NL 10s – 20 Years of Critiques
To start with, although, some numbers and housekeeping.
The Stats
After eradicating re-releases and ports from the equation, Nintendo Life has given out 10/10 scores to 69 video games over 20 years. (Sure, sure, that is simply the quantity it occurs to be!) That averages to simply beneath 3.5 ‘Excellent’ video games per yr.
That may sound quite a bit, however it’s price remembering the sheer variety of evaluations we have printed, together with migrations from the VC Critiques period and our newer Mini Evaluation format. Bear in mind, additionally, that Digital Console releases resulted in an inflow of 8-, 16-, and 64-bit classics, producing a clutch of ‘classic’ 10/10s early doorways. The location could also be 20, however we have lined almost half a century of video video games!
Digging into the backend, the information says we at present have…7,599 evaluations within the archives. Blimey.
That averages to roughly one evaluation a day. Each single day, for twenty years. Some years have been busier than others (we had a mind-boggling 609 go reside in 2018, for example), however it’s nonetheless fairly astonishing. An enormous shoutout and thanks to all NL workers and contributors, previous and current, who helped make the positioning what it’s from the mid-2000s proper to date.
The Royal ‘We’ & Different Misconceptions
For the Swap 2 technology, NL switched from utilizing first-person plural (‘we’) in evaluations to the singular (‘I’), partly to assist treatment confusion for readers who weren’t acquainted with the conference. “How will you give GAME X a 7 whenever you gave GAME Y a 9, and that is objectively higher?!” Erm, is it? Did I? That was a unique particular person… *checks notes* over a decade in the past.
Continuity is most well-liked, with one author tackling the identical collection, for example – one thing we endeavour to do at any time when doable. Regardless, a evaluation cannot be something however the subjective opinion of the author, and a snapshot of their considering on the time. That ought to be self-evident, however nonetheless, it appears to confuse lots of people! Likewise, it isn’t an editor’s job to arbitrarily push scores up or down in keeping with private choice or what ‘the positioning’ awarded an identical sport.
Some video games beneath may need you elevating an eyebrow, and a pair you won’t have even heard of. Simply keep in mind, if there’s one thing beneath that you would not give a ten…that is wonderful! In some instances, you may discover feedback from the unique reviewer exploring in the event that they nonetheless maintain the sport in such excessive esteem years after the very fact. (An enormous thanks to those that contributed!)
The Bar (What constitutes a ten/10 in 2026?)
In 2026, for us, it is elevating the style bar which makes for the best doable rating.
Executing completely and having ‘nothing fallacious with it’ is not sufficient nowadays – there needs to be an ambition in a sport’s design that pushes on the limits, that expands the chance area.
For example, a sequel to a sport we gave 10/10 years in the past would not robotically get one for being ‘higher’ by comparability. You will see a number of video games beneath that received re-released later and did not hit the identical excessive in a contemporary context. Video games evolve and the medium strikes ahead; one of the best examples should transcend merely refining what got here earlier than. In some vogue, a ten ought to break new floor.
It is price remembering, too, that there actually isn’t any such factor as a ‘good’ sport. Let’s remind ourselves of our present standards for awarding our highest rating, as communicated in our Scoring Coverage:
10/10 — Excellent
The head of a given style on the time of launch, these titles increase the bar in nearly all essential classes. You possibly can make certain that a sport awarded this rating has the best high quality presentation and expertly honed gameplay, but in addition breaks boundaries and pushes the {industry} ahead in a significant method.
Okay, sufficient preamble. Sufficient caveats. Sufficient signage to faucet when the feedback are available in. Under is each online game Nintendo Life has awarded a ten/10 rating in its 20-year historical past, offered in launch date order.
Word. The place a number of variations of the identical title have gotten high marks — RE4, Hyperlink’s Awakening, BOTW, for instance — we have distilled them right into a single entry and famous the duplicates.
Let’s begin at first and have fun some exceptionally good video video games ‘we’ have had the pleasure of reviewing…
Each Recreation NL Awarded 10/10 (2005-2025)
Mega Man 2 (NES)
We start with an all-timer, one of many best NES video games ever made.
“Mega Man 2 is a textbook instance of a sequel carried out proper,” mentioned Philip J Reed, dearly departed buddy of the positioning who rated this one very extremely in his 2013 Digital Console evaluation.
Constructing on the strengths of the primary sport whereas refining the bits that did not work so effectively, whether or not this or its sequel is one of the best Mega Man sport is a debate that may rage without end (and Mega Man X says hello), however it’s robust to disagree with Philip’s evaluation. That is an 8-bit masterpiece.
Tremendous Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
What’s there to say? It is the sport that tops our High 50 NES record, it is the finest NES sport on NSO, it is the jewel that’s Tremendous Mario Bros. 3.
Wondrous when it was first launched, it is a kind of uncommon ‘previous’ video games that does not want caveats or a historical past lesson for any participant of any talent degree to understand and luxuriate in in 2026. It is nonetheless, merely, excellent.
Together with varied VC releases and the GBA port (the snappily titled Tremendous Mario Advance 4: Tremendous Mario Bros. 3), we have had 4 evaluations of this on the positioning through the years, every one a ten.
And eyebrows throughout the land remained completely horizontal. Maybe the following one would possibly show extra divisive?
Tremendous Mario World (SNES)
Maybe not. From one GOAT to a different, Tremendous Mario World is…effectively, it is Tremendous Mario World, is not it.
“I keep in mind studying the 96/100 scoring evaluation in Difficulty 112 of Pc and Video Video games journal,” says our authentic reviewer Jamie O’Neill. “The sport was hyped as being particular proper from the Tremendous Famicom’s launch, so I went on a journey of saving for a PC Engine to purchasing a Mega Drive as a substitute, however I used to be satisfied to promote my Mega Drive to play Tremendous Mario World.”
As with its predecessor, time hasn’t dulled this, both. “Its Nintendo artistry feels much more particular now,” says Jamie, “to the purpose that I’ve a Tremendous Mario World cartridge completely slotted into my spare, authentic Recreation Boy Advance, with 326 lives gathered on one save slot.”
The Legend of Zelda: A Hyperlink to the Previous (SNES)
I promise, there will probably be a few ‘Huh?’ moments, however this record, naturally, is propped up primarily by pillars of the medium.
The Legend of Zelda rolled out the blueprint, which Zelda II promptly rolled up and threw out the window. A Hyperlink to the Previous, true to its title, went again in time to the supply and laid the foundations for a quarter-century of the collection.
Even after the transfer to 3D, Zelda III (as no person calls it) remained the one to observe, the one to beat. Poor Zelda IV by no means stood an opportunity…
The Legend of Zelda: Hyperlink’s Awakening (GB)
Hyperlink’s Awakening: “Maintain my beer.”
Hyperlink’s Awakening took its predecessor’s template and, remarkably, shrunk it all the way down to Recreation Boy proportions with out diminishing the collection’ scope or creativeness, throwing in some Lynchian spice to beautiful impact. “It will be tough to argue towards The Legend of Zelda: Hyperlink’s Awakening being the top of gaming on the Recreation Boy system,” Corbie Dillard mentioned in 2009. Tough, certainly.
This affecting little journey got here again colourised in DX kind, too, gaining one other NL 10 within the course of – one thing that the Swap remake could not fairly handle. “The HD remake is charming, beautiful, and pointless,” says Jacob Crites, our reviewer for the GBC model. “Hyperlink’s Awakening (and the colourised DX) stays a timeless, dreamy labour of affection, which first started as an after-hours venture by a handful of passionate Nintendo programmers.”
