The Best Nintendo Game That Launched In Each Year Of The 1990s

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home March 30, 2025 3 Views 15 Min Read
The Best Nintendo Game That Launched In Each Year Of The 1990s



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Summary

  • Super Mario World defined 2D platformers with Yoshi and power-ups.
  • The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is smooth, replayable, iconic, and possibly the best 2D Zelda.
  • Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins is a stellar handheld game with variety and Wario’s debut.

Nintendo was killing it in the ’90s, especially during the 16-bit generation. Many of these incredible SNES games will hold up forever. The games on the Nintendo 64 were also excellent, showing how 3D gaming is done.

Ryu, Dr. Mario, and Yoshi stand side by side with a game of Tetris Attack in the background.

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Even going to the handheld space, Nintendo rocked the world with the debut of a series that eventually became the highest-grossing media franchise ever: Pokemon. A lot of Nintendo’s output during this time not only provided a ton of fun, but many titles were incredibly influential and game-changing, and the future would be completely different without them.

10

1990: Super Mario World

A Top Three 2D Mario

Super Mario World came out in 1991 as an SNES launch game in the US, but it released a year earlier in Japan. During the ’90s, Japan usually received games first. Mario World is a phenomenal 2D platformer, most notable for the debut of Yoshi and other elements like the Star World, which would become a 2D Mario staple.

Using Yoshi not only proved to be a safer way to go through levels, but it also infamously added more movement options, as you can drop Yoshi right into a hole to boost yourself up. The other power-ups, like the Cape, were a lot of fun, too, and still, to this day, Super Mario World has to be one of the best, if not the best, 2D Mario, with only Mario Bros. 3 in stiff competition.

It Was Perfect, Down To The Last Minute Details

While Super Castlevania 4 is a great game and one of the best in the series, you can’t deny that The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is about as perfect of a 2D Zelda as you can get. Link to the Past retains the phenomenal level design the Zelda series has always been known for, but what really stands out about this game is how smooth it is to play.

It just feels so snappy and clicky, with the chests immediately opening, unlike later games where they do the iconic opening chest animation. Not many things slow down the pacing here, which makes it one of the most replayable Zelda games. It’s still debatably the best 2D Zelda, although many will argue a later ’90s Zelda title should take that spot.

8

1992: Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

The Stellar Debut Of Wario

There are quite a few amazing handheld Mario games, and a must-play title has to be Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. A remarkable 2D Mario game, 6 Golden Coins has an awesome variety of levels, more so than certain home console Mario titles. There are even levels in space for crying out loud.

This game also infamously brought the debut of Wario. A fan-favorite Mario character, Wario, acts as the main villain here, as you must collect the six golden coins from the different worlds to unlock Wario’s castle, the final level. From start to finish, 6 Golden Coins is a blast and on par with the quality of the SNES Mario games like Mario World and Yoshi’s Island.

The Other Best 2D Zelda Game

Many think A Link to the Past is the best 2D Zelda, while others will say Link’s Awakening, and for good reason. This game just has so much charm and personality compared to every other Zelda game with its Easter eggs, dialogue, and bizarre characters.

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Not to mention that the gameplay remains incredible, with a bit more variety than your usual Zelda fair. Link’s Awakening is so good that it got remastered and remade several times with the DX edition on the Game Boy Color and the full-blown 2019 remake on the Switch. All versions are great to play.

6

1994: EarthBound

One Of The Best 16-Bit RPGs

The first game in the Mother/EarthBound series didn’t officially release in the US until 2015, with Mother 2, aka EarthBound, being the first game Westerners got to play. To be frank, nobody noticed at the time because you can drop straight into EarthBound without playing the original, and it’s a far better game. The writing and dialogue are fantastic, elevated by the amazing English translation for the time.

The battle system was years ahead of the curb, with its distinct skip battle feature if you were to fight an incredibly low-level monster compared to your own level. That was game-changing stuff. EarthBound was also very influential to many future RPGs and Indie games, including Undertale, which has EarthBound influence all over it, even to the incredible musical style of the soundtrack.

5

1995: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong-Quest

Rare’s SNES Masterpiece

Along with EarthBound, one of the best sequels on the SNES is Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong-Quest. The first DKC was spectacular, with mind-blowing visuals at the time, but DKC2 turned it up to the next level. The jump in quality in the level design is similar to Super Mario Galaxy 2 in that you can tell the designers were a lot more experienced coming off the first game.

Levels were a lot more varied, and you had more animals to play with; playing as Dixie Kong was great, and it was more challenging as well. Donkey Kong Country 2 has to be one of the best games on the SNES and, debatably, the best platformer on the console.

4

1996: Super Mario 64

One Of The Most Important Games Ever Made

Early 3D platformers were rough, with Bubsy 3D and Croc having Resident Evil tank controls, but Super Mario 64 showed the industry how it was done. You can control Mario with full 180-degree movement by simply using the analog stick. To be fair, it hasn’t aged perfectly today, as Mario can do annoying U-turns sometimes, but it still holds up for the most part.

Moving Mario is as slick as ever, with somersaults and long jumping, and the smooth controls are a big reason why this game is so legendary. It was mind-blowing for 1996. The freedom in how you beat the game is also really cool and encourages replays. You need 70 out of the 120 total Power Stars to finish the game, and you can do that however you want.

3

1997: GoldenEye 007

One Of The Best Movie Games

There were two big milestone titles for FPS games on console, and the first one was GoldenEye 007. Not only did it play extremely well with satisfying guns and decent enemy AI at the time, but the star of the show was the multiplayer. It was pure chaotic fun that also demanded skill, like how to use grenades properly.

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The N64 had four controller ports, which was two more than previous Nintendo consoles, so multiplayer games like Mario Kart, Mario Party, and GoldenEye became the most popular on the system. While the N64 version has aged quite a bit due to the controls and poor framerate, the Xbox One and Series X|S ports are fantastic. It looks and plays better than ever.

2

1998: Banjo-Kazooie

Rare Beat Nintendo At Its Own Game

1998 was a tough year because nearly every outlet back then gave the Game of the Year to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. A landmark game, it just doesn’t hold up to later 3D Zeldas, unlike other Nintendo titles in the ’90s. However, a game that still holds up to this day as one of the best platformers of all time is Banjo-Kazooie. Banjo took the formula of Super Mario 64 and improved nearly everything.

The progression system was better with acquiring new moves. The world has so much character and personality you can’t help but love; plus, it has the humor factor that Mario lacks. The individual worlds were far better designed, and the soundtrack is a masterpiece that doesn’t repeat tracks like Mario 64 does. Banjo-Kazooie is undoubtedly a must-play platformer.

1

1999: Pokemon Gold & Silver

A Top Tier Pokemon Game

Following the huge success of the first generation of Pokemon, Gold and Silver are the perfect example of a great sequel. They have 100 new Pokemon to catch alongside the 151 returning from the first generation. Not one Pokemon was cut; plus, you didn’t have to start from scratch, as you could transfer over your collection from Red and Blue. This was an awesome series tradition that lasted for decades.

The gameplay was better with the introduction of breeding, and the boss battles were significantly better, including an unforgettable iconic final boss. Gold and Silver had great remakes on the Nintendo DS, but sadly, all versions will cost some hard coin if you want to buy them today.

Ho-oh flaps its wings aggressively. Charizard and Venusar on the covers of FireRed and LeafGreen. Lugia roars as it beats its wide wings.

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