren't in a strict order. Some are given spots here for their impact on me, others are based on technical merits. For example, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 is picked here for being better than PPT1 overall, but PPT1 had a bigger impact and had several merits over PPT2 (such as the Party rule and music).

I tried to be more diverse this time, while still making the list representative of my preferences.

25. Game & Watch Gallery 4

The idea of timing movement to block or avoid obstacles somehow resonated with me, and a lot of Game & Watch games revolve around this idea. The Modern versions often have additional quirks which make successful movement optimisation even more satisfying, such as dropping from elevators in Mario's Cement Factory.

Across the whole series, I actually like Oil Panic from Gallery 1 the most for how busy it can get at Very Hard, but Gallery 4 has the most contents, with 11 games with Modern and Classic modes and 9 Classic-only games.

If I am in this game: Can I play Waluigi bowling too? No? Awwwww.

24. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA

The story's ending aside, playing through this game was a blast. I don't have a particular favourite part, but being an action game with a reasonable difficulty and a sense of exploration that doesn't get dull over time with all the interesting terrain made this a fun experience. The music is good too. Series veterans may be picky, but I'm impessed myself.

If I have to pick a section I like, I'd say Towering Coral Forest for being an early game showcase of just how big the dungeons can be.

If I am in this game: I'm still alive? How!?

23. Gokujou Parodius

The Parodius series' wacky presentation makes it stand out from other horizontal shooters at the time, and the music is great, despite the series' use of remixed classical music originated from the first game's lack of development time. Of the whole series, I like the 3rd game (Gokujou Parodius) better mostly for its stage design.

If I am in this game: I'll be pondering why are there pirate ships, mermaids and penguins in space, all several times the size of Vic Viper.

22. Sutte Hakkun

I like logic puzzle games, especially of the "simple rules, tough questions" variety. This one has lovely, colourful backgounds (and foregrounds) and great music to boot. Actually, I'd say the music is a major reason why I like this game.

Interestingly, for a Super Famicom title, its UI is quite modern, featuring an interactive tutorial complete with a mention of Nintendo's website. It's actually a bit too difficult for me, as I couldn't figure out some of the solutions in stages 9 and 10, but full solutions can be found online.

If I am in this game: Just stay around and enjoy the scenery.

21. F-Zero Climax

It's F-Zero, but with a more manageable diffficulty, more melodic music (compared to GX), survival races, and my favourite part, a course editor that isn't quite as flexible as the 64DD one (as some parts seen in-game cannot be replicated) but is still capable of making diabolical contraptions. Nothing really stands out, but it's my favourite entry in the series.

If I am in this game: Investigate if G-Diffuser is feasible in other scenarios and if it's possible to take it home. Actually, my headcanon is that G-Diffuser is also the reason ? Blocks in Mario can float.

20. Super Smash Bros. Melee

I'm not anywhere nearly as enthusiastic about Smash now, but Melee really felt like a big step to me. Twice the fighters, 3 times the stages, and orchestrated music that unify songs from multiple series in a single style! I spent a lot of time on it just to unlock certain trophies and didn't get tired of it, which is something I cannot say for Brawl. I never unlocked them all, though. Diskun requiring all bonuses (and thus clearing at Very Hard)? It's beyond my skill.

If I am in this game: Seriously, how does G-Diffuser work? Now that there are fighters from two series using the technology, maybe they'll share some information with me…

19. Nintendo Puzzle Collection

I'm mostly here for the sequel to the Super Famicom Panel de Pon. Its relatively simple rules and fast pace makes it one of my favourite puzzle games, but it still ended up being too difficult for me. I did beat 1P mode at V-HARD, but only with continues. The additions of 4-player battles (new) and 3D mode (from Pokémon Puzzle League) are nice, but 2D, 2-player battle remains the best way to play.

Yoshi's Cookie mostly remained the same, but with new graphics and 4-player (the rules are identical; rather, 2-player Yoshi's Cookie was designed with more players in mind in the first place). Dr. Mario is just the overseas-only Dr. Mario 64 updated in some areas (like save data management) for consistency, and I see it as a nice extra bonus.

If I am in this game: Ask the fairies what's the names of their companion creatures. This is a mystery that saw no answer for almost two decades.

18. Golden Sun: The Lost Age

And the first game too. They're two parts of the same story, after all. By my standard today after I've played so many RPGs, this game isn't that special, but it's still a good game and a good showcase of what the GBA can do. It's one of those "play at you own pace" kind of game: it's linear, but anything optional can be revisited anytime.

The overall story has too many cliffhangers and unexplained plots, but the moment-to-moment dialogs are well-written. And the music changed my opinion on GBA sound hardware, after the Super Mario Advance series completely botched it.

If I am in this game: Find a prophet and ask what will happen in a few decades. Better than waiting for a sequel that will never happen.

17. WarioWare Smooth Moves

Picking this because it's the funniest one. It asks the player to actually move around! Similar to some of the games listed above, the fun stems from applying inceasing difficulty (in this case, speed) to very simple rules. It got rid of some of the more tedious aspects (such as no longer asking the player to beat all individual microgames by repeating each microgame 15~30 times in Album), and is reasonably easy (which is good; WarioWare is the kind of game you just play whenever you feel like it, and then just move on). Multiplayer is also fun.

WarioWare Gold is the biggest entry in the series with full voice acting and 300 microgames, but two boss games that should have been standalone games with no time limits (Top Notch and Sneaky Snatcher) make going through their respective stages much less enjoyable.

If I am in this game: See if 9-Volt can give me a tour of his collection. Alternatively, ask the actual, stout Wario to do the dance in Wario Dance Company. Doesn't matter if it's the Wii version or the 3DS one.

16. Super Bomberman 5

The most versatile of the Super Bomberman series. This came after the somewhat lackluster Super Bomberman 4, and is a very fitting sendoff title. The best part, naturally, is the custom battles, although these can't go too crazy. Still, I can do things like banning the Landmine item on Stage 5 to make it less frustrating.

The single player part is also great. Instead of linear stages with a password system, Super Bomberman 5 has branching paths with a proper save system, and the stages themselves are throwbacks to the first 4 games.

If I am in this game: Nothing special; the world of Super Bomberman 5 is pretty staightforward, so I guess I'll join the audience and watch them battle up close.

15. Kirby Air Ride

Like Melee, orchestrated music drew me in. Although it's an easy game in retrospect, I spent years playing it on-and-off to complete all three modes' Challenges. It's the kind of game that can get challenging against humans… provided you can find another proficient player to play with locally in the first place. One of my pastimes is to play City Trial's Free Run with my relatives under house rules, such as Hydra tag (P1 uses Hydra, P2 escapes using whatever means, P1 wins by scoring a hit within 2 minutes). And sometimes I just play to enjoy the scenery.

