Talking Point: Which Nintendo Console Has The Best First-Party Games Lineup?

Probably the Switch for me, but each console has a really solid lineup in their own ways.

Switch by a long way for me. Yes, previous consoles have had groundbreaking, influencial games but the Switch's first party library is insane and it ain't even over yet.

Definitely GameCube for me. Nintendo was really brave and willing to experiment back then. Shame it wasn't appreciated by the general public. I consider it Nintendo's Dreamcast in a way.

This is so tough for me, but I chose gamecube.

Animal Crossing, Smash Melee, Metroid prime 1 & 2, Sunshine, luigis mansion, wind waker, Fire emblem, FZERO GX, star fox adventures and assault, pikmin, pokemon colleseum and xd, double dash.

But Switch..man the line up is just as crazy, If i could get just 1 new addition of a Star fox, Fzero or Donkey kong it would be a no brainer.

Edit** honestly, i need to reconsider, because xenoblade chronicles 3 is not only my favorite rpg ever but a top 10 game period for me.

Solution* put GC games on NSO

It's gotta be the switch purely because every major IP Nintendo has is on there, in many cases series have multiple entries. Helps that barely any of these exclusives are outright bad, with the worst games being stuff that's just unfinished at launch and they tried to do the "update with content we already had done" (so pretty much all the Mario sports games).

Only thing it's lacking compared to older consoles are the more quirky and small scale IP, like we barely ever get the sorts of games that would pop up on the 3ds eshop, which sucks a lot. Same goes for the dead series like f zero, wave race, etc - the older consoles have that in their favour. I just don't quite think that the switch lacking those games is much of a problem when 95% of the rest of it's exclusives are stellar hit after stellar hit.

Though a man can hope for smaller eshop scale stuff. And a kid Icarus uprising port. Please?

If we include ports from previous consoles, almost certainly the Switch. But if only those originating from the console count, I can't decide.

Going by original games, the GameCube still comes out on top for me, with the Wii and 3DS also putting up some good competition. But the Switch has a lot of my favorites from those libraries along with its own originals, so I think it wins out overall.

I have to go with the Switch. We've gotten some of the best Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Fire Emblem, Animal Crossing, Smash, Splatoon, Kirby, Xenoblade, and Mario Kart games on the system as well as solid new IPs like Arms and Ring Fit Adventure. Plus, there have been revivals of franchises like Famicom Detective Club, Clubhouse Games, and soon to be Advance Wars.

Alana said it: the SNES, hands down.

Nothing beats the GameCube era. Two of the best Zelda games, two Star Fox games, Metroid was reinvented, the best Super Smash Bros., an excellent 3D Mario game, F-ZERO(!), the best Paper Mario, my favorite Mario Kart, among many other classics.

the switch is probably my choice

they have so many good 1st party games... but they are TECHNICALLY half made up of remasters

there are also some other consoles with GREAT 1st party games too like Mario 64-N64, Mario sunshine-gamecube, most of the games on the classic NES and SNES, and the Wii U... we got to give that thing SOME credit. (we got Splatoon from it )

This is a really difficult question especially if you love a lot of genres. I’m going to say N64 for me though because very few games hit me with that sense of awe that the N64 greats did.

For me, it’s a pretty tight race between snes, GameCube, and switch. But don’t count out the Wii! Smash Bros Brawl, Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, Strikers charged, Mario Party 8 and 9, Mario Kart Wii, the legendary Wii Sports and Sports Resort, Xenoblade Chronicles, and I guess Twilight Princess is kinda cheating, but even that aside, we have Skyward Sword. Pokémon Battle Revolution, and the lustrous Metroid Prime Trilogy. Or you could just say Prime 3: Corruption instead. I’ll throw in Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn, and we have the motherload. Not bad, for an “underpowered console”, eh? There are a fair amount of New Play Control GameCube ports, like Pikmin, but for fairness, I will exclude those.

N64 or GameCube. I can't decide!

Gamecube for me. 3d experimentation was almost complete and Nintendo made so many great innovative games (a lot of firsts, with metroid prime, pikmin, eternal darkness, fire emblem and animal crossing) without a gimmick such as motion control that gen.

And the best mario kart to date: double dash. Fight me!

Snes, gamecube, gba, ds and the switch are my favorite Nintendo consoles because of the software line-ups.

N64 Nintendo really pulled out all the stops!

Switch could get there but I feel the more successful consoles don’t make Nintendo go for it in the same way. You could argue the Wii U had better first party games, most of which were ported over to Switch (which I’m not counting as they are not new).

Logically I should say the Switch because it also includes previous generations through Nintendo Switch Online, but man, my heart says the NES.

Part of it is nostalgia because I grew up with it, but just looking at the impact of seeing Nintendo's first party titles for the time... It was simply magical.

The triple threat of the first 3 Super Mario Bros. games, Zelda 1 and 2, Mike Tyson's Punch out, METROID, Kid Icarus... the Nintendo Seal of Quality really felt like it meant something in my little kid's brain, and my friends and I couldn't wait to see what Nintendo was going to do next.

