Old Games Win

17 min read Original article ↗

When you play old games, you win.

Series

Advance Wars 6 / Animal Crossing 6 / Burnout 17 / Disgaea 12 / F-Zero 4 / Fallout 12 / Final Fantasy 44 / Fire Emblem 10 / Gran Turismo 8 / Grand Theft Auto 20 / Halo 9 / Igavania 8 / Kirby 17 / Madden NFL 55 / Mario & Luigi 4 / Mario Kart 9 / Mario Party 12 / Mega Man 41 / Metal Gear 20 / Metroid 10 / Mortal Kombat 21 / Paper Mario 6 / Pokemon 38 / Prince of Persia 21 / Resident Evil 33 / Smash Bros 5 / Sonic the Hedgehog 51 / SoulCalibur 12 / Star Fox 7 / Street Fighter 26 / Super Mario 16 / Tetris 9 / Tony Hawk 39 / Legend of Zelda 19 /

Quality by Platform

Platform/Scores 60-69 70-79 80-89 90-99
Nintendo 3DS 79 127 87 6
Nintendo DS 72 217 100 6
DSi Ware 0 2 2 1
Game Boy Advance 105 141 76 14
Nintendo Gamecube 121 128 98 26
Nintendo 64 7 23 25 17
Sony Playstation 53 55 54 29
Sony Playstation 2 75 422 245 58
Sony Playstation 3 45 386 319 49
Sony PSP 150 167 87 2
Sega Dreamcast 28 35 30 16
PS Vita 70 91 57 2
Nintendo Wii 12 159 63 13
Wii Ware 2 28 24 1
Nintendo Wii U 29 61 55 8
Microsoft Xbox 46 242 182 30
Xbox 360 10 484 349 54

Quality by Series

Series/Scores 60-69 70-79 80-89 90-99
Advance Wars 0 2 2 2
Animal Crossing 1 1 3 0
Burnout 1 5 8 3
Disgaea 2 3 7 0
F-Zero 0 1 3 0
Fallout 1 2 7 2
Final Fantasy 3 15 20 6
Fire Emblem 1 1 7 1
Gran Turismo 0 1 4 3
Grand Theft Auto 1 3 4 12
Halo 0 0 5 4
Igavania 0 0 5 3
Kirby 3 7 7 0
Madden NFL 3 17 22 13
Mario & Luigi 0 0 2 2
Mario Kart 0 0 6 3
Mario Party 5 6 0 0
Mega Man 12 17 10 0
Metal Gear 1 2 11 6
Metroid 0 2 3 5
Mortal Kombat 0 13 8 0
Paper Mario 0 3 2 1
Pokemon 6 8 23 0
Prince of Persia 2 6 10 3
Resident Evil 4 12 11 5
Smash Bros 0 1 1 3
Sonic the Hedgehog 9 26 12 0
SoulCalibur 0 3 5 4
Star Fox 2 2 3 0
Street Fighter 0 6 15 5
Super Mario 0 3 5 8
Tetris 2 3 4 0
Tony Hawk 5 10 12 12
Legend of Zelda 0 2 6 11

Games Rated 90+ by Metacritic - Grouped by Platform

Nintendo 3DS

(6/299)
Title Score Release Date
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D 94 Jun 19, 2011
Fire Emblem: Awakening 92 Feb 4, 2013
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds 91 Nov 22, 2013
Pushmo 90 Dec 8, 2011
Shovel Knight 90 Jun 26, 2014
Super Mario 3D Land 90 Nov 13, 2011

Nintendo DS

(6/395)
Title Score Release Date
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars 93 Mar 17, 2009
Chrono Trigger 92 Nov 25, 2008
Mario Kart DS 91 Nov 14, 2005
Advance Wars: Dual Strike 90 Aug 22, 2005
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story 90 Sep 14, 2009
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass 90 Oct 1, 2007

DSi Ware

(1/5)
Title Score Release Date
Flipnote Studio 93 Aug 12, 2009

Game Boy Advance

(14/400)
Title Score Release Date
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 95 May 30, 2001
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 95 Dec 3, 2002
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 94 Oct 21, 2003
Mario Kart Super Circuit 93 Aug 26, 2001
Final Fantasy VI Advance 92 Feb 5, 2007
Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 92 Feb 9, 2002
Metroid Fusion 92 Nov 17, 2002
Advance Wars 92 Sep 9, 2001
Golden Sun 91 Nov 11, 2001
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon 91 Jun 10, 2001
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow 91 May 6, 2003
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 91 Sep 24, 2002
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga 90 Nov 17, 2003
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 90 Mar 4, 2002

