A reader offers a detailed answer to this weeks Hot Topic, as he judges the greatest games from Nintendos long history.
Considering Nintendos business model and incontrovertible Grand Master status as one of the worlds finest video game developers it feels like there should be so much to choose from for this weeks Hot Topic. However, Im afraid Im just going to sound like a broken record, as Ive championed my populist choices many times, already.
For my money, both the SNES and the Switch are homes to definitive versions of two of the most enjoyable and enduringly memorable exclusives of all time: The Legend Of Zelda and Mario Kart.
Zelda: A Link To The Past is a 16-bit masterpiece. Everything about it oozes polish and the love its creators poured into its rich and inviting world. It upped the ante for the franchise in every way, from level design to art style and set down a definitive template and world switch mechanic structure for the series that almost every subsequent Zelda has followed, even Ocarina Of Time.
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Even the pan and zoom Mode 7 map was a technological treat at the time. Stepping out of the Sanctuary for the first time after escorting Princess Zelda to supposed safety and hearing that first blast of the iconic Zelda theme never stops bringing me joy.
Playing this game on a friends SNES one summer convinced me I needed a Nintendo console in my life and Ive rarely been without one since.
Super Mario Kart followed, with its Mode 7 sprite-scaling effect courses really showing off the host consoles graphical capabilities. At the time I remember thinking that, compared to this and fellow Mode 7 racer F-Zero, Nintendo really showed up every other home format into-the-screen racer Id ever seen at that point.
Not to mention Nintendos uncanny ability to be at their absolute best when applying their own unique spin to existing genres, creating a whole sub-genre of their own in the process and another definitive template for an iconic and enduringly successful franchise into the bargain.
Fast forward to the present day, and once more these two franchises are leading exclusives on a Nintendo format. For my money, with the best 3D era versions of each game. Again, both were primary reasons for me buying the console they appear on. Again, both have provided me with seemingly endless hours of enjoyment and proved well worth the money, and then some.
Breath Of The Wild is a sublime effort, bringing a much needed and refreshingly different take to the series. I love it to bits. No, its not perfect. But its still my game of the generation so far. With the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Two/Squared/Duo/Stream/Cloud almost upon us, I cant see that changing either. I can understand why some people dont get on with it, but for me, it just clicked.
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The only things Mario Kart 8 has wrong with it are that it doesnt include a version of every Mario Kart track ever made and that there arent enough hours in the day for me to play it. EveRead More – Source
