Alolan_Apples
“Assorted” Collector
Nintendo made a couple of video game franchises, but the biggest three are Mario, Zelda, and Pokémon. Not just the biggest ones, but they helped shape Nintendo more than others.
Now if they were to compete against each other, who will win? Mario, Link, or Pikachu? Each one of them have a strength that none others have. Mario sold the most titles. Pokémon makes the most money. But Zelda does the best critically.
An interesting fact is that for every Pokémon generation, there is a 3D Mario title and a 3D Zelda title. The 2nd generation and 6th generation defy this trend, as no 3D Mario title was made around the same time Pokémon Gold and Silver was made, as no 3D Zelda title was made around the same time Pokémon X and Y was made. However, I wouldn’t mind throwing in DK64 (the only 3D Donkey Kong game) and Hyrule Warriors (the Zelda game made around the time no new 3D Zelda was made). Now if I had to choose what would be the best game of each generation, here’s what wins each generation (from an objective viewpoint).
Super Mario 64 vs Ocarina of Time vs Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow:
Right around the time Pokémon began in both Japan and the rest of the world, Nintendo released the Nintendo 64, which was also when Mario and Zelda made a jump to 3D. An interesting coincidence is that Super Mario 64 was released in the same year Pokémon first came out, and Ocarina of Time was released in the same year Pokémon made its way to the United States.
What did they all have in common? They were considered the best games of their respective franchises by many, but to say that nowadays is controversial. While they didn’t have any flaws that came from future games, they are outdated by today’s standards, especially when you compare them to the future games, Super Mario 64, graphics are absolutely cringeworthy while levels are tiny. Ocarina of Time, Hyrule Field is too small and you can’t control the third-person camera. Pokémon Red and Blue, the stats are well outdated and glitches are common. But it doesn’t mean these games are bad. In fact, they were all three of the franchises at their best.
The winner: Because of how good these games were, this is a tough battle. But considering how often Ocarina of Time shows up in the best games lists (if we’re counting every game) compared to the others, Ocarina of Time wins this battle.Not only that, but the Pokémon fanbase is well divided over what is the best Pokémon game, and Mario fans have agreed on newer Mario games as the best Mario game.
The loser: Like I said before, this is a tough battle. Although I can say this much. While Super Mario 64 was the top selling N64 game, Pokémon was an even bigger fad than Mario at the time. Add to that, there was a lot of Gen 1 pandering in Pokémon (but that doesn’t make Mario any different, considering the SM64 homage in Super Mario Odyssey). Just because it’s in last place doesn’t mean it’s bad at all. So Super Mario 64 it is.
Donkey Kong 64 vs Majora’s Mask vs Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal:
The GBC and N64 era was Nintendo at its best when it comes to software, as they had more to store. On the Pokémon side, they introduced a new generation of Pokémon, which was exciting for Pokémon. Not only that, but it was also the most revolutionary Pokémon generation as it introduced many features that live in Pokémon up to this day. As a bonus, you could go back to Kanto and complete your progress there, which truly lived up to its motto. On the Zelda side, the game is exactly like Ocarina of Time, but with completely different dungeons and in a different world. Super Mario 64 was the last Super Mario game before Super Mario Sunshine, which was 6 years later, so there was no Mario game in between except the spinoffs. However, if you were to count Donkey Kong into the Mario sphere, Donkey Kong 64 is up for competition as well.
The winner: This is an obvious one. Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal not only changed Pokémon drastically, but the bonus was the best in all of Pokémon. I can’t speak for the others.
The loser: Donkey Kong 64 easily loses this round. In fact, it’s quite controversial. While it was a popular game, it was heavily criticized for its excessive collecting. 200 golden bananas is a lot, but the regular bananas were what made collecting worse. And that’s not the only problem. It also had backtracking (which isn’t a problem unless if it’s the core mechanic).
Super Mario Sunshine vs The Wind Waker vs Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
As you see, all three franchises went to a new era after moving to the GameCube/Gameboy Advance generation. At the time, they were heavily criticized for their reasons (broken mechanics and obscure collectibles, cartoony graphics, and not all Pokémon species are available, respectively), but they are more appreciated nowadays. They are still divisive.
