Nintendo Power August 2008 Best of the Best

[Luigison]

BEST OF THE BEST

NES
1. Legend of Zelda
2. Super Mario Bros. 3
3. Mega Man 2
4. Super Mario Bros.
5. Metroid
6. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out
7. Contra
8. Super Mario Bros. 2
9. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
10. Ninja Gaiden
11. Mega Man 3
12. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
13. DuckTales
14. Castlevania
15. Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
16. Maniac Mansion
17. Bionic Commando
18. Dragon Warrior IV
19. Final Fantasy
20. Kid Icarus

Game Boy
1. Tetris DX
2. Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
3. Pokemon Red/Blue
4. Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
5. Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
6. Pokemon Gold/Silver
7. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
8. Donkey Kong
9. Wario Land 3
10. Kirby's Dream Land 2
11. Metal Gear Solid
12. Metroid II: Return of Samus
13. Pokemon Puzzle Challenge
14. Mega Man V
15. TMNT: Fall of the Foot Clan
16. Mario's Picross
17. Dr. Mario
18. Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters
19. Shantae
20. Operation C

SNES
1. Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
2. Super Mario World
3. Final Fantasy III
4. Super Metroid
5. Chrono Trigger
6. Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting
7. Contra III: The Alien Wars
8. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
9. Super Mario Kart
10. Super Castlevania IV
11. Mega Man X
12. Actraiser
13. TMNT IV: Turtles in Time
14. Super Punch-Out
15. Secret of Mana
16. Final Fantasy II
17. F-Zero
18. Axelay
19. Earthworm Jim
20. Pilotwings

N64
1. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
2. Super Mario 64
3. Mario Kart 64
4. Goldeneye 007
5. Star Fox 64
6. Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
7. WWF No Mercy
8. Jet Force Gemini
9. Wave Race 64
10. Conker's Bad Fur Day
11. F-Zero X
12. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
13. Paper Mario
14. Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber
15. Super Smash Bros.
16. Rayman 2: The Great Escape
17. Mario Golf
18. Rocket: Robot on Wheels
19. Pokemon Snap
20. Blast Corps

Game Boy Advance
1. Metroid: Zero Mission
2. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
3. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
4. Astro Boy: Omega Factor
5. Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap
6. WarioWare Inc.: Mega Microgames
7. Gunstar Super Heroes
8. Drill Dozer
9. Metroid Fusion
10. Advance Wars
11. Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire
12. Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
13. Golden Sun
14. Mega Man & Bass
15. Fire Emblem
16. Mega Man Zero 2
17. Golden Sun: The Lost Age
18. Mario Golf: Advance Tour
19. Mario vs. Donkey Kong
20. Wario Land 4

GameCube
1. Resident Evil 4
2. Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
3. Super Smash Bros. Melee
4. Metroid Prime
5. Soul Calibur II
6. Super Mario Sunshine
7. Pikmin
8. Paper Mario: TTYD
9. Resident Evil
10. Viewtiful Joe
11. Beyond Good & Evil
12. Mario Kart: Double Dash
13. Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg
14. Luigi's Mansion
15. Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes
16. Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
17. Skies of Arcadia Legends
18. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
19. Animal Crossing
20. Super Monkey Ball

DS
1. Elite Beat Agents
2. New Super Mario Bros.
3. Mario Kart DS
4. The World Ends With You
5. Tetris DS
6. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
7. Contra 4
8. Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
9. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Justice For All
10. Sonic Rush Adventure
11. Trauma Center: Under the Knife
12. Professor Layton
13. Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
14. Advance Wars: Dual Strike
15. Pokemon Diamond/Pearl
16. Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword
17. WarioWare: Touched
18. Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
19. Animal Crossing: World World
20. Cooking Mama

Wii
1. Super Mario Galaxy
2. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
3. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
4. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
5. Mario Kart Wii
6. Nights: Journey of Dreams
7. Zack & Wiki
8. Wii Sports
9. No More Heroes
10. Super Paper Mario
11. Resident Evil: UC
12. WarioWare: Smooth Moves
13. Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
14. Sonic and the Secret Rings
15. Boom Blox
16. Bully: Scholarship Edition
17. Okami
18. Wii Fit
19. Trauma Center: New Blood
20. Guitar Hero III

Source:  NeoGAF.com

[CrossEyed7]

I know I'm a Nintendo heretic for saying this, but I wouldn't have put the pre-Wind Waker Zeldas so high. They were all great when they came out, but I don't think any of them have aged nearly as well as their contemporary Marios. I guess it depends on how you define a good game. But I definitely agree with TWEWY as #4 on the DS.

[ShadowBrain]

So they just decided to... spontaneously do a "Best Games Ever" list? 'K...

[Luigison]

It's the 20th anniversary issue.

[ShadowBrain]

Oh, yeah, that.

[bobman37]

DuckTales? Maniac Mansion? Seriously? I have those games and didn't like them very much. But I was pretty young.

I would also have to disagree with Metroid: Zero Mission being at the top of the GBA list. I didn't like that game much, either. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance wasn't even on that list. Also, I don't think Astro Boy: Omega Factor should have been so high. I played it, it was fun, but not #4 Best Ever fun.

[Glorb]

I'm sorry, I must have too much wax in my ears...did you say "didn't like very much" in connection with Maniac Mansion and DuckTales?!

