Banjo-Kazooie even today can be argued as the greatest 3D platformer of all time. One major reason is its level quality. While I’m intending to rank these based on what I think is the best, the word best of course is subject to debate. Also, I am only ranking the main levels, so no Spiral Mountain or Quiz show stuff…
9. Clanker’s Cavern
The only world I would say I don’t like here. The swimming is a bit of a pain (although swimming physics are top notch here) and the world primarily revolves around a metal fish. It looks dull. There’s still some good stuff in this though, including my favorite empty honeycomb piece spot, Wonderwing and a cool jumping mini-game in the fish.
8. Rusty Bucket Bay
I appreciate the challenge of Rusty Bucket Bay, but the contaminated water and engine rooms are more pain than pleasure. Navigating the boat itself is fun though. Despite the engine room I appreciate the challenge of getting all 100 notes as well.
7. Bubblegloop Swamp
I think the top 7 levels are significantly better than Rusty Bucket Bay and Clanker’s Cavern. Mr. Vile’s challenge is a lot of fun and being a crocodile is a lot of fun. What holds Bubblegloop Swamp back is that it’s more of a chore to get around with the wading boots…and it’s not like there’s an easy way back to Mumbo’s everytime you want to switch.
6. Mumbo’s Mountain
One of the best examples of a first level teaching you through the ropes. You learn about Jinjos, Mumbo Transformations, throwing eggs and pretty much everything else you need. It’s a bit too easy for my tastes but still quite good. I think a terminate was an odd choice to introduce the Mumbo transformation though.
5. Gobi’s Valley
We’re already in the “A” tier here, and having five of the nine worlds be at that level is quite an accomplishment. Gobi’s Valley has a lot of fun jiggies and characters (like Gobi!). There’s a lot to do here such as wading through sand, getting access to the running shoes and beating short clocks or flying through small holes with spikes. There’s a magic carpet ride too! I actually dislike Donkey Kong 64’s Aztec level mainly because Gobi’s Valley owns so much.
4. Treasure Trove Cove
There are so many areas to explore in Treasure Trove Cove. Banjo-Kazooie smartly introduces flying here and it makes Treasure Trove Cove that much bigger. Fight an evil shellfish named Nipper, find gold for a pirate, fly up to the lighthouse or put some codes into a magical sandcastle. Just watch out for Snacker…
3. Freezeezy Peak
This snow/Christmas themed level has a lot going on as well. I find this to be the rich man’s Mario 64 Snowman’s Land. There’s a HUGE Snowman to climb this time around, a Christmas tree full of presents to explore and some polar bears to race. There’s also the legend of the ice key that you may encounter…
2. Mad Monster Mansion
We are now in the S tier. Mad Monster Mansion is super fun to explore. It has a clever Mumbo Transformation (Pumpkin!) and several smart jiggies. There’s a church and a haunted house to explore, and probably my favorite “race the clock” jiggy. My personal favorite world for sure.
1. Click Clock Wood
A purely genius world. Click Clock Wood is actually four seasons, and each season presents its own challenges. What you do in each season affects the other. Something you do in Spring may effect something that happens in Summer, for example. It also has an amazing theme during the Springtime. A really fun 100 note challenge lies here too.
A random rant about the competitive video game community first. While I enjoy participating in and watching Super Smash Bros. tournaments, I always wished there was more diversity in them. Sure, the idea of competitive gaming is to minimize luck and maximize skill. But I believe more can be done to have casuals play more tournaments as well to expand the game. Giving casuals events they can do well in as well providing a tournament scene that allows them to have fun and not feel bad about losing to competitive players could only grow the Super Smash Bros. community.
If I ever become rich and wealthy, I would look to create a World Series of Smash, a series of tournaments that provide big money Guarantees for small buy-ins. I would try to have Nintendo endorse the series as well (so no Project M or Super Smash Flash) in this fictional scenario. I would look to have every single match recorded and uploaded. While some (most) of the events are standard double elimination style tournaments, some of the events are tournament types not even remotely seen in the Smash community. Right now, it’s just a dream.
Event #1
Game: Melee
Rules: Standard Tournament, Double Elimination
Buy-in: $20
Guaranteed: $15,000
Event #2
Game: Smash 4
Rules: Single Elimination
Buy-in: $20
Guaranteed: $10,000
Event #3
Game: Smash 4
Rules: 4 v 4, Double Elimination
Buy-in: $20 ($5 per player)
Guaranteed: $3,000
Event #4
Game: Brawl
Rules: 1 Stock, 3 Min, Best of Sevens, Double Elimination, Randoms
Buy-in: $10
Guaranteed: $4,000
Event #5
Game: Smash 4
Rules: Best of Fives, Must use different character each time.
Buy-in: $10
Guaranteed: $6,000
Event #6
Game: Smash 4
Rules: 8 Player Smash, 15 Mins, 10% of highest scores advance (closest to a multiple of 8).
