NL 10s – 20 Years of Critiques
Initially, although, some numbers and housekeeping.
The Stats
After eradicating re-releases and ports from the equation, Nintendo Life has given out 10/10 scores to 69 video games over 20 years. (Sure, sure, that is simply the quantity it occurs to be!) That averages to only below 3.5 ‘Excellent’ video games per 12 months.
Which may sound rather a lot, nevertheless it’s value remembering the sheer variety of critiques we have printed, together with migrations from the VC Critiques period and our newer Mini Evaluate format. Keep in mind, additionally, that Digital Console releases resulted in an inflow of 8-, 16-, and 64-bit classics, producing a clutch of ‘classic’ 10/10s early doorways. The location could also be 20, however we have lined practically half a century of video video games!
Digging into the backend, the information says we at the moment have…7,599 critiques within the archives. Blimey.
That averages to roughly one assessment a day. Each single day, for 20 years. Some years have been busier than others (we had a mind-boggling 609 go dwell in 2018, as an illustration), nevertheless it’s nonetheless fairly astonishing. An enormous shoutout and thanks to all NL workers and contributors, previous and current, who helped make the location what it’s from the mid-2000s proper to date.
The Royal ‘We’ & Different Misconceptions
Picture: Nintendo
For the Swap 2 technology, NL switched from utilizing first-person plural (‘we’) in critiques to the singular (‘I’), partly to assist treatment confusion for readers who weren’t conversant in the conference. “How will you give GAME X a 7 if you gave GAME Y a 9, and that is objectively higher?!” Erm, is it? Did I? That was a distinct individual… *checks notes* over a decade in the past.
Continuity is most popular, with one author tackling the identical sequence, as an illustration – one thing we endeavour to do at any time when potential. Regardless, a assessment cannot be something however the subjective opinion of the author, and a snapshot of their pondering on the time. That must be self-evident, however however, it appears to confuse lots of people! Likewise, it isn’t an editor’s job to arbitrarily push scores up or down in keeping with private desire or what ‘the location’ awarded the same recreation.
Some video games under may need you elevating an eyebrow, and a pair you won’t have even heard of. Simply bear in mind, if there’s one thing under that you simply would not give a ten…that is fantastic! In some circumstances, you will discover feedback from the unique reviewer exploring in the event that they nonetheless maintain the sport in such excessive esteem years after the very fact. (An enormous thanks to those that contributed!)
The Bar (What constitutes a ten/10 in 2026?)
Picture: Nintendo
In 2026, for us, it is elevating the style bar which makes for the best potential rating.
Executing completely and having ‘nothing flawed with it’ is not sufficient nowadays – there must be an ambition in a recreation’s design that pushes on the limits, that expands the likelihood house.
As an illustration, a sequel to a recreation we gave 10/10 years in the past would not robotically get one for being ‘higher’ by comparability. You will see a number of video games under that received re-released later and did not hit the identical excessive in a contemporary context. Video games evolve and the medium strikes ahead; one of the best examples should transcend merely refining what got here earlier than. In some trend, a ten ought to break new floor.
It is value remembering, too, that there actually isn’t any such factor as a ‘excellent’ recreation. Let’s remind ourselves of our present standards for awarding our highest rating, as communicated in our Scoring Coverage:
10/10 — OutstandingThe pinnacle of a given style on the time of launch, these titles elevate the bar in just about all essential classes. You possibly can make certain that a recreation awarded this rating has the best high quality presentation and expertly honed gameplay, but in addition breaks boundaries and pushes the {industry} ahead in a significant method.
Okay, sufficient preamble. Sufficient caveats. Sufficient signage to faucet when the feedback are available. Under is each online game Nintendo Life has awarded a ten/10 rating in its 20-year historical past, introduced in launch date order.
Observe. The place a number of variations of the identical title have gotten high marks — RE4, Hyperlink’s Awakening, BOTW, for instance — we have distilled them right into a single entry and famous the duplicates.
