Gaming has become a massively popular pastime in the last decade—even more than it ever was. And while they have not always been at the forefront of development, Nintendo is still considered a pioneer of the gaming industry and remains to this day one of the greatest developers of family-friendly titles like Super Mario Bros.
As a pioneer of the gaming industry, Nintendo's origins go back a very long time—nearly 40 years, in fact. Consequently, this means most adult gamers have a history with Nintendo that has shaped their lives and their love for gaming. Despite this history being decades old now, however, much of it still holds up as moments that all gamers should experience at some point in their lifetime.
10 Become a Super Star (Mario Party)
While the Mario Party franchise still continues to this day, there was nothing quite like the first game of the series, as it brought an experience to the small screen at home unlike anything before it. What made Mario Party special is that it gave families and friends a reason to gather around the television for a virtual tabletop gaming experience with classic Nintendo characters—something no other game had done before.
Games like Mario Kart 64 were similar in that they incorporated split-screen multiplayer into their gameplay, but Mario Party was a much more accessible experience that appealed to a broader demographic. This led to parents playing the game alongside their kids, and large groups of friends gathering around a small screen for some competitive fun.
9 Learn the DK Rap (Donkey Kong 64)
The DK Rap is a song that plays before players reach the main menu of Donkey Kong 64, and no other game had done anything like it before. In an effort to establish a tone of satirical humor, the DK Rap plays as the Donkey Kong crew dances and performs slapstick comedy routines, all while the words to the song appear below them in typical karaoke fashion.
Much to the amazement of fans, there are many gamers who claim they have never heard the DK Rap. However, anyone who has seen The Super Mario Bros. Movie has heard the DK Rap (although they may not have known it at the time), as a segment of it plays during Donkey Kong's introduction. Interestingly enough, Seth Rogen, who plays Donkey Kong in the film, jokingly referred to the DK Rap as "objectively, one of the worst rap songs of all time."
8 Go Bowling at Home (Wii Sports)
If Nintendo Wii fans were asked what their most memorable experience was with the console, many of them would likely reply, "Wii Sports." Nintendo's attempt to design a console that would encourage gamers to be more active debuted with Wii Sports, a collection of five sports simulations all designed to showcase the Wii Remote's sensing capabilities.
Wii Sports remains a popular experience to this day (especially its iconic '80s-inspired theme song), but many gamers consider its bowling simulation to be its best feature. Using the Wii Remote, players can simulate rolling a bowling ball by swinging their arm back and then forward, effectively reproducing the feeling of bowling with a real ball.
7 Play World 1-1 (Super Mario Bros.)
Show anyone a still of World 1-1 from Super Mario Bros. on the NES, and they will almost always know exactly what it is. It is widely considered one of the most iconic video game levels and is still a critically acclaimed example of video game design, and one that many developers still draw inspiration from to this day.
Super Mario Bros.' graphics and mechanics are undoubtedly significantly dated at this point. That being said, World 1-1 is considered a masterpiece of level design, as it incorporates the majority of the game's mechanics in order to equip players with the necessary tools to master the entire game right from the start. It is a prime example of the philosophy of "learning through play" and should be experienced by every gamer, regardless of personal preference.
6 Boot Up a Nintendo GameCube
The Nintendo GameCube console was the first Nintendo console to use discs instead of cartridges, and while it wasn't considered the most innovative console in comparison to its competition at the time, its toy-ish design set it apart from the rest. If nothing else, it served as the platform for what many consider to be one of the best installments in the Super Smash Bros. franchise, Super Smash Bros. Melee.
The Nintendo GameCube logo animation music is one of the most iconic console startup sounds of all time, and is widely considered one of the most recognizable. Luckily, rather than tracking down and purchasing a Nintendo GameCube console just to boot it up and hear the music, it's available to watch and listen to on YouTube from a variety of sources.
5 Stretch Mario's Face (Super Mario 64)
Like other games at the time, Super Mario 64's title screen had a "hidden" feature. If players were to move the control stick, a white glove would appear. Players could then use the white glove to pull and stretch parts of Mario's face and hat, which could also be held in place by holding down a specific button. Upon releasing that button, Mario's face would spring back to its original position.
It is currently unknown exactly how much time gamers have spent on the Super Mario 64 title screen alone, as they would often get so heavily invested in shaping Mario's face that they would forget to play the actual game. It's unfortunate that modern games don't have features like this anymore, but perhaps that's what makes games like Super Mario 64 so special.
4 Do A Barrel Roll! (Star Fox 64)
Although many social media users today are likely to know the phrase "do a barrel roll," they may not know anything about its origins. "Do a barrel roll" is one of Peppy Hare's lines from Star Fox 64, and it can be heard within the first few minutes of the game as part of the game's tutorials. When a player performs a barrel roll, any shots fired at Fox's ship are deflected off, so it can be a very useful maneuver.
Peppy's iconic "Do a barrel roll" quote has become the source of countless memes in recent years, even to the point that typing it into Google will cause the screen to rotate 360 degrees in a clockwise direction. However, despite one of its most famous quotes being used as a meme, Star Fox 64 is still worth playing. To this day, it remains the pinnacle of the Star Fox series and still holds up as a great game.
3 Play Split-Screen Mario Kart (Mario Kart 64)
The most memorable split-screen experience in classic gaming is without a doubt Mario Kart 64, a racing game revolving around the world and characters of the Super Mario series. While it wasn't the first Mario Kart title, it is considered to be the Mario Kart game that inspired subsequent sequels in the series due to its commercial success.
Mario Kart 64 is enjoyable solo, but certainly not as enjoyable as it can be with a room full of friends and family. What made Mario Kart 64 popular was the opportunity it gave gaming groups to participate in some friendly competition with some of the most iconic characters in the Nintendo universe.
2 Become a Pokémon Master (Pokémon Red and Blue)
Despite beginning almost 30 years ago, the Pokémon franchise continues to be a massively popular series in the video game, trading card game, and anime industry, but there will never be anything quite like experiencing it for the first time when Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue were released on the original Nintendo Game Boy in 1996. Red and Blue had players tracking down the original 151 Pokémon, battling Gym Leaders along the way, and eventually arriving at a battle with the Elite Four, the top four Pokémon trainers in the Kanto region.
Pokémon Red and Blue are still considered two of the best Pokémon games and that is likely to continue indefinitely, even as new Pokémon titles are released. Any gamer who has yet to experience the original Pokémon games that took the world by storm should find a way to do so.
1 Become The Hero Of Time (The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time)
Since its release on the Nintendo 64 in 1998, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has been considered by many critics and gamers to be one of the best video games of all time. It brought a vast open world that the gaming industry had not yet seen at the time, along with memorable characters, an emotional and thought-provoking narrative, great graphics for the time, and lots of replayability.
Though it probably needs no explanation, Ocarina of Time is a fantasy action-adventure game in which a humble hero named Link is summoned by fate to save the world from a great evil known as Ganondorf. Not only does Ocarina of Time include Ganondorf's first appearance in the Zelda franchise, but many developers have noted the impact OoT had on them and how it inspired them.
