Nintendo made some of its best titles in the 2000s. Some of them were the beginnings of their own series, others got a ton of remasters, and there are many others that we are hoping will still get remastered or garner sequels.
Many of these games inspired a new generation of gamers and kept them interested into adulthood. If you somehow have not heard of any of these famous titles, then you need to get out more! If you love games but have not played a lot of these, then we recommend them! Here are ten of Nintendo's greatest games from the 2000s.
10 Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
From 2002, this game is the lesser known title on this list. That is because it as unlike all Nintendo games from the past, as it was in the survival horror genre. Despite being so different from others though, it was also met with critical acclaim. It got near perfect scores on various review publications and awards such as GameSpot's Best Sound on Gamecube Award and the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' Outstanding Achievement in Character or Story DevelopmeEnt Award.
Unlike other games on this list though, the game did not get the legacy of remakes and sequels it deserved.
9 Pokémon HeartGold And SoulSilver
A lot of Pokémon games were released in the 2000s such as Ruby and Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed and LeafGreen, Diamond and Pearl, and Platinum. All have similar critical acclaim, but we decided it is the Silver and Gold remakes that came out in 2009 that really deserve to be on this list.
The remakes took what was already considered the best and made it even better. It is the one game that gave players the ever-desired ability to have their favorite Pokémon follow them around like Pikachu did in Pokémon Yellow.
8 Super Mario Sunshine
Released before Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Sunshine was Nintendo's second 3D Super Mario game after Super Mario 64. Some fans consider this one to be the best Super Mario game of all time, which is why many are disappointed that it has not yet garnered any remakes. Due to its success though, a lot of characters and elements from this game carried onto futures games such as Petey Piranha, Cataquacks, and Bowser Jr.
The game got perfect scores in its reviews on Nintendo Power, GameSpy, GamePro, and CVG.
7 Luigi's Mansion
Released in 2001 for the Gamecube, this action-adventure game followed Mario's brother, Luigi, through a haunted mansion. It had a ton of personality and its also criticism was that fans wished it was longer since it was so good. It was one of the best-selling games of 2001 and got sequels and remasters due to its popularity. The mansion Luigi explores even sometimes appears in other Mario games such as Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros.
It certainly increased Luigi's fanbase to the point that he may even have more fans than his main character brother.
6 Metroid Prime
This action-adventure game came out for the Gamecube in 2002 and created a major legacy for itself. Its reviews from critics and audiences alike were nearly perfect scores and it won a ton of awards such as Nintendo Power's Game of the Year award, GameSpot's Game of the Year award, and IGN's Editors Choice for Best Gamecube Game.
Obviously, its popularity invited a whole series of Metroid games and spinoffs. Some even consider it to be one of the best games of all time. It remains one of the highest scored video games on Metacritic as well.
5 The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask
This game was released for the Nintendo 64 in 2000 and later for the Gamecube in 2003. Some consider it to be the best Legend of Zelda game of all time. It is certainly darker compared to some of the others, which was a concept met warmly by fans.
Like Metroid Prime, is scored near perfect across many review boards. It won Game of the Decade by GameFAQs and Game Design of the Year along with Action-Adventure Game of the Year by Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences
4 Super Smash Bros Melee
This cross-over fighting game was part of many games libraries when it came out in 2001. Not only was it critically received by fans and game critics but it also inspired professional video game competitions.
Due to all this, it is considered one of the greatest video games ever made. It has a ton of characters to choose from, which are actually mostly characters from games that are on this list
3 Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
This role playing Mario game came out for the Gamecube in 2004. In a way, it was a sequel in terms of style to its predecessor, Paper Mario. However, it was quite a stand alone game in terms of story. Other Paper Mario games existed after this title, but none of them have really lived up to its reviews and acclaim.
Fans loved this game for its whimsical style and storyline. The combat was creative, treating every battle like a stage play.
2 Super Mario Galaxy
Released for the Wii in 2007, Super Mario Galaxy was Nintendo's 3rd 3D game in the Super Mario series. It got a ton of perfect 10/10 scores by publications such as Nintendo World Report, Nintendo Life, Edge, and Eurogamer.
It was widely praised for being perfect for the Wii mechanics, as a lot of games at that time were not living up to the Wii's potential of motion controls.
1 The Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker
Next to Majora's Mask, Wind Waker was one of the biggest and best selling Legend of Zelda games of the 2000s. It came out for the Gamecube in 2003 and is considered one of the best games in the franchise. It was not dark like Majora's Mask, but it gave interesting new concepts to the characters, especially Zelda.
The game got near perfect to actual perfect reviews by various publications. It also won Game of the Year for Nintendo Power, GameSpot, GameFAQs, and more.