Let’s begin in the beginning and rejoice some exceptionally good video video games ‘we’ have had the pleasure of reviewing…
Each Sport NL Awarded 10/10 (2005-2025)
Mega Man 2 (NES)
Writer: Capcom / Developer: CapcomRelease Date: Jun 1989 (USA) / 14th Dec 1990 (UK/EU)We start with an all-timer, one of many best NES video games ever made.
“Mega Man 2 is a textbook instance of a sequel finished proper,” stated Philip J Reed, dearly departed buddy of the location who rated this one very extremely in his 2013 Digital Console assessment.
Constructing on the strengths of the primary recreation whereas refining the bits that did not work so nicely, whether or not this or its sequel is one of the best Mega Man recreation is a debate that can rage endlessly (and Mega Man X says hello), nevertheless it’s robust to disagree with Philip’s evaluation. That is an 8-bit masterpiece.
Tremendous Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
Writer: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo EADRelease Date: twelfth Feb 1990 (USA) / twenty ninth Aug 1991 (UK/EU)Out there On: Nintendo Swap OnlineWhat is there to say? It is the sport that tops our High 50 NES record, it is one of the best NES recreation on NSO, it is the jewel that’s Tremendous Mario Bros. 3.
Wondrous when it was first launched, it is a kind of uncommon ‘outdated’ video games that does not want caveats or a historical past lesson for any participant of any talent degree to understand and revel in in 2026. It is nonetheless, merely, excellent.
Together with varied VC releases and the GBA port (the snappily titled Tremendous Mario Advance 4: Tremendous Mario Bros. 3), we have had 4 critiques of this on the location through the years, every one a ten.
And eyebrows throughout the land remained completely horizontal. Maybe the subsequent one may show extra divisive?
Tremendous Mario World (SNES)
Writer: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo EADRelease Date: twenty third Aug 1991 (USA) / eleventh Apr 1992 (UK/EU)Out there On: Nintendo Swap OnlinePerhaps not. From one GOAT to a different, Tremendous Mario World is…nicely, it is Tremendous Mario World, is not it.
“I bear in mind studying the 96/100 scoring assessment in Challenge 112 of Laptop and Video Video games journal,” says our authentic reviewer Jamie O’Neill. “The sport was hyped as being particular proper from the Tremendous Famicom’s launch, so I went on a journey of saving for a PC Engine to purchasing a Mega Drive as a substitute, however I used to be satisfied to promote my Mega Drive to play Tremendous Mario World.”
As with its predecessor, time hasn’t dulled this, both. “Its Nintendo artistry feels much more particular now,” says Jamie, “to the purpose that I’ve a Tremendous Mario World cartridge completely slotted into my spare, authentic Sport Boy Advance, with 326 lives accrued on one save slot.”
The Legend of Zelda: A Hyperlink to the Previous (SNES)
Writer: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo EADRelease Date: thirteenth Apr 1992 (USA) / twenty fourth Sep 1992 (UK/EU)Out there On: Nintendo Swap OnlineI promise, there will likely be a few ‘Huh?’ moments, however this record, naturally, is propped up primarily by pillars of the medium.
The Legend of Zelda rolled out the blueprint, which Zelda II promptly rolled up and threw out the window. A Hyperlink to the Previous, true to its title, went again in time to the supply and laid the foundations for a quarter-century of the sequence.
Even after the transfer to 3D, Zelda III (as no one calls it) remained the one to observe, the one to beat. Poor Zelda IV by no means stood an opportunity…
The Legend of Zelda: Hyperlink’s Awakening (GB)
Writer: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo EADRelease Date: sixth Aug 1993 (USA) / 1st Dec 1993 (UK/EU)Hyperlink’s Awakening: “Maintain my beer.”
Hyperlink’s Awakening took its predecessor’s template and, remarkably, shrunk it all the way down to Sport Boy proportions with out diminishing the sequence’ scope or creativeness, throwing in some Lynchian spice to beautiful impact. “It could be troublesome to argue in opposition to The Legend of Zelda: Hyperlink’s Awakening being the head of gaming on the Sport Boy system,” Corbie Dillard stated in 2009. Tough, certainly.
