Top 20 Nintendo Games More People Should Play

The first game in the little franchise that could, “Chibi-Robo! Plug Into Adventure!” follows the titular miniature robot. Chibi-Robo performs various everyday tasks around its family’s home, with 3D platforming gameplay. Although its offbeat premise centered around mundane chores and the gradual falloff of 3D platformers in general hurt its popularity, “Chibi-Robo!” has a decent cult following and got a few sequels. Everyone who gives it a chance will find a surprisingly heartfelt story, as well as some of the most charming sound design out there. Chibi-Robo’s every action has a musical cue - how great is that?!

Given that it was released on the Nintendo 64, where mascot Kart racing games reigned supreme, it’s easy to see how “Beetle Adventure Racing” went unnoticed by many gamers. A sort of hybrid between Kart racing and EA’s “Need for Speed” series, the game features all VW Beetles. Although generally realistic, there are also items found in crates, a battle mode, and some silly humor sprinkled throughout. Licensing issues make hopes for a sequel quite unlikely, but if you can track down the original, it’s worth racing to play it as fast as you can.

Outside of a few franchises, Nintendo RPGs don’t get much attention. This title from the GameCube is one of those forgotten gems. “Baten Kaitos” was ahead of its time in some ways. Its battle system utilizes magical cards, and card battlers are all the rage these days. Meanwhile, the player directly interacts with the characters, in a novel way of breaking the fourth wall. While “Baten Kaitos” did get a prequel, further plans for the franchise were put on hold. You may be familiar with Monolith Soft’s other big JRPG series though - “Xenoblade Chronicles!” And given the release of a remaster on the Switch and Steam, it’s easier than ever to discover “Baten Kaitos” for yourself.

M-rated Nintendo games are few and far between, so the few there are tend to get lost in the mix. “Geist” follows a scientist whose soul is removed from his body. By using possession, you can take control of people, animals, and objects in your quest to reunite the protagonist with his corporeal form. While aspects of it are admittedly clunky, the possession mechanic remains a unique and fun take on the usual formula found in most shooters. Each person, animal, and thing you take control of has a different set of moves and strengths. There’s even a chaotic multiplayer mode! “Geist” may not have stood “a ghost of a chance” when it was released, but it’s certainly worth “possessing.”

Rare developed many great games for Nintendo, but most people know them from their 3D platformers, or from “GoldenEye 007.” But the N64 also saw them release “Blast Corps,” a unique action puzzle game. In the game, you control various vehicles and robots which you must use to demolish everything in the path of a runaway vehicle carrying a nuclear missile. We can see why the chaotic gameplay and more intricate controls may have been off-putting for first time players back in the day. But “Blast Corps” is still, well, a blast!

In between making fat stacks of cash from “Pokémon” games, developer Game Freak also made a little game called “Drill Dozer.” And, it’s lowkey one of the best platformers on the GameBoy Advance. You play as Jill and pilot the titular drill machine in battles against a rival gang of thieves and the police. The way the drilling mechanic is used in countless platforming puzzles and boss fights is incredibly clever. Meanwhile, the dialogue and story are hilariously entertaining. And the soundtrack? Ooo, when that “3rd Gear” tune kicks in, this game is positively untouchable! “Drill Dozer” is just fun, whether you “know the drill,” or not.

We would’ve chosen any of the “Fire Emblem” games that have never been released outside Japan…if we’d actually played them. Sharing is caring Nintendo! As it is, “The Sacred Stones” is still fairly overlooked - we think it’s the lack of a “Smash Bros.” rep. The second GameBoy Advance “Fire Emblem” game contains the same familiar grid-based strategy combat, but makes some improvements in key areas, such as introducing multiple class promotions. It has a gripping story with twin protagonists out to reclaim their kingdom. With its large world map and surprising amount of post-game content, “The Sacred Stones” is fairly robust for a GBA title. You’d have to have a heart of stone not to enjoy “Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones.”

Of the longrunning Nintendo franchises, “Kid Icarus” is one of the most underrated. Developed by Masahiro Sakurai of “Smash Bros.” fame, “Uprising” transitions the angel Pit’s battles against Medusa to a shooter format, both on rails and in more freeform segments. While we’ll admit that the controls are…not great…the story and characters are fantastic, the gameplay is intense, and there’s even a multiplayer mode. Plus, if Nintendo were to port it to another console, that might help fix that one lingering issue with the control scheme. We still recommend everyone with a 3DS give it a try though.

Another overlooked game in Rare’s repertoire, “Jet Force Gemini” mixes 3rd-person sci-fi shooting with 3D platforming and exploration. With 3 different characters to play as and 15 worlds to explore, it’s positively packed with content. While you’d think Rare’s cute character designs would’ve helped it stand out among its peers, “Jet Force Gemini” sadly went overlooked compared to all the other space shooters at the time. Now though, several rereleases have given a new generation the opportunity to appreciate its forgotten greatness. And, pro-tip - just look up where to find those Tribals you can’t find. It’ll save you a lot of backtracking!

This futuristic racing franchise is pretty underrated in general. However, this GameCube entry is particularly underappreciated. “F-Zero GX” features an extensive roster of characters, and they wrote a theme song for each of them. They didn’t have to do that - nor did they have to go so hard with some of them! The blistering pace of the races and the hair-trigger reaction times required to win certainly take some getting used to, to the point where “F-Zero GX” has a reputation for being extremely difficult. However, for those in search of a challenge, start your engines and get looking for “GX.”

