20: Overwatch
A colorful cast of well-balanced characters and insanely addictive gameplay make Overwatch one of the best multiplayer shooters of all time. A-Mei-zing!
9.0/10
19: Mega Man 3
One of the best NES games ever, Mega Man 3 is often argued among fans whether it or Mega Man 2 is the best entry in the series. Though my heart goes to Mega Man 2, there’s no denying the sheer timeless quality exuded by Mega Man 3.
9.0/10
18: Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
The Game Boy Advance is arguably Nintendo’s best handheld in terms of quality titles, and Aria of Sorrow is arguably the best game on the system. Adopting Symphony of the Night’s Metroidvania style to much greater success than the two previous GBA entries, Aria of Sorrow is an absolutely stunning game, handheld or otherwise.
9.0/10
17: Shadow of the Colossus
Still my favorite PS2 game of all time. Shadow of the Colossus remains an enduring classic. Some gameplay and camera controls may feel a bit cumbersome, but like Ico before it, it’s a game that captures a sense of beauty and artistry like none other.
9.0/10
16: Shovel Knight
The most “Nintendo” game not made by Nintendo ever made. Shovel Knight is one of the greatest things to ever come out of the indie scene. A more than worthy successor to the 8-bit classics that inspired it. It’s no wonder that Shovel Knight has become akin to the Mario of indie gaming.
9.0/10
15: Mario Kart 8
The best Mario Kart ever? The best Mario Kart ever. Terrific gameplay and balance, wonderful tracks both old and new, a wide range of vehicles and items, Mario Kart 8 is simply the pinnacle of the series. Sure, there could be some better character selection (there are way too many babies. And Pink Gold Peach? Really?), but the only real fault in the game itself is that it somehow screwed up the battle mode. Not even kidding, if Nintendo can take this same foundation for the next Mario Kart, and bring back Battle Mode’s former glory and some better characters, and they would have a perfect 10 on their hands.
9.0/10
14: Undertale
Inspired by EarthBound and the Mario RPGs, it’s amazing to think that Undertale – being developed by one guy – can actually be compared pretty favorably to its inspirations. A game where player choice actually means something, the battles are interactive and intuitive, and the music is simply kickass, Undertale is, in my opinion, the best indie game to date.
9.0/10
13: Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. 3 more or less set the stage for every Mario adventure that was to follow. With perfect gameplay, wonderful level design, and an absolutely bonkers sense of imagination, it’s no mystery why SMB3 is still hailed as on of the best games of all time. An NES classic if ever there were one.
9.5/10
12: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Despite the gratuitous amount of anime swordfighting characters, and Masahiro Sakurai’s self-aggrandizing, profuse Kid Icarus Uprising representation, Smash Bros. on Wii U is, without question, the best entry in the series. Great gameplay, great balance, great visuals and music, and the most insane multiplayer Nintendo has to offer. It’s pure Nintendo bliss.
But can we please get the real Geno next time? Please?!
9.5/10
11: Super Mario Maker
Super Mario Maker is the best game-creation game ever created. Not only does it utilize the gameplay and visuals of some of history’s best platformers, but it even makes the process of making levels an absolute treat. While most titles in the genre end up making the level-building process long and arduous, Super Mario Maker makes it accessible and fun. Sure, you’ll run into plenty of uninspired and trollish levels. But when you play a level that gets it right, there’s not much else like it. Except maybe making such a stage yourself.
9.5
Reblogged this on Miketendo64! The News, Reviews & Personal Views Website On All Things Nintendo and commented:
Wizard Dojo has amassed 150 video game reviews. Now the mad man behind the dojo seeks to rank every last one of them.
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Wow you have written so many reviews! Good work! I look forward to going through some of them in the future. Here’s to the next 150! Congrats!
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Thank you very much! I’ll try to keep up the pace to make sure you have something to read, should you want.
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Oh Superman 64… *shudders* My friend and I made our own mini game. We would see who could throw a boxy car and catch it before it hit the ground. It was at least more entertaining than those endless rings.
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I think anything that player could come up with would be better than Superman 64 itself.
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Amazing how many reviews you have on this site. Quite a few opinions I agree or disagree with too.
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Thank you very much!
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Congratulations on 150 Reviews! And kudos to you for ranking them all! I can say with certainty that your top 5 are excellent choices! Most of those are among my top 10 or even top 5. Other than that, your list is pretty good. I’m impressed you put a little blurb after each one. Now that’s dedication! Great work!
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Thanks! I was really happy I got around to doing this, because as I got closer to 150 game reviews, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to write all of this down. But I like to make sure I have some decent content on this site, so I thought this was too fun of an idea to pass up on.