I've been playing games for a long time, and I have never really felt that awe since.
Well, except maybe with Super Metroid.

Switch has already the other consoles' best games on it, including it's own amazing catalogue, so Switch for me!

Idk maybe it's nostalgia speaking but gamecube literally has 2 of the best Zeldas, the 2 N64 Zeldas, one of the best FEs, it has the best 3D Mario, THE paper mario, THE luigis mansion, most of the metroid prime games, and 2 of the greatest pokemon RPGs

I can go on, Fzero, AC, Pikmin, Kirby Air ride. Damn... I really miss GameCube era Nintendo

Pound-for-pound, the Wii probably has my favorite lineup for the Mario, Kirby, and Zelda games alone, but people are really selling the handheld consoles short, particularly the GBA.

The Game Boy Advance had Pokemon Gen 3, WarioWare, Wario Land 4, two of the best Metroid games, Minish Cap, Mario & Luigi, two great Kirby games, F-Zero: GP Legend, Advance Wars, Mother 3, Rhythm Heaven, and loads of underrated gems like the Starfy, Kururin, and Drill Dozer games. That's a hell of a lineup and I'm not even counting all the ports.

The DS would probably also be a solid contender if you could include all the third-party DS exclusives.

Switch is probably the best of the worst.

I'd be interested seeing the ages of the people as they pick their console. I am 41.

I personally think the Gamecube had the best. It was a time when Nintendo experimented most with Mario, Luigi, Zelda, and Metroid to bring out some of the most beloved games in their respective series.

NES was more defined by Capcom, Konami, and SNK.

SNES was more defined by Square, Enix (back when they were separate), Konami, and Capcom.

N64 felt kind of barebones for first-party games. Mario 64, Zelda 64, Mario Kart 64, and Smash were the only first-party games of interest to me that come to mind.

Wii was more of a continuation of Gamecube but with motion controls.

Wii U...well...it was there. A few great games, but the rereleases on Switch are more successful.

Switch has been amazing too; but Gamecube had more consistent first-party output.

For me personally the SNES, it will always be Nintendos finest hour in my eyes. It had amazing first party & third party support.

The NES for sure! Mario games, Duck Hunt, Hogan's Alley, Zelda games, Kirby, Punch Out, Kid Icarus, Battletoads (when Ninty still owned RARE), StarTropics, Metroid. What magic!

Switch by a country mile, so many groundbreaking, high quality entries and almost every IP pushed the limits of what it could be. Name another console that had so many open, explorable adventure games like BotW, Mario Odyssey, Pokemon Legends Arceus, and Pokemon Scarlet/Violet and so many content rich multiplayer games like Smash Ultimate, MK8D, and Splatoon 2 and 3. Go on. I'll wait.

@Bolt_Strike You’re gonna keep waiting, because I agree, the switch’s first party collection is sublime. People want Nintendo to move on from the switch, but a lot of those awesome first party games for the switch I have yet to play! Just give me more time!

It's the Wii U for me. It has what I consider the best iteration of Super Smash Bros. (due to its excellent For Glory mode), Mario Kart 8, New Super Mario Bros. U/New Super Luigi U, Super Mario 3D World, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Hyrule Warriors, Bayonetta 2, Pikmin 3, Splatoon, Metroid Prime Trilogy (and other Wii titles), and a bunch of classic titles in the Wii U eShop.

It's now there there between SNES, Gamecube and Switch. However, by the time Nintendo finally releases Zelda TotK and Pikmin 4, and if Metroid Prime 4 and another Super Mario 3D (and who knows what else) come to Switch, it will definitely be this one the best of the best.

I love all the Nintendo consoles over the years, but I think the SNES, GameCube, Wii U (virtual console had all the big hits from the prior generations plus its own games were excellent) and Switch are all top notch. Out of those I don’t really care which one wins. The fact that I get to play them all makes me the winner at the end of the day.

Indeed, having plenty of first party ports testifies for Switch, not against it - portability seals the deal here (just like the handheld libraries of days past were only boosted by the OTG presence of A Link to the Past, Super Mario 64 DS and Ocarina of Time 3D). And even as someone who mostly plays third party stuff on this console, I'm equally impressed by its achievements on the home turf. Two native Xenoblades and a sincerely "Definitive" edition of a previous one, a sheer milestone Zelda with a whole dedicated sequel and even a musou [AU?] prequel for good measure, one of the best Mario games and a newer Super Mario Maker for almost infinite 2D let's-a-going, two awesome Fire Emblem games and two musou games on top, a new 2D Metroid and [eventually] a new Prime, two Splatoon games, a Smash Bros entry that managed to become my second favourite fighting game since Dissidia 012 (with me barely ever touching multiplayer at that!), an Animal Crossing that managed to become a borderline Miiverse of its own, Kirby galore including what appears to be his most freeroam adventure to date... and even franchises not [yet] revisited by Ninty itself have been done quite a bit of justice like a whole Star Fox campaign in Starlink which you won't find on other platforms. Plus other endeavours under Nintendo's sometimes-dubbed "second party" roof from many a Pokemon entry to new Bayonetta chronicles and Astral Chain. Switch library looks absolutely nuts from every angle, and first party is hardly an exception.

