By Omar (@siegarettes)
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In the spirit of Nintendo’s grand anniversary, we’re running down our favorite Nintendo games. Here’s mine:

Kirby’s Dreamland 3 (SNES)

This one gets on the list simply by heart and charm. There are other games in the series that arguably play better, others that make more creative use of Kirby’s signature copy ability. Even the year before this released, Kirby Superstar featured a complex move system featuring situational attacks. Dreamland is instead a continuation of the original GameBoy series, bringing back Kirby’s cast of friends and sporting a soft pastel art style.

The little worlds here are imbued with character and life. Butterflies flutter in the background, flowers sway in the wind. Each stage is populated with a character that requires your help, adding extra objectives that will see you doing things like dusting off flowers, or collecting parts to put a little robot back together. The animations are adorable (Kirby’s friends will grimace is jealousy if he doesn’t pick them).It’s all a very feel good, well-natured romp.

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening(GB/GBC)

This odd child of the series, Link’s Awakening wasn’t directly worked on by Miyamoto but by an “after school club” of Nintendo developers developing for the GameBoy on the side. As such, it ended up as one of the more bizarre titles, with cameos from other Nintendo characters, shifty characters inspired by the world of Twin Peaks, and a combination of mechanics that would both become staples of the series, or never show up again. Things like fishing, and an Ocarina that could play multiple songs originated here.

It also happened to be my first Zelda game, as well as the only one I’ve seen all the way through to this day. As a child, it boggled my mind even more than it would for Zelda fans now. A Zelda game where the Princess doesn’t even show up? One where you can bring along a chain comp as a pet, or steal from the shop? Platformer sections where you fight Piranha Plants and jump on Goombas? Link’s Awakening was full of strange additions like this. The GameBoy version also featured a SELECT glitch, which further distorted the world, allowing access to areas that shouldn’t exist, and introducing my brothers and I to sequence breaking. 

It all came together to create a sense of mystery in a world that was not quite right, setting an expectation for the rest of the series that sadly not many entries could live up to. 

Sin and Punishment: Star Successor (Wii)

The sequel to an initially Japan only late N64 release, Star Successor has the distinction of being one of the best reviewed Wii games that apparently nobody has played. If the original Sin and Punishment was the spirit of a Contra game pulled into the third dimension, then Star Successor is Treasure is the spirit of Gradius ascending into bullet heaven. 

Treasure took advantage of the rail-shooter format to cram as many enemies, and as much chaos as they could here. Star Successor takes the combination of gun and sword play from the first game and added a jetpack for more freedom of movement, allowing them to create more involved moments and attack patterns. Areas are alive with motion, and there’s always something to draw your eye. It is also a sublime mechanical masterpiece. S&P is a game that can speak to you if you listen. Paying attention and pulling off the game’s signature projectile reflection showers you in medals and awards big damage. Play it right and you’ll crush the myriad bosses in no time.

There’s also a fairly involved story that has ties to the first game, involving multiple worlds and overseeing gods that makes about as much sense as The End of Evangelion. 

Yoshi’s Island (SNES)

After the success of Donkey Kong Country, Nintendo wanted to go ahead and create Yoshi’s Island with the same style of pre-rendered graphics. Instead, Miyamoto decided to rework everything to look like it was made with crayons. Like Kirby’s Dreamland, it became one of the standout elements of the game. While ostensibly the second Mario World game, the world of Yoshi’s Island features a much more organic design, with a more freeform play style. It’s a fun place to explore and dig for secrets.

Alongside some memorable stages (Touch Fuzzy, Get Dizzy!) it also had some remarkable boss encounters. A lot of them used the new Super FX2 chip for sprite scaling and animation, which lent a cartoon like energy to it. It’s also simply adorable. It’s a good companion to Kirby’s Dreamland 3 as a showcase of Nintendo’s ability to litter their worlds with charm and joy.

Mother 3 (GBA)

Mother 3 is sad. Unbearably, heartrendingly depressing at times. It’s also one of the most joyous, irreverent, and humorous games I’ve had the pleasure of playing. Lines are packed with wit (protagonist Lucas’ father is so manly that one of the characters remarks that he could hear someone manly walking his way), and I often found myself laughing out loud. 

Mother 3 also cranks up the bizarre. Unlike the filtered Americana of its forerunner, Earthbound, it embraces more of the fantastical elements, while not falling back on comfortable fantasy tropes.There’s a lot to say about it, but really it just comes down to it feeling very human. Despite the bizarre circumstances and offbeat cast, Mother 3 feels relatable and warm. It’s a game about family and human fallibility, about the bonds that tie each of us together.

It also sometimes has partying ghosts.