60. Golden Sun: The Lost Age (GBA)

Even though Golden Sun: The Lost Age plays much like any standard RPG, there is something special about it. Even with its lack of structure towards the beginning of the campaign, its accessible, engaging nature keeps you wanting to play and experiment. The Lost Age is very much a 'Part Two' — a continuation of the first adventure — but builds, modestly, on almost everything from the original Golden Sun: a longer campaign, extended Djinn mechanics, greater challenge, clever puzzles, and minor graphical improvements. Newcomers would do well to start with the first entry, as the game does take for granted that you know the basics, and the plotline will make little to no sense – at least initially. However, for those who've played and enjoyed the first instalment, this concluding chapter is a real no-brainer.

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59. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (GBC)

Oracle of Ages manages to feel both new and familiar at the same time. Link wields the Harp of Ages, which you could use to travel through time. Now, he may have already done some time-travelling with his ocarina, but in Oracle of Season's companion piece it becomes the central aspect of gameplay, primarily used to solve puzzles, by moving a stone in the past to redirect the flow of water in the future, for example, or planting seeds that will grow into trees and vines. This makes for a puzzle-heavy adventure, one that's enhanced by nuanced, colourful characters, interesting items, and a plot much unlike those previously seen in the franchise.

While many beloved Zelda tropes remain, the game still takes plenty of chances, many of which really pay off. It may have been built on Link's Awakening's engine, but Ages feels like its own game.

58. Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch)

Animal Crossing: New Horizons improved upon every single facet of the series imaginable. There's more to do, more to see, more to change, more to mould, and more to love; fans and first-time players can find themselves losing hours at a time gathering materials, creating new furniture, and making their island undeniably theirs. Every moment is unashamedly blissful, with excellently written characters that truly feel alive and an island paradise that gives back infinitely more than you put in. Back when Animal Crossing: New Leaf hit the shelves all those years ago and created a whole new generation of fans, many people were wondering how Nintendo could possibly top it, but here we got our answer. This is a masterpiece that's worth buying a Switch (or two) to play.

57. Kirby Super Star Ultra (DS)

Kirby Super Star Ultra is a magnificent update of the SNES original with high production values and all the charm you've come to expect from the pink puffball over the years. HAL added a host of new modes and minigames for veterans, but this is accessible to all age groups. Though it may be a little on the easy side, the Kirby series is hardly known for its teeth-grinding difficulty and this is an outing for the saviour of Smash that's worth rediscovering.

56. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (GCN)

The first home console Fire Emblem to be released in the West — and only the third to be localised — GameCube's Path of Radiance introduced us to Ike, leader of the Greil Mercenaries and rocker of a blue barnet. The game was the first in the series to feature fully 3D graphics, and features (in our opinion) the strongest story of any game in the series.

Ike would go on to join the fight in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and gain notoriety there before returning in the Wii sequel to this game, Radiant Dawn. Unfortunately, this luminary pair of home-console Emblems aren't too easy to find these days, with both of them still exclusive to their original hardware and fetching eye-watering prices on the secondhand market. By modern standards, Path of Radiance is lacking somewhat when it comes to presentation, but how we'd love to be able to play it anew without having to crack out the 'Cube! We like Ike.

55. Pikmin 2 (GCN)

Removing the 30-day time limit that so irked players in the first game, Pikmin 2 expands on the original in every way, creating a larger adventure with more of everything you liked before, plus a host of extra modes (including a surprisingly addictive two-player component). Wingman Louie joined Captain Olimar this time around and the game also introduced White and Purple Pikmin, expanding the puzzling possibilities and the options available to you as the diminutive spacemen and their plant-based charges ran around gardens fighting beasties and collecting tasty-looking fruit, discarded objects, and ship pieces. Some players might miss the tight focus of the original, but this is an excellent sequel and absolutely worth digging up.

54. Kirby: Planet Robobot (3DS)

Building on the solid foundation of Kirby: Triple Deluxe, this is a game where the pink ball can transform into Mech Kirby. Personally, we would have scribbled that into the design doc, grinned from ear to ear and gone down the pub for a celebratory pint, but the consummate professionals at HAL took that winning central idea and surrounded it with brilliantly designed worlds, trademark rainbow visuals and enough charming moments to make Kirby: Planet Robobot the finest outing on 3DS — and arguably on any system — for The Most Powerful Video Game Character Of Them All™.

We always knew he was more than candyfloss with a face.