Switch takes it for me. Such a strong line up. N64 and Wii are the weakest IMO

The Switch has Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild, which on their own make it the best for me personally, but then you've also got Metroid Dread, FE Three Houses and now Engage, Kirby and the Forgotten Lands, ACNH, Xenoblade, Smash Ultimate, and can I count Mario + Rabbids too? Please? Even when not considering the number of games that are ports/rereleases, or all the games playable through NSO apps, the Switch takes the top spot for me without a doubt.

If you count ports/remasters/remakes, then definitely the Switch has the best 1st party lineup. But if you're only counting games that debuted on the hardware, the Gamecube has a better lineup.

@Bolt_Strike @Bolt_Strike
The metric I use to determine good games might be different than most. For me it's all about the 100% guarantee that you know the game won't have bad game design, which is different from personal preferences. Switch games with poor game design are; Mario golf, Mario strikers, paper Mario, super Mario party, Mario party superstars, Mario maker 2, the Yoshi game I forgot the name of, smash ultimate (not awful, just forgettable), Mario Rabbids sparks of hope (this might not technically be a first party game), Pokemon scarlet and violet, FE engage has caused some controversy.

Having to wait and read reviews and look up info online before I buy a game is a bad sign. I don't trust that Nintendo will always make a good game.

it Game Cube, not only the console refined the 3D concept introduced on the N64, but we have most of Nintendo IP represented on Nintendo Game Cube, plus two new important franchises in the form of Pikimin e Animal Crossing

Switch for me. Lot of first party games.

Nothing interesting about Switch first party titles. Nintendo's Golden Years have come and gone! SNES babyyyyy

Everyone who said Switch should change their vote to Wii U since all those games pretty much came from the Wii U.

All of them honestly. I didn't vote for Switch because it has too many WiiU ports. GBA is probably my favorite system but no new Super Mario game = no vote. I could list all reasons for not voting. And voted for WiiU.

I've been playing since the NES but the N64 is still my favorite system because of the games. Mario 64, 1080, F-Zero, Zelda, Star Fox, Wave Race, Pilotwings and the many other great games by other developers. Maybe not the best graphics as compared to today but creativity was at its peak.

Switch gave us many franchise’s best games. BotW (i’d still consider this more of a Switch game than a Wii U game), Mario Odyssey, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Metroid Dread, Smash Ultimate, Pokémon Legends Arceus, all the best games in their respective series. Plus I haven’t played a lot of Fire Emblem, but 3 Houses is my favorite of the ones i’ve tried. Not to mention ports of the best Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, and Metroid Prime. GameCube took more risks that paid off and N64 was more revolutionary, but Switch’s library perfected so many ideas and franchises from the company’s history

@umegames double dash needs to make another appearance. I always hoped it would be a new feature for mk8

@InJeffable There's an argument to be made that you should just look at original entries that debuted on the console in question. So games like WW/TP HD or VC ports such as the Prime Trilogy should not count towards the Wii U's lineup.

And going by the original entries, I actually consider the Wii U's to be one of the worst. It has one fatal flaw that drags the lineup down for a large chunk of the fanbase (including me, because I especially like these kinds of games)- a lack of open, explorable adventure games. You've got BotW, but that was a cross-gen title that also released on the Switch and a lot of people consider it more of a Switch game then a Wii U game, but what else do you have that's even remotely close to that kind of experience? The only other kind of adventure games were linear platformers, there were no other first party open world games (BotW was the first) and there weren't even any sandbox exploration games. 3D Mario went totally linear and almost all vestiges of games like 64 and Sunshine were absent from 3D World (3D World honestly felt like the NSMB of 3D games until the Switch port gave us Bowser's Fury). Metroid was completely absent from the console with the Metroid fanbase wondering where Prime 4 was (and they're still wondering, but at least Prime 4 was confirmed to be in development on the Switch as opposed to the Prime fanbase waiting for something, anything on the Wii U and came up empty handed). Pokemon didn't yet get main series games on console and only had what, 2 spinoffs on Wii U (Rumble U and Pokken, which were more arena battlers and had no exploration)? The Wii U was a very dire era for anyone that grew up with games like the sandbox Marios, 3D Zeldas, or Metroid Primes and largely neglected those types of experiences. I'll admit it had some good things here and there, but missing an entire genre is kind of a glaring omission.

Every Nintendo platform has plenty of first party gems, but Switch takes the cake imo.

Switch is the Nintendo home console with the worst original first-party lineup, in my opinion.