This affecting little journey got here again colourised in DX type, too, gaining one other NL 10 within the course of – one thing that the Swap remake could not fairly handle. “The HD remake is charming, attractive, and pointless,” says Jacob Crites, our reviewer for the GBC model. “Hyperlink’s Awakening (and the colourised DX) stays a timeless, dreamy labour of affection, which first started as an after-hours undertaking by a handful of passionate Nintendo programmers.”
Okay, that is the basic Marios and Zeldas out of the way in which. Doubt there will be many extra of them exhibiting up down the road.
Tremendous Metroid (SNES)
Writer: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo R&D1Release Date: 18th Apr 1994 (USA) / twenty eighth Jul 1994 (UK/EU)Out there On: Nintendo Swap OnlineThe Alpha to Symphony of the Evening’s Omega, Tremendous Metroid — very similar to A Hyperlink to the Previous — took the weather of the 8-bit authentic and codified them right into a style.
The wall-jump timing could also be finickier than we would see from Nintendo at present, nevertheless it’s troublesome to seek out fault with this first-party masterpiece over three many years on. Numerous VC releases imply we have had a trio of Tremendous Metroid critiques through the years, all from totally different reviewers, all 10s.
Sure, every part seems to be so as. Shifting on.
EarthBound (SNES)
Writer: Nintendo / Developer: HAL LaboratoryRelease Date: 2nd Jun 1995 (USA) / 18th Jul 2013 (UK/EU)Out there On: Nintendo Swap OnlineA stunning journey from the thoughts of Shigesato Itoi, EarthBound left an indelible mark on a gaming technology who related with this RPG’s touching themes, surreal comedy, and modern-day setting.
“It stays an absolute must-play for any Nintendo fan,” stated Dave Frear in our 2016 retro assessment, and Europeans who missed out within the ’90s have fortunately been capable of catch up within the years since. Simply playable nowadays on NSO, take a look at Zion’s good video should you’re after a style of this recreation’s magic, and why it is so significant to so many.
Chrono Set off (SNES)
Writer: Sq. Enix / Developer: SquaresoftRelease Date: eleventh Aug 1995 (USA) / twentieth Could 2011 (UK/EU)Naturellement.
Greater than 30 years on and Squaresoft’s epic RPG has aged just like the best fermented grape juice. “Chrono Set off is, and can at all times be, some of the unforgettable RPG experiences ever to grace a online game console,” Corbie stated 15 years in the past. Fairly proper.
Tremendous Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island (SNES)
Writer: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo EADRelease Date: 4th Oct 1995 (USA) / sixth Oct 1995 (UK/EU)Out there On: Nintendo Swap OnlineMario’s again, though to be honest, it is a Mario recreation in title solely. Yoshi’s the star of this outstanding piece of software program, a recreation which introduced a pastel wonderland to life on 16-bit {hardware} in a manner by no means earlier than seen.
“If what Miyamoto and Tezuka crafted is not a murals, then the definition of ‘artwork’ must be amended,” stated Kaes Delgrego in our 2009 assessment.
The jury’s nonetheless out on Child Mario and his anxiety-inducing wails, however I feel we will all agree that Yoshi’s Island is certainly a murals.
Techniques Ogre: Let Us Cling Collectively (SNES)
Writer: Quest / Developer: QuestRelease Date: sixth Oct 1995 (JPN)”A real basic and an important endeavor for technique RPG veterans all over the place,” is how the stunning Gonçalo “Shiryu” Lopes described the sport in 2016. Does he really feel the identical a decade on?
“Being a late-generation Tremendous Famicom recreation, the pixel artwork alone rivalled next-generation 2D video games (in actual fact, it was re-released untouched on the PS1). However what actually impresses is the quantity of lore the plot brings to the desk. An incredible medieval fantasy world to discover, one tactical battle at a time.”
