Nintendo Games Better Than They Have Any Right To Be

Nintendo is known for their high-quality games that innovate gameplay and break barriers. They are often regarded as the gold standard for game development.

The Super Mario Bros. franchise continues to set the bar forward for the platformer genre today. While Tears of the Kingdom is a recent technological breakthrough that outclasses games on superior hardware.

Not every Nintendo game is an obvious success, though. Some have to overcome certain stigmas, whether due to unpopular gameplay ideas or failing to resonate with an audience.

These Nintendo games are better than they have any right to be. They overcame the odds, and we fell in love with them. Whether Nintendo developed the games internally or published them, we’re better off for their existence.

10 Kirby Air Ride

Shooting Star

Despite the success Kirby saw with the Dreamland platformer games, his GameCube debut is a kart-style arcade racer.

Not only that, but the game’s control scheme emphasized accessibility and easy gameplay over anything else. This wasn’t as skill-intensive as Mario Kart; many dismissed the game as something meant for children.

Then, we got a chance to play the City Trial mode, and everything changed.

The best way to describe City Trial is controlled chaos. Players are tasked with assembling the best vehicle possible by obtaining power-ups and vehicles and even hunting down legendary pieces that can help craft the ultimate kart.

Of course, you’re not alone in this regard, as you’re competing against three other players who are able to attack you and steal power-ups.

9 Star Fox Adventures

Star Fox: Legend of Zelda

The biggest sign of trouble during Star Fox Adventures‘ development was that Nintendo slapped on the Star Fox skin of what was otherwise a random action-adventure game developed by Rare.

In its original form, the game was called Dinosaur Planet . It featured Timber, a playable character from Diddy Kong Racing. The gameplay was reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Over time, Timber would be replaced by two characters: Sabre the wolf and Krystal the fox. Krystal would remain in the game, while the more recognizable Fox McCloud would replace Sabre.

While Star Fox Adventures doesn’t feature the typical gameplay we know and love from the Star Fox franchise, it’s still a surprisingly enjoyable action-adventure game that, in all honesty, fares better than the recent entries in the Star Fox franchise.

8 Mario Party

Blisters on my palms

I’m not sure who asked for a Mario-based board game, but I’d like to thank them. However, we could have done without all those blisters back in the day.

Mario Party is the perfect idea for simple pick-up and play gameplay. Games play out like a traditional board game experience, with playable minigames between rounds.

Doing well in these minigames earns you coins, and coins allow you to buy stars. Have the most stars at the end, and you win.

There’s nothing revolutionary or innovative happening here. The Mario Party games have never done anything groundbreaking, but they’re still a blast, even in their weaker forms.

Its latest release, the Nintendo Switch’s Super Mario Party: Jamboree, is an absolute blast.

7 Star Fox 64

Ready for duty

Look, I love Star Fox 64. I desperately hope Nintendo can revive the franchise and breathe new life into it. Let’s be honest, though: There are many similarities between this and the original Star Fox game.

Unlike the Super Mario games, which each pushed the genre forward in meaningful ways with each release, Nintendo was content to present more of the same with Star Fox.

Ultimately, that doesn’t matter, since Star Fox 64 is such a vast improvement. The updated 3D graphics, voice acting, and rumble feature make this the definitive version of the game.

Its flaws (the Aquas level and Blue Marine still suck, and the game’s super short) are inconsequential; Star Fox 64 remains a blast to play.

6 Wave Race 64

Soak up some sun

I promise I’m not picking on the Nintendo 64; it’s one of my favorite systems of all time.

Wave Race 64 doesn’t do the best job of selling itself. It often feels like a glorified tech demo turned into a full-priced game.

Today, that would raise all the alarm bells. Back then, though, it didn’t matter because this was one well-polished and entertaining glorified tech demo.

Handling the game’s jet skis is an absolute dream, whether you’re getting air off the ocean’s waves or cutting the corner on a tight turn. It’s a truly impressive technical feat to simulate the act of racing jet skis, especially since its GameCube sequel couldn’t capture the same magic.

5 Luigi’s Mansion

Spooky time

Launching the GameCube console with Luigi as your main selling point is an incredibly risky move.

While Luigi’s Mansion failed to set the world on fire in 2001, it was better than it had any right to be. First and foremost, the game’s graphics do an incredible job of showing off the capabilities of the GameCube hardware.

Second, the gameplay, which is more action-adventure than a traditional Mario platformer, is better than most gave it credit for.

Is Luigi’s Mansion a perfect game? Absolutely not, but it’s certainly an enjoyable adventure, and we deserved the two fantastic sequels it got.

4 Pokemon Snap

Gotta snap ’em all

Pokemon has been a dominant franchise for Nintendo since day one. I remember getting a VHS tape from Nintendo back in the day, hyping up the franchise’s launch in North America.

It turns out they undersold Pokemon’s popularity; it remains one of the best-selling game franchises today. Naturally, spin-offs were bound to happen, especially for home consoles. However, I don’t think anyone expected a game solely centered around taking pictures of Pokemon to take off.

That’s what happened with Pokemon Snap. Its on-rail gameplay is perfect for taking pictures of Pokemon in the wild.

Yes, it’s a short experience, and there’s not much gameplay, but like Star Fox 64, half the appeal is trying to improve with every subsequent playthrough.

3 Pokemon Conquest

Gotta conquest ’em all

Speaking of Pokemon spin-offs, it’s weird to say that one centered around more traditional gameplay shouldn’t have worked. That’s exactly the case with Pokemon Conquest, a crossover between the Pokemon and Nobunaga’s Ambition franchises.

The natural fit between the Pokemon characters and the tactical gameplay of Nobunaga’s Ambition has me questioning why Nintendo hasn’t pursued more of this.

There’s already a strategic element to Pokemon’s turn-based combat. Seeing it translate to the turn-based strategy genre is a no-brainer we should have seen all along.

Nintendo served as the game’s publisher, with Koei Tecmo developing the game for the Nintendo DS.

2 Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem

Deep into that darkness peering

Another game with Nintendo serving as publisher, Eternal Darkness, defied all the odds to become one of GameCube’s best games. Where do we even start with this one?

First: the decision for Nintendo to publish a very mature game. Eternal Darkness is one of the scariest games I’ve ever played, embracing its Lovecraftian horror roots. The game’s Sanity Meter does an excellent job of messing with your head, even pretending it’s erasing your saved data.

Second: the fact that Silicon Knights floundered once their relationship with Nintendo ended. The team’s highly anticipated Xbox 360 exclusive Too Human was a massive disappointment, and their follow-up, the action RPG X-Men: Destiny, was even worse.

It’s clear that, thanks to Nintendo, Eternal Darkness is far better than it had any right to be.

1 Wii Sports

Wii would like to play

I know, I know. Wii Sports is one of the most popular and successful games of all time. But hear me out.

It was a free game released alongside the Nintendo Wii console. Despite the promise of the Wii’s motion controls, results were mixed as to how effective they were.

Wii Sports didn’t care about that. It didn’t matter that, like Wave Race 64, this is a glorified tech demo. Also, like Wave Race 64, it’s a glorified tech demo that works.

It doesn’t need perfect one-to-one motion controls, but that didn’t stop us from fully acting out the motion of playing the sports. Wii Sports is fun, and that’s all that matters.