Nintendo, like all veterans of the gaming industry, have had their ups and downs. Just recently, the poor, doomed Wii U faded into snarky meme-worthy obscurity, only for Nintendo Switch to turn things around and kick off the hybrid handheld revolution (it’s got a big 2020 ahead of it, too). The Witcher 3 on a handheld console? What is this, the year 3000?

It was during the 90s that Nintendo truly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Let’s take a look at a selection of the best Nintendo games of the era (not strictly Nintendo-developed ones), to remind ourselves just how great their output was back then.

10 EarthBound (1995)

Better known in Japan as Mother 2, there’s just something about this quirky RPG and the associated franchise. It had little success on its initial launch in North America in 1995, but has since earned itself legions of dedicated fans.

Bizarre marketing campaigns, absurd dialogue, and battles with sentient pools of vomit? Count us all the way in. Without this game, we wouldn’t have infuriating Ness players spamming PK Fire in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate today, and that would be a super sad loss for the gaming world. It’s really only EarthBound’s relative obscurity that keeps it from rising any higher on our list.

9 Star Fox (1993)

Back in 1993, 3D gaming was in its infancy and developers were just starting to explore this new concept. The space-tinged rail shooter Star Fox was Nintendo’s first title to use polygons, and… well, needless to say, it isn’t the prettiest thing you’ll ever see.

That’s not important, though. What matters is that this iconic title introduced so many classic Star Fox elements: Fox McCloud himself, his buddies Peppy Hare, Falco Lombardi, and the still-snarked-on Slippy Toad, Arwings… considering the primitive tools they had to work with at the time, Star Fox was quite an achievement. It’s just a shame that the franchise is so underappreciated today.

8 Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (1996)

Of course, these days, we’re used to seeing Mario popping up just about everywhere. His spin-offs and cameo appearances have covered just about every genre possible. There’s absolutely nothing the mustachioed maestro can’t turn his hand to.

In 1996, though, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars was a revelation. Developed by Square (now Square-Enix), purveyors of the much-beloved Final Fantasy franchise, it’s a role-playing title with genuine RPG chops. Its sense of humor and solid, creative gameplay is fondly remembered, but its spotlight has been stolen since by spiritual successors like the Mario & Luigi games.

7 Super Mario World (1991)

In Japan, Super Mario World only just squeaked into the 90s (November 1990). We’re going by North American release dates, though, so 1991 it is. Super Mario World is a game that needs no introduction, and is still regarded by many fans to be Mario’s best 2D platforming adventure to date.

The crisp, colorful visuals, the infectious music, the multitude of tricky, secret sections waiting to be discovered… it’s a Mario masterclass, in short. All that really holds Super Mario World back is the fact that its reputation precedes it. It’s been trotted out just a little too often since its original release and has lost a bit of impact as a result.

6 Super Metroid (1994)

Super Metroid is, you could argue, the Super Mario World of the Metroid franchise. It represents the pinnacle of butt-kickin’, gum-chewin’ bounty hunter Samus Aran’s 2D adventures. The presentation is top-notch, still holding up very well today, and the atmosphere is second to none.

Samus’ lonely adventure on Zebes is just iconic. That heroic little Metroid taking a futile little chew of Mother Brain, to give Samus a fighting chance at destroying the menace? A weird little alien hasn’t tugged on our heartstrings so much since E.T. phoned home. An excellent, innovative title, though its thunder has been stolen a little since by the reams of Metroidvania imitators and the Metroid Prime series.

5 GoldenEye 007 (1997)

Ah, yes. GoldenEye 007. No Nintendo 64 catalog retrospective will ever be complete without looking back at this fantastic FPS, one of Rare’s finest achievements to date. Gamers around the world lost countless hours of their lives trying to shoot at that darn Oddjob and his pain-in-the-cheeks hitbox.

Like so many games of the era, it feels super primitive to return to today, but it’s unfair to hold over two decades of technological advances against it. Despite its many foibles, GoldenEye pioneered so many of the single- and multiplayer elements of FPS titles that are still standard today. The genre owes it a great debt of gratitude.

4 Super Smash Bros. (1999)

Just arriving before the new millennium (January 1999), Super Smash Bros. was another N64 title that would prove far more influential than anyone could really have expected.

We all know the Smash Bros. setup: a group of Nintendo legends (or, increasingly, just popular gaming characters that our lord and savior Sakurai pulls out of the hat he doesn’t wear over his perfectly-combed hair) do battle on a series of wacky stages, trying to knock each other off of the screen with powerful smash attacks. Is it a fighting game? Is it a party game? That depends on who you ask. It’s definitely a phenomenon, though. However, the original, with its total roster of twelve playable characters, seems laughably limited today. We can’t help but rate it super highly for its continued influence, though.

3 Super Mario Kart (1992)

From one legendary Nintendo franchise to another, it’s Super Mario Kart. Now, as ropey as Mode 7 games may look today, there’s no denying that the effect was suitably impressive back in the 90s. the pseudo-3D effects it made possible really made racing games come alive and gave them a sense of speed.

Super Mario Kart implemented this super well and is still a lot of fun to noodle around with. The sheer success of the Mario Kart franchise today speaks volumes about Super Mario Kart’s own impact. Heck, it opened the door to all the successful Super Mario spin-offs that came afterward. This holiday season, absurd numbers of new Nintendo Switch owners will be joining the fray, and their first port of call (or one of them) will be Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. That says it all.

2 Super Mario 64 (1996)

Our second-place pick for Nintendo’s 90s output is none other than Super Mario 64. What can we say about this landmark title that hasn’t already been covered countless times? Mario’s first adventure in the brave new world of 3D was an essential N64 pick (not only because it was one of only two launch titles outside of Japan, the other being Pilotwings 64).

The likes of Super Mario Galaxy and the brilliant Super Mario Odyssey built on the almost-flawless foundation that that this 1996 gem laid down. Yes, it has its foibles as all early 3D games do, but it’s a masterpiece.

1 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)

Of course, it was always going to be tough to choose between The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64 for the top spot here. For our money, though, Ocarina of Time just narrowly pips the portly plumber to the post.

Another iconic first venture into the 3D realm, Ocarina of Time is also regarded as one of the greatest video games ever made, and probably always will be. In fact, according to Metacritic, it’s the very best; the only game ever to receive a score of 99 on the site. Link’s quest to unite the Seven Sages and seal the mighty Ganondorf’s evil was (and remains) a stunning achievement. It might show its age now, but it’s still a lengthy, endlessly enjoyable, utterly unforgettable adventure.

NEXT: The 10 Best Games Shigeru Miyamoto Has Worked On (According To Metacritic)