The winner: I’ll probably say The Wind Waker for this round, even though Pokémon introduced modern stats, abilities, natures, and double battles in their game of this generation, which also help improve Pokémon as the years went by. But Zelda games tend to do better.
The loser: Although it’s my favorite of the three, Super Mario Sunshine has been thrown under a bus. Let’s forget about all the Mario Sunshine references in Mario spinoffs. While Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire got a 3DS remake and Wind Waker got an HD remake, Super Mario Sunshine never got an HD remake. In fact, it was never re-released digitally. And while we have more sympathetic fans for Pokémon R/S/E and Wind Waker, Super Mario Sunshine is more akin to Pokémon Sun and Moon and Skyward Sword on the issue of divisiveness over if the games are actually good.
Super Mario Galaxy vs Twilight Princess vs Pokémon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
The franchises went to another new era, as these games were considered the best since their roots. For Mario, it was so popular that it even got a sequel. For Zelda, they made a game that fans liked more than Majora’s Mask and Wind Waker (and to some extent, Ocarina of Time). For Pokémon, they revolutionized it once again as it’s now more of an internet game as all Pokémon types improved.
The winner: Based on successes, Super Mario Galaxy is the winner. Before Super Mario Odyssey came out, Super Mario Galaxy was the top selling 3D Mario title. Diamond and Pearl may have outsold its predecessor, but it couldn’t outsell Gold and Crystal, and not once has any Pokémon game sold as well as Diamond and Pearl since then. Twilight Princess was popular, but it didn’t do as well as Ocarina of Time did, commercially.
The loser: Since Zelda games tend to do better, Pokémon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum loses this round. Not that it’s bad. It’s just Pokémon’s fanbase is very divided. Zelda fans too, but not at the same scale Pokémon fans are. And Twilight Princess is one of the greater Zelda games.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 vs Skyward Sword vs Pokémon Black/White:
Due to Mario Galaxy’s huge success, it managed to get a sequel a few years later. Pokémon did a soft reboot as it brought in a completely new cast and changed some mainstays in Pokémon. And Zelda came up with a motion control game where you are the sword fighter.
The winner: It has to be Super Mario Galaxy 2, not that it’s good, but it’s because of the other games. The only problem is that Super Mario Galaxy 2 is too linear, in fact, even more linear than Super Mario Galaxy. Pokémon Black and White isn’t too bad, but it divided the Pokémon fanbase even more, as a handful of fans criticized Black and White for not featuring any of the older Pokémon. And Skyward Sword divided fans because of how you have to play as a sword fighter than as a gamer.
The loser: Zelda tends to do better than Mario and Pokémon on their games, but Skyward Sword is not the case. Its motion controls were complicated, the game was repetitive, the main assistant character was more annoying than any other Zelda character, and a few other problems that people complained about. Despite all the controversy Pokémon Black and White had, the most griped about features has yet to come.
Super Mario 3D World vs Hyrule Warriors vs Pokémon X/Y:
This generation would have to be the low point of all three franchises. There was no 3D Zelda title, the 3D Mario game is anything but a true 3D Mario game, and Pokémon X and Y was Pokémon at its worst as it was where cynicism towards Pokémon has deepened. In fact, this was the Wii U generation, where Nintendo was at their worst in history. Even other Nintendo franchises met their low point in this era.
The winner: Because of how disappointing Super Mario 3D World and Pokémon X and Y were, Hyrule Warriors wins this round.
The loser: Super Mario 3D World may have sold less, but Pokémon X/Y drew even more cynicism.
Super Mario Odyssey vs Breath of the Wild vs Pokémon Sun/Moon:
The final round involves the franchises making a more revolutionary turn that completely disposes the roots. Mario became more of an adventure game than platformer, Zelda was more like Fallout, and Pokémon has dumped gyms, badges, and HMs, which were mainstays to Pokémon (Sword and Shield might reverse that).
The winner: Easily Breath of the Wild. As a launch title, it won Game of the Year and it was among the best games of all time. It might even create competition for Ocarina of Time.
The loser: Pokémon Sun/Moon has lost this round because people were way more cynical towards it. A couple fans even skipped this game because of the scaled back difficulty. Yet, there was hardly any cynicism towards Breath of the Wild or Super Mario Odyssey. Even if Pokémon Sun and Moon was the best Pokémon game, it wasn’t as successful to Pokémon as Super Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild were to their respective franchises.