[Lizard Dude]

Actually these lists are pretty awesome. EBA as #1 DS game? I'll allow it! Zero Mission as #1 GBA? These guys know what they're talking about! Astro Boy: Omega Factor deserves higher, though. :)

EDIT: Upon further review, this list has two disturbing omissions: Perfect Dark and Kirby Canvas Curse.

[MaxVance]

Kirby Super Star doesn't appear on the SNES list. How could they forget that?

[Chupperson Weird]

Final Fantasy VI higher than Chrono Trigger? Never!

Surprisingly however, these lists are actually somewhat accurate. Also, Mega Man Zero 2 needs to be way higher on GBA.

[BP]

Are people who speak English and get employed by Nintendo in some way, directly or not, simply not allowed to know that Super Mario RPG and EarthBound exist?

Edit: Also Justice for All but neither or the other two Phoenix Wright games O_o_O_o_O

[Glitchy]

Why is it for nearly all systems (With the Wii as an exception) have a LOZ game as #1 and a Mario game as #2? Kind of odd...Especially for the NES. (I've played both SMB and LOZ for awhile and I know for sure that SMB is better than LOZ, but thats just my opinion.)

[penguinwizard]

Alright, let's see, my thoughts...

- Don't see why Super Mario Bros. 2 is so iconic, other than being so different from the other Mario Bros., bringing us Birdo and Shy Guys and Sub-Con. And a TV show.
- Kid Icarus at 20 for NES? I thought Nintendo pretended that game didn't exist?
- Why wasn't Bubble Bobble on that list?
- I've never played Tetris DX, but I think the original Tetris is better known than Tetris DX was.
- Hmm, didn't know Metal Gear Solid was for Game Boy.
- The only Pokemon Puzzle Challenge I know of is "Tetris Attack", and I'll continue to support that game instead of some Pokemon version. The voices in Tetris Attack may be annoying, but it left a big first impression.
- Super Mario Land 2, Donkey Kong, Wario Land 3, Kirby's Dream Land 2... all excellent games. But while SML2 may have been amazing for its time, I now find it easy and lacking compared to the more refined and fun Wario Land series. But heck, Wario Land 1 was known as Super Mario Land 3, so that's to be expected. I'd agree, Wario Land 3 was the best of its series. And for Kirby's Dream Land 2... Rick, Coo, and Kine were awesome.
- Ha, Mario's Picross is on the Game Boy list! Totally should have brought it back sooner, Nintendo.
- Er, I'd play SMW2 over Contra in a heartbeat. 8th place just seems too low for the best game Yoshi ever had.
- You're darn right Secret of Mana's on that list. Bring it to Virtual Console, Nintendo!
- Where's EarthBound? Where's Star Fox? *sniff*
- N64 list fails if Banjo-Kazooie's not on it. Jet Force Gemini gets on there but not Banjo-Kazooie? Pff.
- My gosh! Nintendo admitted Conker's Bad Fur Day exists! They had absolutely no coverage of it back when it was new. They covered Shadowman but not this. Wonder how many Nintendo fans know about Conker's Bad Fur Day.
- N64 is almost back on the win list by mentioning Blast Corps.
- I'm not sure if Metroid: Zero Mission deserves the top spot for Game Boy Advance, but it was an amazing game. It's my #2 pick for GBA, I'm just surprised a Metroid title would take the top honor.
- Good to see Warioware Mega Microgames on there. That game's my #1 pick for GBA.
- I'd actually prefer to see Zelda: Twilight Princess also on GameCube just to see it take place above Wind Waker. Now, an article at Nintendojo defended Wind Waker, saying it was actually pretty good, a classic in its own right, despite all the hatred that goes towards it for its look and endless sailing and the painful fetch-the-Triforce-pieces-quest. But me, I just couldn't take the endless sailing after a while. I thought I got to the end, then I found I was at more like the middle.
- Resident Evil 1 above Beyond Good & Evil!? What the!? Fail, major fail, hatred seething forth. Granted, RE's a gorgeous remake of the first, but BG&E had better gameplay, probably better music, and characters you cared more about. My gut reaction is that they were only paying attention to the graphics. Even to this day they're amazing. But hey, that's why I played RE too, for the graphics.
- At least BG&E's on the list at all. The fact that it's above Mario Kart: Double Dash (a game I hated, but I know was very popular) amuses me.
- I'm sorry, wh-what? Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, below Luigi's Mansion? Below Billy Hatcher? I don't get it. Prince of Persia rocked, it should be right up next to BG&E, seriously.
- Elite Beat Agents #1 on DS. That just made my day. Truth.
- Despite Okami for Wii being considered an inferior port, and I've never played it, I'd complain endlessly about its low position anyway. But man am I entertained that it got above Guitar Hero III and... what's this? Above Wii Fit? Hahaha! But then I see "Bully" above it and my glee goes back down to the whimper.

And from what the others said here, yeah, why on earth is Kirby Super Star and Super Mario RPG nowhere on the SNES list?

[Chupperson Weird]

I guess we should organize a letter writing campaign going What The Heck, Nintendo?

[BP]

I don't think Reggie likes people. He doesn't like making them happy or listening to them when they're not. All he cares about is "taking names."