Buy-in: $10
Guaranteed: $4,000
Event #7
Game: Smash 4
Rules: 3 v 3, Double Elimination
Buy-in: $21 ($7 per team)
Guaranteed: $3,000
Event #8
Game: Smash 4
Rules: 4 Player Smash, 10 HP, Randoms, Customs On, Single Elimination
Buy-in: $5
Guaranteed: $2,500
Event #9
Game: Melee
Rules: Single Elimination, Best of Sevens
Buy-in: $20
Guaranteed: $15,000
Event #10
Game: Brawl
Rules: Double Elimination, Low Items
Buy-in: $10
Guaranteed: $3,000
Event #11
Game: 64, Melee, Brawl, 4
Rules: Double Elimination, Game selection is a counterpick option. Game choice at the beginning is a result of striking.
There’s an argument to be made that Super Mario Bros. is the most influential video game of all time. SMB created the blueprint that all platformers (2D or 3D) followed for the next 30 years. It may seem simple, run forward, jump on some platforms, avoid some enemies and get to the end of the level. There’s so much depth within such a simple design.
Gameplay wise, SMB is still fun to play despite thirty years of gaming. All of the controls are tight and smooth. When you want Mario to jump, he jumps. When you want him to run, he runs. There aren’t any spots where you feel like the game screwed you over. The game is also very easy to follow. The goal is to get to the end of each level to advance. Along the way there are obstacles, usually enemies to bypass or holes to jump over, that Mario must overcome in order to succeed. There are three power-ups that can help you: the Mushroom which makes Mario big and gives him an extra hitpoint in case he’s hit by an enemy, the Fire Flower that lets Mario shoot fireballs and the Star which allows Mario invincibility for a short while. Each enemy has their own unique attributes. For example a Koopa Troopa that’s green will walk straight and fall off any cliffs, while a red Koopa Troopa will turn around when approaching a cliff. The enemy system quite easy to remember (and still used today in Mario games).
The level design is quite smart. It would have been easy just to throw these obstacles together and call it a game, but Nintendo did better than that. There are secrets all over SMB’s eight worlds (32 levels). While maybe today gamers won’t hunt down for every 1-Up Mushroom or every coin, back then finding every little secret was on par with 100%ing a game. Sure there are the big ones. Finding the Warp Zones that let you skip a few worlds was obviously a great accomplishment, but finding all those hidden blocks with 1-Ups made you feel like you were an expert at the game. Every Mario player tried to go down every green pipe in the game. Every Mario player hit every brick just for the satisfaction of finding a gold coin (or ten). That’s what made SMB brilliant, the game was so much larger than its eight worlds would suggest.
Amazingly, despite there being about five or six musical tracks in the entire game, all of them are memorable and often remixed today in current games. The overworld theme is perhaps the most recognizable piece of music in video game history. The sound effects are just as memorable. SMB also looked great for its time. There was some really smart palette swapping done (for example, a goomba and a mushroom are just palette swaps of one another, as is a cloud and a bush) and the colors really work for the Nintendo. When you remember some of the graphical junk the NES produced in the 1980s it really makes one appreciate what SMB looks like.
Really, that’s all there is to it. SMB is still fun to play for a night. And whether or not you’re playing it just to beat it or going through every single green pipe, you’re still in for a memorable experience.
Pros:
-Controls feel tight
-Memorable music, sounds and graphics
-Smart level design
-Memorable enemies and characters
-Simple to pick up
Cons:
-Not difficult at all
-Someone with Mario Maker could remake the whole game in a couple hours
Technically it isn’t perfect, but in 1985 it probably surpassed that expectation anyway. It’s influence alone give it a perfect grade.
To this day the two Legend of Zelda titles for the Nintendo 64 rank among the greatest games of all time. A big reason is because of tremendous level design for the temples that make up each game’s core. But which ones are the best? Here it is, a ranking of each of the main Nintendo 64 Legend of Zelda dungeons. To be clear, there are no side dungeons on here, which means no Ice Cavern, no Bottom of the Well etc.
Great Bay Temple – Majora’s Mask
For the record, I only dislike two of the N64 main temples, and here is one of them. While I appreciate Great Bay Temple’s difficulty, it’s a pure pain to get through with its strong water currents. There are times that if you miss a certain jump, you’ll have to swim around just to get back to where you need to be. The music surprisingly misses as well, with a mechanical, mysterious theme that feels out of place. Definitely the weakest part of Majora’s Mask. The boss, Gyrog, is pretty cool but feels pretty cheap as well. I believe they changed the battle for the 3DS version as a result.
Inside Jabu Jabu’s Belly – OOT
Jabu Jabu’s Belly has one thing going for it, you get the boomerang here. Otherwise this is probably the most boring temple in the N64 era. Most of the time you’re just hitting tentacles with the boomerang. You’re also carrying Princess Ruto around and that’s quite annoying as well. The sub-boss here isn’t designed well, as you need to run in a circle to avoid a big Octorok, but you have to avoid some spikes in the middle. Barinade is an okay boss though.
Inside the Deku Tree – OOT
Ten good dungeons out of twelve isn’t bad. Inside the Deku Tree is a fun opening temple that allows players to get used to all of Link’s brand new 3D controls. The puzzles are simple, yet rewarding. Queen Gohma is an iconic boss, easy as she is. While playing this, you had to know OOT was going to be a great game.
Woodfall Temple – Majora’s Mask
Woodfall ‘s difficulty quickly shows that Majora’s Mask is probably going to be a tougher game than Ocarina of Time. Admittedly Woodfall is a bit plain, but I think it does a great job establishing the tone we’re going to get in Majora’s Mask. It’s darker, it’s creepier. You hear the spirits in the theme song that probably belong to Odolwa. There’s a lot to like here.