My memory says Nintendo 64 but gamecube edges it because of pikmin

@1UP_MARIO It's very difficult to choose among SNES, N64 and Gamecube.

Without question, GameCube. The fact Wii was both was amazing. Honestly Wii was practically everything with homebrew installed. I took a risk and did that early on when it was still iffy.

Wow can’t believe the Wii is so low down.
So enjoyed that console and the first party titles.
Come on, SMG 1 & 2 within 3 years of each other, alone deserves massive kudos.
Metroid 1,2 & 3
Zelda TP and SS
Mario kart
The list goes on. Crazy on here 😂😂😂

@TheBigBlue haha oops. That was a mistake lol. Still no disrespect for bolt. I like good genuine conversation

@Banjo-
You are not to wrong there about the Switch in some way.
If we also get Metroid prime 4 and another 3d Mario or DK platform game, that would definitely help.

GameCube for me. SNES was very solid, and N64 awe-inspiring, but GameCube is when they perfected their craft. Wind Waker, Super Mario Sunshine, F-Zero GX, Metroid Prime 1&2 and Twilight Princess all built on what had gone before and generally lost nothing in the process. The games often had bold themes, yet kept the core gameplay of their predecessors. For one reason or another, Nintendo has not yet managed to make another console with such an array of single-player adventures.

It seems I'm in the minority voting for the Wii, and I'll admit I'm definitely biased because I grew up with it, but how could I not choose the console that gave the world Xenoblade Chronicles, two of the greatest 3D platformers of all time in the Galaxy games (plus NSMB Wii, which I have a soft spot for), two great Zeldas, the best WarioWare, and the all-time classic Wii Sports Resort? GameCube comes close, but Mario Sunshine can't hold a candle to Galaxy.

That was a tough question! For me it was between the Gamecube and Switch. I went for the Gamecube.

BOTW and Odyssey are possibly the two best Nintendo games from any platform, but I think the depth of good games is better on the Gamecube.

GBA brought back 2D gaming. My favorite Nintendo system.

It's ironic because probably 75% of the Switch's first party games are Wii U ports... ¬_¬

(if you don't count emulators and other ports)

So much of what we all love today was refined or introduced on the N64. I love the Switch, that would be my second choice. And I get the argument for the SNES also. But the N64 just has the most pillars of these franchises. It introduced so many of them into a new direction that has improved since, but was formulated on the N64 which makes me lean toward giving that era the nod. It also helped that I got one for my birthday in 6th grade.

@Bolt_Strike I actually forgot to mention Xenoblade Chronicles X. That was a huge open world game with tons of exploration, and it remains a Wii U exclusive to this day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvpNXhzscjQ

@Asaki I don't see that as a negative. We all yell and scream for backwards compatibilty and then when we get the closest thing to it, we see it as a knock on the system. As was said in the article, the Switch is probably the best place to enjoy the widest range of all of these games currently, and that's a win.

Really Ollie? You picked Gamecube but forgot to mention F-Zero GX? SO MUCH ANGRY!!! I suppose one could argue it was a joint venture with Sega, but anyone who looks at it that way would have to leave the Namco developed Smash Bros Ultimate out of the equation as well.
I would pick GC as well. The 3D growing pains were largely gone, so most of the library holds up well.

@neonpizza
I get over a lot of things with my Switched dock.
Using and LG C2 65” TV and have fine tuned settings on the TV for Switch.
Resolution enhancements, motion settings etc.
It does make a lot of difference, and of course doesn’t bring the Switch up to date but it improves and helps things a lot.

The Switch without a doubt, loved every Nintendo console but the success of the Switch has ensured a strong line up.

@Dezzy70,

Same here, although a smaller 48 inch LG C2 OLED owner, it's awesome you can customize each individual input, so to make the best out of everything you connect to it. The game optimizer is very good too,

All three story-driven Xenoblade games on one console; hard to beat that. Now if we could only get XCX. 🤔

Gamecube: Donkey Konga, Donkey Konga 2, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Odama, DDR Mario Mix, Pac-Man Vs, Zelda Four Swords Adventure, Star Fox Adventures, Eternal Darkness, Wario World, Kirby Air Ride, Geist, Battalion Wars, Chibi-Robo.

Of course Nintendo's other classics are noteworthy but man they got super weird in the best way.

Switch is weak IMO (considering Zelda BoTW, MK8 and remasters are not Switch releases).

Gamecube was the best because Nintendo wasn't afraid of trying new stuff. The games had a darker tone like Metroid Prime 2, Zelda TP. Even Zelda WW had some shiny dark tone moments. F-Zero GX was awesome. We also had 1080 Avalanche, Wave Race Blue Storm, some classic Resident Evil games and others.

Pokemon Colosseum is miles better than those newer ones. Sword/Shield I had to stop playing when I saw that giant pokemons. And the NPCs were just smiling and jumping, making poses all the time. Play Colosseum and you will see the superiority level.