If I am in this game: Warp Star tour, of course! If I can, I actually want to have one at home and use it as my primary means of transportation.

14. Kirby & the Amazing Mirror

Kirby & the Amazing Mirror is simple by today's standard, but when it came out it was the only game other than Kirby Super Star to offer more than one move per Copy Ability (with exceptions like Throw in Kirby's Adventure / Nightmare in Dream Land). It also had enough new abilities and branched paths to encourage exploration, making it an interesting title. I was also pleasantly surprised to get to Candy Constellation, as space-themed terrain in platformers is something of a rarity, and I like its background music.

There's something satisfying about rolling down this specific slope.

If I am in this game: Make a sled to slide on the slope mentioned above. Wheeeee!

13. Super Mario 3D World

Standard start-to-flagpole Mario in high-quality 3D graphics and 5 characters who play differently. The course parts look like they're made of high-quality materials (versus the cheap look in 3D Land), especially the space-themed ones in World Star, which feel like they're lifted from the Galaxy games. The sheer technical quality of the course design is what I like about 3D World. There's course correction on the player's input, and on Wii U only, you can also play with the D-pad, preventing depth perception-related falls which happen a lot in 3D Land. Attention to small things like this make character control much better, which is important for games like this.

If I am in this game: Stay in World Star for a bit. The space-themed design is mesmerising.

12. Puyo Puyo Tetris 2

I like modern Puyo Puyo. I like modern Tetris. And a combination of both is most welcome! It's just a beefed up PPT1 for the most part, but both games are better than Puyo Puyo Chronicle, which has great versus modes but the RPG mode has much room to improve. And of course, specific to PPT2, the best part is that it has finally broken the arbitrary 24-character limitation imposed just to make a Japanese pun (Puyo=24). Previous games danced around it, with Chronicle having 5 Skill Battle-exclusive characters and Champions having 2 extra selectable with secret commands.

Speaking of secret commands, in most modern Puyo Puyo games, unlockables can be obtained by specific key combinations, which makes buying multiple versions more palatable.

If I am in this game: Question the world watchers (especially Marle and Squares) on their view on keeping puzzle worlds separate. In-game, all it does is to make some inhabitants behave weirdly, which can be fixed by battling them. So why is it bad again?

11. Super Mario Galaxy 2

My two main reasons to like the Galaxy games are the grand galaxy theme (even though the actual playable areas are quite small) and the design of the galaxies themselves. All those play areas look very inviting, together with music that feel like Mario and company are doing something great.

There's the control of the characters and the camera too. After Mario 64, 64 DS and especially Sunshine's awkward controls, we finally have Mario games where the camera isn't actively fighting against the player. And it's easier to make Mario and Luigi move as intended.

Highlights include the calm water-based Cosmic Cove Galaxy and Slimy Sping Galaxy, the return of Whomp's Fortress in Throwback Galaxy, and Beat Block Galaxy with its catchy tune. On the other end, my least favourite is Stone Cyclone Galaxy. Of all the Galaxy 1 planets to revive, why the one with fast-moving death traps? And why make Green Star 1 so difficult?

If I am in this game: Visit Slimy Sping Galaxy. This small water cave looks relaxing. Too bad I can't swim, so I can't go between both ends by myself.

10. Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn

A Fire Emblem title with lots of merits and lots of demerits. Looking at it now in retrospect, it's pretty flawed with tons of game balance issues, but it did a lot of things right. There's some semblance of parity between weapon types (though they lowered thunder magic might to balance out dragon effectiveness), it introduced ledges, included several memorable defence maps like the famous 3-13, bonus EXP for finer stat management and more.

But there are also issues like the lack of magic weapons (which make people like Mist quite useless), units that look like they're in the wrong class (Vika makes a better mage than a laguz unit, but alas relcassing is not a thing until Shadow Dragon DS), low caps (which make it possible to max all stats long before level 20 and make everything green, but it also means units you spent so much time training look bad next to the laguz kings who just joined), low tome might (not a problem in other games, but Radiant Dawn is an exceptional case where end-game enemies have Res so high that it makes all the time spent on the likes of Micaiah, Laura and Ilyana quite meaningless), and the worst offender, unit availability (Tormod, Muraim and Vika are only available in a few chapters, Nasir and Gareth are only playable close to the end, and Sephiran is 2nd+ playthough final map only).

This game will really benefit from a remake, or at least a major hack, that makes more units useful. But despite all complaints, I do like the merits it does have a lot, and making an all-green army without excessive grinding is satisfying, thus my high opinion on this game.

If I am in this game: Persuade the chosen ones to kill Sephiran anyway, despite the Empress' wishes. He did commit unforgivable atrocities, and he's lonely without Zelgius. For both him and the rest of Tellius, he's better off dead.

9. Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland DX

One of the more well-received Atelier titles by series veterans because of its story and difficulty. I was immediately drawn in by its opening movie, and I really enjoyed its relatively more serious theme of Totori's quest to find her missing mother. Even though she didn't succeed per se (Gisela was heavily wounded from fighting a monster and was under Astrid's care the whole time), the experience has helped Totori mature into the top alchemist she is in the later games. It has the right mix of being comical and serious, and the high difficulty (even with a guide, especially for Plus/DX) helps driving the point that Totori is serious about her goal.

I like the character events involving Ceci and Piana. These shows Totori's more child-like side despite her success in her career as an adventurer. She has got more emotionally mature in the later games.

If I am in this game: Interview Totori at the end of the story. Her achievements are well-documented, but I could use some tips on staying motivated while busy.

8. Kirby Triple Deluxe

Hey, look, Kirby on 3DS! Sure, it's slightly less impressive on the technical front compared to Kirby's Return to Dream Land, but it's amazing they could get something similar on 3DS.

We're getting to the last part to the game, where we usually uncover the story per Kirby standard. What are these insect-like creatures? Is this Taranza's lair? …There are prisoners too? Things are getting serious?

Wait, who is this? Taranza did all these just to get dismissed like that? And… oh no, this queen bee is getting crazy! We must stop her — but wait, this is Kirby, so if I pause the game… Oooooohhhhhhh.

Well, we're finally done. Let's get to the other modes… Oh. Oooooohhhhhhh. Whoa. That's surprisingly sad, even by Kirby standard.

Kirby Triple Deluxe is the first game to have a deep story, when previously even the dark-themed games are pretty straightforward, not really going beyond a typical "the villain isn't who you think it is" plot. Triple Deluxe is the first to go into great details, and the first to have a sympathetic enemy character die for real (not counting non-game materials), which left me an impression.