Fire Temple – OOT
The Fire Temple is a standard straight forward dungeon, but it has a great sub and main boss. The Flare Dancer is an interesting sub-boss that might not do a whole not, but it’s better than a random Lizalfo (although we get that too). Volvagia is awesome as a main boss of course. There’s a nice story in the Fire Temple as well, as you’re looking to rescue all of the Gorons imprisoned. Megaton Hammer is a great item pick-up as well, even if it’s underused throughout the game.
Shadow Temple – OOT
Unfortunately for the Shadow Temple, the creepiness vibe that it gives off pales in comparison to the Forest Temple. It’s still a good dungeon in its own right. It uses the Lens of Truth well and the end with the ship and the maze of Wall Masters is pretty cool. Bongo Bongo is quite the let down as far as bosses go though.
Water Temple – OOT
As a kid, the Water Temple halted my progress for months because of one key. While it’s not really that difficult looking back at it, the challenge it can provide new gamers is a major plus and I remember being very disappointed with the Master Quest version as a result. The Water Temple has probably the worst boss in OOT though in Morphia. Even more puzzling is that it has probably the best sub-boss as well: Dark Link. So the question here is…why wasn’t Dark Link the main boss? The Water Temple also has an awesome theme.
Snowhead Temple – Majora’s Mask
A really fun dungeon that goes upwards, which was a nice touch that we only saw in the Fire Temple in OOT. Snowhead does it a lot better though. There’s a lot of Fire Arrow action, a lot of Goron Link action and just a good time to be had all around. Wizzrobe is also a fun sub-boss, and Snowhead’s main boss, Goht, may be the most fun N64 Zelda boss of them all. Unless you do it the Fire Arrow way…
Dodongo’s Cavern – OOT
There’s no bad part of Dodongo’s Cavern really. It’s just a straight up get through this dungeon and have fun doing it kind of experience. Beat down some dodongos, light some torches, blow up some statues and just have a good time. It also has a great main boss too in King Dodongo, a boss that is a heck of a lot easier with the Hylian Shield (one of the two times that whole “get the Hylian Shield” thing actually mattered). Dodongo’s Cavern also does a couple of things really well. First, it teases the boss really early on with that really cool dragon (dodongo) head in the main room, and it uses the item you get in the dungeon, bombs, very well. Bonus points for the need to come back here as an adult to get some extras.
Spirit Temple – OOT
It’s time for the top tier of Zelda 64 Temples. The Spirit Temple I do think is a distant third, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s pretty awesome. It has the second best boss in the game in Twinrova (we are getting there), has a really cool story (Child Link meets Nabooru, saves her seven years later) and is really fun to get through. We get to face off with a couple Iron Knuckles as well. To top it off, the music is absolutely awesome as well. Really gets bonus points for having a child and adult section and connecting them well.
Stone Tower – Majora’s Mask
What a tough choice between the top two! I would have sworn that the Stone Tower would have been number one, but there was one deciding factor which I’ll get to. Anyway, the Stone Tower owns in pretty much every way. To even get to the main part of the tower you need to figure out some puzzles with the Elegy of Emptiness. Once you get to the top, you enter the main part of the Tower which is where the fun really begins. The creepiness of Majora’s Mask really sets in when in the Stone Tower, as the music, in my opinion the best Zelda has to offer, really sets the mood and tone. The best part about the Stone Tower is that you have to use all your forms at some point, which is a great trait for a final Temple. You also have a bunch of mini-bosses you’ll have to contend with: Wizzrobe, the Garo Master and Gomess. Light Arrows and the Giant’s Mask are also acquired here. By the way, once you get through it…you’ll have to spin the Tower upside-down and climb through it again. It’s awesome how a treasure chest you found when it’s right-side up turns out to be a crucial hookshot spot later! Awesome design. It’s too bad the main boss kinda sucks.
Forest Temple – OOT
While there were a few moments beforehand, to me the Forest Temple is the part of OOT that says “okay, now it’s time to take things seriously”. Before as a child you had Zelda talking some nonsense about an evil man and a prophecy. Now? Now she’s disappeared and all the places that were full of fun as a kid have turned into places full of monsters. What’s the first thing you do as an adult? Call Saria and find out where she is. It’s a brilliant storyline and a perfect set-up. Suddenly, the temple right next to your home may be the creepiest place you’ll ever go, with ghosts, twisting hallways, wallmasters and wolves everywhere. Skulltulas climb the vines. The Forest Temple does such a tremendous job at being creepy that it unintentionally undermines the Shadow Temple later. The music is fantastic, the deisgn is fantastic, and in the deciding choice between this and the Stone Tower…the main boss is the best in all of Zelda 64. Phantom Ganon is awesome. Amazing all around.
It may be hard to believe, but it has been nineteen years since Nintendo established the 3D adventure platforming model with Super Mario 64. One of the most amazing feats of the game is that despite it being one of (if not the first) of its kind, it managed to put together memorable and awesome worlds. Here is a ranking. While I’m intending to rank these based on what I think is the best, the word best of course is subject to debate. Also, I am only ranking the main courses. No Cap Switch Palaces, no Bowser levels etc. Nonetheless, here we go!