And would you continue to give it a ten at present, Shiryu? “Completely, sure.”
Pretty. For a minute there, I believed this record could be nothing however plumbers and elves in floppy hats, plus the occasional bounty hunter. Appears like we have lastly moved o—
Tremendous Mario 64 (N64)
Writer: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo EADRelease Date: twenty sixth Sep 1996 (USA) / 1st Mar 1997 (UK/EU)Out there On: NSO + Growth PackHmm. Effectively, sure. After all. Thoughts-blowing, genre-defining, industry-shaping, paradigm-shifting – you understand the drill.
It is Tremendous Mario 64’s thirtieth anniversary later this 12 months, so let’s not go utilizing up all the large phrases on it at present. We have from now till June to consider one thing new to say about it.
Within the meantime, have a take heed to the Dire Dire Docks theme and get a bit of misty-eyed on the reminiscences it conjures and the thrilling gaming frontier first explored on this recreation.
Terranigma (SNES)
Writer: Enix / Developer: QuintetRelease Date: nineteenth Dec 1996 (UK/EU)The final entry within the Gaia trilogy by no means launched in North America, which means that, for as soon as, it was American and never European avid gamers who missed out on a basic. Terranigma is an epic journey that rightly sits within the pantheon of nice SNES RPGs alongside your Chrono Triggers and your Remaining Fantasies and your Manas.
“There are truthfully only a few role-playing recreation experiences fairly as satisfying or engrossing,” wrote Corbie again in 2009.
Banjo-Kazooie (N64)
Writer: Nintendo / Developer: RareRelease Date: twenty ninth Jun 1998 (USA) / seventeenth Jul 1998 (UK/EU)Out there On: NSO + Growth PackA private favorite, this one. I respect that the light double entendres and goofy humour do not work for everybody, and the everyday digicam management caveats of the period apply, however it is a lovingly crafted slice of fairytale platforming perfection. It is received every part you might need from the style, warts and all, wrapped up in a superbly introduced package deal that does not outstay its welcome.
The acquainted and apparent Mario 64 comparisons do it a disservice, and praising one does not imply crapping on the opposite. They’re each wonderful video games, and Nintendo set an {industry} template, completely.
If, for some arbitrary list-or-podcast-related motive, I might solely select one 64-bit platformer to play forevermore, although, it could be Banjo.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
Writer: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo EADRelease Date: twenty third Nov 1998 (USA) / eleventh Dec 1998 (UK/EU)Out there On: NSO + Growth PackAnd there it’s. Each the N64 authentic and the 3DS remake received a ten/10 on this right here web site from Corbie and former editor Thomas Whitehead respectively.
This 12 months marks the fortieth anniversary of the Zelda sequence, so, as with Mario 64, let’s not scrape the barrel for warm new Ocarina takes at present, hmm? If you happen to’re studying this and have not ever performed it, to the N64 NSO app with you! (Ensure you use the correct pad, although.)
Ogre Battle 64: Individual of Lordly Caliber (N64)
Writer: Sq. Enix / Developer: QuestRelease Date: seventh Oct 2000 (USA) / twenty sixth Mar 2010 (UK/EU)Possessed of the best subtitle ever bestowed upon videogamekind — none of that ‘Origins’ or ‘Retribution’ garbage right here! — Ogre Battle 64 was a outstanding technique RPG on a system which lacked RPGs of virtually any stripe. “When essentially the most well-known one on the system is Quest 64, you understand issues are fairly dire,” says Marcel van Duyn now, who reviewed the sport for us again within the olden occasions (2010).
“An intriguing story of appreciable size with relatively deep tactical gameplay, it is nonetheless nicely value testing to at the present time.” With a subtitle of this calibre, you would be a 64-carat idiot to not.