53. Paper Mario (N64)

Two decades on and Paper Mario might not look as sharp as it once did, but it holds up very well where it matters and jostles with The Thousand-Year Door for the title of Best Paper Mario Game.

The N64 original does very well to ease Mario fans into a new style of adventure while providing a depth for RPG gamers that you might not expect from the paper-thin premise. With a great supporting cast and buckets of trademark Nintendo charm, the original is up there with the best. The ability to play it on Switch is great news to anyone who missed out but still enjoys the more recent, less vital entries in the Paper Mario series.

52. Bayonetta 2 (Wii U)

Bayonetta 2 is a must buy for action gaming fans. It's fast, intense and ridiculous, all with an entertaining story and a protagonist that is forever subverting and playing with her audience. It's pure Platinum Games, and one of the Wii U's best games — a rare arrival on that system that was unashamedly violent, gory and mature, while still mischievously winking at the player. Of course, the Switch port is the easier way to play it these days, but regardless of platform, Bayonetta 2 is brilliant, brash and impossible to ignore.

51. Pokémon Emerald (GBA)

Pokémon Emerald is the upgraded version of Ruby and Sapphire, and — as you might expect — it was more evolution than revolution. It included some new story elements in the Hoenn region, updated the locations where you could nab certain Pokémon, allowed you to catch a greater pool of Pokémon than in its predecessors and added the Battle Frontier — a competition island you can visit after beating the Elite Four to earn badges, buy items and get new moves to teach your 'mon.

Perhaps a little lacking in 'wow' factor for Poké Fans who had been there from the beginning, Emerald was nonetheless solid entry in the Pokémon canon.

50. Donkey Kong (GB)

It's exceedingly rare that the echo triumphs over the voice, but if we had to pick between playing arcade DK or the Game Boy port, there's really no choice. Donkey Kong on Game Boy — Donkey Kong '94 as it's often called — is far more than just a simple sequel or port. After finishing the first four levels, you might assume that's it, but with over 101 levels in total, there's a whole other game awaiting you. In fact, it laid the groundwork for spin-off series Mario vs. Donkey Kong's gameplay.

Adding a metric ton of new features while still managing to keep the ‘arcadey’ feel of the original, the visuals and music are outstanding and complement this impressively expanded take on an icon. It's up there with the Game Boy's finest, and another wonderful portable title featuring Mr. D. Kong.

49. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Wii U)

Retro Studios demonstrated once again that it can take a treasured Nintendo franchise and keep it relevant, with modern thrills and retro nods expertly combined. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze utilised the Wii U’s graphical capabilities beautifully, with levels both stunning in design and looks, and impressive set-pieces that never skip a frame and can test any gamer’s skills. Small touches and masterful contributions, such as the music of David Wise, only add to the experience. As a single player experience it is near flawless, but the precision of the level design can lead the often fun multiplayer into moments of chaos. A excellent Wii U title that would inevitably be recruited for another tour of duty on Switch, it was a demonstration of how skilful developers and powerful hardware can be combined for spectacular results.

48. Metroid Fusion (GBA)

Metroid Fusion — or 'Metroid 4' according to its intro — bears more than a passing resemblance to its SNES brethren, and that's likely its biggest fault. Though it's an excellent game in its own right, it didn't do a huge amount to distinguish itself from other Metroids and felt much more linear than its expansive predecessor. It also launched at the same time as Metroid Prime on the GameCube, which pushed the franchise forward at a staggering pace. Still, this remains an excellent 2D entry and the linearity arguably suits a handheld Metroid game better than a home console entry. If you adored Metroid Dread, this GBA precursor is well worth a look.

47. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA)

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap carried on the trend of giving Link a talking piece of equipment to accompany him on his quest. This time around, it was the Minish Cap — a hat named Ezlo that could shrink Link to microscopic proportions so he can locate the Kinstone fragments and save the Minish people, or 'Picori'.

Another Flagship-developed entry after the company proved itself with the excellent Oracles pair, this was a traditional Zelda adventure that still looks and sounds wonderful, even if it didn't do an awful lot to shake up the formula. It introduced a few new items, though – Mole Mitts, Gust Jar, and Cane of Pacci – and allowed Link to learn new sword techniques throughout the game, as well as gain the ability to fuse elements to his sword. All-in-all, a brilliant bite-sized adventure.