Tiny-Huge Island
The idea behind Tiny-Huge Island is tremendous. Problem is that it doesn’t quite work in Super Mario 64. When everything is huge the world is a chore to get around, but at least it’s not terrible. But when everything is tiny Tiny-Huge Island is the worst. Tiny Goombas run around like crazy and knock your giant self off the small island. It’s an absolute plan to get through most of the time. The red coin challenge in Wiggler’s Cave also feels awkward, but at least we get some solid platforming out of it. It has some good moments, like Wiggler making an appearance and the Koopa the Quick rematch, but overall as I said before, it’s a pain to get through.
Tall Tall Mountain
Pretty much the most boring course in the game. Tall Tall Mountain has four notable features: it’s tall, it has a bunch of mushrooms to platform through, it has an annoying monkey and it has a somewhat difficult slide. Only the slide is a positive here. Being tall would be a good challenge, but Tick Tock Clock does the “scale the tall world” thing a lot better.
Dire Dire Docks
Right up there with Tall Tall Mountain with being boring. Dire Dire Docks is simply two sections of water. It contains the Bowser sub, which unlocks Bowser at the Lava Sea. Problem there is there is next to no challenge upon boarding that sub. There’s also barely 100 coins here (I think 108 total?) so the entire challenge there is making sure you don’t screw up the blue coins. One of its potentially most interesting stars, Collect the Caps, is rendered useless as it’s actually easier to ignore the metal cap here. The only good star is the red coin challenge, as you must jump from one pole to another to collect them. Also has an area that if you get sucked in you end up in the moat outside the castle, which is an unnecessary time waster. It does have awesome music, so there is that.
Shifting Sand Land
Probably the worst level I would consider good (which means Mario 64’s worlds are 80% good. That’s pretty awesome actually). The outside is a pain, as normal plains are slow moving quicksand traps, so if you stand in place for too long it’s hard to run out if you need to. There are tons of other instant death sandtraps, specifically around pillars you need to land on or the main pyramid. The pillars themselves are annoying to get to the top of as the physics around them are strange, and trying it with a shell, while possible and fun, is probably unnecessarily dangerous. There is a lot of good in the Shifting Sand Land though. Crazy boxes are cool. The pyramid itself is quite fun and there’s a fun little boss battle in there.
Hazy Maze Cave
An interesting course for sure. Being that it’s a maze, it is easy to get lost and not find everything, but there’s nothing wrong with that. For the most part, this course is good. My only issue is that some of the stars seem a bit awkward to obtain. Riding Dorrie’s head is a bit weird. The actual maze with toxic fumes can be tough to navigate with beavers throwing rocks at you. The red coin star can be frustrating. But in the grand scheme of things, no biggie. Hazy Maze Cave is good and enjoyable and an interesting course to explore.
Cool Cool Mountain
Cool Cool Mountain has a couple of good things going for it. The slide and penguin race is a lot of fun. The baby penguin star can also be a lot of fun. Wall Kicks will work, also a lot of fun. On the flip side, the snowman lost his head star is a bit weird. Other than that, Cool Cool Mountain is another solid, fun level, but it’s only tenth as other than the slide, there is nothing special about it at all.
Whomp’s Fortress
One of the most interesting ideas that seemed to get dropped early on in Mario 64 is each world having a theme related to an enemy. The first world was a war between the Bob-ombs. Here we have the fortress of the Whomps (later, we’d have the house of the Boos). Anyway, Whomp’s Fortress is fantastically designed for the most part. Only issue is there’s a piece of the course when you’re platforming on small platforms that don’t really fit in with the rest of the level. Other than that, it’s thoroughly enjoyable and the Whomp King is pretty funny.
Snowman’s Land
Gets the nod over Whomp’s Fortress as Snowman’s Land has many different interesting sections. Of course, there’s the whole point of the world which is climbing up the big Snowman, which is fine. There’s also an igloo, an ice sculpture you have to jump through, a big bully and some shell shredding. Overall, a really fun course.
Jolly Roger Bay
This would be where I would start calling the levels great. Jolly Roger Bay may be the first recorderd water level that I really enjoyed in a video game. The music is beautiful (same as Dire Dire Docks…which gets all the credit for some reason as this came first) and provides a peaceful break in between all the platforming you did in Bob-omb Battlefield and Whomp’s Fortress. There is a tricky star where you have to launch yourself to a pillar and jump onto a small alcove in the wall, which gave me a lot of trouble as a kid. There’s also the ship, which leads to another section. Lastly, there’s a small cave that’s some fun as well. It does have one awkward star, the one that you try to take off the tail of the eel, but overall Jolly Roger Bay is great and so much better than Dire Dire Docks.
Bob-omb Battlefield
One of the best first levels in gaming history. When I first saw that Chain Chomp as a kid I realized that gaming was in a totally different world now. Bob-omb Battlefield is the perfect first world to get used to how Mario works in his new 3D environment. We even get our first tease in regards to the Switch Palaces. There are also some great characters introduced as well, including the Bob-omb King and Koopa the Quick! It would be higher, but flying through the middle of rings of coins is an odd star.
