2) Metroid Prime
There wasn’t a Metroid game on the Nintendo 64 for one simple reason — how could the series even work in a 3D space? Unlike Zelda or Mario, there didn’t seem to be an intuitive way to translate the gameplay to three dimensions, making it seem like the beloved franchise was going to stay relegated to handhelds. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case — Retro Studios did the unthinkable, absolutely nailing the Metroid formula while transposing it into the first-person shooter genre.
Metroid Prime was the result of that work, and it was an eye-opening experience back in 2002, feeling like a natural evolution of its 2D predecessors. It brings the space setting to life as Samus explores gorgeous planets, and it’s responsible for adding some things that are now recognized as series staples — such as the ability to scan objects. Retro really couldn’t have done a better job bringing Metroid to 3D gaming, and the series owes its resurgence to them.