Games released on November 21
18 games that still hold up, from Super Mario World in 1990 to Super Mario 3D World in 2013
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Super Mario World 1990
Turns 36 this year SNES
Mario sets out to save Princess Peach and Dinosaur Land from Bowser and the Koopalings, with Yoshi at his side, across seven worlds full of secret routes.
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The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 1991
In a distant prequel to the first two games, Link sets out to save Hyrule from Ganon across a world that comes twice, the Light World and its mirror, the Dark World.
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Sonic the Hedgehog 2 1992
Turns 34 this year Genesis
Sonic races to stop Doctor Robotnik from taking the Chaos Emeralds to power his space station, the Death Egg. The spin dash and Tails, his sidekick, both arrived in this game.
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Sonic the Hedgehog 2 1992
Turns 34 this year Master System, Game Gear
Doctor Robotnik has taken Tails, and Sonic needs all six Chaos Emeralds to get him back, in this 8-bit Sonic 2 for the Game Gear and Master System. It is a different game from the Mega Drive one.
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Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest 1995
Turns 31 this year SNES
Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong set out across Crocodile Isle to rescue Donkey Kong from King K. Rool, through 52 levels in eight worlds. Diddy runs faster, while Dixie jumps higher and glides by spinning her hair.
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Tomb Raider II 1997
Turns 29 this year PlayStation
In the sequel to Tomb Raider, Lara goes after the Dagger of Xian against an Italian cult, from the Great Wall of China to Venice, an oil rig, a shipwreck and Tibet.
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Diddy Kong Racing 1997
Turns 29 this year Nintendo 64
Diddy Kong and his friends race cars, hovercraft and aeroplanes across five worlds to defeat the wizard pig Wizpig, in a 1997 Nintendo 64 kart racer with ten characters.
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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 1998
Turns 28 this year Nintendo 64
Link's first adventure in 3D, built around a lock on that lets him circle an enemy, and an ocarina whose melodies open the way. It became a textbook for the 3D action game.
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Pokémon Silver Version 1999
Turns 27 this year Game Boy Color
A trainer sets out across Johto to beat the Elite Four and Lance and fill a Pokédex of 251 creatures, a hundred of them new, and once Johto is done Kanto opens up as a second region.
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Super Smash Bros. Melee 2001
Nintendo's characters knock each other off the stage, with no health bar, only a percentage that rises with every hit. Up to four can play, and it is still played at competitive events such as Evo.
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Return to Castle Wolfenstein 2001
Imprisoned in Castle Wolfenstein, the OSA agent B.J. Blazkowicz uncovers an SS plan to bring back Heinrich I, a legendary warlock king, in a reboot of Wolfenstein.
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Pokémon Sapphire Version 2002
Turns 24 this year Game Boy Advance
Brendan or May moves to Littleroot Town in the Hoenn region and sets out to beat eight Gym Leaders, while Team Aqua tries to change Hoenn's climate with a legendary Pokémon.
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TrackMania 2003
Turns 23 this year
A racing game built around a track editor, where coppers won on ready made tracks buy the blocks to build your own, in Rally, Snow and Desert.
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Super Mario 64 DS 2004
Turns 22 this year Nintendo DS
An enhanced DS remake of Super Mario 64, in which Princess Peach has to be rescued from Bowser again, starting as Yoshi and winning Mario, Luigi and Wario along the way.
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LocoRoco 2 2008
Turns 18 this year PSP
The sequel to LocoRoco, where you play the planet itself and tilt the world to roll the LocoRoco, now joined by the evil red BuiBui and a purple LocoRoco named Viole.
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Donkey Kong Country Returns 2010
Turns 16 this year Wii
Tiki creatures hypnotize the island's animals into stealing Donkey Kong's banana hoard, and he crosses nine worlds with Diddy on his back to get it back.
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Super Mario 3D World 2013
Turns 13 this year Wii U
Mario, Luigi, Peach and Toad share the screen, up to four players at once, in short 3D levels that run against a timer to a flagpole, as in Super Mario 3D Land. The Switch version adds Bowser's Fury.