If I am in this game: I'm arachnophobic so I'm not getting near Taranza, but… my condolences.

7. Fire Emblem Warriors

I got a Nintendo Switch for this. There's also a New 3DS version, but that one has fewer enemies on screen, and Warriors is all about having lots of mob enemies. And I don't have a New 3DS anyway.

It has a Story Mode with a tale that's a combination of Awakening and Fates (Revelation route) with some elements from Shadow Dragon, and thanks to its much stripped down format, it's much less cornier than those games. The main post-game attraction, History Mode, is full of references to other Fire Emblem games that most casual players will probably miss. I like those. I also like the music, which are even better than the original versions (except for No Justice, which is based on a shortened vesion), so much that I often go back to the game to play a few maps just to listen to the soundtracks.

The gameplay is pretty straightforward, and there aren't quite enough variations between the characters. I do like the difficulty though. Some History Mode missions are given timers so tight that they feel challenging no matter how high the characters' levels are.

If I am in this game: Blond KOEI TECMO royal siblings who think each other should take the throne, meet blond KOEI TECMO royal siblings who think each other should take the throne.

6. Kirby Planet Robobot

Take Triple Deluxe, apply a similar plot, but with a sci-fi theme, add returning bosses and give them proper story justification, add even more story details down to the construction cost of enemy weapons, make tangible acknowledgement to Kirby's full history with stickers, give Meta Knight spotlight again after restoring Dedede's royal dignity last time, re-introduce the Meta-Knights, include a sub-game that finally puts Kirby in a 3D space (Kirby Air Ride did, but out-of-vehicle Kirby in City Trial has awkward controls), and we get Planet Robobot. Easily my favourite Kirby game.

Things that are essentially expected in every Kirby game — excellent music and SFX, a good mix of old and new abilities, colourful stage design — are all back and still done well. The Robobot sections are enjoyable (much more so than the "press the B Button to proceed" Supernova in Triple Deluxe), old and rare Copy Abilities like Jet, Smash and UFO ae back, and the shooting section of the final boss fight is definitely the best part of the main game.

If I am in this game: I like the neon light design in Rhythm Route. Maybe I'll hitch a ride on Kirby's Robobot suit in Wheel or Jet mode.

5. Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE

Come to think of it, this is the first game of its kind that I've played. It's an RPG with a rather well-defined struture: a main story divided in chapters, side stories surrounding the team members, and other miscellaneous quests. For this game, I can squarely point to music and part of the story as the reason I like it. The music is obvious, but for the story, I appreciate the overall direction while finding too many things unaccounted for. Were the rest of those missing in the opera house incident found? Were those who auditioned for the idol contest from the start recovered? Why do people keep attending entertainment events after all those unexplained (from the public's viewpoint) incidents? I find the story glossed over too many things for me to get full closure.

On the other hand, plots that aren't dropped midway through are quite satisfying to see. My favourite part of the game is Tiki and everything related to her, even though I don't use her in the main Fire Emblem games because of her restricted weapon choice. I went through her story, wanting to see her finally meet Tiki=Waifu, and… slightly disappointingly, it only happened as part of her song's PV. Another thing I like is that her side story started early, but was the second to last to conclude before Yashiro's. The long waiting time made the effort to give her a tangible form all the more worth it.

Other highlights include Toma's side stories, and Excellus giving me a hard time in my 1st playthrough… and then again in my 2nd, Lunatic playthrough.

If I am in this game: …I'm not a fan on non-interactive entertainment myself. I don't think I have a place in this game. I also can't see Mirages as a non-entertainer.

4. Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings

It has a bright, properly-closed story. It's my favourite story across all games. I also like Suelle's character, the atelier music, the item descriptions in the encyclopedia, and many, many other parts.

Spoilers here, but these are what I meant by a properly closed story:

SPOILER: Click to show

• The twins' goal is to fulfil their family's promise to run the best atelier in the country. They were the first to reach top rank.
• Their father Roger has been working on preserving his deceased wife's soul. The twins one-upped him by giving her a permanent, physical form.
• The Weissberg family were seeking each other as the mother Grace left them over their obsession on puppetering and the daughter Drossel has a tendency to get lost. They finally met, and Grace apologised for leaving without notice.
• Cornelia revealed that she became a travelling merchant to find her father. Drossel has his whereabouts, and for once managed to bring him without getting lost.
• Sophie's lifelong goal of giving Plachta a human body was realised thanks to Lydie's suggestion that "out of this world" materials can be found in painting worlds.
• Long-astrayed friends Plachta and Luard finally met and made up after 500 years.
• Many more minor examples.

Oh, and the DX version features Nelke's town Westwald as a painting world. Looking forward to that.

If I am in this game: A town full of talented alchemists? I'll see what high-quality items I can buy, as long as they aren't made by Roger. Being able to teleport between work and home would be nice. Or a mini-fridge that doesn't need a power source.

3. Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland

Lots of what's great about Atelier Lydie & Suelle apply here, although the story isn't meant to conclude, and the personal touch of the system menu isn't as extensive. It does have a better battle system, and the graphic quality is much better, being 1080p30 during gameplay and 1080p60 at the system menu and item synthesis screens on Switch (the lowest-spec version since PS Vita is no longer supported).

Lulua is very personable and thinks positively, and feels like the kind of person everyone would benefit from befriending. And like Atelier Lydie & Suelle, the way Lulua is introduced to the game's environment feels like the previous games' cast is welcoming the player. Her overall story is serious like that of Totori's, but unlike Totori, Lulua doesn't have a set goal from the start, and instead finds new directions as she completes tasks. I like the general flow of this game, and don't take issue with her being kind-of-officially paired with Stia at the end, unlike some others who think Stia comes out of nowhere.

I can stay inside the wagon atelier for an extended period for the music. Also, as is the case with the newer Atelier games in general, the UI control is really smooth. You can jump between related encyclopedia pages for items, effects, traits, locations and monsters, and you can sort and filter items in both the system menu and the item synthesis screen. A mid-tier RPG series of all things managed to be a better intuitive database frontends than commercial software do.

If I am in this game: Congratulate and thank Lulua for everything she has done for the town of Arklys, Stia and

SPOILER: Click to show

parallel world Lulua.

2. Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX

Its very low difficulty means it's not that exciting of a rhythm game, but in terms of general quality (besides the over-compressed graphics), it's excellent in my books. Besides having 48 full-length songs (with some being tailored remixes), there are also side features like a Puyo Puyo minigame and Reversi. The various room events (things the singers do in the top screen in the menu) are quite fun to watch, and feel more natural than the ones in the older Project DIVA games.

