Over the last few decades, Nintendo have made some totally awesome games for their handheld and home consoles.

Of course they are famous for characters and franchises like Zelda, Metroid and Mario which millions of people have enjoyed playing, however there are other gems from the past which have been criminally ignored by most.

Below we take a look at some awesome titles that got excellent reviews, were loved by those that played them, but you may have missed and are worth going back to.

1. GTA: Chinatown Wars (DS) – Ok, so this did sell quite well, but nothing compared to the home console variations. Just because it is on an underpowered handheld doesn’t mean it lacks quality. Far from it, this is GTA at its best, so hunt it down and enjoy!

2. Beyond Good & Evil (Gamecube) – This game had high production values, a great story and characters, was set in a fantastic world and looked great. If you missed it, it’s well worth a shot.

3. Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat (Gamecube) – This is Nintendo at their platforming best. An awesome 2D game with lovely visuals and bongo controls that worked well.

4. Zack & Wiki: Quest For Barbaros Treasure (Wii) – A great puzzle game which was also quite taxing on the mind. Capcom created a great franchise but we will not likely see it again as this was largely ignored.

5. Blast Corps (N64) – A really unique game from Rare and one of it’s most under-appreciated.

6. Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem (Gamecube) – Still one of the best psychological thrillers on any console. This had amazing sanity effects that really played with your mind.

7. Chrono Trigger (SNES/DS) – While many would argue that this was played a lot in the early days, newer console gamers and Europeans have probably missed this one and now it’s re-released on DS, there are no excuses not to play this Square classic.

8. Sin & Punishment (N64/Wii) – Unavailable originally in the west, this is now on Virtual Console on Wii so download and enjoy some Treasure action.

9. Okami (Wii/PS2) – Capcom must have wondered what they did wrong with this one as it hardly sold at all. Well they did nothing wrong as it is about as good as it gets. Gamers lost out here big time by ignoring this.

10. Chibi-Robo! (Gamecube/Wii) – One of the last Gamecube releases and this could explain why few people gave this a go. It’s a great title with originality written all over it.

There is our list of some Nintendo gaming greats!

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Cursed Mountain is the first true survival horror game for the Nintendo Wii. Unlike other horror games, Cursed Mountain doesn’t rely on blood and guts to shock you. It has atmosphere and storytelling to that instead.

You begin with the news that your brother Frank has gone searching the mountain for an item called Terma, a Buddhist artefact. Your mission is to find him, and on the way navigate the story filled with Eastern philosophy and Buddhism. It’s original stuff for a game, make no mistake.

The exclusive release on the Wii has done wonders for the graphics in Cursed Mountain. Rather than having toned down the gore because of the platform’s capabilities, the developers have simply opted to spend the time making the best adventure they can and it shows.

Likewise the controls have been planned from the start for the Wii. It’s not a bad port where some gimmick has been thrown at the control system to make it seem Wii-friendly. Instead, the game makes use of the motion control in all aspects of the gameplay, from combat to simple walking.

You can take different routes to the top, but as you get closer, you’ll find the game adds new difficulties for you to overcome. As you climb the Cursed Mountain, the air thins and you’ll find it harder to breathe, forcing you to run from one bottle of oxygen to the next.

It’s this mixture of new gameplay and puzzles with great graphics – unseen before on the Wii – and a proper, involved control system, that makes Cursed Mountain a game worth investigating. It’s not one for the kids, but a great game for those in search of something a little less childish to play on their Wii.

Cursed Mountain is out 4th September 2009 and is only available for the Wii.

David Taylor is the Publishing Director for the online games magazine portal, GamerZines.com. There’s more about Cursed Mountain in the exclusive Cursed Mountain magazine, and in their free Nintendo Wii magazine, PlayZine, which is published every month and offered for free download.