2007 was a huge year forNintendo. The company had just released itsNintendo Wiiat the end of 2006 - a console that many people predicted to flop after the failure ofPlayStation’s EyeToy. The console started off strong with thelaunch titlesWii SportsandThe Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess, which collectively showed the gaming industry that the console could be great fun while also able to produce critically-acclaimed titles.
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However, many people needed more convincing before buying into Nintendo’s latest innovation. If 2007 had struggled to produce great games, then the console may never have taken off, but instead, the year provided Nintendo owners with a fantastic catalog of games that ensured the console’s success in both the short and long term. The following games on this list were released in North America in 2007 and are all remembered fondly today.
8Super Paper Mario
As the name suggests,Super Paper Mariowas essentially a hybrid of thePaper MarioandSuper Marioseries. While the game’s aesthetics, storytelling, and role-playing elements were akin to thePaper Marioseries, the game ditched itsturn-based combatin favor of platforming.
Super Paper Mario’s platforming was far from traditional, however, as the game let players switch between 2D and 3D perspectives. This wasn’t just a stylistic choice, as different perspectives offered different routes through the level.
7Pokémon Diamond And Pearl
Pokémon DiamondandPearlwere the first releases in the fourth generation ofPokémon’s gaming series. Game Freak didn’t attempt to reinvent the wheel, keeping the core gameplay similar to the classic pair of RPGsPokémon RedandBlue.
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Pokémon DiamondandPearlwas a hit with fans and critics, exemplified byDiamond’s85 critics score and 8.3 user score on review aggregator Metacritic. A remake of the games was released in 2021 on the Nintendo Switch titledPokémon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearl.
6Mario Strikers Charged
At this point, Mario is almost as well-known forhis sports titlesas his platforming ones. Nintendo’s mascot has gathered his friends and enemies to compete in a variety of sports over the years, including kart racing, tennis, and golf. Along the way, some of thebest casual sports gamesof all time have been created.
2007 saw the release of the secondMario Strikersgame, a series of soccer games that, in traditionalMariofashion,care little about realism and simply focus on over-the-top entertainment. Fans ofMario Strikers Chargedare in luck as a sequel, titledMario Strikers: Battle League, is set to release on June 10th, 2022.
5Guitar Hero 3: Legends Of Rock
The rhythm genre’s rise and fall in the mid-2000s were both so sharp and fast that many people forgot just how big the style of game was. TheGuitar Heroseries began in 2005 on the PlayStation 2 and captured people’s attention with the now-iconic guitar controller that differentiated the game from almost anything else at the time.
As the name suggests,Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rockfocused on legendary songs and bands from the past, with Slash and Tom Morello even featuring as playable characters.
4Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Metroid Prime 3: Corruptionis a first-person shooter and 3D Metroidvania that was developed by Retro Studios. The game’s story takes place six months after November 2004’sMetroid Prime 2: Echoesand sees Samus desperately trying to stop the spread of a radioactive substance known as Phazon after being infected with it herself.
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Metroid Prime 4was announced in June 2017, though news about the game has been few and far between since.
3The Legend Of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglassis a direct sequel toThe Legend of Zelda:The Wind Waker.GameCube’sWind Wakerfamously received a ton of backlash from fans when its trailer was first released due to its cartoony aesthetic, though fans soon changed their tune when the critically-acclaimed game was released.
Phantom Hourglasswas released on the Nintendo DS and made great use of the handheld system by incorporating its dual-screen and microphone into many of the game’stricky puzzles.
2Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games
Mario Strikers Chargedwasn’t the plumber’s only sporting release in 2007, as Mario also teamed up with Sega’s mascot Sonic for their first game in the long-runningMario & Sonic at the Olympic Gamesseries.
As the name suggests, the game takes Mario, Sonic, and numerous characters from their universes and pits them against each other in a variety of Olympic sports, such as Table Tennis, Fencing, and multiple Athletics.
1Super Mario Galaxy
Yet another release from 2007 involving Nintendo’s mascot character wasSuper Mario Galaxy.TheSuper Marioseries is well known for its consistent quality and innovation, so when it came time for Nintendo to develop the franchise’s next game for their new console, there was understandably a lot of expectation and pressure.
Thankfully, the game didn’t disappoint, asSuper Mario Galaxyimmediately captured the attention and imagination of players with its space setting andingenious level design.
More:All Of The Mario Games On The Nintendo Wii, Ranked From Worst To Best