46. Star Fox 64 (N64)

Known as Lylat Wars in Europe, Star Fox 64 originally came in a whopping great box containing a Rumble Pak and was many a gamer's introduction to force feedback on console. It paired beautifully with the cinematic battles and derring-do of Fox McCloud and his team's cinematic dogfighting in this on-rails shooter. It's still an excellent game all these years later, with thrilling action, delicate and precise controls, stirring music, humour, spectacle, and edge-of-your-seat excitement. Sure, it's got a surplus of Slippy Toad, but you can't have everything.

Whether you're enjoying it on original hardware or playing via the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pak, a quick blast through this and it's clear to see why so many people think the Star Fox series peaked with its first sequel. It's not just the nostalgia talking — it really holds up beautifully two-and-a-half decades on.

45. EarthBound (SNES)

EarthBound succeeds at not only being one of the most unique and refreshing RPG experiences ever created, but also one of the most epic and entertaining as well. Combining classic RPG gameplay elements with a heart-warming modern spin, the game somehow feels familiar yet strange all at the same time. With a peerless visual style, soundtrack and storyline, playing EarthBound is like revisiting a vivid childhood memory of fun and adventure. You can't repeat the past, but you can certainly revisit it. Mother!

44. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (Switch)

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury takes everything that made the cat-filled Wii U original special and throws in various small gameplay tweaks to make it even more enjoyable. The first four-player 3D Mario game fuses the freedom of the third dimension with the spirit of the tighter, more constrained (yet no less imaginative) courses from his 2D games to wonderful effect. The cooperative multiplayer element brought Princess Peach, Luigi, and Toad back into the fold of playable characters, mirroring the lineup of Super Mario Bros. 2., and both Cat Mario and Captain Toad were also introduced here.

This game serves as an unintimidating introduction to a larger three-dimensional Super Mario world, and a joy for veterans of the Z-axis to boot. The additional open-world-y Bowser's Fury mode makes the Switch version an essential purchase even if you 100%-ed the sublime original game on Wii U. The only real mark against the awkwardly acronym-ed SM3DW+BF is patchy online multiplayer implementation, but this Switch release is otherwise up there with the very best of the plumber's portfolio. Dog lovers should probably steer clear; everyone else, jump to it.

43. Banjo-Kazooie (N64)

Rareware put out several platformers on Nintendo 64, each with their own pros and cons, but the Twycross team arguably never topped the debut of the bear and bird. There's something in the precise platforming and fairytale formula of Banjo-Kazooie that resulted in the quintessential 3D collectathon. It's big, but not sprawling; sweet, but not sickly; challenging, but never unfair (okay, a couple of those Rusty Bucket Bay jiggys walk a fine line). From the roaming grublins to Mumbo Jumbo's hilarious transformations, its colourful characters and varied worlds are shot through with humour, adorable animation, tight controls, and an 'oom-pah' musical box soundtrack that nails the spirit of a cheeky storybook adventure perfectly.

Mario 64 might have the edge when it comes to prestige, invention, and influence — that's the one you vote for with your head — but Banjo steals hearts. An absolutely brilliant game.

42. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GCN)

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem is a brilliant psychological horror game that blends Resident Evil-style survival horror with Lovecraftian Old World magick and an era-hopping historical narrative to create something quite unique and only available on GameCube. It may take you a while to get into its spellcasting and unusual mix of styles (and that may be the reason second-hand copies cost mere pennies for so many years), but once it gets under your skin it's a hard game to shake. The fourth wall-breaking sanity effects always steal the column inches, but the ambitious, dread-soaked story deserves just as much recognition, and whether you're a hardcore horror aficionado or a novice that needs a walkthrough with the lights on, we recommend playing this any which way you can. 

41. Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS)

Becoming mayor in Animal Crossing: New Leaf gives you licence to shape your village more than ever before, with the help of secretary Isabelle, of course. The most evergreen of games, Animal Crossing is a joyous pastime that enters your life and becomes part of your routine. Whether catching comedian Dr Shrunk or resident musician/DJ K.K. Slider at Club LOL, taking fossils and artworks to Blathers for verification, or simply wandering around catching bugs and fishing, there’s enough to keep you occupied for days, months and years.

It never overwhelms you, though; you can go deep with breeding flowers or working the stalk market, or kick back and collect fruit, decorate your house or simply chat with fellow villagers throughout the changing seasons. The addition of the campsite and amiibo support in the Welcome amiibo update gave us more reasons to return. Animal Crossing: New Horizons may be the shinier, newer version, but New Leaf is still a very fine way to experience the charm of this relaxing series.