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1. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
While The Wind Waker is perhaps the better game, it takes place in its own self-contained world and can’t be said to be a sequel in the same way Majora’s Mask definitely is. Taking place directly after the events of Ocarina of Time, this Nintendo 64 addition to the series goes on within the same three days played over and over as Link transforms himself into various forms in order to save the land of Termina from a demonic mask and a falling moon.
It wasn’t as well-received or as successful in sales as Ocarina of Time, but it changed up the formula of the games in the most effective way since that game did two years previously. It built on bit-part players like the Skull Kid and introduced Tatl, a much-improved fairy to replace the annoying, encyclopedic Navi. Its huge range of sidequests and optional masks were what gave this game its fan appeal, not least with the epic chain of tasks that sees Kafei and Anju reunited. It was this characterisation of minor characters in the game that put into perspective what was at stake in Termina, and gave players the haunting realisation that every trip back in time was dooming them to death again and again.
“An exercise in game design so effective it inspired a 600-page book on the subject, Wario Land 4’s levels, bosses, and minigames ooze character.”
Wow, I had no idea there was a book inspired by WL4! Since Robin’s article does not mention what the book is, I did a quick search and found it is ‘Game Design Companion: A Critical Analysis of Wario Land 4’ by Daniel Johnson. Very interesting.
I remember enjoying WL4 when it was still fresh on the GBA, but it’s been too long, and I can’t remember what made the game so special. Guess I’ll have to replay it! (a convenient game to boot up for this Ambassador).
Anyway, solid list of games Robin! I’ve had the pleasure of playing all of them, with the exception of Mother 3. Who knows if it will ever be localized…
Mother 3 has indeed been localised, and the translation team did a brilliant job. You can find their work and instructions here: http://mother3.fobby.net/ (do buy an import copy or some merchandise to keep your conscience clear though).
Wario Land 4 is great fun because it’s got enough level variation and gameplay mechanics to keep throwing new things at you. It’s well worth replaying if you haven’t recently.
Thanks for the link! I was aware of the translation, but I hadn’t really looked into it. I should have clarified in my comment that I was referring to an official Nintendo localization/ American release of the game, though I understand the fan translation is pretty top-notch.
Nice article. Though I would have easily chosen Super Metroid (or Metroid Prime 1) over Metroid Prime 2. That game just wasn’t as solid.
Now, for lack of any better way to communicate this… can you guys *please* come up with a better format for your top 10 list articles? The page listings are so tiny and difficult to click through. Can’t you make some big “next” and “previous” buttons? Even if you don’t want to make them pretty, at least put text links there that would be easier to click. :-\
I blame the tiny page links on WordPress, since that’s how they come out when we format the article. But we’ll work on adding bigger links to our Top Tens from now on to make them a bit easier to navigate!
I love Mother 3, but it doesn’t come anywhere close to the majesty of EarthBound. I appreciate the recognition for Metroid Prime 2, though. One of the most underrated games ever.
Majora is an inspired choice for best sequel. For me, it’s everything a player could want from a direct follow-up.
Great list Robin. Love your choices.
My own personal list would have included Super Metroid, Super Punchout, Mario Galaxy 2, and Excitebike 64.