Gaming
Games
The 15 Best Nintendo Games
The Nintendo Switch is in ascendency right now, but Nintendo’s arsenal of amazing exclusives in the 2010s stretches across platforms. Which have you overlooked?
Nintendo has a long history of producing amazing games, from innovative one-shot releases to in-depth universes spanning several different games. As consoles and graphics evolved from the Nintendo 64 to the Switch, Nintendo's ability to tell a dynamic story only got stronger, developing backstories for popular characters and building new worlds for them to play in. Ranking the best Nintendo games is a difficult task for anyone, but here are our picks for the 15 best games Nintendo has released throughout the years.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)
(Nintendo, Wii U, Switch)
Link’s first adventure on Switch is one of his greatest
© Nintendo
Nintendo don’t rush into things, which sometimes earns the company a lot of flak – its stubborn refusal to release Mother 3 in the West, its lackadaisical approach to online multiplayer support, or re-releasing its old classics on Switch in any meaningful number – but Breath of the Wild is proof that its measured approach can pay off. Years in the making, this Zelda game is a fusion of all of the best bits of the conventions of open-world adventure game genre and the results are even greater than the sum of its parts.
What’s most remarkable is how empowering the game is: instead of putting up obstacles to funnel Link along, as was always the way before in the series, Nintendo simply give you the tools to do whatever you want from the beginning – even fight the final boss – and leave you to crack on as you see fit. That mountain looks fun, can I paraglide off it? Sure. If I cook enough mushrooms I reckon I can climb that cliff. Oh hey it worked! And look what’s on top. Even in a game with minimal conventional story, there’s always, always something amazing around the corner or over the horizon of this vast, meticulously designed Hyrule map. Not only is Breath of the Wild one of the best Nintendo games of the decade, it has a very serious claim to the title of greatest game of all time, period. Peerless.
2. Chrono Trigger (1995)
(Nintendo, Super NES, DS)
Chrono Trigger will always be one of the most beloved retro games ever made. Released at the height of the 16-bit renaissance, Chrono Trigger gives us flawless fantasy RPG gameplay with mind-blowing storytelling mechanics that make it so fun to play. Jumping between the past, present, and future, players navigate a complex web of parallel dimensions where your choices in one moment have ripple effects throughout the entire game. Combine that with collaborative battle mechanics and in-depth character arcs, and Chrono Trigger is one of those games that you can play over and over as you discover different ending sequences and power up your character.
3. Super Mario 3D World (2013)
(Nintendo, Wii U)
As much as we love Super Mario Odyssey for Nintendo Switch, we’d be hard pressed to call it our favourite game in the 3D series that began with Super Mario 64. Its internal logic is all over the shop, even for Mario (why are there dinosaurs everywhere? And not even Yoshi-style ones, just full on T-Rexes) and you get Moons for just about everything you do. Super Mario 3D World, on the other hand, is a beautiful mix of the long-running Mario World and Mario Land platforming series, perfectly pitched for the Wii U’s controller and capabilities. Levels are short, punchy obstacle courses that are relentlessly prepared to take an idea, deploy it once, and then throw it away, never to be used again. Later on, it’s also tough as old boots encased in cement and guarded by piranha plants. We’re at a loss as to why Nintendo haven’t ported this one over to Switch yet when they’ve raided the back catalogue for almost everything else. Let’s hope that changes in 2020.
4. Luigi's Mansion 2 (2001)
(Nintendo, GameCube, 3DS)
Although the original Luigi's Mansion is the best-selling title launched on the GameCube, we're opting for Luigi's Mansion 2 as our pick for best Luigi game of all time. It's a tightly designed Nintendo adventure that makes you backtrack across its cleverly designed halls, but never makes it feel like you're retreading. Luigi's Mansion 2 has all the charm of the original, with added features for navigating in the dark and an improved system for catching ghosts. Armed with little more than a torch, a vacuum cleaner and Charles Martinet's wonderful voice acting, Luigi's persona really shines in this ghost-hunting game. We're fans of alliteration as much as the next person, but in no way would this be half the fun if it was called Mario's Mansion.
5. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (2014)
(Nintendo, 3DS, Wii U, Switch)
Nintendo games have always been known for their charm, but somehow Captain Toad manages to scale yet new heights of adorable quirk – and he can’t even jump. A spin-off from the bonus levels in Super Mario 3D World, each level is a tiny diorama that an intrepid, anthropomorphic mushroom must explore, scale and reach the end of, solving compact puzzles along the way, while avoiding being sauteed by bullet bills, goombas, shy guys et al. It’s a bit like playing a physical Mario level someone built inside a bottle, only with layers of extra icing on top, not to mention a cherry. Absurdly delightful.
6. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010)
(Nintendo, Wii)
Super Mario Galaxy 2 began as a simple expansion pack to the original game, but it soon became clear that it had more than enough chops to stand on its own. This fan favorite, first released on the WiiU, improves upon Super Mario Galaxy in almost every way, starting with the creative navigation controls that allow you to roam through different universes and play with gravity to complete objectives. Plus, Super Mario Galaxy 2 comes with the exciting option for you to ride around on Yoshi's back, giving you the power to float through cavernous jumps and make invisible platforms glow.