While the rhythm game is regarded as being too easy, there are two that I did't perfect: the Button Mode versions of Invisible and Gaikotsu Gakudan to Riria (Skeletal Orchestra and Lillia). Otherwise, perfecting Matryoshka (Button Mode, SUPER Hard) was my biggest accomplishment (for the final part, you don't have to alternate between pressing 1 and 2 buttons, since pressing 2 of the same button like Y and left is also valid when just 1 is needed).

Of course, as a music game, my biggest reason to like it is the music. Not just the music itself, but the way they're ordered too. Specifically, after challenging songs like Hello/How Are You and glow, the final songs are the main theme Nice to meet you, Mr. Earthling and the very easy Watashi no Jikan, looking back at the beginning of this game and to Miku's early days. And I like endings like this, with other examples being Mario Galaxy 1's Grand Finale Galaxy and Atelier Lydie & Suelle's final mission to simply turn in an item with 200+ quality.

If I am in this game: Their Project DIVA counterparts seem proficient in their own games, so maybe I'll ask them for tips on playing specific songs, Gaikotsu Gakudan to Riria in Mirai DX and Meiteki Cybernetics in Future Tone. These are songs I just fall short of getting perfects in. The characters in Mirai seem to struggle when playing Virtua Fighter, though…

1. Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

The source of them all. My propensity for Japanese RPGs all came from this game. The main reason it left me such a big impression is that I never expected a war story that feels personal (on Eirika's part) from a publisher that feels like they're averse to even acknowledging the fact that people can die. I also noticed that Eirika and Ephraim's interaction can be interpreted the wrong way before I learned that other players do too. The whole experience would be less shocking if it's not from a publisher known for being excessively prudent.

Of couse, the game itself is also very enjoyable. I like the mix of positional puzzle and RPG in the Fire Emblem series (without it, other parts like the story and music aren't enough to gain my approval), and The Sacred Stones, being both short and easy (as long as you stay far away from Tower of Valni and Lagdou Ruins), is a great introduction to the series, at least until Three Houses which is even easier at Normal. The story is also straightforward, with well-defined villains and neighbouring countries who feel like they'd backstab at first but never did. And there's a postgame Creatures Campaign where the player's team travel around the continent to take down monsters, as L'Arachel said she would, making it possible to play infinitely (if boring). If only Three Houses does the same with the Agarthans…

Most of my playstyle in Fire Emblem — preferring to raise my own units over using prepromotes, preferring magic units, favouring unit picks and supports based on personal preference over gameplay advantage — originate from this game. …When I put it like this, it's a miracle that I like Radiant Dawn at all.

If I am in this game: I imagine I'd be a priest type in Fire Emblem: kind of knowledgeable (mid-range Magic), lucky (high Luck), not deterred by the elements (high Resistence) but physically frail. I'd offer to join Eirika's cause as one.



I typed all these with a few of my keyboard keys (c, f, r, 8, 9, 0, BS, DEL) not responding. I have to use an on-screen keyboard. Doing 25 mini-reviews like this is quite a chore, so forgive me for not wanting to improve my writing.

[Nester the Lark]

^ So, after looking at your list, I was thinking I expected to see more Fire Emblem games. Then I thought about the number of Zelda games on my list. So, just for fun, I've decided to rank the series' that have multiple games in each of our lists.

First, my list:

The Legend of Zelda - 6
Mario - 4
Xenoblade Chronicles - 2
Donkey Kong - 2
F-Zero - 2

I counted Hyrule Warriors among the Zelda games. I actually could have included two more Zelda games on my list -- The Wind Waker and the original NES game -- but I decided enough was enough. I did not count Yoshi's Island as a Mario game since I consider it a Yoshi game, but I've already included more Mario games than I expected. Then there are the series' I grouped into one entry: "Nintendo Tetris" and Fire Emblem. I suppose "Nintendo Tetris" specifically refers to the three games I mentioned in the description. As for Fire Emblem, it's intended to only included the six FE games I've played. But what about Tokyo Mirage Sessions? Does that count? I actually don't know. If it does, then I suppose that means I've technically included more FE games than Zelda games on my list.

YL's list:

Fire Emblem - 4
Kirby - 4
Atelier - 3
Mario - 2

Of those four Fire Emblem games, only two are "traditional" FE games, and neither one is Awakening, which I remember you ranking highly on previous NinDB Top 25s. Three Atelier games makes for an impressive debut for that series. Finally, looking over your list, I was surprised you included an Ys game and a shoot-em-up, but it adds some nice variety.

[nocturnal YL]

I'd say your list surprised me a bit too. Mostly the inclusion of Splatoon. I know you also play Tetris 99, but listing an online multiplayer game is the last thing I'd expect. Also surprised to see Super Metroid up that high.

A little behind-the-scenes of my process of picking games to include:

My last few lists were somewhat rigged, for the lack of a better word. A lot of entries were there because I wanted to see them getting recognition, which got mixed with my more honest opinions. Thus oddities like Riviera: The Promised Land, which I liked at the time but don't talk about these days (1). Fire Emblem Awakening is somewhat similar; I still like it, but it's not quite at the top.

For this time, I thought I'd have a mix between series with single entries (on this list) and series with multiple entries, leaning towards the former since my top preferences are already well-known in this forum. I still have multiple entries for some series because a 25-series list wouldn't reflect my preferences so well. I also thought of avoiding similar games (like the 3DS Kirby games), but that gave way to another consideration: console distribution. A number of entries are being cut for being on Nintendo Switch or GBA, being Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Fire Emblem: Binding Blade and Kirby Star Allies.

If I decided to include more of the other series, the next to go are Atelier Totori DX and Kirby Triple Deluxe. Atelier Totori DX is quite lucky in that in my 2nd Switch review video, it came just a little bit behind FE Three Houses and Project DIVA Mega Mix. Even more so for Kirby Triple Deluxe, which has other Kirby games ahead of it on a simple top fav list that got dropped for being on not-3DS.

There's also the consideration on whether I should, against prior NinDB Top 25 rules, include games that have nothing to do with Nintendo. Under consideration are Project DIVA Future Tone DX, Saturn Bomberman and a bunch of Flash games (2), but I decided to stick to Nintendo platforms since the console games don't introduce new series and the Flash games warrant a discussion of their own.


(1) Riviera: The Promised Land is a single-entry RPG where the protagonist, Ein, traverses through dungeons through interactive menus. Each action costs action points and the player doesn't know what each path leads to (in a blind playthrough anyway), and there's a relationship point system, making it something of an RPG/visual novel mix. It's developed by Sting and was released on GBA and has a PSP remake. Unlike their other GBA/PSP game Yggdra Union (which is an SRPG) which got an eShop release, Riviera was not ported to modern systems as far as I know.