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Congrats on the 150 reviews mate! It’s quite the feat! And I completely agree with Super Mario Galaxy 2 being placed as your contemporary number 1! That game is the embodiment of perfection. Interesting to see that you enjoyed Dark Souls III over bloodborne! I must say, now that I’ve been playing dark souls III, I am throughly enjoying, although it doesn’t have that nuance that Bloodborne did for me as it was my first Souls-esque experience, but nonetheless, Dark Souls III is excellent thus far. Anyway just wanted to let you know that all your hard work is appreciated!
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I actually flip-flopped quite a bit between Galaxy 2 and DKC2 for the top spot. Like I said, the top few are pretty interchangeable… Same goes for Dark Souls 3 and Bloodborne. Honestly, depending on when you ask me, my answer could be different as to which one is better. Glad you’re enjoying Dark Souls 3!
Man, I even flip-flopped with putting Mario 64 and Tropical Freeze in the top 5. I’m still not sure whether I made the right choice, but I just went with the fact that 64 has held up so well for so long.
As always, thanks for the comment.
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Well for me personally, it would always be Galaxy 2 if I had to choose between the two. Dark Souls III definitely has a leveled sense of variance that Bloodborne just can’t match and while I prefer the gothic Victorian aesthetic of Bloodborne, the Kingdom of Lothric is admittedly more varied and diverse. I’m glad I decided to give it a go, otherwise I would’ve missed out on one of the best games this year! Oh geez I still have to play Mario 64. I still haven’t rectified that. And also Banjo Kazooie. I’ll be sure to catch up on my classics after I finish Dark Souls. Would you recommend the DS version of Mario 64 or should I just go with the virtual console version?
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Definitely play the Virtual Console version of Mario 64. The DS version may have multiple characters and more stars/missions, but they aren’t always well implemented, and the controls leave a lot to be desired. The original still holds up, however.
Dark Souls 3 is definitely my Game of the Year so far. There are still a few more months of 2016 to go, but I don’t see anything dethroning it with Yooka-Laylee and Breath of the Wild being delayed. 😛
Galaxy 2 and DKC2 are two of maybe four “2s” that I would give perfect 10s (I’ll leave you guessing on the others for now). Honestly, both are in my top 5. But I’m spoiling too much of my favorites list. So let’s leave things there…
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Congratulations! I myself just reached 50 reviews, so I can feel a true sense of accomplishment too.
I’m not surprised Wizard of Oz ended up at the bottom; it’s pretty atrocious from what I’ve seen of it. I’d say Metal Morph is easily the worst game I’ve reviewed so far; Deadly Towers was at least vaguely passable when it was released and Where’s Waldo is bad in the sense that it’s just completely boring. They’re abysmal, but not on the same level as Metal Morph. If you’re ever looking for another awful game to play through, you could give that one a try.
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Congratulations on your 50th review! Keep up the great work!
Wizard of Oz might be the worst game I’ve ever played…unless Tiger handhelds count (so many haunting memories).
I might check out some of those games sometime, though I’m not exactly jumping to do so. I’ve always wanted to try out Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties and Big Rigs as well. I don’t know why.
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Awesome work with the list and with all of the reviews you have been able to post here. Keep it up!
I am in full agreement with your choice for 1st place.
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Thank you very much! Here’s hoping it doesn’t take me too long to reach the 200 mark.
It’s always hard to argue placing anything above Galaxy 2, though I honestly flip-flopped with it and DKC2 for a long while before posting this.
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Congratulations on 150 reviews! I feel like I’m very late to your review party since I’ve only been a part of this site for a short time, but I’ll definitely do some backpedaling through your site to read some of these in the future. It’s so nice to see all your hard work organized right in front of you, I’m sure. Looking forward to more!
Is it awful that I’ve only played two games out of your top 5? Clearly I’ve been missing out!
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Thank you very much! I hope you enjoy all the reviews and such.
Don’t feel too bad about only playing a couple of the highest-ranked games here, that just means you’ll be able to experience the others for the first time. 🙂
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I’ve gotta be honest and say I liked Game & Wario, managed to have quite a lot of fun with that. Some edgy choices near the bottom with Bioshock Infinite and Limbo, some people would get angry. I wouldn’t, because I haven’t played them. And why did you play as much as 3 KlayFighters games — and the Superman game!?
But, I mean, Castlevania Judgement looks pretty good…
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Wonderful 101 and Lego City Undercover look great! And New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Mario Tennis Open are both good games. They both take the formula of the former games in their series and whilst simplifying it make the gameplay tighter than ever before – and not too simple to remove the enjoyment factor.
This is Reuben, by the way.
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I’m sorry, but Rayman Legends is way too low. The art and the sound are the best in any game for me, and it’s platforming and multiplayer genius. It’s only held back by the fact it doesn’t feel quite as complete a package as Origins. How could it just be a 7.5!?
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You argue well with the opinions I disagree with, admittedly, and there are some nice choices towards the end. Well done on the milestone!
Reuben
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Love your number 1. Can’t say I agree with your assessment of Limbo but to each their own.
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