Rainbow Ride
There’s so much to do in Rainbow Ride! There’s two different main path ways that you need to ride a magic carpet to get to…as well as a platforming maze and a whole lower level. Rainbow Ride is a fun test of platforming. I specifically liked some of the stars here, such as Tricky Triangles. A real great last test of your platforming abilities near the end of the game.
Lethal Lava Land
Really up here for its awesome picture and it’s awesome first section. The first section has a Bowser matching part for 8 coins that is unnecessary but cool nonetheless. Otherwise, you can shell shred the entire world and it may be the most fun part of Super Mario 64 period. The volcano is pretty bland admittedly, but there is some good platforming to be had here.
Tick Tock Clock
I would say that this begins the top tier. Easily the most interesting course in Super Mario 64. Tick Tock Clock does the whole “climb a huge level” deal way better than Tall Tall Mountain does. There’s tons of different places to go here with each having a different challenge. Tick Tock Clock is easily the most difficult 100 coin star in the game, with only Rainbow Ride coming close, and yet the challenge of getting all 100 coins is quite satisfying. Really fun. Pretty hard, especially if you don’t know what you are doing. As a bonus, the level reacts differently based on which number you enter the clock in. Great stuff.
Big Boo’s Haunt
Another level with a myriad of places to explore. If Tick Tock Clock is the better Tall Tall Mountain, then Big Boo’s Haunt is the better Hazy Maze Cave. The 100 coin star requires you to interact with the main enemies of the course, which of course are the Boos. There are boos all over the place which is to be expected. I had another crazy childhood moment with that damn piano. Anyone who claims they weren’t at least startled by is lying. Also has a really cool star which requires a cap, a wall jump and some running. Has only small flaw…falling into the basement is a bit of a pain. But whatever, the rest of it is great.
Wet-Dry World
Another course that changes based on how you jump into it (the higher you jump…the higher the water level). Wet-Dry World at first seems small until you check out all of its areas. You realize then that his course was just made for platforming. Arrow lift star is cool…even though you can actually avoid it altogether. Getting to the Top of the Town and finding five secrets force you to explore the level. This doesn’t even include the downtown area…another fun platforming level with a fun 8 red coin star and a time based one based on the invisible cap. Wet-Dry World just has no holes. It’s an awesome course in an awesome game.
Myself, JonRoyalty and Matt F. (the future Mr. Anonymous) came together to discuss ideas that would lean to the creation of a Nintendo Cinematic Universe. With the multitude of characters that Nintendo owns there is more than enough content to create an entire universe.
I storyboarded all the film ideas where Matt and Jon provided ideas of what would work and what wouldn’t. Like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and I guess future DC Cinematic Universe, there are multiple phases to help understand the timeline. These films are also meant to be taken seriously as opposed to being a “kid’s movie series”.
This is Phase 1, with plot details, characters and even potential mid-credit and end-credit scenes. Remember that we’re just three fans of games who believe something like this would be awesome.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
2. Super Mario Bros.: Mario vs. Donkey Kong
3. Star Fox v. Samus: Rise of Ridley
4. Kirby Superstar: Legend of the Crystal Shards
5. Super Mario Bros. 2: Rise of the Koopa King
6. Super Smash Bros.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Link’s greatest journey kicks off the NCU.
Plot: Link is a 16 year old who lives among the Kokiri. While the Kokiri never grow, Link himself has. The Great Deku Tree decides now is the time for Link to face the evil that threatens Hyule. The Great Deku Tree explains to Link about the Triforce. Link defeats Queen Gohma as a test, and then is sent with the fairy Navi to help the Goron and Zora races. The Great Deku Tree’s last request before his death is for Link to seek out Princess Zelda. Link leaves behind the Kokiri. Link’s best friend Saria entrusts Link an Ocarina to talk to her whenever he needs.
Link heads to Hyrule Castle Town, hilariously stopping by the Happy Mask Shop at one point. The Happy mask Salesman tells Link to “just have faith…”. Also on this trip he stops by the Lon Lon Ranch and meets Malon and her horse, Epona. Link then sneaks into Princess Zelda’s castle. Zelda explains the prophecy that one day Hyrule will be taken over by the evil Ganondorf, who currently serves as a hope aid to the King. Link explains what the Great Deku Tree told him, and they both agree that Link should help the Gorons and Zoras. The Gorons and Zoras are at war, as lava and rocks of fire had fallen into Zora’s River. Lord Jabu-Jabu has led the way in blaming the Gorons for this, but the Gorons fight back, claiming a race called the Dodongos have caused the problem. Link proves this is the case by defeating the Dodongos.
Link returns to Princess Zelda only to find Zelda escape from Hyrule Castle. Ganondorf is in pursuit, and when Link draws his sword Ganondorf attacks him with an energy blast. With Zelda and Ganondorf long gone, Link finds the Ocarina of Time left by Zelda with a message. Link follows the message to enter the Temple of Time. When he uses the Ocarina of Time in the Temple of Time, he obtains the Master Sword. This leads to Link being trapped in the temple for 10 years and he falls into a deep sleep. He has a nightmare that Ganondorf himself has entered the Temple of Time because Link had opened it. When Link awakens he learns that his nightmare was in fact true. He also accepts his responsibility as the Hero of Time.
