Top Ten: Best Nintendo Sequels

Robin explores Nintendo’s best second tries as he remembers sequels through the ages.

By Robin Wilde. Posted 04/29/2014 09:00 8 Comments     ShareThis

5. Pokémon Gold and Silver

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Artwork - Map

When the Pokémon games launched on Game Boy in the mid-nineties, they changed the landscape of handheld gaming. While Game Boy had met solid success in its early years, the simple, collection-based, multiplayer RPG turned out to be a winning formula that allowed Nintendo systems to rule handheld gaming unopposed for nearly a decade.

Intended as the last instalments in the series, Pokémon Gold and Silver versions pushed the boat out in terms of improvements on the previous games. Adding a hundred new monsters to collect, a completely new region (as well as the opportunity to revisit the old one), and a bunch of new features in the form of the PokéGear, Gold and Silver (alongside their expanded Crystal Version) are still held by many fans to be the best in the series.

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8 Responses to “Top Ten: Best Nintendo Sequels”

  • 111 points
    roykoopa64 says...

    “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…

    • 192 points
      Robin Wilde says...

      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.

      • 111 points
        roykoopa64 says...

        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.

  • 42 points
    Gaviin says...

    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. :-\

    • 1 points
      Kevin Knezevic says...

      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!

  • 63 points
    Jake Shapiro says...

    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.

  • 1291 points
    Robert Marrujo says...

    Majora is an inspired choice for best sequel. For me, it’s everything a player could want from a direct follow-up.

  • 745 points
    OG75 says...

    Great list Robin. Love your choices.

    My own personal list would have included Super Metroid, Super Punchout, Mario Galaxy 2, and Excitebike 64.

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