Nintendo Gamecube

(26/400)
Title Score Release Date
Metroid Prime 97 Nov 17, 2002
Resident Evil 4 96 Jan 11, 2005
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess 96 Dec 11, 2006
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker 96 Mar 24, 2003
The Legend of Zelda Collector's Edition 95 Nov 17, 2003
Madden NFL 2004 94 Aug 12, 2003
SoulCalibur II 93 Aug 27, 2003
Viewtiful Joe 93 Oct 7, 2003
SSX 3 92 Oct 20, 2003
Madden NFL 2003 92 Aug 12, 2002
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time 92 Nov 18, 2003
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes 92 Nov 15, 2004
Super Smash Bros. Melee 92 Dec 2, 2001
Super Mario Sunshine 92 Aug 25, 2002
NFL 2K3 92 Aug 21, 2002
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem 92 Jun 23, 2002
NCAA Football 2003 91 Jul 20, 2002
Resident Evil 91 Apr 30, 2002
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 91 Nov 13, 2001
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 91 Oct 23, 2002
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time / Master Quest 91 Feb 28, 2003
Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II 90 Nov 9, 2001
NBA 2K2 90 Mar 20, 2002
Madden NFL 2005 90 Aug 9, 2004
Pikmin 2 90 Aug 30, 2004
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003 90 Oct 27, 2002

Nintendo 64

(17/89)
Title Score Release Date
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 99 Nov 23, 1998
Perfect Dark 97 May 22, 2000
GoldenEye 007 96 Aug 25, 1997
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 95 Oct 25, 2000
Super Mario 64 94 Sep 26, 1996
Paper Mario 93 Feb 5, 2001
Conker's Bad Fur Day 92 Mar 4, 2001
Banjo-Kazooie 92 May 31, 1998
Wave Race 64 92 Nov 1, 1996
Mario Tennis 91 Aug 28, 2000
International Superstar Soccer '98 91 Sep 15, 1998
Mario Golf 91 Jun 30, 1999
Donkey Kong 64 90 Oct 31, 1999
Rayman 2: The Great Escape 90 Oct 31, 1999
Blast Corps 90 Feb 28, 1997
Beetle Adventure Racing 90 Feb 28, 1999
Banjo-Tooie 90 Nov 19, 2000

Sony Playstation

(29/200)
Title Score Release Date
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 98 Sep 20, 2000
Gran Turismo 96 Apr 30, 1998
Tekken 3 96 Apr 29, 1998
Final Fantasy IX 94 Nov 13, 2000
Metal Gear Solid 94 Oct 21, 1998
ISS Pro Evolution 94 Jun 6, 2000
Chrono Cross 94 Aug 15, 2000
Street Fighter Alpha 3 93 Apr 30, 1999
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night 93 Oct 2, 1997
Wipeout XL 93 Sep 30, 1996
Gran Turismo 2 93 Nov 30, 1999
Final Fantasy VII 92 Sep 3, 1997
Vagrant Story 92 May 15, 2000
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 92 Aug 31, 1999
Medal of Honor 92 Oct 31, 1999
PaRappa the Rapper 92 Oct 31, 1997
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 91 Aug 16, 1999
Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped 91 Oct 31, 1998
Resident Evil 91 Mar 30, 1996
Spyro: Year of the Dragon 91 Oct 23, 2000
Colony Wars 91 Oct 31, 1997
Tomb Raider 91 Nov 15, 1996
Ape Escape 90 May 31, 1999
Syphon Filter 90 Jan 31, 1999
Madden NFL 2001 90 Aug 22, 2000
Final Fantasy VIII 90 Sep 7, 1999
Dance Dance Revolution 90 May 9, 2001
Colin McRae Rally 2.0 90 Dec 5, 2000
WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role 90 Nov 21, 2000