Metroid Prime (GCN)
Writer: Nintendo / Developer: Retro StudiosRelease Date: 18th Nov 2002 (USA) / twenty first Mar 2003 (UK/EU)Prime 1 takes the prime spot in each its authentic and Remastered guises, the latter being “the definitive model of the studio’s magnum opus,” in keeping with our resident (evil) staffer Ollie Reynolds, who reviewed each the Swap remaster and the most recent sequence entry.
“Even eradicating the apparent nostalgia for me, Prime continues to be an extremely particular recreation. Exploring its distinctive biomes is a continuing pleasure, and in shifting over to a first-person perspective, Metroid by no means felt so immersive.”
SoulCalibur II (GCN)
Writer: Namco / Developer: NamcoRelease Date: twenty seventh Aug 2003 (USA) / twenty ninth Sep 2003 (UK/EU)Out there On: NSO + Growth Pack”It is going to destroy numerous trendy preventing video games for you,” stated PJ O’Reilly in his latest retro assessment of SoulCalibur II, and that is the one damaging he might give you. The GameCube launch was the one one to return with Hyperlink as a playable character, which made it the de facto finest model of Namco’s multiplatform fighter.
“I really like this recreation a lot, and spent a lot time with it when it launched that I used to be a bit of involved replaying, years later, that point would lastly have taken the shine off, nevertheless it’s as improbable as ever! SC2 simply has that particular preventing juju that at all times feels nice to leap into. Details.”
Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
Writer: Capcom / Developer: CapcomRelease Date: eleventh Jan 2005 (USA) / 18th Mar 2005 (UK/EU)”Within the TWENTY(!) years for the reason that launch of Resident Evil 4, the one recreation that may actually maintain a candle to its pioneering mix of motion and horror is its personal remake,” says Andi Hamilton, who reviewed the GC authentic again in 2005. “All the pieces modified after Resident Evil 4 and we’re nonetheless seeing video games influenced by it. It was the best 10 I might given again then and it is nonetheless a straightforward 10/10 proper now. Class by no means fades.”
And two years later, Push Sq. editor extraordinaire Sammy Barker put the Wii Version by means of its paces for us, handing out one other 10. Hey, Sammy, would you continue to give it high marks in a post-REM4KE world?
“Sure, I feel I’d,” Sammy hollers over the wall of our digital cubicle at Hookshot Towers. “It is an all-time basic that modified third-person shooters endlessly. And I really assume it is a uncommon instance of Wii controls bettering the gameplay.”
Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2 (DS)
Writer: Nintendo / Developer: iNiSRelease Date: seventeenth Could 2007 (JPN)It is Elite Beat Brokers+. Or Elite Beat Agent Redux. However probably not. The connection between the Japan-only Ouendan video games and EBA is appropriately unconventional; the one resolution is to play and revel in all of them, after all. Over to Marcel for his 2026 ideas:
“Nintendo was weirdly smitten by rhythm and music video games within the mid-2000s, bringing us not simply Donkey Konga, but in addition Rhythm Heaven, Band Brothers, Wii Music, and naturally, Ouendan. Ouendan 2 is a stellar successor to the primary title – it is completely loaded with content material, has loads of replay worth, a smashing number of catchy songs, a bunch of fully insane situations and extremely addictive gameplay.
“Elite Beat Brokers was a superb try and Westernise the sequence, however in my eyes Ouendan 2 stays the head. It is a disgrace we’ve not seen the sequence since, however on the very least its legacy endures to at the present time within the fan-made PC recreation Osu!.”
Tremendous Mario Galaxy (Wii)
Writer: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo EADRelease Date: twelfth Nov 2007 (USA) / sixteenth Nov 2007 (UK/EU)Sure, it is a 10 for Galaxy. Particularly, the Wii model, utilizing the controller it was designed for, with an correct infra-red pointer that does not want resetting each 30 seconds.
Nintendo Life founder, CEO, and overlord Anthony Dickens reviewed this a method again in 2007. Is Galaxy nonetheless a ten, Ant? “Powerful query. I discover the controls with Swap a bit janky (in comparison with the Wii distant).”
