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The best Intelligent Systems games

The 19 best games from Intelligent Systems, ranked from 4,771 critic and player ratings.

The best Intelligent Systems game is Paper Mario (2000), with a critic score of 93/100. Updated November 2026.

  • Ranked releases span 1994 to 2019.
  • Average critic score across the 19 ranked games: 86/100.
  • 4,771 critic and player ratings behind this ranking.

How this ranking is built
  • Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
  • A game only enters the ranking with at least 80 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
  • Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
  • Release window covered: 1970 to 2026.
  • 19 games are listed on this page, carrying 4,771 ratings between them.
  • Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 13 November 2026.

Top 19

Played them? Give your tier with the + next to each game. No account needed to try — create one to keep your tiers.

01 Paper Mario (2000) Paper Mario (2000) 2000 · 281 ratings Paper Mario, a turn-based JRPG entry in the Mario franchise with a paper-based aesthetic and platforming elements, sees the titular character working his way through the Mushroom Kingdom's diverse locales and biomes, meeting its inhabitants, fighthing unruly enemies and recruiting an array of companions in order to once again save Princess Peach from the clutches of the evil Koopa King Bowser. 93 /100
02 Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001) Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001) 2001 · 188 ratings Classic Mario Kart action is back once again, this time in a colorful, lightning-fast game that you can take anywhere. Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Wario, Yoshi and Bowser are all tearing up the track, tossing Koopa Shells and laying banana peels along the way. Mario Kart Super Circuit puts your driving skills to the test on 40 tracks, each littered with wild weapons and obstacles. Choose to play as any of your favorite characters as you speed around classic and brand-new tracks. If you're feeling combative, try out the creative weaponry (mushrooms, bananas, thunder bolts, and stars) in Battle mode. Feel like making some friends eat your dust? No problem. Four players can compete in Mario Kart Super Circuit using only one Game Pak! If each player has a copy of the game, bonus features and new modes of play become available. 93 /100
03 Fire Emblem: Three Houses Fire Emblem: Three Houses 2019 · 331 ratings Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and Koei Tecmo for the Nintendo Switch. Players take the role of a professor at Garreg Mach Monastery, where they teach and guide one of three student houses. Gameplay combines turn-based battles, character development, exploration, and relationship-building. 93 /100
04 Super Smash Bros. Brawl C Super Smash Bros. Brawl 2008 · 602 ratings · 1 Tier vote Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series and the follow-up to Super Smash Bros. Melee. This edition introduces super attacks referred to as final smashes, as well as a brand-new adventure mode in The Subspace Emissary which is a side-scrolling adventure in the style of a platformer. It retains all basic mechanics of the Super Smash Bros. series, such as a damage meter, stocks, and Smash-style attacks. 91 /100
05 Fire Emblem Awakening Fire Emblem Awakening 2012 · 272 ratings Armies clash as the world burns. As an inevitable war draws ever closer, you must stand with Chrom and his forces--knights, mages, archers, and more--commanding them against the armies of kingdoms, empires, and the dead themselves. Plan your strategery. Move your troops on the battlefield, then choose their weapon and attack. Using the new Pair Up and Dual systems, support your attacks with the help of nearby allies and watch their skills and relationships grow. 90 /100
06 Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade 2003 · 145 ratings It is the seventh game of the Fire Emblem series, the second game in the series to be released for the Game Boy Advance, and the first to be released in both North America and Europe. It features a prologue storyline designed to introduce newcomers to Fire Emblem gameplay and tactical basics. The overall narrative is a prequel to the events of the previous game, Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade, which is set twenty years later. The game was first released under the localized title "Fire Emblem" in the West, but it was later rebranded as "Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade" when Fire Emblem Heroes was released. 88 /100
07 Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door 2004 · 567 ratings What sleeps behind the door? Time passes, the pages turn… and a new chapter unfolds in an unfamiliar land! Get ready for a two-dimensional role-playing adventure for the ages as Mario returns to paper form to discover a mystery that sleeps behind an ancient, legendary portal called the Thousand-Year Door. The quest is long, the dangers many, and this time, Mario will have to make full use of his papery qualities just to survive. 87 /100
08 Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest 2015 · 105 ratings Fire Emblem Fates is split into three story paths. Conquest is one of the two base stories, the other being Birthright. The other story path can be bought digitally at a discount through the in-game store. The third story path is Revelation, a DLC that was released later. You need to be have completed Chapter 6 in either game to access the other stories and DLC. Conquest is the hardest of the three paths, having reduced ability to grind experience from maps, tougher mission objectives, and giving less money and experience for those missions. 87 /100
09 Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright 2015 · 109 ratings Fire Emblem Fates is split into three story paths. Birthright is one of the two base stories, the other being Conquest. The other story path can be bought digitally at a discount through the in-game store. The third story path is Revelation, a DLC that was released later. You need to be have completed Chapter 6 in either game to access the other stories and DLC. Birthright is the easier path as it has the ability to use scouting missions to grind experience and money and simpler mission objectives. 86 /100
10 Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance 2005 · 125 ratings Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Intelligent Systems and Nintendo SPD, and published by Nintendo for the GameCube home console in 2005. It is the ninth main installment in the Fire Emblem series,[c] and the third to be released in the west. As with previous installments, gameplay revolves around positioning characters on a battlefield to defeat an opposing force. If characters are defeated in battle, they are removed from the rest of the game. 85 /100
11 WarioWare: Smooth Moves WarioWare: Smooth Moves 2006 · 100 ratings 83 /100
12 Super Metroid Super Metroid 1994 · 1,090 ratings 100 /100
13 Advance Wars Advance Wars 2001 · 140 ratings 100 /100
14 Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia 2017 · 106 ratings 81 /100
15 WarioWare: Touched! WarioWare: Touched! 2004 · 105 ratings 81 /100
16 Super Paper Mario Super Paper Mario 2007 · 195 ratings 78 /100
17 Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones 2004 · 138 ratings 76 /100
18 Fire Emblem Heroes Fire Emblem Heroes 2017 · 85 ratings 75 /100
19 Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn 2007 · 87 ratings 75 /100
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Frequently asked questions

What is the best Intelligent Systems game?

Paper Mario (2000) currently tops the ranking with a score of 93/100 across 281 ratings. Ranking updated November 2026.

How is this ranking built?

Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.