There was no need for inclusive stuff so the games could be done the way they wanted. (wasting time focusing on improvements instead of politics)

Fire Emblem PoR had a real war story with some real character designed for war. After that Fire Emblem just got so silly focusing on pathetic stuff like relationship simulation The visuals were nothing to do with war anymore. Now you see a lot of skinny top model tenagers wearing heavy armor and being phisically stronger than real warriors. Totally nonsense. Xenoblade2 and 3 did that to. What a lack of sense! I really don't get how those games are so well received after lacking the most basic sense of reality.

The first Xenoblade I played on Wii was brilliant. The second one I tried just for 20 minutes. I couldn't progress because my wife hated Pyra exagerated design. And I totally understand why. It's UNNECESSARY. XenoX was so well done, why did they do that?

Despite having the single best Nintendo title in Super Mario 64, I think the N64 falls short in terms of quantity. The Gamecube has two amazing Metroids, Wind Waker, and Melee, but the best line-up belongs to the SNES: two top-tier Marios, the best Zelda, the best (?) Metroid, and more besides

It was really hard to choose. I went with Switch just based on the sheer amount of quality titles even if a lot of them are remasters or rereleases. Those still count, no? It came down to GameCube vs Switch for me. Though my favorite consoles (SNES and N64) are right beneath that. But GBA is amazing too. Ah, so hard to choose!

@neonpizza I agree totally. Super Mario World is perfection and Switch is overhyped and overrated, with very few original first-party games that are really that great and full of overpriced ports with minimal additions. It's great seeing that many other Nintendo fans see the big picture and not the typical Switch close-up short-term view.

A good argument can be made for every Nintendo console. I've had unforgettable moments with each of them. I'm going to have to go with the Switch though. I teared up as I finished Odyssey, remembering the fun I had w Mario 64 and my mom. I got BotW and a Switch right when I got my own place and got out of homelessness. I play it every day.
...also it is a portable with nearly every Doom game.

the switch as it is the best nintendo console of all time,,,

For me it's a tight match between snes & switch. I prefer link to the past, super metroid & mario world over breath of the wild, metroid dread & mario odyssey. Snes also has the donkey kong country trilogy. Things might change when tears of the kingdom + other games arrive.

I gotta go with the NES - there are just so many original games that spawned numerous franchises. Super Maro Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Metroid - None of it happens without that!

Gotta go with SNES. Super Mario World, Yoshi's Island, DKC, DKC2, Super Mario RPG, Final Fantasy 3 through 6, they all hold up to this day. Add in the random games I had as a kid (Goof Troops, Paperboy 2, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Tecmo Super Bowl, Mario AllStars) and it really was just my favorite console.

I'm going with Wii U, as Super Mario 3D World is my favorite game of all time!

Definitely Super NES but GBA had the best launch lineup though. First party titles were not only great on Super NES but all of them doesn't feel like they are too similar. We got Super Mario World which plays like a proper evolutionary 2D Super Mario game, we got a collection in Super Mario All-Stars which doesn't feel like a lazy rom bundle, Super Metroid which is the best side-scrolling non-linear 2D exploration action game ever, then there's Super Punch-Out a cool athletic arcade style sports boxing game, Uniracer a unique 2D split screen racing game, an artistic paint tool, animation studio, and music editor in Mario Paint, then you got Super Mario Kart the very first mascot racing game, F-Zero a fast pseudo 3D racer, Pilotwings a nice tutorial aviation adventure game, SimCity a good console port of a PC classic city builder game, Tetris Attack, a very colorful fun and addictive panel color matching puzzle game, and Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, a legendary collaboration of two of the best companies ever joining forces in giving us a masterpiece of a mascot in an RPG.

Then there's Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, a challenging action adventure game and a good evolution of the franchise over the 8-Bit games, and then we got the Donkey Kong Country trilogy giving us those nice pre-render 3D graphics in a challenging platformer that makes even the 32-Bit consoles cry in shame, then we got silly stuff like the Kirby Superstar, Dream Course, Avalanche, and Dream Land 3 games all starring our little fluffball of a pink marshmallow, a cool little adapter called the Super Game Boy 1 & 2 that allows to play our favorite Game Boy and GBC games in 16-Bit quality. Then we got a game starring Mario's green dinosaur/dragon buddy in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, a Wario mouse game in Mario and Wario, a unique puzzler in Wario's Woods, another puzzler starring Yoshi with Mario as a desert chef in Yoshi's Cookie, then a safari shooter game such as Yoshi's Safari, a SuperScope shooter like Battle Clash and Falcon's Revenge, then a 3D space shooter in Star Fox 1 & 2, some very cool Rare titles like Battletoads in Battlemaniacs and Killer Instinct, a nice puzzle bundle in Tetris & Dr. Mario, a nice 3D cartoon racer in Stunt Race FX, a charming but weird RPG in EarthBound, a good and unique platformer in Plok, a cartoony SuperScope shooter in TinStar, a fun and hilarious strategy army war games in Super Famicom Wars, and a bunch of Fire Emblem games which we probably may or may not get remakes of.

