NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM:
Yoshi's Cookie: An addictive and challenging puzzle game which marked Yoshi's very first appearance.
SUPER NINTENDO:
Super Mario World: Mario gets to ride several different colored Yoshies around to save their friends in the SNES's flagship game; however Yoshi is mainly a form of transport and lacks a real personality.
Super Mario Kart: Players can pick Yoshi as one of the eight character choices in this racing game. Although his top speed leaves something to be desired, he is agile and has fast acceleration.
Yoshi's Safari: A unique and relatively little-known "Shooter" game; again, Yoshi is used primarily as Mario's steed.
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island: Yoshi finally achieves star status in one of the great platformers of the 16-bit era. Multiple Yoshies "tag team" together to save baby Mario. This innovative game becomes an instant classic and firmly plants Yoshi as one of Nintendo's main characters; in Nintendo Power magazine that year Yoshi is voted Best Hero above both Diddy and Dixie Kong from the equally well-done Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest.
Tetris Attack: Yoshi returns to his puzzle roots as the bookend character in this highly addictive block-busting game. The successful formula will later be copied, quite blatantly, in the Nintendo 64 game Pokémon Puzzle League.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars: After showing he has what it takes to be a main player, Yoshi returns to the ranks of supporting roles in this critically and commercially acclaimed game which was co-produced by both Nintendo and Square (Final Fantasy). Yoshi, his pals, and newcomer Boshi hang out at Yoshter's Isle, briefly visited by Mario and the gang on his quest, providing a fun racing mini-game. Yoshi Cookies make their return as usable items in the game.
NINTENDO 64:
Super Mario 64: Yoshi makes a brief cameo appearance on the N64's pilot game. However, he lacks a major role of any kind.
Mario Kart 64: Yoshi is one of the racers player can choose in this sequel to Super Mario Kart for the SNES. Again, his top speed is lacking, and he is small and spins out easily, but his fast acceleration makes him a good choice.
Yoshi's Story: A 2-D/3-D cross game which is supposed to be the sequel to Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Unfortunatly, while the game retains its unique and innovative stylization, much of the challenge of the original is missing. Also the game seems at many times to be just too cute.
Super Smash Brothers: A hit game in which several of Nintendo's star characters duke it out in a friendly brawler. Yoshi's moves are heavily borrowed from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's Story, his two starring vehicles.
Mario Party/Mario Party 2/Mario Party 3: Three mini-game oriented games which are often faulted for the repetition and "kiddie-ness" but which have nevertheless become constant top sellers; Yoshi is one of the characters that can be used in the games, along side other stars such as Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Donkey Kong, and Wario.
NINTENDO GAMECUBE:
Super Smash Bros. Melee: The sequel to the hugely popular N64 game, Super Smash Brothers. This version includes several more characters to choose from, and Yoshi remains one of the standard choices.
Mario Party 4: The N64 series picks up with the fourth installment, this time on a new system. Again, Yoshi co-stars with Mario and friends as an available character to play.
Mario Party 5: The board game madness continues and Yoshi returns, once again. Honestly, if you're into these kinds of games... go for it.
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: Traditional Mario Kart multiplayer insanity meets tag team action in this unique and innovative update of the popular racing series. Check out the nose on that Yoshi-mobile!
GAME BOY
Tetris Attack: The portable version of the SNES puzzler of the same name was basically a line-for-line rehash for the smaller screen. Yoshi appears primarily as a mascot.
GAME BOY ADVANCE
Mario Kart Advance: Sporting graphics and gameplay somewhere between that of the SNES and N64 versions, this racing game features Yoshi as a playable character.
Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World: This game is a port of the SNES platformer Super Mario World. Yoshi is a minor character who provides Mario with a ride throughout much of the game.
Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island: This game is a port of the SNES classic Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. It is still widely considered Yoshi's masterpiece, and is just as incredible on the small screen thanks to the capabilities of the Game Boy Advance.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga: A very bizarre but humorous game in the vein of Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario, this title formally introduces the Yoshi Theater. (Although I swear, I came up with that concept six years ago!!) Well-done Yoshi graphics and sound effects add to the experience.
Well, Yoshi, we are still waiting for your big comeback, hopefully on the Nintendo GameCube. We hope to see you soon!