Ollie likewise discovered the controls a bit of finicky with the Swap model, and Ant “would not advocate it over Odyssey,” though, “if I had been nonetheless in 2007, then yeah, the ten was right. It set the bar.”
World of Goo (WiiWare)
Writer: 2D Boy / Developer: 2D BoyRelease Date: thirteenth Oct 2008 (USA) / nineteenth Dec 2008 (UK/EU)One other recreation which, nice as it’s on Swap, is hampered to a level by trendy gyro-based pointer controls slipping out of alignment each few seconds. Significantly, whereas they remove the opportunity of unintentionally selecting up your Christmas tree lights, the lack of the Sensor Bar was a large blow to pointer video games that required accuracy. The Wii’s infra-red authentic nonetheless feels unbelievable, although.
A part of the indie-game vanguard again within the late ’00s, Corbie awarded World of Goo high marks manner again within the WiiWare-World.com days (shoutouts to the devoted who bear in mind these), and 2D Boy’s mix of excellent, gooey puzzling, beautiful artwork and audio, and caustic, comical social commentary nonetheless holds up superbly. Particular 10 materials.
Metroid Prime Trilogy (Wii)
Writer: Nintendo / Developer: Retro StudiosRelease Date: twenty fourth Aug 2009 (USA) / 4th Sep 2009 (UK/EU)This Trilogy assortment left the bottom video games just about untouched, content-wise, however added widescreen help and Wiimote management choices, plus a couple of different bits and items. “The beefed-up visuals and agile controls make the expertise really feel new to old-comers,” stated Jon Wahlgren in NL’s 2009 assessment, “and the tight presentation is icing on an already scrumptious cake.” Yum.
Purists lamented some lacking water ripple and beam results, tweaks which stopped it being 100% definitive for some, however in a pre-Remastered world when the Prime sequence was certainly a trilogy, this was a shocking disc and considered one of Nintendo’s finest compilation releases.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (DS)
Writer: Nintendo / Developer: AlphaDreamRelease Date: 14th Sep 2009 (USA) / ninth Oct 2009 (UK/EU)Wrestling with Famous person Saga as one of the best Mario & Luigi recreation on our reader-ranked Mario RPG record, Bowser’s Inside Story is the one M&L to get the “Excellent” therapy from us, and considered one of solely two retail-released DS video games on this record.
Corbie summed it up thusly in 2009: “Bowser’s Inside Story is the form of recreation that can remind you why you like taking part in video video games within the first place and is definitely probably the greatest DS releases”.
New Tremendous Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
Writer: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo EADRelease Date: fifteenth Nov 2009 (USA) / twentieth Nov 2009 (UK/EU)Some folks turned their noses up at this department of the Tremendous Mario Bros. sequence from the start, and plenty of a participant raised on the highs of the 8- and 16-bit entries wasn’t impressed by the ‘New’ eras sterile polygons within the Wii-DS days. I get it. These incessant ‘wah’s is usually a bit a lot, and modern-day comparisons to Marvel’s expressive animation have solely hardened these criticisms.
It is simple to overlook, although, simply how well-received New Tremendous Mario Bros. Wii was, and Corbie, specifically, adored it. Bringing hectic party-style four-player to a Mario platformer for the primary time, it additionally incorporates an excellent single-player which received overshadowed within the multiplayer-focused advertising and marketing. You have to love that pink field, too.
Maybe it is too early for a reappraisal (give it one other decade for the nostalgia to actually hit with Mario’s ‘prequel-trilogy’ technology), however this was a novel, inventive, and dare I say underrated Mario recreation, if such a factor exists. If you happen to handed over it in 2009, give it one other look earlier than these costs shoot up.
That takes us to the top of the ’00s. Head to the subsequent web page to choose issues up within the 2010s…
Gavin first wrote for Nintendo Life in 2018 earlier than becoming a member of the location full-time the next 12 months, rising by means of the ranks to grow to be Editor. He can at the moment be discovered squashed beneath a Swap backlog the scale of Normandy.