@Sambuc Such a good game, and lets not forget the games that never got moved nintendo land and nes remix ultimate is so great.

For me I'm going with 3DS.
Streetpass MiiPlaza is one of my favorite experiences on a console ever. playing the games and collecting the puzzles with my fellow 3ds players on the street was so fun.

The zelda games: link between worlds, oot and majoras mask remakes
Mario 3dland, mario maker, portable smash bros., mario kart 7, the luigi's mansion dark moon. So many great first party experiences.

It's hard not to pick Switch. I'd say it's as close to objectively the best as it can get since beyond its own library, it also has a lot of the best games from every other console generation or better versions of games from the same series in some cases. Its own unique library is also at a level where it's probably better to me without the inclusion of those other classic games, anyway.

I feel like a majority of the people who wouldn't pick Switch are picking their choices based on nostalgia and loyalty rather than objectively being the system they'd most enjoy playing. I have fond memories too of a lot of games from NES to Wii U, but ultimately I don't want to go back and play most of them because many didn't age well and just aren't that good.

I strongly disagree with the idea of weighting something better because of the historical significance it has, for the way it paved new inroads for a genre or other similar concepts. If this were a history class or discussion of what has the most cultural relevance, then I'd say sure. But when it's about what you like the most, what actually is the most fun to play.. all the fond memories and mind blowing moments I had with Super Mario Kart on the SNES or Mario Kart DS doesn't make me actually want to play them over Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

It's obviously gotta be the GameCube. Nintendo Switch may have a stronger overall library if you include third-party games, but jusy first-party? It's no contest. Paper Mario peaked with Thousand-Year Door. Wind Waker and Twilight Princess are my two personal favorite Zelda games. Melee's importance can't be understated, and it still remains relevant to this day. Metroid was brought into 3D for two entries on the console, both of which received massive critical acclaim. Pikmin made its debut, also getting two entries.

Luigi's Mansion had its first and best game. Some of the best Mario sports and other spin-off games occurred during this generation. Chibi-Robo made its debut. Animal Crossing made its debut in the West. F-Zero was given one last hurrah. Star Fox was taken in an ambitious new direction, and although reception was mixed, there were still two Star Fox games on one console. Just an absolutely stellar library with nothing but bangers. Even games like Super Mario Sunshine that are the subject of controversy still have a lot of redeeming qualities to like about them.

The Switch easily has the best third-party lineup of any console ever, in my opinion. But there's no denying Nintendo has made plenty of stinkers--particularly their sports games. Nintendo Switch Sports, Mario Golf Super Rush, Mario Strikers Battle League, Kirby Star Allies, and Mario Tennis Aces all felt incredibly rushed with minimal content at launch. I would argue most of these games still aren't very good, even after receiving free content updates. Even Splatoon 3 feels like a ripoff to me, with little there to justify a 60-dollar purchase if you already owned the second game. You also have games like Origami King and Super Mario Party, which were very divisive among their respective fanbases. Just a lot of lazy games in this era, while every GameCube game felt ambitious and creative.

With the exception of Kirby Star Allies and Origami King, I concede that almost all of Nintendo's single-player-focused Switch games have been bangers. Metroid Dread was the first metroidvania that didn't frustrate me to the point of giving up. Smash Bros. Ultimate isn't just a love letter to gaming--it's a steamy adult novel! Mario Party Superstars was a fantastic compilation and is probably the definitive Mario Party game. Super Mario Maker 2 improved upon the original in every way and added almost every new feature I wanted.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land was a game I couldn't put down, and my mind was blown by some of the liberties Nintendo allowed HAL to take in regards to the lore implications--definitely the most story-driven Kirby game to date. Bowser's Fury is the worthy Super Mario 64 successor I've been waiting for. And while I'm not the biggest fan of Super Mario Odyssey and got super burned-out on Breath of the Wild, I respect those games and acknowledge the amount of love and ambition that went into them. New Donk City and The Great Plateau may be Nintendo's most well-designed levels in their roughly 40-year history, which is really saying something. And Legends Arceus is the first Pokémon game to hook me.

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You may have noticed I excluded Wii U ports from this list. Tropical Freeze, Pikmin 3, and Captain Toad, for example...all great games, but they're still "Wii U" games at the end of the day. They were not designed with the Switch in mind, and as someone who already played them once on their original hardware, you can never recapture the magic of experiencing a game for the first time. Games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe have received a substantial amount of new content, though, which I think is awesome! Graphically, these tracks are not as polished as the ones in the base game, though, which speaks to my point about Nintendo being lazy with their multiplayer games this generation. It's a real shame to see.

