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Comment by komali2 | Hacker News Reader

Yes! Don't forget you also get GameBoy Color and GameBoy games. IMO this massive library (N3DS, 3DS, DSi, DS, GBA, GBC, GB, SNES, NES) has at least 10 "must play before death" games in them (for people that care a lot about videogames, anyway).

Of course all of this can also be achieved on a PC with a simple 10$ amazon controller and free emulators, if you're comfortable pirating games.

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Edit: You're right, that was rude of me lmao. This is an UNORDERED LIST:

1. Super Mario Bros 3

2. The Legend of Zelda (1986)

3. Super Metroid (1994)

4. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

5. Super Castlevania

6. Pokemon: Silver/Gold

7. Advance Wars: Dual Strike

8. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (tecccchnically an n64 game though) (Majora's Mask would make this list if the DS version wasn't a butchered shadow of the original)

9. Metroid: Fusion

10. Like... ANY of the billion Final Fantasies available between NES and N3DS

edit: 11. Mario 64 baybbeeeeeeeee

I'm very curious as to why you didn't like MM3D.

They messed with the acceleration algorithm to where it was almost impossible for me to solve the lily pad jump puzzle.

They tweaked that fight where you chase the big monster around an endless forest hallway to be ABSURDLY easy.

On that note, same for the originally TERRIFYING jungle warrior fight.

Oh and the changed swimming mechanic was fucked, although I just read that they fixed it maybe?

Here's a video I think captured it well https://youtu.be/653wuaP0wzs

So many questions. Like, do you really need pokemon to live?

And why specifically Super Castlevania, which is regarded as kind of a garbage castlevania (the player sprite is bigger so you get less of a heads up on whats ahead, and it's not part of the "metrovania" pantheon).

Why Fusion and Super Metroid?

Does the original LoZ hold up as well as say Link's Awakening?

Why are there only 3 companies represented on this list? Did Capcom run over your pet dog?

Metroid Fusion in my opinion was the king of Metroidvanias for a really long time. It achieved perfection.

I think there's a number of people upset it doesn't have any sequence breaks, is super linear, and much of the exploration is of the "guess and check" variety. https://youtu.be/FsZ9Bb4IW5s?t=1315

> doesn't have any sequence breaks

I would never hate on a game for this.

> super linear

point taken, but speedrunners would say otherwise.

> much of the exploration is of the "guess and check" variety.

I finished the game as a 10 year old so I think it wasn't too easy or too hard.

To each his own !

>I would never hate on a game for this.

I think "achieved perfection" was the bar you set =) And Super Metroid set the bar quite high.

It could be nostalgia or me remembering incorrectly, but Super Metroid felt like a shift to more story telling and environmental setting. When I first played it as a kid, in a dark room it was a bit scary. I felt as the character more than any other game I had played prior.

sorry, i wasn't clear: the emphasis was on _and_. pick one!

For me, easy choice - Super Metroid.

Super Castlevania is quite highly regarded by the Castlevania community. It's not the best Castlevania (Rondo of Blood is), but it's up there.

Really? It didn't even make polygon's top 10. https://www.polygon.com/features/2018/10/26/18011828/best-ca...

I do respect Jeremy Parish. But as a huge Castlevania fan myself I find that list pretty surprising. Obviously there is a lot of subjectivity in something like this. But I would argue Super Castlevania is better than many of the games he put above it.

And to be totally fair, it's true SC is clunky and dated in several regards (it was a very early SNES title and it shows...) So maybe Jeremy dings it on those aspects more than others do. But I would argue it makes up for a lot of that in atmosphere, style and uniqueness.

> Does the original LoZ hold up as well as say Link's Awakening?

If you're only going to play one LoZ, play A Link to the Past. (I think "play the 3rd game" is pretty good advice for a lot of Nintendo series.) ALttP is when they figured out the formula; I played it after I played most of the others, and after playing it every other LoZ (at least the 2D ones) all kinda felt like a copy of ALttP, like they're each just remaking a different aspect of it (and adding in their own little gimmick).

The original LoZ holds up, but is a very different game than the later games. The world is empty for you, there are no towns, just wilderness; it's being a kid exploring the woods behind your house, pretending you're alone in the world. The loss of sword beams when you take damage made me feel that taking damage is getting hurt, rather than just some meter in the corner of the screen that I need to keep up; more so than any other game.

Mostly cause I had to have a short list. I think you should play links awakening too lol.

Fusion is lit but you super metroid is like... The OG metroidvania.

Don't forget Fire Emblem. I bought my 3DS entirely for Fire Emblem.

Oh shit I forgot donkey kong country!!!

> has at least 10 "must play before death" games

Could you make some recommendations? I'd be very interested in your list.

Here's my rough list of games that you can play on a 3DS that are not necessarily 3DS games that I think are "must play" type games. Does not include all games that should be on the list.

1. LoZ: Ocarina of Time 2. Super Mario 64 (ds version) 3. Donkey Kong Country Returns 4. LoZ: A Link To The Past 5. Shin Megami Tensei: IV (maybe not "must", but you should give it a shot) 6. Earthbound 7. Super Mario World

Foundational list. Nothing tops Ocarina of Time

2D Link is best Link.

And a few Pokemon ones too with Emerald at the top of that list.

Oooh yes i remember playing emerald and it being my favorite, among sapphire

> Donkey Kong Country Returns

Pretty please, play the Wii version of this! You can use Dolphin if you want.

The 3DS port halved the framerate from 60 fps to 30 fps, and it makes a big difference! At 30 fps, the game is much too difficult—unless you play on the "adjusted" difficulty they added, and I'm pretty sure I know why they adjusted it.

Also, while I'm here I'm going to add on Kid Icarus: Uprising. I know the controls were divisive, but if you can adapt, it's a really unique and well-done action adventure. From the creator of Smash Brothers!

Sorry, you're right https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24508604

For GBA:

1/2. Metroid Fusion & Zero Mission

3/4. Advanced Wars 1 & 2

5/6. Golden Sun 1 & 2

7. Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced

8. Kirby and the Amazing Mirror

9. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

10. Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga

There were also 3 great Castlevania's, 3 great Sonic Advanced, 2 or 3 Fire Emblems, I enjoyed the 3 Dragon Ball Z RPGs, I enjoyed the newer Pokemon Emerald and throwback FireRed (QoL improvements). Final Fantasy 6 is available.

Really, a flash cart was very much a worthwhile investment (and a larger capacity battery) for my gameboy micro. Would recommend EZ-Flash IV.

I’ve played a GBA and a DS game on emulator and this is far from the real experience, especially for the DS one. The new 3DS, DS lite and GBA SP are such nice hardware it’s part of the experience.

Oh come now! You can't say 10 games you must play before you die and leave us hanging!

I'll be disappointed if Super Metroid doesn't make this list of yours.

Super Metroid is available on Switch Online. Super Mario RPG would be my pick from here that is almost impossible to find legally.

I wasn't big into RPGs growing up, and I didn't even have a Super Nintendo, but I bought a Mini SNES last year and gave it a shot...I was floored at how enjoyable the game is. I got pretty deep into it but life and work and everything got in the way, and now it's been so long that I want to go back to it but would be completely lost...but I'm looking forward to starting over again when I've got some free time to dig into it again.

Super Mario RPG is on the SNES Classic.

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