Top 5 Ogre-ssive Games In Nintendo History
When you think of the biggest video game franchises to ever come out on Nintendo consoles, there’s a few that come to mind. However, every series has at least one game that can only be described as terrible. One might even go so far as to say there is no perfect franchise…
But by claiming that statement, one would be making a huge mistake. There’s one franchise that has put out so many quality games that you’d be swamped just trying to play them all. There is one franchise whose influence has been felt across the entire globe, bringing in billions of dollars, blessing us with multiple spinoffs, and a movie that could come out as early as 2022.
There is one series where you can take its titular character into dozens of wacky scenarios, from fighting turtles, to multi-man battles in themed arenas. or even a Wacky Races style competition to see who can get around race tracks the fastest.
Obviously, I’m talking about everybody’s favourite mainstream hero, Shrek.
By making this list, I had to leave out some seriously unbelievable games, as there’s no way you can fit 34 different titles into a Top 5 list. So unfortunately, the classic Gameboy Advance game, Hassle at the Castle, and the greatest spinoff game ever made, Puss in Boots, are not included on this list. There are, however, 5 of the best video games you’ll ever play included on this list, and believe me when I tell you that you should play these games.
Look, I know that maybe five of you thought I was gonna say Mario instead of Shrek, but to the five of you I say, “Check yourself before you Shrek yourself!”
We’ve all played Mario Party, and let’s be honest, they are terrible. I mean, they are so easy, and everything is explained so thoroughly that you barely even need to use your brain.
That’s where Shrek Super Party comes into play. You choose out of a bunch of classic Shrek characters (including the legend himself, Lord Farquaad) and race around a board that has a bunch of pathways to collect gems or something. Instead of a boring old dice to decide how far you move, you get to drop a ball into a sweet box that is simple to figure out. Along the way, you trade bugs in an attempt to score more points by having multiple of the same bugs… at least I’m pretty sure that’s how it works. The game never fully explained it to me, as it should be.
And the minigames? The game assumes, since you are playing Shrek Super Party, that you have an IQ of at least 350, so it drops you in there with minimal instructions. But who needs those, right? If you can’t figure out how to beat bots in a bug catching competition or running away from an angry dragon within three seconds, you don’t deserve to win anyway.
I mentioned the bots, and, well… guess what? Unlike those pushovers you’ll face in a bad game like Mario Party 2, the AI controlled players in this game are a challenge. And by a challenge, I mean that if you can’t keep up in the first few Shrekonds, it’ll all be ogre.
The only “10” Mario Party has ever received is its tenth game in the series. Shrek Super Party didn’t need sequels, because it is perfect. You’ll need every skill in your arsenal to conquer this one, but to be the Ogrelord, you gotta beat the Orgrelord!
With the Nintendo Wii came a whole lot of games that tried their very hardest to use the state-of-the-art motion controls to the fullest. Many tried, most failed, and what we ended up with was a ton of unplayable games that were just no fun to anyone and ended up in bargain bins all over the world.
One style of game that was popular was the standard mini-game collection, trying to emulate basic sports or carnival games. There are few of these games worth mentioning at all, but of course our good friend Shrek has us covered in what is essentially the only Wii game you’ll ever need to own.
The developers did the best they could with the sub-par motion controls and made a beautiful game. The graphics are so stunning for 2007, the same year we got stinkers like Super Mario Galaxy or Super Paper Mario that hurt our eyes. I mean, who needs to see the faces on a character select screen clearly?
If you’re gonna talk about the fantastic graphics in the game, you’ll also need to talk about the mini-games contained within this absolute classic! I’ll never get tired of hearing Shrek and Prince Charming talking trash about each other while flinging snakes onto little wooden toy soldiers, and believe me when I tell you they really do have some dialogue worth listening to.
I don’t know who recorded the voice lines for Shrek’s Carnival Craze, but if you told me they were the same actors as the movies, I’d believe you. Sure, they sound a little muffled, and sure, they also sound like they were recorded in a blender, but what difference does that make when the voices are so accurate?
So there are good party games, and there are bad party games. This is a game you’ll be loading up every day just to try and beat your high scores. But be warned, when you get your friends involved, playtime is ogre.
Earlier in this list, I mentioned Super Mario Galaxy, listing it as an example of a game not worth playing. The truth is, it might have been worth it had it not been for this beast. In terms of a 3D platformer, Shrek 2 for the Nintendo Gamecube blows any 3D Mario adventure out of the water.
I know what you’re thinking. You think I’m kidding, right? Well, let me ask you one question: How many of your friends can you play Mario Galaxy with at one time?
“Well, my brother can point the Wiimote at the TV and collect some star bits!” I hear you say. Well, in Shrek 2 you can have three friends play with you through the entire campaign. Shrek 2, 1. Mario Galaxy, 0.
“But Mario Galaxy introduces us to some new, fresh characters!” you say? Well, Shrek 2 gives us Crazy Larry, the cure leprechaun who needs your help in various ways. He’s got more personality in his little feet than Rosalina does in her entire being. Don’t believe me? Grab a copy of Shrek 2 and find out for yourself. Shrek 2, 2. Mario Galaxy, 0.