Now if they were to compete against each other, who will win? Mario, Link, or Pikachu? Each one of them have a strength that none others have. Mario sold the most titles. Pokémon makes the most money. But Zelda does the best critically.
An interesting fact is that for every Pokémon generation, there is a 3D Mario title and a 3D Zelda title. The 2nd generation and 6th generation defy this trend, as no 3D Mario title was made around the same time Pokémon Gold and Silver was made, as no 3D Zelda title was made around the same time Pokémon X and Y was made. However, I wouldn’t mind throwing in DK64 (the only 3D Donkey Kong game) and Hyrule Warriors (the Zelda game made around the time no new 3D Zelda was made). Now if I had to choose what would be the best game of each generation, here’s what wins each generation (from an objective viewpoint).
Super Mario 64 vs Ocarina of Time vs Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow:
Right around the time Pokémon began in both Japan and the rest of the world, Nintendo released the Nintendo 64, which was also when Mario and Zelda made a jump to 3D. An interesting coincidence is that Super Mario 64 was released in the same year Pokémon first came out, and Ocarina of Time was released in the same year Pokémon made its way to the United States.
What did they all have in common? They were considered the best games of their respective franchises by many, but to say that nowadays is controversial. While they didn’t have any flaws that came from future games, they are outdated by today’s standards, especially when you compare them to the future games, Super Mario 64, graphics are absolutely cringeworthy while levels are tiny. Ocarina of Time, Hyrule Field is too small and you can’t control the third-person camera. Pokémon Red and Blue, the stats are well outdated and glitches are common. But it doesn’t mean these games are bad. In fact, they were all three of the franchises at their best.
The winner: Because of how good these games were, this is a tough battle. But considering how often Ocarina of Time shows up in the best games lists (if we’re counting every game) compared to the others, Ocarina of Time wins this battle.Not only that, but the Pokémon fanbase is well divided over what is the best Pokémon game, and Mario fans have agreed on newer Mario games as the best Mario game.
The loser: Like I said before, this is a tough battle. Although I can say this much. While Super Mario 64 was the top selling N64 game, Pokémon was an even bigger fad than Mario at the time. Add to that, there was a lot of Gen 1 pandering in Pokémon (but that doesn’t make Mario any different, considering the SM64 homage in Super Mario Odyssey). Just because it’s in last place doesn’t mean it’s bad at all. So Super Mario 64 it is.
Donkey Kong 64 vs Majora’s Mask vs Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal:
The GBC and N64 era was Nintendo at its best when it comes to software, as they had more to store. On the Pokémon side, they introduced a new generation of Pokémon, which was exciting for Pokémon. Not only that, but it was also the most revolutionary Pokémon generation as it introduced many features that live in Pokémon up to this day. As a bonus, you could go back to Kanto and complete your progress there, which truly lived up to its motto. On the Zelda side, the game is exactly like Ocarina of Time, but with completely different dungeons and in a different world. Super Mario 64 was the last Super Mario game before Super Mario Sunshine, which was 6 years later, so there was no Mario game in between except the spinoffs. However, if you were to count Donkey Kong into the Mario sphere, Donkey Kong 64 is up for competition as well.
The winner: This is an obvious one. Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal not only changed Pokémon drastically, but the bonus was the best in all of Pokémon. I can’t speak for the others.
The loser: Donkey Kong 64 easily loses this round. In fact, it’s quite controversial. While it was a popular game, it was heavily criticized for its excessive collecting. 200 golden bananas is a lot, but the regular bananas were what made collecting worse. And that’s not the only problem. It also had backtracking (which isn’t a problem unless if it’s the core mechanic).
Super Mario Sunshine vs The Wind Waker vs Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
As you see, all three franchises went to a new era after moving to the GameCube/Gameboy Advance generation. At the time, they were heavily criticized for their reasons (broken mechanics and obscure collectibles, cartoony graphics, and not all Pokémon species are available, respectively), but they are more appreciated nowadays. They are still divisive.
The winner: I’ll probably say The Wind Waker for this round, even though Pokémon introduced modern stats, abilities, natures, and double battles in their game of this generation, which also help improve Pokémon as the years went by. But Zelda games tend to do better.
