Satoru Iwata - 10 Iconic Nintendo Games You Should Play As Tribute

7. Animal Crossing

Despite the fact that the console faltered when compared to the PS2 and Xbox, the Nintendo Gamecube still played host to some of the best and most original games in the history of the medium. It was also during this period that Iwata first took the reins of the company, so it could be argued that early inventiveness was just a sign of things to come. Animal Crossing is a game quite unlike any other on this list. The best way to describe the series is by saying that it combines The Sims with that special Nintendo magic, which is probably enough to convince anybody who hasn't given it a try right there. Of course, the series is now one of the more popular in Nintendo's legendary pantheon of titles, but during the Gamecube era it was still very much the new kid on the block. With the company so unsure of its appeal outside of Japan, it took them almost three years to get it over to the UK following its 2001 release in Japan. It's quirky, fun and a rather addictive time sink. Even today getting lost in the world of Animal Crossing is just as brilliant as it was back then.