Before becoming President of Nintendo in 2003, Satoru Iwata already had an impressively illustrious career in the industry. Even after obtaining the position, he continued to be hands-on in game development, something few in business positions do.

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The following ten games he worked on are ranked according to their Metacritic score. Instead of focusing on their quality, we hope to shine a light on all Satoru Iwata did for gaming during his career. One game on the list does not have a score on the site, but it bears mentioning because of its legendary status.

10 Earthbound (N/A)

Earthbound was in development for a staggering four years and going nowhere. When Satoru Iwata stepped in and reviewed the progress, he decided the team could either spend two years finishing their work, or start over and build something new in six months. The developer chose the latter, and true to his promise, the game was done in half a year, an especially impressive accomplishment considering Earthbound's complexity and originality.

9 Pokemon Go (69)

The Wii's focus on innovative and easily understood gaming ideas over cutting edge graphics is Iwata's doing. This philosophy bled into many of the games he worked on during his later years. The very last game he took part in was the mobile game Pokemon Go. In addition to its easygoing nature, the game also encouraged social interaction and exploring the real world as a part of the mechanics. Iwata's work on the game was only revealed months after his tragic 2015 passing.

8 Kirby Superstar Ultra (76)

Kirby superstar gameplay
Kirby superstar

This score is from the Nintendo DS Remake, but Iwata served as producer on the 1996 original version for SNES. By all accounts, he did not work too closely on this Kirby game, and Sakurai was mostly in charge.

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While Sakurai has never stated it publicly, many feel that Kirby's leading status in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's single-player mode is in remembrance of Satoru Iwata, since the two worked on and created the series together.

7 Brain Age (77)

One prompt Iwata gave when the Wii was in the planning stages was making something mothers would like to play. It is easy to see this idea in games he conceptualized and brought to market during the 2000s. Brain Age in particular is a Nintendo DS title anyone can enjoy. These head-scratchers are endlessly entertaining and do not require fast reflexes or an understanding of the universal gaming language to enjoy.

6 Pokemon Stadium 2 (78)

pokemon stadium 2 breathing fire gameplay
pokemon stadium 2

Satoru Iwata served as a producer on both Pokemon Stadium titles, but his work on the first game is worthy of mention. The team was having trouble transferring the Game Boy titles' fighting system to a console, so he took a week to look over Pokemon Red's code to make the battle system work on the N64. For one person to take on such a task is staggering; now imagine doing it while being the president of Hal Laboratory, the studio that made Pokemon Stadium.

5 Super Smash Bros. (79)

Super smash bros fighting Zelda's castle link w:hammer
Super smash bros fighting Zelda's castle link w:hammer

The prototype for what would become Super Smash Bros. was made with just a three-person team. Satoru Iwata programmed it all by himself while already having been president of HAL since 1993. This was also before they got permission to use Nintendo characters, which was not a sure bet at the time. After all, Nintendo is not known for violent games, so a fighter might have been denied outright. Fortunately, it was not and one of the most popular gaming franchises was born.

4 Pokemon Fire Red (81)

Pokemon fire red. walking in town
Pokemon fire red

Fire Red is the remake of Pokemon Red, the debut entry in the franchise along with Blue. Iwata worked on the original games in a more hands-off approach than he would for the second installments, Silver and Gold. His main contribution was overseeing the game's localization to the western market. The first Pokemon game had a notoriously troubled development, but having Iwata in their corner must have helped developer Game Freak exponentially.

3 Kirby: Nightmare In Dreamland (81)

Kirby nightmare in dreamland gameplay
Kirby nightmare in dreamland gameplay

Iwata did not work on the Game Boy Advance remake of Kirby's Adventure, which was called Nightmare in Dreamland, but he did work on the original NES creation, the second game in the franchise overall. Its greatest strength can also be considered a weakness.

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The game is a jolly, lighthearted romp, and will not prove challenging to experienced gamers. However, not every game needs to be a trial by fire, and even avid fans of the medium can enjoy a relaxing Kirby adventure.

2 Pokemon Heart Gold (87)

pokemon heart gold battle gameplay vs. red
pokemon heart gold battle gameplay vs. red

Like several other games on the list, Iwata worked on the original version of this Game Boy Advance Remake. The developers were running into space issues during the development of Pokemon Gold and Silver, so Iwata chipped in by developing compression tools, ultimately allowing the designers and programmers to fit almost twice as much data as they initially could.

1 Super Smash Bros. Melee (92)

Screenshot Of Super Smash Bros Melee Character Selection Screen

Iwata was not initially meant to work on the follow-up to the incredibly successful Super Smash Bros., but he came in near the end of the project to help out. After the team was unsure if they could fix all the bugs in time for release, Iwata personally looked over the code to help find and fix technical issues. Having such a legendary programmer assist with the project must have been a huge boost to morale for the whole team.

Next: 10 Best Games Shigeru Miyamoto Has Worked On (According To Metacritic)