Top Three Underrated Video Games (Nintendo Edition)
While every entry on this list is from a popular series, they still don’t get nearly as much love as they deserve. They are constantly being compared unfairly to hits like Mario 64. So, here’s my list of the Top Three Underrated Nintendo Games.
#3 Super Mario Sunshine (Gamecube)
I love this game. The only reason it isn’t higher on the list is because the people who have played it are very split. Half of the players love, it, like me, but the other half absolutely despises it. From what I’ve seen, there really isn’t many people in-between the two opinions. In Sunshine, Mario, Peach, and a entourage of toads go to take a vacation to Delfino Island. What he wasn’t expecting was to, one, find a water pump that talks, and two, to be arrested for a crime he didn’t commit. The crime he was accused of was spreading a harmful goop across the island, which can spawn enemies. He gets out of jail on the terms that he will completely clean the island and restore the Shine Sprites, which is the Sunshine equivalent of stars. As far as platformers go, the water machine is very unique. It can be used to trigger pressure plates and buttons, and can also function as a jetpack. Overall (in my opinion) a great game, and definitely worth a try.
#2 Luigi’s Mansion (Gamecube)
This game is definitely a deviation from the usual happy-go-lucky tones of the main games, but this is still a classic. After Luigi wins a lottery for a mansion, he goes to the mansion… and finds out that’s it’s haunted by hundreds of ghosts, some stronger than others. Normally he could just leave, but it turns out Mario was taken. After meeting an eccentric scientist, the scientist gives him an upgraded vacuum cleaner to suck up the ghosts. Granted, this game won’t scare you unless you’re very young, but some boss segments (looking at you, weird ghost baby) can be unsettling. It’s impressive that this game manages to keep the classic cartoony art style in a horror game, of all places!
#1 Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 (Wii)
This one gets praised more than the others, but is still underrated. Plus, this a list of my favorite underrated games, and doesn’t necessarily go by the most underrated. Super Mario Galaxy is a masterpiece of a game. The psychics, level design, power-ups, goals, characters, every single one is unique in this game. Your goal is to save the entire galaxy, and you’re captain of a ship that’s a hub for the life still left. Rosalina, a minor-ish character, even has a backstory complex enough to speculate over. Also, who can say no to a bee suit? Out of every game on this list, this is the one that should make you get up, go to the store, and buy it right this minute.