Sony Playstation 2

(58/800)
Title Score Release Date
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 97 Oct 28, 2001
Grand Theft Auto III 97 Oct 22, 2001
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty 96 Nov 12, 2001
Resident Evil 4 96 Oct 25, 2005
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas 95 Oct 26, 2004
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec 95 Jul 9, 2001
Madden NFL 2003 95 Aug 12, 2002
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City 95 Oct 27, 2002
Madden NFL 2004 94 Aug 12, 2003
God of War 94 Mar 22, 2005
Madden NFL 2002 94 Aug 19, 2001
Virtua Fighter 4 94 Mar 17, 2002
Devil May Cry 94 Oct 16, 2001
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence 94 Mar 14, 2006
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 94 Oct 23, 2002
NCAA Football 2004 94 Jul 16, 2003
World Soccer Winning Eleven 6 International 93 Mar 11, 2003
Burnout 3: Takedown 93 Sep 7, 2004
World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 International 93 Feb 17, 2004
SSX 3 93 Oct 20, 2003
SSX 93 Oct 30, 2000
God of War II 93 Mar 13, 2007
Okami 93 Sep 19, 2006
NFL 2K3 93 Aug 12, 2002
Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution 93 Aug 13, 2003
SoulCalibur II 92 Aug 27, 2003
Final Fantasy XII 92 Oct 31, 2006
SSX Tricky 92 Nov 5, 2001
NHL 2002 92 Sep 24, 2001
Final Fantasy X 92 Dec 17, 2001
Guitar Hero II 92 Nov 7, 2006
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time 92 Nov 6, 2003
Madden NFL 2001 91 Oct 23, 2000
DOA2: Hardcore 91 Oct 25, 2000
ESPN NFL Football 91 Sep 3, 2003
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 91 Nov 17, 2004
Twisted Metal: Black 91 Jun 18, 2001
Guitar Hero 91 Nov 7, 2005
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal 91 Nov 3, 2004
Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil 91 Jul 25, 2001
Madden NFL 2005 91 Aug 9, 2004
Shadow of the Colossus 91 Oct 18, 2005
NCAA Football 2003 91 Jul 20, 2002
World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 International 91 Feb 1, 2005
ESPN NHL Hockey 90 Sep 9, 2003
Rayman 2 Revolution 90 Jan 30, 2001
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy 90 Dec 3, 2001
TimeSplitters 2 90 Oct 9, 2002
ICO 90 Sep 24, 2001
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando 90 Nov 11, 2003
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 90 Dec 8, 2008
NBA Street Vol. 2 90 Apr 28, 2003
Viewtiful Joe 90 Aug 24, 2004
MVP Baseball 2004 90 Mar 9, 2004
ESPN NFL 2K5 90 Jul 20, 2004
NCAA Football 2002 90 Jul 23, 2001
Burnout Revenge 90 Sep 13, 2005
Tony Hawk's Underground 90 Oct 27, 2003

Sony Playstation 3

(49/799)
Title Score Release Date
Grand Theft Auto IV 98 Apr 29, 2008
Grand Theft Auto V 97 Sep 17, 2013
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves 96 Oct 13, 2009
Batman: Arkham City 96 Oct 18, 2011
Portal 2 95 Apr 19, 2011
The Last of Us 95 Jun 14, 2013
LittleBigPlanet 95 Oct 27, 2008
Red Dead Redemption 95 May 18, 2010
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 94 Nov 10, 2009
BioShock Infinite 94 Mar 26, 2013
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots 94 Jun 12, 2008
BioShock 94 Oct 21, 2008
Mass Effect 2 94 Jan 17, 2011
Street Fighter IV 94 Feb 17, 2009
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 94 Nov 5, 2007
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 93 Mar 20, 2007
Braid 93 Nov 12, 2009
Mass Effect 3 93 Mar 5, 2012
God of War III 92 Mar 16, 2010
Journey 92 Mar 13, 2012
Rock Band 92 Nov 20, 2007
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 92 Nov 11, 2011
The ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection 92 Sep 27, 2011
Super Street Fighter IV 92 Apr 27, 2010
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception 92 Nov 1, 2011
God of War Collection 91 Nov 17, 2009
Batman: Arkham Asylum 91 Aug 25, 2009
Borderlands 2 91 Sep 18, 2012
MLB 10: The Show 91 Mar 2, 2010
Dark Souls II 91 Mar 11, 2014
FIFA Soccer 10 91 Oct 20, 2009
Rock Band 3 91 Oct 26, 2010
Rock Band 2 91 Oct 19, 2008
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX 91 Nov 23, 2010
Peggle 91 Nov 19, 2009
Killzone 2 91 Feb 27, 2009
Rayman Legends 91 Sep 3, 2013
LittleBigPlanet 2 91 Jan 18, 2011
Assassin's Creed II 91 Nov 17, 2009
FIFA Soccer 12 90 Sep 27, 2011
Okami HD 90 Oct 30, 2012
NBA 2K13 90 Oct 2, 2012
NBA 2K12 90 Oct 4, 2011
Fallout 3 90 Oct 28, 2008
MLB 11: The Show 90 Mar 8, 2011
MLB 09: The Show 90 Mar 3, 2009
LIMBO 90 Jul 19, 2011
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood 90 Nov 16, 2010
Far Cry 3 90 Dec 4, 2012