So yeah, the Switch has a great library, but it's still a far cry from dethroning the GameCube to me in terms of quality, first-party titles. Give us an original Donkey Kong game, a good Paper Mario game, and a remaster of Kid Icarus Uprising, and then we'll talk. The Switch definitely still has the capacity to surpass Nintendo's previous consoles, but as of now, I still think Nintendo peaked with the GameCube. The Switch is my favorite console of all-time because of the great third-parties and classic game library. But not necessarily because of Nintendo's own output of games. Add GameCube games to NSO, and then Switch wins every category by default and I can die happy.

I would also like to acknowledge the Wii and 3DS libraries, which also had a ton of stellar first-Party Nintendo games. I won't name all of them because my comment is already far too long, but man. Good stuff.

I was torn between SNES and Gamecube, but the Gamecube wins out. There are just too many classics on the system as Nintendo was fighting for their life on the system.

Proof that recency bias is stronger than nostalgia bias.

Every main Nintendo franchise has an entry (and sometimes multiple entries) on the Super Famicom, so that's my pick

SNES or Switch for me. SNES because most SNES-devs went to Playstation after it. Switch just because it's very popular, more even than the Wii and more by "gamers".

N64 for me, followed by the Cube as both those consoles have F Zero, Waverace, 1080 and the best Zelda games.

Switch is feeding off the Wii U's best games with Splatoon, MK8 etc.
Not enough risk taking for my liking, also where the .... is a new 1080, Waverace, F Zero or Excite Truck Nintendo?

Come on, take a risk.

NES. Those games set such a standard right out of the gate. A very hard thing to do imho. I'm not as big of a Nintendo fan as I am a Sega fan, but just think of the NES first-party titles: Mario 1-3, Metroid, Punch-out, Zelda, etc.

I think the Wii has one of the best so should be rated higher. It had quite a few inventive first party IP outside the the mainstays like Captain Rainbow, Last Story etc

I prefer the SNES and Switch overall (N64 coming in 3rd), but the N64 has the best first-party games for me.

Lylat Wars (Star Fox 64) was my first cinematic experience in gaming.

Mario 64 was just wow, with Ocarina of Time not far behind in the wow stakes.

The sports games still hold up too; Excitebike 64 is still the best handling dirt bike game I've played, plus 1080, Wave Race 64, F-Zero X, Mario Golf...

My favorite Nintendo first party games come from arguably their least innovative consoles.

What I mean by that is that the consoles were solely refinements of what came before them, rather than completely new hardware experiences.

So for me it’s the SNES and the GameCube tied.

First party only, it has to be the Wii U.
Xenoblade Chronicles X, Breath of the Wild, Pikmin 3, Splatoon, Tropical Freeze, Super Mario 3D World, Yoshi's Woolly World, Super Mario Maker, Mario Kart 8, Captain Toad, and depending on how you define first party: The Wonderful 101 and Bayonetta 2.

For me it's
GC/Wii U > Wii/SNES/N64 > Switch
I'm excluding NES because even though I have played its games, I haven't formally owned one not counting the NES mini.

In the handheld department
DS > GB (this one is a bit of cheating because I'm including GBC as well) > 3DS/GBA > VB

I'm lumping systems together because even though I cannot say which one in the group is superior, they're around the same ballpark for me.

Sorry but as big as a Nintendo fan I am, the Switch isn't doing much for me.

@Clyde_Radcliffe

Nintendo's Dreamcast! it sure is!

I'm not even sure there is another "Dreamcast" out there besides those two.

I suppose wonderswan is gunpei yokoi's "Dreamcast."

it's a wonderful console!

Im torn beetween SNES and Switch.
Right now SNES dominance is clear but, Switch is showing it's OLED face on the rear-view mirror. With a little over a Year, if Switch manage to have it's own versions of Star Fox, Contra, Castlevania, Punch Out and a 2d Mario, its going to win over.

@HammerGalladeBro

I feel like switch is a great system for indies and a just OK system for Nintendo games. there are some great ones but it's not like the old days, is it?

btw I voted SNES but I too hold Wii u and GameCube in high esteem.

SNES is the only time Nintendo was able to really outshine considerable competition artistically while also dominating commercially. it's been either/or ever since.

@EriXz

can't win without fzero, imo! but yeah those games you listed would be great, and I'd mostly agree!

@-wc- Even thou I do agree with you, i kinda see Fast Rmx and Grip as F-Zero succesors, but yeah, i agree: how could i forgot F- Zero?!

Since I prefer 3rd party games than 1st party Nintendo games, so I ranked my 1st party Nintendo games like this.

1. 3DS
2. Switch
3. Wii
4. NDS
5. Wii U
6. Gamecube
7. GBA

objectively i'd say switch but emotionally I must say Gamecube or SNES

Switch is weakest by a country mile.

No F-Zero
No Star Fox
One Mario game
One Zelda game (thats actually a Wii U game)
No original Mario Kart
A bunch of lame kirby games (sorry kirby fans)
Some weird games as a service stuff
and then PORTS from console that had BETTER libraries.

