Games take time to make, especially those quite large in scope and design, which is often the case with Nintendo games. Their motto is that a good game is eventually released, while a bad game is a bad game forever. Gamers can often grow frustrated waiting for their highly anticipated game to show up, but once it is released and turns out amazing, all is forgiven. In other words, the wait was worth it. Here are my five favorite games that were worth the wait:

5. Perfect Dark (Nintendo 64):

GoldenEye 007 is, to this day, hailed as one of the most definitive multiplayer experiences ever made. So it was expected that an in-spirit follow up to GoldenEye would be very anticipated. Development started sometime after Goldeneye 007 was released in 1997. From that point on, gamers waited patiently for the game to come out, learning about features that would later be dropped and the Expansion Pak being required to play the full game. Perfect Dark finally came out in 2000 and while it didn't exactly dethrone GoldenEye 007 as the iconic multiplayer title for the Nintendo 64, it was a very entertaining and polished effort. Ironically, the teased sequel would be even more remembered, complete with a render of Perfect Dark lead Joanna Dark running on GameCube hardware. But that debacle happened on the Xbox 360, so we won't be diving into that anytime soon...

4. Conker's Bad Fur Day (Nintendo 64) :

Rare was no stranger to long development times and countless delays. At the end of the day, though, no one really complained, as their games would usually be some of the best on the Nintendo systems. Conker's Bad Fur Day is a unique exception to the rule. The game originally started out as a cute platforming title á la Banjo-Kazooie, with Conker being a sweet, Disney-esque protagonist. Then, gamers began to grow tired of the barrage of cutesy games hitting the Nintendo 64. It seemed like the PlayStation was getting the “grown up” titles gamers wanted and some saw the Nintendo 64 as being too kiddy. Rare took this very to heart and decided to throw away everything they had worked on with Conker and retool the game into Conker's Bad Fur Day, a raunchy and crass platformer. Conker was no longer a cute little guy but a very sarcastic, mean-spirited drunk squirrel who just wanted to get home after a long day of drinking. The humor was both adult and surreal, featuring a sunflower with huge breasts and a whole world made out of fecal matter. Gamers went in for the humor and stayed for the great gameplay. The wait was definitely worth it, even if younger gamers couldn't play it until they were much older.

3. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GameCube) :

Truth to be told, the anticipation for this game was somewhat small, hence why its delays weren't that big of a deal for some. Still, the wait for this game was rather long. Eternal Darkness first began its life on the Nintendo 64, and was even prominently showed off by Nintendo at E3 and other gaming conventions. The harsh truth, however, was that by 2000, the Nintendo 64 was on its way out and the GameCube was the new gaming console in town. This forced many developers to take their Nintendo 64 projects and retool them into GameCube efforts. Silicon Knights and their game, Eternal Darkness, was one. By 2001, Eternal Darkness was a bonafide GameCube release, with Nintendo featuring it as one of its premiere release titles. Eternal Darkness came out in the summer of 2002 and was warmly received by the media and gamers thanks to its cryptic storytelling and fourth wall-breaking elements that drove gamers almost mad. The wait and the change in consoles were truly worth it.

2. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) :

This one could be easily argued, due to each Super Smash Bros. game having different mechanics and features, but at the time, Brawl was easily one of the most important games for the Wii. The game was beautifully teased at E3 2006, when a surprise trailer was shown hours after the end of Nintendo’s press conference. The trailer featured Samus losing her armor, Pit FINALLY making a long-awaited appearance in the series, Wario farting so loud it caused a nuclear explosion, and even Solid Snake spying on the colorful Nintendo cast. The original release date was December 2007. Leading up the release, the official website revealed different pieces of information regarding the game each day. The updates became some of the most anticipated news ever, with gamers hoping that with each new update a new character would be revealed. Super Smash Bros. Brawl would be big, bigger than both Super Smash Bros and Super Smash Bros. Melee, and feature many game modes, including an expanded single-player mode and online play. Due to its size, the game missed its December 2007 release date, shooting instead for a spring 2008 release. The wait was very arduous but it eventually came out and, as expected, the game received high marks. Leaving aside the mechanics and technicalities that make the series stand out, Brawl was a huge release and many felt the game was more than worth the wait.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64) :

From the very beginning of the Nintendo 64's life, Nintendo teased us with a 3D Zelda game. When it was known simply as Zelda 64, we would get short glimpses of what the game would be like. The infamous Star Fox 64 tape from Nintendo Power even had video of an early version of the Link’s latest adventure, and we couldn't get enough of it. We couldn't wait to step into his boots and explore an open world filled with wonder and danger. The longer the development of the game went, the harder it was for us to wait. November 1998 finally came around, and with the subtitle Ocarina of Time attached to it, the Nintendo 64's premiere Zelda game was finally a reality. And you know what? The wait was more than worth it. The innovative combat design, combined with thrilling cut scenes, enchanting music, and a larger than life scope made it one of the best games not just of the year but on the Nintendo 64. The recent 3DS remake proved that its design is timeless, assuring the game would never be forgotten. It took a while to get here but what we got was something beyond what we ever hoped for.