7. Fire Emblem: Awakening (2012)
(Nintendo, 3DS)
Nintendo doesn’t just make great platformers
© Nintendo
Advance Wars is a beloved series of turn-based strategy games for Nintendo’s handhelds and rightly so. Its creators, Intelligent Systems, asked everyone when it came to make a game for the then-new 3DS in 2012: 'wouldn’t this be more fun with people instead of robots?' After all, people can betray each other, they can fall off pegasuses when you shoot them, and best of all, they can hook up. And so the Fire Emblem franchise was revived – and how! Back came the rock-paper-scissors style tactics and the horrible, horrible fear that permadeath induces (only this time you can turn it off if it really is too stressful). Back also came the wonderful, mind-bending intrigue that came with letting your characters chat each other up, get married and have kids that can immediately start fighting under your banner as well. It was a perfect, intoxicating mix of the two and for our money, the best of the recent slate of Fire Emblem games, which have gravitated more and more towards Japanese dating simulators with each passing release.
8. Pikmin 2 (2004)
(Nintendo, GameCube, Wii)
The first Pikmin game introduced lovable character design and intuitive gameplay that made it a cult classic in the world of real-time puzzle games. Pikmin 2 took all of the best parts of the original and revamped them into one of the best Nintendo games ever made. In Pikmin 2, players continue on as the main character from the first game, Captain Olimar, who must guide the colorful, peppy Pikmin critters to help uncover hidden treasure. With playful cutscenes and detailed graphics, Pikmin 2 showcases a world of curiosity that you can enjoy alone or in co-op mode.
9. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (2013)
(Nintendo, 3DS)
That rarest of things, an actual Zelda sequel and as the name suggests, it’s a follow-up to one of the best games in the series, the Super Nintendo’s A Link To The Past. Though set in the future, that game’s map is very much still intact, only with new dungeons and an extra layer of gameplay added by your ability to jump into the walls and wander through portals into a different dimension. This gorgeous, petite Zelda adventure makes the perfect follow up for anyone who’s just finished the remake of Link’s Awakening on Switch.
10. Mario Kart 8 (2014)
(Nintendo, Wii U, Switch)
You know what you’re getting at this point: blue shells, banana skins, lightning bolts, brilliant multi-player action. Nintendo being Nintendo though, the Japanese gaming giants still manage to innovate on top of the established karting formula, mixing in anti-grav segments to tracks, as well as some frankly terrifying facial animations for Luigi. Best played on Switch, as the Deluxe re-release of the game fixes one of its few flaws, the lack of proper battle mode arenas.
11. Donkey Kong Country (1994)
(Nintendo, Super NES, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance)
Donkey Kong Country was the first game that allowed you to explore the homeworld of the original Donkey Kong by playing as his grandson. The first Donkey Kong Country game paved the way for a whole new level of exciting platformers with a well-developed atmosphere and flowing gameplay. The flashy graphics, creative level themes, and secret bonus games all made Donkey Kong Country immensely popular when it was released, and it holds on to plenty of replay value even today.
12. Box Boy (2015)
(Nintendo, 3DS)
So simple, so good
© Nintendo
There’s not really much more to say beyond: watch the trailer. If this doesn’t melt your heart and pique your interest at the same time, you must be actually be a cardboard box yourself. Better yet, once you’re done with this lo-fi puzzle game, two more sequels on 3DS and another on Switch await you.
13. Super Mario Maker (2015)
(Nintendo, Wii U, 3DS)
Nintendo’s thorough world-building and meticulous attention to detail has always been one of their strong suits, though it has meant a fairly prescriptive approach to their biggest properties. So it’s fair to say the entire gaming community was a little surprised to be handed the keys to their most famous kingdom when Super Mario Maker arrived in 2015. The game offered two main options, essentially boiling down to: create and play.
The 10 Mario Challenge allowed players to dive into a series of (frequently surprising) levels created by Nintendo developers, but really the joy was in discovering what madness was built by other players – plunging their hands into Nintendo’s toybox and creating things you’d never usually see Mario hop over (including some that tested the boundaries of good taste and others that disregarded said boundaries entirely). The gameplay was great, obviously, but it was the freedom of creation and a new way of experiencing an old classic that made Super Mario Maker so special. Oh, and the sequel is pretty wonderful too.
14. Pokémon Sun/Moon (2016)
(Nintendo, 3DS)
Come for the collect-em-all critter hunting and turn-based battling we’ve all grown to love over the last 20 years, stay for the new additions to the Pokédex (anyone who doesn’t choose the dog-seal Popplio as their starter Pokémon is doing it wrong), and the bonkers tropical variants of existing favourites (that freakish palm tree-length Exeggutor). Pokémon Sun and Moon, we choose you.
15. Super Mario Bros 3 (1988)
(Nintendo, NES, Game Boy Advance)
From immersive sound design and addictive gameplay to fun, iconic graphics, it's hard to find a more well-rounded video game than Super Mario Bros 3. In this installation of the popular side scroller, Nintendo introduced Mario's famous tanuki outfit that allows him to fly through the air, helping players navigate the expansive worlds of the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond. As you play, you have endless choices on which map to explore next, making Super Mario Bros 3 as satisfying as it is challenging. The simple storyline is still compelling, providing engaging gameplay for novices and experts alike and putting it on our list for the best Nintendo games of all time.