Link awakens in a world now covered with monsters. Ganondorf has ruled Hyrule for the last ten years and has left everywhere but his castle and Gerudo Valley in ruin. Link re-unites with a fully grown Epona and sets to save the Kokiri, Gorons and Zoras. Once he does so, he obtains the power of their leaders as Sages. A mysterious ninja named Sheik also helps Link on his quest. They all help Link infiltrate Gerudo Valley and the Spirit Temple, destroying Ganondorf’s defenses.
With a showdown with Ganondorf remaining, Sheik reveals herself to be Zelda, but Ganondorf captures here. The three pieces of the triforce are possessed between Link, Ganondorf and Zelda. Link defeats Ganondorf, and his monstrous form in Ganon, and restores peace to Hyrule.
Mid-Credits Scene: During a celebration, Zelda explains to Link that the war is far from over, and that the prophecy predicted much worse things than Ganondorf’s reign over Hyrule. (Setting up Super Smash Bros.).
Post-Credits Scene: The Happy Mask Salesman looks disappointed as he’s failed to lend any masks. He slowly packs his masks away, but stops to look at one. He laughs, and Majora’s Mask is shown. Majora’s Mask’s evil laugh is heard as the scene ends. (Setting up LOZ: Majora’s Mask).
Connection to the Games: Obviously follows Ocarina of Time’s story with some changes. The age change and time in the Temple of Time is done to use older Link throughout the Universe. The Goron and Zora stories were shortened and combined as I feel that it would create one too many subplots for a film.
Important Cinematic Characters: Link, Zelda, Epona, Navi, Ganondorf
2. Super Mario Bros.: Mario vs. Donkey Kong
We skipped the whole Jumpman thing…
Plot: The Yoshis are a tribe of friendly dinosaurs that one day have two babies delivered to them from the King of the Mushroom Kingdom. The King has requested that the Yoshis protect and train Mario and Luigi as they are predicted to save the Kingdom from an attack that’s coming in the next generation. The Yoshi’s train the Mario Bros. to become warriors over the next 20 years. Both Mario and Luigi become close with a specific green Yoshi, and Yoshi becomes Mario’s best friend.
Twenty years after the Mario Bros. were delievered, Kong Isle has attacked the Mushroom Kingdom and captured several women. The Kongs eventually capture Luigi as well. Mario and Yoshi head out to save them all and become the hero he was predicted to be. Mario uses all the jumping moves taught to him by Yoshi, as well as learns the ways of the mystical foods and items that are scattered around the Mushroom Kingdom. Using Mushrooms, Fire Flowers and Starmen, Mario eventually arrives to a showdown with the leader of the Kongs: Donkey Kong. Donkey Kong has personally kept Luigi and Princess Peach imprisoned. It is known that the King had passed away in the last 20 years.
Using those items and a hammer, Mario and Yoshi make their way through Donkey Kong’s buildings and structures. He ultimately causes Donkey Kong to fall off the highest structure, injuring but not killing him. Mario saves his brother, the King and Princess Peach, who he is immediately smitten by.
Mario, Yoshi and Luigi are welcomed to the Castle for cake. The King explains to Mario that many of the Mushroom Kingdom mushrooms have come alive and gone bad, and that the Mushroom Kingdom is still in danger. Mario accepts the responsibility of protecting the Mushroom Kingdom.
Mid-Credits Scene: Donkey Kong retreats home and, while not through words, is clearly apologetic for what he’s done. He then sees a light that asks him for his help… (setting up Super Smash Bros.)
Post-Credits Scene: The King and Princess Peach awaken to a loud commotion outside this Castle. When they look outside, they see Toads being captured by Koopa Troopas, Hammer Bros. and other minions. Bowser breaks into the Castle and captures Princess Peach, leaving us with a fearsome growl. (Setting up Mario 2)
Connection to the Games: Looks to create a Mario origin story combining Yoshi’s Island and the original Donkey Kong game. Also takes after Batman Begins.
Important Cinematic Characters: Mario, Donkey Kong, Luigi, Yoshi, Peach, Bowser
3. Star Fox v Samus
Can Fox and Samus work together?
Plot: All Fox McCloud knows about his father is that he was killed in battle when Pigma Dengar betrayed the original Star Fox team. Fox’s father James was killed, while Peppy Hare, a teammate, survived. Wolf O’Donnell, the leader of the Star Wolf team, was said to be the one who gunned down Fox’s father. Fox one day wonders when he’ll get his chance to take on the Star Wolf team with his Star Fox team.
Fox captains the Star Fox team and helps protect the Lylat System, although mostly as a mercenary. He often flies to Dinosaur Planet to keep the peace between the planet and the rest of the Lylat System. The planet’s ruler: Ridley, has kept the planet is check as it is heavily implied it was once ruled by Bowser. Disruptions begin to take place on Dinosaur Planet though, and Star Fox looks to find out what is going on. A bounty hunter named Samus is out to kill Ridley. Star Fox prevents this from happening which leads to Samus taking on the entire Star Fox team (in tanks) four against one. Samus holds her own and severely damages all of the Star Fox tanks.