Sony PSP

(2/513)
Title Score Release Date
God of War: Chains of Olympus 91 Mar 4, 2008
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars 90 Oct 20, 2009

Sega Dreamcast

(16/126)
Title Score Release Date
SoulCalibur 98 Sep 8, 1999
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 97 Nov 6, 2000
NFL 2K1 97 Sep 7, 2000
Jet Grind Radio 94 Oct 30, 2000
Resident Evil Code: Veronica 94 Feb 29, 2000
NBA 2K1 93 Nov 1, 2000
NBA 2K2 93 Oct 24, 2001
Test Drive Le Mans 93 Nov 13, 2000
Quake III Arena 93 Oct 22, 2000
Skies of Arcadia 93 Nov 13, 2000
Virtua Tennis 92 Jun 8, 2000
Tennis 2K2 90 Oct 24, 2001
NFL 2K2 90 Sep 19, 2001
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 90 Jun 29, 2000
Unreal Tournament 90 Mar 13, 2001
Grandia II 90 Dec 6, 2000

PS Vita

(2/258)
Title Score Release Date
Persona 4 Golden 93 Nov 20, 2012
Velocity 2X 90 Sep 2, 2014

Nintendo Wii

(13/247)
Title Score Release Date
Super Mario Galaxy 2 97 May 23, 2010
Super Mario Galaxy 97 Nov 12, 2007
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess 95 Nov 19, 2006
Super Smash Bros. Brawl 93 Mar 9, 2008
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword 93 Nov 20, 2011
Rayman Origins 92 Nov 15, 2011
Rock Band 2 92 Dec 18, 2008
Xenoblade Chronicles 92 Apr 6, 2012
Rock Band 3 91 Oct 26, 2010
Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition 91 Jun 19, 2007
Metroid Prime Trilogy 91 Aug 24, 2009
Okami 90 Apr 15, 2008
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption 90 Aug 27, 2007

Wii Ware

(1/55)
Title Score Release Date
World of Goo 94 Oct 13, 2008

Nintendo Wii U

(8/186)
Title Score Release Date
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 96 Mar 3, 2017
Super Mario 3D World 93 Nov 22, 2013
Rayman Legends 92 Sep 3, 2013
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U 92 Nov 21, 2014
Bayonetta 2 91 Sep 20, 2014
Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition 90 Jul 2, 2014
Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack 2 90 Apr 23, 2015
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD 90 Sep 20, 2013

Microsoft Xbox

(30/500)
Title Score Release Date
Halo: Combat Evolved 97 Nov 14, 2001
Grand Theft Auto Double Pack 96 Oct 31, 2003
Halo 2 95 Nov 9, 2004
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 94 Jul 17, 2003
Ninja Gaiden Black 94 Sep 20, 2005
Burnout 3: Takedown 94 Sep 7, 2004
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory 94 Mar 28, 2005
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 93 Nov 17, 2002
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas 93 Jun 7, 2005
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 93 Mar 4, 2002
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow 93 Mar 23, 2004
SoulCalibur II 92 Aug 27, 2003
Madden NFL 2004 92 Aug 12, 2003
Madden NFL 2003 92 Aug 12, 2002
Forza Motorsport 92 May 3, 2005
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time 92 Nov 12, 2003
ESPN NFL 2K5 92 Jul 20, 2004
SSX 3 92 Oct 20, 2003
Ninja Gaiden 91 Mar 2, 2004
Madden NFL 2005 91 Aug 9, 2004
ESPN NFL Football 91 Sep 3, 2003
NCAA Football 2003 90 Jul 20, 2002
Project Gotham Racing 2 90 Nov 17, 2003
Panzer Dragoon Orta 90 Jan 12, 2003
NBA 2K2 90 Feb 27, 2002
MVP Baseball 2004 90 Mar 9, 2004
Madden NFL 2002 90 Oct 29, 2001
Half-Life 2 90 Nov 15, 2005
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 90 Oct 23, 2002
World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 International 90 Feb 2, 2005