The loser: Although it’s my favorite of the three, Super Mario Sunshine has been thrown under a bus. Let’s forget about all the Mario Sunshine references in Mario spinoffs. While Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire got a 3DS remake and Wind Waker got an HD remake, Super Mario Sunshine never got an HD remake. In fact, it was never re-released digitally. And while we have more sympathetic fans for Pokémon R/S/E and Wind Waker, Super Mario Sunshine is more akin to Pokémon Sun and Moon and Skyward Sword on the issue of divisiveness over if the games are actually good.
Super Mario Galaxy vs Twilight Princess vs Pokémon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
The franchises went to another new era, as these games were considered the best since their roots. For Mario, it was so popular that it even got a sequel. For Zelda, they made a game that fans liked more than Majora’s Mask and Wind Waker (and to some extent, Ocarina of Time). For Pokémon, they revolutionized it once again as it’s now more of an internet game as all Pokémon types improved.
The winner: Based on successes, Super Mario Galaxy is the winner. Before Super Mario Odyssey came out, Super Mario Galaxy was the top selling 3D Mario title. Diamond and Pearl may have outsold its predecessor, but it couldn’t outsell Gold and Crystal, and not once has any Pokémon game sold as well as Diamond and Pearl since then. Twilight Princess was popular, but it didn’t do as well as Ocarina of Time did, commercially.
The loser: Since Zelda games tend to do better, Pokémon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum loses this round. Not that it’s bad. It’s just Pokémon’s fanbase is very divided. Zelda fans too, but not at the same scale Pokémon fans are. And Twilight Princess is one of the greater Zelda games.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 vs Skyward Sword vs Pokémon Black/White:
Due to Mario Galaxy’s huge success, it managed to get a sequel a few years later. Pokémon did a soft reboot as it brought in a completely new cast and changed some mainstays in Pokémon. And Zelda came up with a motion control game where you are the sword fighter.
The winner: It has to be Super Mario Galaxy 2, not that it’s good, but it’s because of the other games. The only problem is that Super Mario Galaxy 2 is too linear, in fact, even more linear than Super Mario Galaxy. Pokémon Black and White isn’t too bad, but it divided the Pokémon fanbase even more, as a handful of fans criticized Black and White for not featuring any of the older Pokémon. And Skyward Sword divided fans because of how you have to play as a sword fighter than as a gamer.
The loser: Zelda tends to do better than Mario and Pokémon on their games, but Skyward Sword is not the case. Its motion controls were complicated, the game was repetitive, the main assistant character was more annoying than any other Zelda character, and a few other problems that people complained about. Despite all the controversy Pokémon Black and White had, the most griped about features has yet to come.
Super Mario 3D World vs Hyrule Warriors vs Pokémon X/Y:
This generation would have to be the low point of all three franchises. There was no 3D Zelda title, the 3D Mario game is anything but a true 3D Mario game, and Pokémon X and Y was Pokémon at its worst as it was where cynicism towards Pokémon has deepened. In fact, this was the Wii U generation, where Nintendo was at their worst in history. Even other Nintendo franchises met their low point in this era.
The winner: Because of how disappointing Super Mario 3D World and Pokémon X and Y were, Hyrule Warriors wins this round.
The loser: Super Mario 3D World may have sold less, but Pokémon X/Y drew even more cynicism.
Super Mario Odyssey vs Breath of the Wild vs Pokémon Sun/Moon:
The final round involves the franchises making a more revolutionary turn that completely disposes the roots. Mario became more of an adventure game than platformer, Zelda was more like Fallout, and Pokémon has dumped gyms, badges, and HMs, which were mainstays to Pokémon (Sword and Shield might reverse that).
The winner: Easily Breath of the Wild. As a launch title, it won Game of the Year and it was among the best games of all time. It might even create competition for Ocarina of Time.
The loser: Pokémon Sun/Moon has lost this round because people were way more cynical towards it. A couple fans even skipped this game because of the scaled back difficulty. Yet, there was hardly any cynicism towards Breath of the Wild or Super Mario Odyssey. Even if Pokémon Sun and Moon was the best Pokémon game, it wasn’t as successful to Pokémon as Super Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild were to their respective franchises.