Dinosaur Planet attacks Sector Z, and suddenly Ridley has gone from keeping Dinosaur Planet peaceful to looking to destroy the Lylat System. When Samus looks to stop him, team Star Fox again confronts Samus. Star Fox demands that Samus leave the Lylat System and allow Star Fox to handle their own issues. When Star Wolf arrives at Macbeth to help Ridley destroy it, Star Fox realizes they need Samus’s help and Ridley isn’t on the peaceful side any longer.
It’s revealed that Andross has gained the trust of Dinosaur Planet. As a result Venom and Dinosaur Planet joined forces to overthrow Corneria. Star Fox and Samus come together and defeat Ridley. Fox only partially avenges his father’s death by shooting down Pigma, but Wolf and the rest of Star Wolf escape. Ridley is defeated. Samus and Fox shake hands and are both paid quite well by the Cornerian Army.
Post-Credits Scene: Samus and Fox head to a secret Space Temple, where they are shown a recording of Princess Zelda. Zelda explains that “we” need their help and a great evil has arisen. (Setting up Super Smash Bros.)
Connection to the Games: Takes elements from the Star Fox games. It does give a total new story for Samus and Ridley though.
Important Cinematic Characters: Samus, Fox, Wolf, Andross, Pigma, Zelda
4. Kirby Superstar: Legend of the Crystal Shards
The rivalry begins.
Plot: With King DeDeDe watching on, Kirby fights Metaknight. The battle is even, but when it seems Kirby is about to gain the upperhand, Dreamland is covered with darkness. Just as it seems that Kirby is about to meet his demise…he awakens from his nightmare.
Kirby finds that King DeDeDe had stolen much of Dreamland’s food and supply and confronts him. While King DeDeDe escapes the fight, he leaves a portion of the Star Rod behind, causing Kirby to wonder why King DeDeDe had it. Kirby heads to the Fountain of Dreams to check on the Crystal Shards. The Shards represent an unknown power and is activated by the 4 pieces of the Star Rod. It should be with the Shards, but Kirby sees that it’s missing and looks to find DeDeDe.
Meanwhile, Metaknight is shown to be working for the mysterious Nightmare. Nightmare explains that his plan is to cover all of Dreamland with Dark Matter to impress the ultimate master (Tabuu). Nightmare needs the Star Rod to activate and obtain the Crystal Shards in order to do this.
Kirby finds the three other pieces of the Star Rod before finding King DeDeDe once again. They battle, and Kirby ultimately defeats DeDeDe and puts the Star Rod back together. He goes to return it to the Fountain of Dreams, but is attacked by Metaknight. DeDeDe watched Kirby and Metaknight battle, just like Kirby’s dream. Nightmare and Dark Matter come to steal the Star Rod, but Kirby and DeDeDe defeat them. When the battle is over, Metaknight and the Star Rod are nowhere to be seen. Kirby checks the Crystal Shards…and they are gone.
Post-Credits Scene: Metaknight presents the Crystal Shards to the still unnamed Tabuu, who laughs. In the background, two giant hands slam the ground, with one twitching all over.
Connection to the Games: Takes elements from the Dreamland games and Kirby 64.
Important Cinematic Characters: Kirby, King DeDeDe, Metaknight, Tabuu
5. Super Mario Bros. 2: Rise of the Koopa King
Mario meets his arch-nemesis…art by solmatter.
Plot: The Mushroom Kingdom is in chaos as Bowser has captured Princess Peach. Mario, Yoshi and Luigi have travel through many different worlds, defeating Bowser’s generals all over the Kingdom. Still, after extensive searching, Mario has yet to find the actual Bowser. Mario, Luigi and Yoshi save one of Peach’s top Toads from Kamek. In her death, Kamek announces to Mario that they are in fact invited to the wedding of Bowser and Peach…if they can find Bowser’s Castle.
Mario, Luigi, Yoshi and Peach’s top Toad come across four different tunnels and decide to separate with each taking a tunnel. Each tunnel leads to a very different world. Toad lands in a dream world overrun by Shy Guys. While he finds some weaponry in the form of a potion that helps him hide from his enemies, he is captured by the evil monster Wart.
Yoshi ends up in a storybook world also overrun by Shy Guys. He at first fares better than Toad. The world is full of fruit that helps Yoshi keep up his strength. He is ultimately captured by a group of Koopas claiming to be Bowser’s children.
Luigi lands in a haunted mansion. While he does well to ward off the ghosts that reside in the mansion (despite his fears), but is captured by a giant ghost called King Boo.
Mario ends up in an art gallery and quickly learns he can jump into the paintings. He jumps into a painting that drops him in a world full of Bob-ombs. Pink Bob-ombs though, help Mario defeat the tyrant King Bob-omb. When he does so, a painting of Wart appears. Mario goes into the dream world and saves Toad by defeating Wart. He proceeds to jump into the storybook painting and defeats the Koopa Kids to save Yoshi.
The Koopa Kids run back to Bowser to inform him that Mario is coming. Mario meanwhile, saves Luigi from King Boo within a haunted mansion painting. As that happens, a painting of a huge evil castle appears.
Mario jumps in alone and faces off with Bowser as Peach looks on and the Koopa Kids cheer. Mario uses the inspiration of his friends…as well as a fire flower…to defeat Bowser. Bowser attempts one last attack on Mario, but Mario lights him on fire with the flower, then unlocks the chain that kept the bridge together. Bowser falls into the lava pit below. Upon learning of the defeat of Bowser, The Mushroom Kingdom rejoices, and sends all of the Koopa Kids into an exile of outer space.