Xbox 360

(54/897)
Title Score Release Date
Grand Theft Auto IV 98 Apr 29, 2008
Grand Theft Auto V 97 Sep 17, 2013
The Orange Box 96 Oct 10, 2007
Mass Effect 2 96 Jan 26, 2010
BioShock 96 Aug 21, 2007
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 96 Nov 11, 2011
Portal 2 95 Apr 19, 2011
Red Dead Redemption 95 May 18, 2010
Halo 3 94 Sep 25, 2007
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 94 Nov 10, 2009
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 94 Nov 5, 2007
Batman: Arkham City 94 Oct 18, 2011
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 94 Mar 20, 2006
Gears of War 94 Nov 7, 2006
Rock Band 3 93 Oct 26, 2010
Fallout 3 93 Oct 28, 2008
Braid 93 Aug 6, 2008
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX 93 Nov 17, 2010
BioShock Infinite 93 Mar 26, 2013
Gears of War 2 93 Nov 7, 2008
Mass Effect 3 93 Mar 6, 2012
Street Fighter IV 93 Feb 17, 2009
Forza Motorsport 3 92 Oct 27, 2009
Rock Band 2 92 Sep 14, 2008
The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series 92 Apr 27, 2012
Batman: Arkham Asylum 92 Aug 25, 2009
Guitar Hero II 92 Apr 3, 2007
Rock Band 92 Nov 20, 2007
Forza Motorsport 4 91 Oct 11, 2011
Dark Souls II 91 Mar 11, 2014
Super Street Fighter IV 91 Apr 27, 2010
Mass Effect 91 Nov 20, 2007
Halo: Reach 91 Sep 14, 2010
Gears of War 3 91 Sep 20, 2011
Far Cry 3 91 Dec 4, 2012
NBA 2K12 90 Oct 4, 2011
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 90 Jul 30, 2008
Metal Gear Solid HD Collection 90 Nov 8, 2011
Portal: Still Alive 90 Oct 22, 2008
Rayman Legends 90 Sep 3, 2013
Forza Motorsport 2 90 May 29, 2007
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned 90 Feb 17, 2009
FIFA Soccer 13 90 Sep 25, 2012
FIFA Soccer 12 90 Sep 27, 2011
FIFA Soccer 10 90 Oct 20, 2009
Super Meat Boy 90 Oct 20, 2010
Mark of the Ninja 90 Sep 7, 2012
Assassin's Creed II 90 Nov 17, 2009
Dead Space 2 90 Jan 25, 2011
LIMBO 90 Jul 21, 2010
Bayonetta 90 Jan 5, 2010
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 90 Mar 9, 2006
Trials Evolution 90 Apr 18, 2012
XCOM: Enemy Unknown 90 Oct 9, 2012

Game Reviews by Platform

Platform # Games
Nintendo 3DS 299
Nintendo DS 395
DSi Ware 5
Game Boy Advance 400
Nintendo Gamecube 400
Nintendo 64 89
Sony Playstation 200
Sony Playstation 2 800
Sony Playstation 3 799
Sony PSP 513
Sega Dreamcast 126
PS Vita 258
Nintendo Wii 247
Wii Ware 55
Nintendo Wii U 186
Microsoft Xbox 500
Xbox 360 897

Annual Summary

Year/Scores 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80-89 90-99
1995 0 0 1 0 0 0
1996 0 0 0 1 3 5
1997 0 0 0 2 10 6
1998 0 0 3 8 14 7
1999 1 1 3 8 13 13
2000 7 19 48 72 49 27
2001 2 16 48 117 83 32
2002 0 29 66 195 125 28
2003 0 15 74 169 135 32
2004 0 14 66 167 111 19
2005 2 24 101 209 142 15
2006 4 31 102 199 109 9
2007 6 24 61 214 105 17
2008 3 7 44 204 136 20
2009 2 10 41 240 148 23
2010 2 4 27 231 141 18
2011 0 5 31 199 132 25
2012 6 16 43 198 133 15
2013 4 6 39 147 111 12
2014 1 10 45 79 69 7
2015 5 10 30 56 38 1
2016 1 4 17 31 29 0
2017 0 1 10 15 11 1
2018 0 0 4 6 2 0
2019 0 0 0 1 4 0
2020 0 0 0 0 0 0

Other Links

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