I did this once last July, before the massive influx of users, so I thought it would be fun to do it again and see how much has changed. The main thing that has changed, of course, is that we have a lot more users now and therefore a lot more voting on games. So for the sake of this write-up, I am only going to choose games with at least 10 votes. I have also decided that in the case of a tie, the game with more ratings wins out. Makes sense to me.
And if you are a current Negative Worlder and haven't rated any games yet, what are you waiting for already? DO IT! Heck, go do it even if you have rated games. And if you aren't a member, why not join up? It takes mere seconds and the benefits last... a lifetime!
03/23/10, 21:49 Edited: 10/31/13, 22:39
Super Mario World (SNES) - 9.57/10 (39 ratings)
Previous ranking: N/A
Super Mario World is our first new debut, barely edging its way into the top 10. Who else remembers back when the "Super" Nintendo was first announced and Super Mario World was shown off? I sure do. I knew I needed it. It took me a few years to get it, but when I finally did... sweet times for Zero.
Final Fantasy III (SNES) - 9.63/10 (17 ratings)
Previous ranking: N/A
Another new debut, and one of only two non-Nintendo developed games in our top 10. We sure loved our Squaresoft RPGs! I actually didn't play this one until a couple of years ago, but I am happy to announce, it has definitely passed the test of time. Actually, it's a heck of a lot better than most modern RPGs...
Metroid Prime (GCN) - 9.67/10 (42 ratings)
Previous ranking: #1 (-7)
OUCH! Metroid Prime drops a full 7 spots. I blame Anandxxx and his crazy scanning hatred. Well, whatever the case, Metroid Prime still remains my favorite 3D game to date.
Chrono Trigger (SNES) - 9.69/10 (26 ratings)
Previous ranking: #4 (-3)
Chrono Trigger drops a few spots, but still makes a strong showing. Easily one of the best RPGs ever made and if you never had a chance to check it out on the SNES, you should grab a copy of the DS version and see what all the fuss is about.
Metroid Prime Trilogy (Wii) - 9.73/10 (16 ratings)
Previous ranking: N/A
Another newcomer. Though it may seem unfair to include a collection on the list, it is hard to argue against the fact of three of the best games in recent times in one neat little package. Even if you are Anandxxx.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES) - 9.77/10 (39 ratings)
Previous ranking: #3 (-2)
Link to the Past drops a bit, but still manages to stay in the top 5. I also fondly remember my days with this one on the SNES. One of the best gaming experiences of my life.
Super Mario Brothers 3 (NES) - 9.78/10 (37 ratings)
Previous ranking: #5 (+1)
I remember the first time I played this game, in the arcade on a Nintendo pick choice 10 machine. I felt bad for the other 9 games, no one was going near them. Just one huge line to get a chance to play Super Masrio Brothers 3. It was well worth the wait.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64) - 9.79/10 (45 ratings)
Previous ranking: #8 (+5)
The Ocarina of Time makes a huge jump from #8 to #3. Actually, I never understood how it was so low to begin with. This game is generally considered one of Nintendo's absolute best.
Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) - 9.79/10 (48 ratings)
Previous ranking: #9 (+7)
Super Mario Galaxy also makes a huge leap, from the back of the pack to the front. Definitely one of Nintendo's best efforts in recent times, and I don't know about anyone else, but I can't wait for Super Mario Galaxy 2!
Super Metroid (SNES) - 9.81/10 (37 ratings)
Previous ranking: #2 (+1)
I'm not sure if Super Metroid moved up, or simply gained the #1 spot from Prime's downfall, but whatever the case, if any game deserves to be called the best game ever released on a Nintendo platform, this is it. And considering the state of 2D game development, it may be a very, very long time before anything else tops what Super Metroid did in 2D.
It was interesting to look at the ratings, especially the top 5, with a mere .04 separating our #5 game from our #1 game. All in all though, not too many major shifts. Makes me think there could be some major changes in the positions with just a few votes. So if you are a member, maybe you should go make a difference!
Absent from the list this time around / last time's spot in the top 10 Super Mario Brothers (NES) / 10th Super Mario Brothers 2 (NES) / 7th Tetris (NES) / 6th
@ludist210 Because the "definitive" version is an old news game by that point.
Mind you, we aren't Gamerankings compiling "current" review scores, our users are going BACK and rating old games (at least, for anything beyond the last year or so). But I think most people in general also tend to rate based on how they felt at the time. Or at least, that is a huge influence on their scores.
Which is probably the same reason Metroid Prime Trilogy and Super Mario All-Stars and Ocarina of Time / Master Quest are not rated quite as high as some of the individual games that can be found in those collections.
One of the interesting things about doing these ratings is seeing the different philosophies people apply to how they score things after the fact. I know the way I think is the original game should get more credit for being the groundbreaking game, but I can see the "definitive" version argument as well.
I got it with the Wii I bought in Spain. Then because everyone loved it so much with Wii controls I gave it another shot, but still didn't like it the second time.
Well, the controls were one of the things I hated, but the Wii controls weren't really that much of an improvement. Not that I didn't know that going in, since I knew what they changed, but I thought I'd give it a shot, just to see if something struck me that didn't the first time. At least no one can say I didn't do my due diligence in order to give it the rating I did.
I just rated a bunch of games, as well as added Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door to the database. I can't believe this much time has passed without that game being there