(2) Sonny 2, Epic Battle Fantasy 3/4/5, Phenotopia, Seraphisno — even Flash game fanatics may not have played the last one, which is in Japanese and targets Flash Player 11's 3D features, and I doubt many even realise the last few releases of Flash Player can do 3D.

[Nester the Lark]

May 5, 2021 9:23:57 GMT -5 nocturnal YL said:

I'd say your list surprised me a bit too. Mostly the inclusion of Splatoon. I know you also play Tetris 99, but listing an online multiplayer game is the last thing I'd expect. Also surprised to see Super Metroid up that high.

I suppose Splatoon was a little bit of a "filler" game, but I was quite hooked on it when it originally came out. I played the free demo of Splatoon 2 last year, and still found it to be as much fun as I remember. I'm seriously considering getting back into the series when Splatoon 3 comes out next year.

As for Super Metroid, I've always ranked it very highly on my lists, so I'm not sure why that would be surprising. Even if I'm not as into Metroid as I used to be, I still consider Super Metroid to be one of the best games I've ever played.

In fact, a lot of the top returning games on my list were ranked highly on my previous lists.

[nocturnal YL]

Super Metroid (or Metroid in general) is more of a case of not seeing you talk about it as often compared to Xenoblade and Zelda. Maybe that has to do with not having recent 2D Metroid releases outside of Samus Returns. And unlike some games such as Sin & Punishment: Star Successor and Star Fox Zero, there are enough other people who like Super Metroid that I don't necessarily associate that game with you.

Speaking of other people, if other members reading this have some time to spare, I'm interested to see lists from you. It's interesting to see how your tastes may have changed, as Nester said.

[Nester the Lark]

I'm not sure where else to post this, so I guess I'll use this thread as a general ranking thread.

Anyway, after ranking all of the Fire Emblem games I’ve played, I decided I wanted to do another ranking list. But for what series? Xenoblade? Zelda? Update my old Ys ranking?

No, I decided to challenge myself again, and go with an entirely different genre this time. Since Super Mario Bros Wonder is due out in just a few months, I’ve decided to rank all of the 2D Super Mario games I’ve played so far.

A couple of notes: I will not be including Yoshi’s Island. Despite being titled “Super Mario World 2,” I really see it as a launching point for the Yoshi series. Also, Mario isn’t even the playable character.

I will also not be including Super Mario Bros 35, given that it was a limited-time online game.

So, with that out of the way, *in Mario’s voice* here we go!

My 2D Super Mario Rankings

12 - New Super Mario Bros.

When this game first came out, it was both exciting and refreshing to see a new “2D” Super Mario game so many years after Super Mario World. Once that novelty wore off, however, it ended up being pretty unremarkable, and attempting to replay it never held my interest. The “shock” of Bowser turning into Dry Bowser is one of the few memorable things about it.

11 - New Super Mario Bros. Wii

A good step up from the original “New” SMB. They brought back the Koopalings, and the stage design is better. It’s still lacking something, however, and I didn’t find myself going back to it much. Also, the controls feel unusually “heavy,” even more so than the other games in the “New” series.

10 - Super Mario Land

As a full Super Mario game on a handheld system, this was pretty novel for its time. Coming from Gunpei Yokoi’s team rather than Shigeru Miyamoto’s, it also feels really weird, and not quite Mario-like. It’s still interesting, though, and I actually like the shooter stages, but it hasn’t aged very gracefully, making it more of a novelty.

9 - Super Mario Bros. 2/The Lost Levels

Despite being built off of the original Super Mario Bros, the level design in The Lost Levels has a very different mentality that leans toward being a kaizo game. As such, it has a very different appeal. It’s interesting, but I don’t find myself coming back to it very often.

8 - Super Mario Maker

This is more like creativity software rather than a straight-up Mario game, but on that level, it’s very well done. I love that the interface is based on Mario Paint, and there are a lot of ways to play with it.

On the other hand, I didn’t have that many ideas for stages, and playing other people’s stages wasn’t always that much fun, so my enjoyment was a bit limited.

7 - Vs. Super Mario Bros.

While this is the arcade version of the original SMB, I think it’s different enough to stand on its own. It’s much more difficult, and shares several stages with The Lost Levels, placing it somewhere in between. As such, it’s not as balanced as the original SMB, but I enjoy it as a pure arcade experience.

6 - Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

This one still feels a little weird, but it’s also more faithful to the spirit of the main Super Mario Bros games. It’s filled with creativity and surprises, and even allows you to play each area in any order. A great game, and a huge improvement over the original.

5 - New Super Mario Bros. U + New Super Luigi U

This is more like it. Finally, the “New” series feels somewhat inspired. It still doesn’t quite top the originals, but it’s a good attempt.

New Super Luigi U (which was included with my copy) follows The Lost Levels’ mentality of design, but even that’s done right. The levels are challenging, but short.

Overall, an excellent game.

4 - Super Mario World

This may sound quaint now, but I still remember playing Super Mario World for the first time and thinking, “I’m playing a 16-bit Mario game!” While not the most graphically impressive 16-bit game of its time, it still felt like a significant step up from every previous Mario game.

It’s also the first game in the series to truly shed its arcade-style roots, and gives players much more opportunity to explore. The idea of “Dinosaur Land” was also a new twist. It feels like a true adventure.

3 - Super Mario Bros. 2/USA

Given that this was not originally a Mario game, and its gameplay is completely different than anything else in the series, trying to figure out where to rank it nearly sent me into a doki doki panic.

But regardless of its origins, it’s a great platform game in its own right, and I’ve come to appreciate it because it’s unique. It had its own influence on the series going forward, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s earned its place as a true Mario game.

2 - Super Mario Bros.

I’m sure my nostalgia plays a big part here, but it’s hard to top the purity of the original SMB. It left a huge impression on me back then, and no matter how many times I’ve played it, I feel like I can always go back and still enjoy it. It’s a real “comfort food” game, which is how I’ve come to think of this series now.

1 - Super Mario Bros. 3

Despite being preceded by two other separate sequels, this feels like the true follow-up to the original Super Mario Bros. It evolves the original design to its full potential, and every future iteration, from World and 6 Golden Coins to the “New” series, is built on top of this.

Again, I’m sure my nostalgia plays a part here, but the excitement and sense of wonder I felt about SMB3 back then has never been topped by any other 2D SMB game.

[nocturnal YL]

I'd actually suggest moving general rankings to a separate topic. I plan to do those too, and I'm thinking about putting my rankings into a single list. My ranking pics (1, 2) have been getting bigger, and I've been wanting to cover more than just Switch games, so I think a sortable table hosted online would be a better pick.

