Since the early 1980s, Nintendo was one of the first companies that came to mind when most people think of video games. Even before the Nintendo Entertainment System saved the industry from a financial collapse, the arcade games such as Donkey Kong and Mario Bros. defined game. Nintendo is a mainstay in the world of games today, and the popularity of the Switch and its exclusive titles are proof of that. But which Nintendo system is the best of the company’s long line of home consoles?
Nintendo entered the console industry in the mid 80’s with the Nintendo Entertainment System, and its immediate success confirmed the corporation’s place as one of the best dogs in the field. Its simple yet effective controller, combined with the strong range of NES games, pushed Atari out and pushed Sega inside. Players have been playing on Nintendo platforms ever since, and most likely the company will not be leaving anytime soon. These consoles tend to be extremely unique compared to their competition, and no matter how successful they have been, each one is memorable and fun to return to.
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Over the years, Nintendo has released seven home consoles, without considering any updated or alternative versions, such as the Nintendo Switch Lite or the Wii Mini. Although these technically count as separate pieces of hardware, they work on the same operating systems and play the same library of games, so they will not be counted on this list. Here are all the Nintendo consoles from Nintendo, from the worst to the best.
# 7 – Nintendo Wii U (2012)
It goes without saying that the Wii U is the weakest home console from Nintendo. It could surpass the sales of the Virtual Boy, but it’s hardly an achievement. The device was underpowered, poorly advertised and the library was released at a snail ‘s pace. The Wii U definitely had some gems, like Xenoblade Chronicles X, Splatoon, Super Mario Maker, Pikmin 3, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, en Mario Kart 8. It is also home to some of Nintendo’s most controversial titles, such as Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival, Mario Tennis Ultra Smash, and Paper Mario: Color Splash. Most of these games have sequels or ports on the Switch, making the platform even more redundant. There was fun on the Wii U, but especially compared to the PS4 and Xbox One, many gamers felt that their money was better spent elsewhere.
# 6 – Nintendo Wii (2006)
The Wii was Nintendo’s most financially successful home console, but the platform was largely a fad. This is where Nintendo’s appeal to an informal crowd peaked, which is not inherently bad, but it has alienated more hardcore fans in the process. The platform was severely powerless compared to the Xbox 360 and PS3, and its controller forced players to use motion controllers, whether they wanted to or not.
Many players have also noticed that the popularity of Wii Sports and focus on motion controls has inspired the Wii library to consist of plenty of kickware. Still, the Wii had some great games, such as Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Metroid Prime 3, Xenoblade Chronicles, en Donkey Kong Country returns. The Wii was not Nintendo’s worst console, but it caused the corporation to fail when it created the aforementioned Wii U based on the success of the Wii.
# 5 – Nintendo Entertainment System (1983 in Japan, 1985 in USA)
Known as the Famicom in Japan, Nintendo’s first console released during a time when people lost confidence in the quality of the games they purchased, but it succeeded with the power of the original Super Mario Bros. game. Since then, developers have been watching the success of Nintendo’s hardware and software and mimicking its implementation. Mario popularize the platform genre, and The legend of Zelda did the same for action adventure. The NES is easily Nintendo’s most important and revolutionary platform, but most games in its library have seen excellent sequels. Super Mario, Zelda, Mega Man, Castlevania, Metroid, Ma, en Final fantasy is all great, but there are equal or better versions of all this on the Super Nintendo alone. The NES is historic, with a library of timeless classics, but many are looking for something more polished than these rough concepts of classic Nintendo series that have not yet aged.
# 4 – Nintendo 64 (1996)
Similar to the NES, the Nintendo 64 revolutionized 3D console games and introduced fans to open worlds such as Super Mario 64’s and Ocarina of Timeand the enhanced freedom of 3D games offered compared to 2D games. It was also the first Nintendo home console to feature four players simultaneously, which is strongly reflected in the library. Golden Eye has revolutionized the console first person shooter genre, and the popularity of Mario Party and Super Smash Bros. started on this platform. But while Ocarina of Time and Majora’s masks is often regarded as one of Nintendo’s best games of all time, but much of the N64 library has not aged well. Like the NES, future platforms have released enhanced variants of the N64 library Golden Eye and Super Smash Bros, in particular, showing their ages.
# 3 – Nintendo Switch (2017)
Nintendo’s current platform has saved the company from potential doom announced by the Wii U. Most fans expected Nintendo’s hardware to be weaker than the competition, but it was the first platform where the difference in power felt justified. The ability to effortlessly switch between playing on a TV and playing portable is a very easy change that has encouraged comfortable and hardcore fans to jump on board. This has even enabled the Switch to compete strongly with PlayStation and Xbox.
The Nintendo Switch’s catalog of games is also fantastic, with titles like Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Super Smash Bros.Ultimate, Splatoon 2, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, en Fire emblem: Three houses. The console unfortunately relied on many Switch Wii U ports Mario Kart 8 or Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freezeto strengthen its library, but it could feel like an extension of the Wii U era instead of something completely new.
# 2 – Super Nintendo Entertainment System (1990)
After the Sega Genesis aggressively proclaimed the NES in its successful marketing campaign, Nintendo responded with the SNES, which is often regarded as one of the best consoles of all time. Its controller is one of the absolute best for 2D games, and its library has passed the test of time. Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Mario World, Final Fantasy 6, Crono Trigger, Super Metroid, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Earthbound, Donkey Kong Country, and Street Fighter 2 are just a few examples of the classical artists who defined the SNES era of play. If the NES made a revolution in the 2D video game, the SNES refined it.
# 1 – Nintendo GameCube (2001)
In a similar way to what the SNES did well and improved, the GameCube played the N64’s strengths and ran with them. The GameCube was a powerhouse, with games that still look pretty good today. Just like the N64, games like Super Smash Bros. Melee and Mario Kart: Double Dash !! continued to support Nintendo’s venerable couch multiplayer.
The GameCube was also home to many excellent single-player experiences, such as Zelda: The Wind Waker, Resident Evil 4, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Metroid Prime, Eternal Darkness, Luigi’s Mansion, and Super Mario Sunshine. The GameCube did not attempt to rediscover the wheel, but ironically it was the platform when Nintendo was the latest in software terms. Most GameCube games are radically different from those on other Nintendo platforms, and each one brings something unique to the table of their respective franchises.
The GameCube may not have been Nintendo’s best-selling platform, but that hardly means the console was a failure. Today, the games are among the most popular fans for Switch re-releases. It marked an era in which the developer was more willing to take daring risks – not by making a gimmicky controller with a screen or motion controls, but by creating a whole new experience that some may not like . All of Nintendo’s consoles were fun and filled with great games, but the GameCube has a slight edge over what the others can offer, with its stellar multiplayer and single-player games.
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