Mid-Credits Scene: The Koopa Kids all mourn their fallen king, when behind them something that appears to be Mario startles them. They all chase after “Mario”, when they approach an egg. This “dark Mario” hits the egg causing it to spectacularly hatch. The Koopa Kids all begin to cheer as Bowser Jr. emerges from the egg.
Post-Credits Scene: Mario heads to a temple where he surprisingly meets Donkey Kong. Mario and Donkey Kong seem to still want to fight before the appearance of Princess Zelda stops them. Zelda explains that evil is about to attack and “we” need help. Just as this happens, a screen in the temple shows that the world is under attack.
Connection to the Games: Takes elements from Mario 64, Super Mario Bros. 2 (USA), Luigi’s Mansion and Yoshi’s Story…with the final battle taken from Super Mario Bros. 1.
Important Cinematic Characters: Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Peach, Bowser, Bowser Jr., Zelda, Donkey Kong
6. Super Smash Bros.
The War Begins.
Plot: A kid named Satoshi watches the attack on the world led by Metaknight on TV and wonders how soon this attack will come to his hometown of Kanto. Satoshi is known as a Pokemon Trainer, and has trained a Pikachu to the point where his Pikachu may be the best in the world…or what’s left of it. He wonders if it’s time to really test his Pikachu and help save the world.
The film moves to the attack by Metaknight. Metaknight and countless dark soldiers destroy buildings before Fox McCloud and Samus Aran arrive to stop him. Fox and Samus temporarily stop the attack as Metaknight retreats, but attacks elsewhere in the world continue. In another scene, Donkey and Diddy Kong fight off other dark soldiers deep in Kongo Jungle.
At the Temple of Time Zelda, Link, Mario, and Luigi discuss the best strategies to ward off this attack and look to solve how this could have come about. Zelda explains about there being several different items in the world that unlock portals to enter the world. The Triforce is for sure one. Soon the Temple of Time is under attack. Link, Mario, Peach, Zelda (as Sheik) and Luigi try to fight, but two giant hands, referred to as Master Hand and Crazy Hand, leave the Temple of Time destroyed and Luigi is captured. Mario expresses frustration with Zelda about the Triforce being used for this evil, but Zelda explains that the Triforce is still intact, and the Triforce of Power is the only piece in limbo in terms of possession…but that it alone wouldn’t be enough to cause this. Mario still leaves to try to rescue Luigi.
Back at Kanto, the war does arrive there, led by Metaknight. Kirby arrives to re-obtain the Crystal Shards, but is overwhelmed by Metaknight’s army. Satoshi comes out and unleashes Pikachu on Metaknight. Metaknight leaves Kirby defeated, but can’t overcome Pikachu and is once again forced to retreat. Satoshi curiously attempts to capture Kirby with a pokeball. After some confusion from both sides he realizes he needs to help Kirby as Kirby knows what’s keeping this portal open: the Crystal Shards.
In the aftermath of the Temple of Time being destroyed, Link finds that the attack’s origin point is the legendary Sky Temple. Link gets their via a special cannon and looks to fight Metaknight. He falls into a trap though…and is confronted by a shadow doppelganger with red eyes (Dark Link). Metaknight challenges anyone who wants to save the world to come to the Sky Temple and mentions he’s already captured Luigi and Link…although Link was still fighting Dark Link at this point.
Mario rides Winged Yoshi there. Kirby rides a Warp Star with Satoshi and Pikachu. Fox and Samus arrive together as well. Donkey Kong is teleported by Zelda. Metaknight, Master and Crazy Hand fight the Super Smash Bros. sans Link, who fights Dark Link elsewhere in the temple. They put together a fierce some attack using fire, laser, energy and electricity…but the Hands still survive. Ultimately Link defeats his doppelganger and receives the Light Arrow. The Light Arrow joins with the previous attack and the Hands are defeated. Metaknight escapes once again, but Kirby re-obtains the Crystal Shards. The Super Smash Bros. all acknowledge they work great as a team. Mario also obtains Luigi’s hat, fearing the worst for his brother.
Satoshi goes back home and he and Pikachu help rebuild Kanto. He finds a Squirtle and Charmander during this time and trains them. The Mushroom Kingdom announces the victory over Metaknight, but mourns the apparent loss of Luigi. There is celebration across all of the worlds: Hyrule, Kanto, Kongo Jungle and DK Isle, the Mushroom Kingdom and Lylat.
Post-Credits Scene: Several members of the crime syndicate Team Rocket are shown working diligently when one of them sees Pikachu on a television screen. The one says that Tabuu wants to know how to get “one of those” on “our” team. Team Rocket explains that they don’t want that one, but one better. They also explain that the only way to do this is due to unnatural means, and they must capture the rare Pokemon Mew to proceed.
Connection to the Games: Basically an Avengers film with Nintendo characters!
Anyway, whether you like it or you don’t, you’ve gotta admit a Nintendo Cinematic Universe would be awesome. Nonetheless, I’ll work on Phase 2 and Phase 3 and post them here.