As of this writing, I'm in the middle of editing it, but here's the link:

cloud.seatable.io/dtable/external-links/custom/game-rank/

[Nester the Lark]

The reason I posted it here is because in the top post, I said we could make up our own rules. So, I decided that posting a list of 2D Super Mario games was simply setting the rule of "only includes 2D Super Mario games." (And I'm just ignoring the "Top 25" part.)

I don't know if I'll do more of these, or at least not right away. It started off as a personal challenge, but I don't necessarily feel the need to do a ranking of every game series I play.

I suppose I should at least update my Ys rankings, like I said I would do almost two years ago, but that wouldn't amount to anything more than simply adding Ys IX to the previous list. It could use better descriptions, though.

[nocturnal YL]

I haven't posted anything in the forums for quite a bit, so here's something.

I thought of making ranking lists of the games I've played. Coming up with a list for everything I've played would be a huge undertaking, so I thought of either doing per-series lists or a per-system lists. Per-system lists would be difficult to make since I'd have to consider multiple games I played decades ago, but the same can be said for per-series lists since I've already covered all Switch games. I think I'll do both depending on my mood.

This time, it's going to be Mario Kart.

My Mario Kart Rankings

This is a ranking of all Mario Kart games I've played. Coincidentally, it includes all main Mario Kart games and none of the spinoffs. I actually haven't played the Mario Kart Arcade GP series (those are children's arcade games, would feel weird if I'm playing), and I also don't have Mario Kart Live and Mario Kart Tour.

8 — Super Mario Kart

Between the weird physics, the extremely unfair CPU players (who have their own exclusive items which they won't stop spamming), the weird 5-courses-per-cup layout and the incredibly difficult Rainbow Road, it's no wonder that this game sits at the bottom. If I want to race on the SNES, I'll just play the original F-ZERO.

I like the Koopa Beach courses though. Especially Koopa Beach 1. Let those CPU fools run normally; I'm going to abuse its lack of barrier in the middle and finish it in seconds. I like the Koopa Beach theme too.

7 — Mario Kart: Super Circuit

Super Circuit has some of the more interesting course designs. Ribbon Road has unique aesthetics not seen in Mario spinoffs, Yoshi Desert has an interesting premise and fun music, and it has a pretty good Rainbow Road design. Too bad about its completely botched physics. Game physics has never been a strong point for INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS. And while the Extra courses from the SNES game are nice to have, for some inexplicable reason they all come without any interactivity, retaining just the basic course layout, which make them feel really boring.

6 — Mario Kart 64

Mario Kart 64 is a short game that's good for some good local multiplayer action. As with the other early Mario Kart titles, its single-player offering is limited to Grand Prix and Time Trials. And the physics aren't exactly good; turning around sharply can lead to spinouts, and the tumbling animations take way too long. Good luck if you fall off-course in Yoshi Valley, Rainbow Road or Skyscraper. It's still a big step up from Super Mario Kart, and is quite good by 1997 standards.

5 — Mario Kart 7

As a product of the late Wii era, Mario Kart 7 is essentially a mini Mario Kart Wii. The Wii aesthetics are present in this game too, and there are two Wuhu Island courses. Normally these are nice extras, but Mario Kart 7 only has 16 new courses, and Wuhu Island took 2 of them, meaning that there are only 14 Mario-themed new courses.

The good thing is, the actual course design in this game is actually pretty good. It features courses like Wario Shipyard, Neo Bowser City, Piranha Plant Slide, Shy Guy Bazaar and more, and it has an excellent Rainbow Road design. The returning courses are a mixed bag, but it does bring us DS Airship Fortress and Wii Koopa Cape. Overall a solid game.

4 — Mario Kart Vista Wii

Aesthetically, it looks like a graphically bland game. Everything looks so unsaturated and a lot of courses have dirt terrains. Between this game and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Wii felt like a kid who wants to look grown up, adopting half-realistic, greyish graphics despite having 480i/480p output.

The course design is alright, with a lot of the emphasis placed on difficulty rather than gimmicks, except for Mushroom Gorge, Toad's Factory, Moonview Highway and, to a lesser extent, Wario's Gold Mine. This is good, since if you're playing with the Wii Wheel, you're already struggling with the controls. For some reason, the traditional controls differ from that of Double Dash, making switching between both games awkward.

It's also the start of Mario Kart featuring difficult unlock criteria that make casual players like me unable to unlock everything. In this case, Mii B (unlock all expert staff ghosts) is out of my reach.

3 — Mario Kart DS

This game features a very large gap between CPU skills and human skills. Any decent attempt at playing the game shouldn't result in anything less than a gold cup and rank ★, but playing it against humans is impossibly hard, as Mario Kart DS has a very high skill ceiling.

I do like the sound design and course design, as well as Mission Mode and the introduction of Battle Mode against CPU players. It's a very good time killer; just don't let your friends see you playing and definitely don't accept their challenges.

2 — Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)

When I got this game, I actually felt a bit cheated. When the Mario Kart 8 DLC was announced, I thought of waiting for a possible complete version that includes everything, so I delayed my purchase. Later on, as the Wii U catalog was winding down, I decided to get the game, only to see Nintendo Switch announced a few months later. It's still distinct enough from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe though, with the single-item system and coloured mini-maps unique to the Wii U version. (Also having racing courses in Battle Mode, but who asked for those?)

Not only does Mario Kart 8 feature pleasing course design that's absolutely filled with details like ads referring to other courses, it also gave us significantly upgraded versions of old courses, most significantly GBA Ribbon Road in the DLC. The overall experience feels fresh, with the single-item system making the race less chaotic and more skill-based, and 200cc actually making use of the brake function.

Anti-gravity didn't change much, though. Since the camera moves with the kart, the overall effect is minimal besides on the walls of Toad Harbour and N64 Toad's Turnpike.

1 — Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

Ooh, I had a lot of fun with this one. The music, very chaotic items in Luigi Circuit and Baby Park, shortcuts that are easy to miss in chaos, challenging-but-not-too-hard Special Cup courses, the optional 2-player action, and Bob-omb Blast being the best VS Mode I've seen all make for the best Mario Kart I've ever played, bar none.

If there's one feature I want to see in a future Mario Kart game, it'd be free-for-all Bob-omb Blast, with CPU-controlled players and other modern changes added, on Luigi's Mansion or Tilt-a-Kart. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe almost got that right.

It also has saturated graphics with everything-has-eyes design, giving it a strong identity, although this is something all Mario Kart games have. Mario Kart 8 looks futuristic, Mario Kart DS features SMB3 blocks and DS graphics, and so on.

Mushroom City, Wario Colosseum, Bowser's Castle and Rainbow Road are some of my favourite courses. These are also the ones that have yet to return as of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.



