Nintendo Games

Rare's brilliantly odd N64 debut — pilot demolition vehicles to clear a path for a runaway nuclear missile carrier, destroying everything in its route across 57 stages using bulldozers, mechs, a dump truck, and a rocket cycle.

The third DKC entry — Dixie Kong and Baby Kiddy adventure through the Northern Kremisphere with water-heavy stages, multiple overworld paths, and Rare's signature pre-rendered 3D graphics.

Rare's N64 third-person shooter — Juno, Vela, and Lupus fight through insectoid armies to rescue enslaved Tribals across 13 planets in one of the N64's most visually impressive and ambitiously scaled games.

Rare's technically audacious port of the arcade fighter brings pre-rendered 3D character graphics and the signature Combo Breaker system to the SNES in a package that defied expectations for what 16-bit hardware could deliver. The game's roster of outlandish fighters — skeleton warriors, cyborgs, and a two-ton dinosaur — and its lengthy auto-combo chains gave it a distinct identity that set it apart from Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat contemporaries.

HAL Laboratory's superb Game Boy sequel introduces the beloved animal friends Rick, Kine, and Coo — a hamster, fish, and owl — who transform Kirby's copy abilities into entirely new forms depending on which companion he rides. The game's clever mechanic depth and consistently inventive level design make it one of the most feature-rich platformers on Nintendo's portable hardware, rewarding thorough players who seek out the Rainbow Drops needed to unlock the true final boss.

The debut of one of Nintendo's most beloved characters, Kirby's Dream Land introduced the pink puffball's signature inhale mechanic and charming aesthetic in a breezy platformer designed to be accessible to all ages. Short but delightful, it launched an enduring franchise.

The GBA remake of Kirby's Adventure — updated graphics, new minigames, and four-player capability made this the definitive classic Kirby experience on portable hardware.

The final and largest Mario Party game on Nintendo 64, Mario Party 3 added the Millennium Star story mode, a Duel mode for one-on-one competition, 70 new minigames, and six new boards. The most content-rich entry in the N64 Mario Party trilogy and a beloved N64 party game in its own right.

The party game that defined competitive friendship destruction. Mario Party's board game structure combined with 50 minigames created an entirely new genre. The N64 game that turns any gathering into a lively tournament, complete with Bowser stealing stars and the infamous stick-spinning mini-games.

The grand finale of the original NES series, Mega Man 6 introduces the Jet and Power Adapters that fuse Rush with Mega Man himself, enabling flight and super-strength in a game that ranks among the most mechanically refined entries on the platform. Capcom wrings every last drop of performance from the aging NES hardware, delivering tight controls, memorable robot masters, and a satisfying conclusion to one of the console's defining franchises.

The definitive digital adaptation of the Pokémon card game for Game Boy Color. Featuring 226 cards and a complete campaign against eight Club Masters, the Pokémon TCG GB introduced millions of players to the strategic depth of the physical card game in a format accessible without needing cards or an opponent.

Rare's port of Killer Instinct 2 to Nintendo 64, delivering the full arcade combo system to home consoles in 1996. With its distinctive roster of supernatural and mythological fighters, the Auto Doubles and manual combo system, and the series' trademark announcer calling each Ultra Combo, KI Gold was the fighting game showcase for early N64 owners.

The N64 launch title that showcased the console's 3D capabilities through flight simulation. Pilotwings 64 gave players free-roaming flight across Little States (a miniature America) using hang gliders, rocketbelts, biplanes, and skydiving equipment — a serene, technical achievement that remains one of the best launch titles in gaming history.

The Game Boy launch title that proved Mario could thrive on handheld hardware. Super Mario Land takes Mario to four exotic kingdoms — Sarasaland — in a globe-trotting adventure to rescue Princess Daisy. Shorter and quirkier than console Mario games, it was an essential early showcase for the Game Boy.

Hudson Soft's bold translation of Bomberman into 3D on the Nintendo 64. Bomberman 64 reinvented the series with a 3D platformer adventure mode featuring five worlds and memorable boss fights, alongside the traditional multiplayer battle mode. The pump mechanic — inflating bombs to increase blast radius — added a new strategic layer that made both modes feel distinct from every other Bomberman entry.

The first Dragon Quest sequel expanded the series to a three-character party system, added a larger world spanning multiple kingdoms, and raised the narrative stakes with a threat affecting multiple royal lineages. Dragon Warrior II is more ambitious than its predecessor in every dimension — larger world, more complex story, deeper combat — though also significantly more demanding.

Hudson Soft's 1987 action-RPG set in the world of Xanadu — Faxanadu (Famicom Xanadu) is a side-scrolling action-RPG hybrid where a warrior returns to the World Tree to find it under attack by Dwarves and must ascend through towns and dungeons seeking the elven king's wisdom. Platform action, experience-based leveling, magic words for save passwords, and a quest that takes 10+ hours.

The SNES follow-up with a hand-drawn crayon art style and five animal friends. Kirby's Dream Land 3's co-op mode and hidden objectives for each level — complete all to unlock the true final boss — made it a satisfying close to the Super Nintendo Kirby era.

The game that introduced Mario and Donkey Kong — a vertical platformer requiring players to climb girders, jump barrels, and rescue Pauline from a giant ape.

Nintendo's motocross racer was a launch title that showcased the NES's capabilities with smooth scrolling, physics-based racing, and a revolutionary track design mode.

The JRPG that built the template. Dragon Warrior (known as Dragon Quest in Japan) introduced North America to Yuji Horii's foundational 1986 RPG — a single hero's quest to defeat Dragonlord and rescue a kidnapped princess. With simple turn-based combat, numbered menus, and towns full of NPCs with hints, Dragon Warrior established every convention that Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, and decades of JRPGs built upon.

The F-Zero series' first GBA entry was also the launch title that demonstrated the handheld's graphical capabilities. F-Zero: Maximum Velocity delivered the Mode-7-style anti-gravity racing formula to a portable format with five leagues, ten courses, and the series' characteristic demanding speed. A strong GBA launch title and a legitimate entry in the F-Zero canon.

Samus travels to SR388 to exterminate the Metroid species — a game-changing narrative that introduced the Baby Metroid and directly set up Super Metroid's story.

Treasure's side-scrolling N64 platformer built an entire game around a single core mechanic — protagonist Marina Liteyears grabs, shakes, and throws enemies and environmental objects to solve puzzles and navigate levels — then introduced a new application of that mechanic in nearly every stage. Mischief Makers embodies the mechanic-per-level design philosophy that defines vintage Treasure craftsmanship, and its willingness to be a 2D game on a 3D console made it a genuine outlier in the N64 library.