Side-scrolling platformers were a rarity on the N64, which may explain why “Mischief Makers” didn’t take off like it should have. The game follows robotic maid Marina on her quest to rescue her creator. Along with the usual jumping you’ll find in platforming games, most of “Mischief Makers” involves grabbing, throwing, and “shake-shaking” practically everything and everyone you encounter. It’s a simple mechanic and it leads to not only great puzzles, but also some action-packed combat. The weirdly creepy aesthetic, anime-inspired storyline, and dynamite soundtrack all help make “Mischief Makers” a game you should absolutely make the trouble to play.

The idea of Toad, out of all other Mario characters, getting his own game was something that divided gamers. What would you do with Toad to make a game interesting? Nintendo replied with this puzzle platformer where you can help the little guy locate gold stars while avoiding Shy Guys, Goombas, and Piranha Plants. While the game was well-received, but only sold a few hundred-thousand copies on launch. That’s what happens when you launch in the same season as a new “Smash Bros” game. With moderately challenging puzzles, beautiful scenery, and a charming personality, Captain Toad is an entertaining experience for all types of gamers.

Kirby may have retained his overloaded adorableness, but many gamers were unsure about this different direction. After getting trapped inside a world made of yarn, Kirby is stripped of his copy ability powers and must rely on a pre-determined set of abilities; jump, float, swim, throw enemies, unzip parts of the world, turn into a destructive robo-tank, you know, the usual Kirby stuff. Also, instead of lives and a health system, the game would never let you die, only lose beads. The game saw rave reviews, but since release, it has only sold two million copies. It may not be a traditional Kirby game, but don’t let that be the judge on the game’s enjoyable and calming experience.

From the outside, one could easily dismiss this as a Zelda knockoff, but “StarTropics” is truly something to behold. It is, perhaps, one of the most peculiar games on this list. Armed with a yo-yo, a young boy sets out to rid towns of evil monsters. Adding to the puzzle-solving, a letter was packaged with the cartridge. Once dipped in water, it would reveal codes that were crucial to progress. Since launch, we’ve only seen ports on Nintendo’s Virtual Console, along with it’s inclusion on the NES Classic Edition, We could only guess the launch of the SNES is what caused this title to slip under the radar.

From the folks over at Platinum Games comes this Wii U exclusive where players gather every day citizens to turn them into monster-bashing superheroes! Once you’ve gathered enough heroes, you can draw on the GamePad to make the league take the form of a weapon to solve puzzles or defeat enemies. With its gorgeous art style, ridiculous sense of humor, and challenging gameplay, “The Wonderful 101” proves to be a solid product on the Platinum Games portfolio. They could have stopped at the single-player campaign, but went the extra mile by letting us form a super team of our friends through five-player co-op. The learning curve may be steep, but the training is paid off in the long run.

If you enjoy puzzle games like “Tetris Attack” and “Puyo Pop”, then have we got a treasure for you! Inspired by a bizarre blend of “Missile Command”, “The Matrix”, and the “24” TV series, this game tasks players in matching three or more blocks of the same color in order to launch them off the screen and defeat their opponent. While the game managed to launch sequels, and win awards for its music and addictive gameplay, it only managed to sell just over 200,000 units. If this game hasn’t caught your attention, maybe this will; famed Smash Bros creator, Masahiro Sakurai, was the game’s lead designer. Take our money, Nintendo…again!

Nintendo published an M-rated horror game on the console that looks like a purple lunchbox?! Yes, and it was surprisingly excellent for a genre they almost never dive into. Receiving a high amount of praise from critics as well as awards, sales just weren’t up to par, selling less than half a million copies. It’s such a shame given that this was one of the most original and creative titles to grace the GameCube. If you’re lucky enough to find a copy, prepare to consume the nightmare fuel. Sadly it’s highly unlikely we’ll ever see a follow up considering the closure of Silicon Knights and a proposed spiritual successor failing to gather funding.

Mario is clearly a sports guy, but his career isn’t just filled with tennis and golf. “Super Mario Strikers” was the soccer game that brought a big can of whoopass to the Mushroom Kingdom. Friends became foes, and foes…well, they were still foes. It was wacky, it was surprisingly brutal, and most importantly: it was addictive. Even though it's remembered as one of the best multiplayer games on the Gamecube, it was also released during a period when the system was on its last legs and barely had any support. Still if you find a copy of this game or its Wii sequel, give it a go, you’ll have a blast.

Remember that one assist trophy from Smash Bros. Brawl, where a kid dressed in yellow swung a pink energy sword around? Well, this is his game. “Sin & Punishment” was one of many great shooters offered on the N64. Its run n’ gun action was almost as addictive as, dare we say, Star Fox 64! Unfortunately, like our friend “StarTropics”, this game’s release and sales suffered from launching towards the end of the N64’s life, causing releases in North America and Europe to be cancelled. Thanks to Nintendo’s handy dandy Virtual Console service, the game was released worldwide in 2007, with a sequel launching two years later.

The Game Boy Advance brought us many unique and phenomenal RPGs, but while we were playing our Final Fantasy and Pokemon games, this gem seemed to have slipped under our noses. “Golden Sun” follows a group of “Adepts” that must protect their world from destructive alchemy. The graphics were impressive for a GBA title, and has been praised by critics to be one of the most original RPGs on the handheld. Sure, its plot and mechanics may follow the tropes of the genre, but in this case, is that necessarily a bad thing?

Is there an unrecognized Nintendo game we failed to recognize? Get in gear and share your favorites in the comments!