Overall ranking: LINK HERE
(Unrelated: Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists has its score raised a bit due to my newfound appreciation of its DLC)

[Nester the Lark]

I've never been a big Mario Kart fan. I bought Super Mario Kart when it came out, and I played it a lot, but I never liked it as much as F-Zero. It was slow, and the controls always felt too slippery.

I rented Mario Kart 64 once, but like a lot of N64 games, it seemed more focused on multiplayer without leaving much for the single-player experience, so it didn't hook me.

I bought Mario Kart DS on a whim. At the time, reviews were saying it was the best in the series, so it was kind of the "last chance" I gave the series. I think I enjoyed it most, and I remember playing it a good bit, but it still didn't make me a fan. In fact, I keep forgetting I own it haha.

Aside from that, I've played some of the arcade games a couple of times. They're fun arcade racers, but don't feel much like Mario Kart.

[nocturnal YL]

I've been thinking about what to do next here. I have a few in mind: 2D Mario, 3D Mario, main series Kirby, Kirby spinoffs, maybe something I don't talk about often, like the Dreamcast games?

This time, I'm going to talk about Konami games, and it turns out there aren't a lot that I played.

Parodius series:

#4 — Sexy Parodius

The final proper entry of the series, and a bit of a disappointment to me. This entry has raised its difficulty ceiling and introduced missions and branched paths, which is something I think Parodius doesn't need. Previous games did not have interruptive stage transition at all, so it looks a bit weird here. The branched paths means the player needs to play this game twice to see everything.

#3 — Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius

This entry has an optional live commentary feature, which is quite impressive on Super Famicom. The stages are more obviously Konami-themed, which entire stages themed after specific games like Tokimeki Memorial and TwinBee. I think the overall stage themes and music feel weaker than the earlier entries, and those are what makes Parodius memorable, which also means I like the earlier games better.

#2 — Parodius Da!

The second entry of the series, and is relatively unremarkable. Being the first I played, it had that surprise factor for what a shooting game can be, and it has impressive music.

#1 — Gokujō Parodius

It's essentially a higher quality version of the previous game. None of the Parodius games are fundamentally different from each other, so it mostly comes down to how much do I like the stages.

I have not played the original MSX game in any form.

Bomberman series:

#9 — Bomberman 64 (Baku Bomberman)

As I mentioned before, approaching this game without knowing its nature did me no favour. This game should have done more to make the puzzle solutions obvious, considering that this isn't what Bomberman is known for.

#8 — Saturn Bomberman Fight!!

The other Saturn Bomberman is fun for a few rounds, and then it started to feel repetitive. It also had full voice acting, which was impressive for a Saturn game, but it also felt like a drag.

#7 — Super Bomberman 4

Maybe it's just me, but the ledge/pit system was quite confusing to me. I have lost quite a few times because I didn't know I couldn't walk too close to the edge; that's contrary to what I learned from the previous Bomberman games. There is also the confusing punch system, with one powerful letting Bomberman punch bombs and another that lets him punch opponents. And it has a rather weak story mode and feels like a reskinned Super Bomberman 3 overall.

#6 — Bomberman Hero

A 3D platformer on Nintendo 64 that's originally intended to be a Bonk game until someone in HUDSON SOFT thought Bomberman is more marketable. It feels weird in its own way, being a single-player-only game where Bomberman can jump rather high and relies on fighting prowess over puzzle solving, essentially making it the exact opposite of Bomberman 64. It has an incredibly clichéd story.

#5 — Bomberman Blast

No, not the WiiWare game. The full, disc-based version that only came out in Japan which has a story mode where Bomberman rescues a bunch of Miis. In this game, newer mechanics like the shield from DS and open areas without hard blocks return, although I never liked the latter. I always thought the cross-shaped explosions are a result of the grid structure of the arena, so removing the hard blocks would make the explosions feel unnatural. The CPU players are a lot smarter in this game.

#4 — Super Bomberman 2

Super Bomberman 2 was made by a differnet team from the one that made the rest of the Super Famicom games, and it shows. The graphics, music, single player structure are all very different, and the famously bad CPUs in the series is even worse here. You can set the CPU level to 9, start the game and not touch anything, and you'll win. The single player, on the other hand, is quite frustrating, with fast-moving enemies, unfair traps and Bomberman starts with 1 Fire instead of 2.

#3 — Super Bomberman 3

It's quite a big leap from Super Bomberman 2. It's the least remarkable of the Super Bomberman games, which is good because it also means there really isn't anything that I don't like besides a few Battle Mode stages.

#2 — Super Bomberman 5

The final game in the Super series (not R) is a throwback to the first 4 games, with a story mode that involves the stages in the previous games. It also has a Config Battle mode, which lets the player sets things like which powerups appear in a custom match. It's also the only game in the Super series to use save RAM (the previous games were so short that they just used a password system), with enough stages to make full completion require more than an hour even with TAS.

#1 — Saturn Bomberman

Bomberman with a reasonable difficulty (okay, maybe a bit too easy, but it's consistent), FMV-powered story, Master Mode (a high score-oriented 1-player mode with 20 stages) and 10-player support, featuring other HUDSON SOFT characters like Master Higgins and Manjimaru. It has a joyful soundtrack and an overall atmosphere that feels more casual than the Super Bomberman series.

I've also played Bomberman (Nintendo DS) and Pocket Bomberman, but haven't got far into either. They'd have scored rather low from what I've played.

Others:

Konami Krazy Racers

Between Konami Wai Wai World and Parodius, old Konami had quite a lot of experience with crossovers. Konami Krazy Racers is a conceptual continuation of Konami Wai Wai World, being a crossover racer featuring Power Pros, Metal Gear Solid, TwinBee, Parodius, Pop'n Music, Goemon, Castlevania and Rakugakids. It has a ranked license mode (a short set of challenges) and features stable physics relative to Mario Kart: Super Circuit, but its lack of stage variations (16 courses with 8 themes) and rather bad item system means it's no match for its later-released Mario Kart counterpart.

Contra III: The Alien Wars

Run-and-gun game with good music and nice gameplay variation. I like the desolate feel of Stage 3.



Against other games, these Konami games rank relativelylow, mostly because they're arcade-style games without much replayability. I like them, but my engagement with these games is limited.

Overall ranking: cloud.seatable.io/dtable/external-links/custom/game-rank/

[nocturnal YL]

Haven't posted anything substantial here for a while. Actually, I think the post above this was my last long post. So while I wait for my gameplay videos get copied (my HDMI recorder works with SD cards without a PC, and I use a 64GB card, which stores about 4 hours of footage), here's my 3D Mario rankings:

#8 — Super Mario Sunshine

If you remember some of my previous posts, you may recall that I'm not a fan of Sunshine. Between the awkward camera, the rigid game structure contrasting Sunshine's presentation as an exploration game, and the absurd difficulty (you have to fight the game's physics, the camera and the actual level design at the same time, and there are a lot of one-hit wonder scenarios), it shouldn't be a surprise that it's at the very bottom of this list.

