Hi! I’m Giovanni Colantonio, Editor-at-Large over at Polygon. I’ve been writing about video games in some form since I was a kid, with a career spanning two decades and many defunct blogs. The gaming landscape has changed a whole lot in that time, but one thing has remained consistent: Nintendo. The game maker is still dishing out hits featuring the same mascots I grew up with, along with some more modern franchises that are broadening Nintendo’s appeal even further. As a result, trying to determine the greatest Nintendo game of all time has become increasingly more challenging over time. Or it would be challenging, if I didn’t know the truth: Metroid Prime is Nintendo’s true GOAT. Considering how many games could realistically fight for that honor, I want to hear your pick. Leave a comment below defending your own choice!
When debates about Nintendo’s greatest games bubble up, it’s always the same contenders at the top of the conversation. (Take your pick between any number of Mario or Zelda games, really.) There’s a good reason that it’s such a hot debate, because Nintendo has created some of the most influential games of all time, time and again. While instinct might dictate that a game like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Super Mario Bros. deserves its place on the throne for that reason, Metroid Prime is the one game that has lingered with me longer than any. More than two decades after first playing it, it still feels special in a way that no other game has quite matched.