“But Mario has power ups! He can take on different forms!” Good point. You’ve got me there. Psych! In Shrek 2, you get 4 characters at all times, each with their own abilities. There’s 9 characters all up, so you’ll never get sick of having to use the same ability over and over. You can play your way with your favourite abilities instead of just hoping the one you want is in the right part of the right level! Shrek 2, 3. Mario Galaxy, 0.
And let’s say you wanna watch a movie while you play. Your best bet with Mario Galaxy is that 90’s movie classic Super Mario Bros. Solid choice, right? But what if I told you that there is a movie based on Shrek 2? And it’s a very good movie. In fact, there’s even more Shrek movies you can watch as you play. By the time you finish the game you’ll be all caught up on the Shrek lore! Shrek 2, 4. Mario Galaxy, 0.
I could go on and on forever.
So next time your friends are talking about playing a classic platform game at a party, you know what to bring out. Show them what a superior game looks like. The fact is, Shrek 2 is a perfect game.
Every good video game franchise needs a very good fighting game to become truly legit. This is just a fact. Until we get a good Elder Scrolls fighting game, I’m going to maintain that it is a series that has failed to live up to its potential. Shrek, however, is a series that does not disappoint… ever.
Shrek Super Slam is the best fighting game ever made. It doesn’t matter that your friendship group is only three people, because you can have epic 1v1v1 battles with your favourite Shrek characters.
The way the battles play out involve the characters trying to hit each other enough to fill up their “SLAM” gauge. Once full, they can use their special attack, which hitting an opponent with will award them points. Each character has their own special attacks, with my personal favourite being the Shrek’s hilarious fart attack.
There’s a ton of ogre the top costumes that you can unlock, and not all of them are mere pallet swaps! In the first mission of the game, for example, you unlock a cute cowboy version of Gingy to use at your own leisure. These are the versions of the fairy tale creatures I like to imagine when I hear their stories!
There are also a ton of hidden characters in the game! I haven’t managed to unlock any yet, but I’ve heard that you can unlock those adorable kids of Donkey and Dragon’s, so you clearly have a lot to play for throughout the story. You can play as two different forms of Fiona, too, so no matter which version you think is superior, you have options going into this one.
The story of the game seems to be that Shrek and Donkey are making up stories to try and get the kids to sleep. As a father myself, this ups the appeal of the game to me immensely, as I can relate to the frustration of trying to get a child to sleep who is being incredibly uncooperative.
So there you have it! Dads all around the world, I’ve finally revealed the fighting game that was made for us! It is as close to a flawless fighting game as you’ll ever play.
There’s a ton of popular kart racer games out there. From Action Girlz Racing to Billy the Wizard: Rocket Broomstick Racing, there’s something for everyone out there. But what about a single game that is for everyone? Action Girlz Racing has a clear target audience in mind, so does good ol’ Billy the Wizard. If only there was a kart racing game that had mass appeal and could be loved by young and old…
Well, as it turns out, there is such a game out there. Find me someone who doesn’t like Shrek, and I’ll show you someone who isn’t actually from this planet. Everyone loves Shrek. Everyone loves kart racers. Therefore, everyone would absolutely love Shrek Smash N Crash Racing.
In Smash N Crash Racing, you can play as a number of classic Shrek characters, such as Donkey, Fiona, Gingy, and Thelonious as you race around tracks that fit the fairytale world perfectly. Each character is riding on some form of giant creature that represents them, although Donkey gets to fly his partner Dragon around, which some might argue gives him a significant advantage.
The lengths of the tracks vary quite a lot, but to accommodate the developers decided that the standard 3-lap races of all inferior kart racers just wasn’t good enough. So here, you can enter into races where you get to experience the track extra times per race! You can’t lose! There’s even a cameo from the good king, Lord Farquaad, if you are eagle eyes enough, though. I wont spoil anything.
The game handles exactly the way it should. I mean, if they’d made it too easy it wouldn’t feel like you were driving a weird swamp creature as Shrek or the Big Bad Wolf as Little Red Riding Hood. You’re not just gonna suddenly tame these beasts, you’re gonna end up crashing off the road a few times before you get the hang of it. I applaud the developers for making such a brave decision.
There’s an entire 12 tracks in the game, which is plenty when you consider how much work must have gone into these. Some of them are locked at the start of the game though, as are some of the racers, so be prepared to race hard and fast to try and unlock them all! You’ll need all the practice you can get if you are going to be the first ogre the line.
Overall, this is the best kart racer ever made. No mascot of any console has ever come close to this level of brilliance, and I doubt they ever will.
So there you have it! The five best games from the best video game franchise of all time. There are a ton of these games out there, and they are all brilliant. So I’d say, get your old Nintendo consoles out and kick them into maximum ogredrive!
Thank you for stopping by Nintendo Link. Look forward to more lists like this in the future!