#7 — Super Mario 64 DS

Long story short, putting a Nintendo 64 game on Nintendo DS doesn't work. To the game's credit, it's a complete remake with its own physics and mechanics, but in that case they really shouldn't use the Mario 64 course data, and instead make it its own game.

Some people say its biggest flaw is the 2D controls, but the touch screen does make up for it to an extent. Rather, I'd say the biggest problem is the updated graphics. Mario has gone through some model update on GameCube, and it's those GameCube models that get backported to the DS, with a much lower polygon count and none of the N64's filters to make the low-quality models look bearable.

In terms of graphical style and power, Nintendo DS is a lot closer to PS1 than N64 (and, like PS1, is really more suited for 2D games). Putting N64 games on it wouldn't be a good idea. There were several N64 games that got remade on 3DS, and it's a shame that Mario 64 didn't get one there instead.

I do really like the addition of the other playable characters, though. Finding out how much Luigi trivialises the game is part of the fun.

#6 — Super Mario 3D Land

This is the result of overselling the 3D capability of the 3DS screen. Look, if you point the camera sideways rather than top-down, you get a 2D platformer camera, and that doesn't work in 3D. Stereoscopic 3D doesn't change that, and you're still just as prone to accidentally walk too close or too far from the screen in courses with narrow paths. 3D Land even includes quite a lot of tightrope walking, which doesn't help the situation at all.

The stereoscopic 3D of the 3DS screen shouldn't be anything more than eye candy. If you're going to do 3D, approach it like a normal 3D game and don't rely on the extra depth perception the player may get.

#5 — Super Mario Odyssey

Outside of the challenge subareas, it's more of an action adventure game with platformer control than being a true platformer. It's fun in the sense that games about travelling to new, fantasy worlds are fun, but I just prefer linear Mario games with replayable courses.

This game is also way too short. It has just 17 kingdoms (and only 13 of them are larger than simple hubs for boss battles and subareas), and the 880 moons sounds like a lot on paper, but they get exhausted very quickly and don't feel nearly as rewarding as the stars in Galaxy or even the green stars in 3D World.

#4 — Super Mario 64

This games wins by being an early 3D platformer, and it really captures the player's imagination with its 3D courses. They feel like big, abstract playgrounds inviting Mario to freely roam in.

Being a child unfamiliar with 3D platformers (it still is the case now, if my unpolished 3D World and Odyssey gameplay is indicative), Mario 64 took my father and me more than a month to finish, and on some days we didn't get any new star. The long play time made us look forward to the next set of courses to be unlocked, like it's some major revelation. Beating Bowser in the Fire Sea and revealing courses 10 to 13 all at once is really satisfying.

For a long while, it was one of the best 3D platformers I've played, with only the first Banjo-Kazooie besting it in quality. I knew it would be overtaken eventually, but to my surprise, it didn't happen until more than 10 years later.

#3 — Super Mario Galaxy

Mario in space! This alone makes it one of the best Mario games I've seen. The vast feeling brought by the space theme and the music made this an instant hit for me. The courses are actually rather small and straightforward, but it doesn't really matter when it feels like a big adventure spanning across large areas in the vastness of space. (Not real-life space, of course; that'd be boring.) A good example would be Sweet Sweet Galaxy.

There are a few things I think can be improved: the Luigi portion being its own separate part and the player has to play through the whole game again; the game's structure is too much like Mario 64 (6 stars per galaxy, domes in Galaxy parallel floors in 64, and so on); and going to a particular galaxy is time consuming (I have to check which dome it's in, go to that dome, and select it). All of these would be changed in Galaxy 2.

Freezeflame Galaxy stood out for me as its purple coin mission took me a long time to figure out. There is one point when I have to look backward to find 2 coins. There's also the bone pen, which gave me quite a hard time. Luigi's Purple Coins, on the other hand, is overrated. You'll be fine as long as you plan ahead.

#2 — Super Mario 3D World

It's just 3D Land but on Wii U? Wrong. Look at that high-quality textures. Try walking on the shiny parts of the world; it actually feels like walking on glass. Look at the courses. Listen to them. This game has a ridiculously high audiovisual quality.

That, and navigating the courses is generally a lot easier here than in 3D Land. You no longer have to worry about accidentally walking off-course when you can just use the D-pad in the narrow sections, and Mario's movement is automatically course-corrected to the orthogonal directions anyways. Some people complain about it, but given how rectangular the courses look, implementing this is the correct thing to do.

And that's pretty much it. Courses that look absolutely gorgeous and much better character control than 3D Land. That, and the slightly more creative terrain types like circus, savanna, blue lava, Super Mario Kart and generic east Asian castle in the eyes of westerners as interpreted by Japanese course designers. Nothing special to talk about, just the sheer quality making it one of my favourite Mario games.

#1 — Super Mario Galaxy 2

Galaxy is back, and with it comes a lot of other courses. Some think it's not as good as the first game because it's less space-like, and I do agree on that front. If Galaxy 2 is the only Galaxy game, it'd feel like something is missing.

But as a supplement to Galaxy 1, it does its job really, really well. Whereas Galaxy 1 is serious and sombre, Galaxy 2 is energetic and casual, thanks to its sky motif and upbeat music that did away with the outer space feel. It feels like after the high-tension battles of Galaxy 1, Mario is sent back in time with everything undone, and given a much more relaxed second chance as some sort of reward.

Mechanically, I like what is changed from Galaxy 1. The changes are subtle, but Galaxy 2 feels more well-balanced, especially when it comes to water movement, which in Galaxy 1 is broken for Mario but a huge hindrance for Luigi. I also like the course selection and overall game structure in Galaxy 2. Whereas I struggle to quickly find a particular galaxy in Galaxy 1, I can easily remember which galaxy belong to which world in Galaxy 2.

My favourite individual galaxy is Slimy Spring Galaxy, a very humid cave that Mario swims through to find Captain Toad at the end. It's very relaxing, and the scene at the end is beautiful (although having Captain Toad at the end ruined it a bit, since his theme music doesn't fit here). Other highlights include Throwback Galaxy, Cloudy Court Galaxy, Freezy Flake Galaxy and Fleet Glide Galaxy.

There are things I don't like about Galaxy 2, though, mainly the existnece of a death counter (which also applies to Galaxy 1, 3D Land and 3D World), and Stone Cyclone Galaxy Green Star 1, which took me dozens of attempts to get and, for me personally, ranks above The Perfect Run in difficulty.