10 Best Nintendo Games NOT Made By Nintendo
Transcript
00:00 Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we're looking at the best games within Nintendo-owned IPs
00:12 that were not developed internally by the company.
00:24 Before we begin, we publish new content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and ring
00:28 the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
00:32 Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver One of the biggest franchises on Nintendo platforms
00:44 is the Pokemon series, and as most of you probably know, not a single entry was developed
00:50 by Nintendo.
00:51 The quality of Game Freak's work on the series has been questionable in recent years, but
00:56 we believe HeartGold and SoulSilver to be the sweet spot.
00:59 The second generation of games is often considered to be the peak, and these DS remakes are the
01:05 definitive versions.
01:13 The enhanced visuals really pop, online connectivity made battling and trading easier, and there
01:19 was just the right amount of new Pokemon to entice players rather than overwhelm them.
01:24 The enhanced visuals really pop, online connectivity made battling and trading easier, and there
01:29 was just the right amount of new Pokemon to entice players rather than overwhelm them.
01:41 Luigi's Mansion 3 While the original Luigi's Mansion was developed
01:51 internally, its sequels were handled by Canadian studio Next Level Games, and of the two, Luigi's
01:58 Mansion 3 is definitely the stronger.
02:00 It follows Luigi and co. after they're invited to what seems to be a fancy hotel, only to
02:05 find out it's a trap filled with ghosts.
02:16 Sucking up specters with a vacuum cleaner just never gets old, especially since the
02:21 themes of each floor grow increasingly more imaginative.
02:25 Playing solo is pretty fun, but having a second player via Gooigi makes for great couch co-op
02:30 in addition to the multiplayer modes.
02:33 It's no wonder then that, given the chance, Nintendo purchased the studio in 2021.
02:43 Kirby Super Star Ultra Yes, it's another DS remake, but we stand
02:56 by the fact that Super Star Ultra is genuinely a wonderful Kirby game.
03:01 While Nintendo has developed a couple games within the series, the majority of them were
03:05 handled by HAL Laboratory, a studio we'll talk about a few times.
03:15 This remake of the Super Nintendo original was released for Kirby's 15th anniversary,
03:20 and features multiple smaller campaigns to play through.
03:23 In addition to the original ones, four new modes were added here.
03:27 Some take more effort than others, but they're all a blast thanks to the mechanics being
03:31 perfectly translated to a handheld format.
03:34 And it looks wonderful to boot.
03:44 Donkey Kong Country 2 - Diddy's Kong Quest In addition to Nintendo, the Donkey Kong series
03:57 has had a handful of other developers.
03:59 However, what many players considered to be the franchise's golden age came in the 90s
04:05 with Rare.
04:06 While the first DKC game is an incredible platformer, the sequel is just a little better
04:12 in every way.
04:20 The visuals are a bit crisper, the level design a bit more expansive and varied, and the inclusion
04:26 of the hovering Dixie Kong added some variety as well as ease for making it through tricky
04:30 environments.
04:32 While we did consider talking about Retro's work on the series, don't worry, we'll
04:35 get to them later, Diddy's Kong Quest is just too perfect.
04:46 Earthbound - It seems every year, the cult of Earthbound
04:57 grows a little bit larger, and for good reason.
05:01 The groundbreaking RPG may not have performed too hot on release, but it has influenced
05:06 an untold number of games since then.
05:15 From its goofy humor, to its modern setting, to the way it altered traditional turn-based
05:20 battle mechanics, Earthbound brought a lot of new features to the genre.
05:24 The tale of Ness and his companions has been kept alive for years through love from fans
05:28 and Super Smash Bros. appearances.
05:31 Despite its status as an underrated Nintendo gem, it was actually co-developed by Creatures
05:36 Incorporated, formerly known as Ape Incorporated, and HAL Laboratory.
05:48 Fire Emblem Three Houses - Fire Emblem may be another huge RPG series Nintendo has under
06:02 its belt, but like Pokemon, none of those games have been developed by the company.
06:08 Intelligent Systems have been the crafters of Fire Emblem since the beginning, but still
06:12 aren't even owned by Nintendo.
06:14 Regardless, Three Houses saw the team firing on all cylinders.
06:28 It follows a mercenary-turned-professor teaching students from three rival nations during a
06:33 time of peace, until things take a turn for the worse.
06:37 With different houses to side with and wildly different NPCs to recruit, there's a lot of
06:42 content to dive into here.
06:44 The narrative threads are deep, and the big-scale battles are momentous.
06:58 Metroid Prime - Up until Prime, Nintendo had handled Metroid's
07:09 development with some help from Intelligent Systems, but for Samus' first venture into
07:14 3D, it handed the keys to Retro Studios.
07:18 We're bending the rules a bit on what constitutes "not made by Nintendo."
07:22 The studio was founded by former Iguana Entertainment head Jeff Spangenberg.
07:27 With help from Nintendo to make GameCube titles.
07:34 However, it was Retro's own engine built for a different game that inspired Nintendo to
07:42 suggest they take on Metroid.
07:45 Despite a fairly troubled development period, Prime would become one of the most beloved
07:49 entries in the franchise.
07:51 And Nintendo would outright purchase the studio just a few months before release.
08:04 Super Mario RPG - Legend of the Seven Stars You probably all knew this was coming.
08:19 Developed by Square before the Enix merger, Super Mario RPG took the wondrous world of
08:23 Nintendo's mascot and blended it perfectly with Final Fantasy-esque mechanics.
08:28 The game overflows with charm, from its silly NPCs and dialogue to its toe-tapping soundtrack.
08:44 Plus it introduced teammates Geno and Mallow, characters so fantastic that fans still declare
08:50 their love for them today, despite them only appearing here.
08:53 While it got a pretty stellar remake in 2023, it also helped pave the way for future Mario
08:59 RPGs from other studios.
09:01 Such as Intelligent Systems' Paper Mario series and Alpha Dream's Mario & Luigi series.
09:15 The Legend of Zelda - The Minish Cap Zelda is one of the franchises Nintendo is
09:28 most guarded about, but that doesn't mean it hasn't let other studios develop for it.
09:32 In addition to handling the Oracle games on the Game Boy Color, Flagship co-developed
09:36 the Minish Cap with Capcom.
09:39 And it is hands down one of the best 2D releases in the series.
09:50 The Wind Waker art style looks wonderful in 32-bits, and the game offered unique lore
09:55 and an engaging villain that surprisingly wasn't Ganon.
09:59 Ezlo remains one of our personal favorite companions Link has ever teamed up with, and
10:03 the concept of shrinking down for new areas is as magical as anything else Zelda offers.
10:15 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Although it's a giant love letter to all
10:28 things Nintendo, Super Smash Bros.
10:30 Ultimate was co-developed by two different external studios.
10:34 While the first two games were made by HAL, development switched to Sora Ltd when series
10:38 creator Masahiro Sakurai left the company to form his own studio.
10:49 Sakurai worked with Bandai Namco for Ultimate, which brought together every single fighter
10:54 ever featured in Smash, as well as a ton of new ones.
10:58 It wasn't quantity over quality either.
11:00 The game is an absolute blast to play, and there's a ton of variety in fighter movesets,
11:06 items, modes, and levels.
11:09 Ultimate is truly a remarkable feat, and we probably won't see something as grand in
11:13 scope for a long time.
11:23 What's your favorite Nintendo game that was developed by a different studio?
11:26 Share your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to subscribe for more great Nintendo
11:41 videos.
11:41 Thanks for watching!