The only reason you'd pick switch is if you never had a Nintendo console before. It's most warmed over ports of old games at full price.

Controversial opinion... They all kind of were the best. NES started most of Nintendo's top IPs, the SNES refined and delivered the best 2D iterations of those games, N64 was revolutionary and well gave us Smash, Wave Race and 1080 and the "Citizen Kane of gaming" with Ocarina of Time, GameCube was Nintendo willing to get weird, the Wii is unrecognized for the pure bangers it released, the Wii U was almost pure Nintendo first party (there is a reason most of them are on Switch) and the Switch is chef's kiss!

They all rock for their own reasons and I'd have a hard time saying one is definitively the best.

Between the N64 and SNES, so many games still locked out to those systems only.

My RPG head says SNES.
Action Adventure is the N64

First party lineup? That's tough. GameCube gave just about every relevant Nintendo franchise at the time a great new addition while also introducing new series like Animal Crossing, Luigi's Mansion, and Pikmon.

On the other hand, the Holy Trinity of Super Mario World, LTTP, and Super Metroid is very hard to argue against. Not to mention the amazing Yoshi's Island and Donkey Kong Country trilogy.

N64 by a long distance for me. I accept that part of the reason is from being there to see those 3D worlds for the first time though.

Gamecube, Wii and Wii U also good.

Switch I'd have ranked highly 4 years ago, but I think Nintendo got complacent. I don't mind the porting of old content, but the titles that were new have been very average.

The GameCube because of the two incredible Zelda's and Metroid Prime games. Also the best F Zero game by far. No need to continue lol

Look, I'm a Nintendo fan. I've owned every console they ever made and each generation have brought first party games that have inspired the rest of the industry. To coin the phrase "the comedian's comedian", Nintendo are the game developer's game developer. The Switch has been no exception.

Super Mario World, Legend of Zelda Link to the Past and Super Mario Kart were more fun than a lot of arcade games! The SNES was a turning point for me.

Mario 64...nuff said. A console designed around huge worlds exemplified by Zelda and Pilotwings (and Rare were Godlike.)

Hmm...Gamecube...Donkey Kong Jungle Beat with the bongos is the best DK game ever made. Metroid Prime. F-Zero...though that was AV I suppose (lord, I miss them so much.)

I dunno, I'm saying Switch. Not only is the console a breath of fresh air, their games have reinvigorated gaming for me. Odyssey is the best 3D Mario game. MK8D is the best Mario Kart has ever been. Metroid Prime Remastered is making the wait till March unbearable. Zelda BotW shows an open world can be crafted with as much level design as a claustrophobic dungeon. Yeah...Switch (because I could comment all day about it.)

@EriXz

fast rmx is pretty good, but the color switching mechanic REALLY takes me out of the game. I really don't want to have to think about that kind of detail when I'm in flow state flying 800mph down a tube lol.

I'll have to try grip! I've bought maybe a dozen racers on switch and I've yet to find one "for me."

thanks for the recommendo! 👍

64 and Gamecube are fighting for 1st for me. Switch and Snes are fighting for 3rd.
It felt like the Nintendo 64 was made for me. Being a 3D platformer nut (Mario 64, both Banjos, hell, even middling ones like Toy Story 2 are fun to me) to action games (both Zeldas) to multiplayer madness (3 Mario parties, smash bros, Goldeneye) this was a time that I felt excited for every single Nintendo release. Can't say that nowadays

The correct answer is surprisingly the Wii. It got 2 great Zelda, Mario and Metroid titles. 100% backward compatibility with the previous gen. Hundreds of retro rereleases in their original form. A pile of great couch multiplayer titles. A JRPG renaissance with Xenoblade and Last Story and some great sequels like Daniel Craig GoldenEye and Sun and Punishment 2.

It's the Switch, and it's not even close.

Prior systems saw development split between console and handheld. Switch is the first time all Nintendo's development has focused on a single system.

Switch not only has the best 1st party and 2nd party spread by a country mile, it has the most impressive 3rd party support since the SNES. And games in general are just way better nowadays, so it's the best lineup of 3rd party a Nintendo platform has ever seen.

The fact all games are playable as a home console release, a handheld release, and a portable console release via kickstand and detachable controllers, that 3-in-1 bang for buck makes games all the more appealing.

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and Super Smash Bros was cool to have on 3DS because it was portable, but they were heavily pared back and had to be purchased separately from the Wii U version. So $100 for 2 versions, 1 of which was 240p. With Switch, you spend half that and get the same 2 versions except both in HD with a full button set and rumble, and in addition, a 3rd version on top of it.

There's just no comparison. Switch OLED is my dream console. It's the best video game hardware ever released.

Before the Switch came out I would have said the SNES, but now the Switch leaves it for dead.

@TheBigBlue I got your point and sure I agree on many aspects but I still disagree about the quality level of the games. Let's make a side-by-side comparasion with the Gamecube for example. (Gamecube --x-- Switch)

Zelda WW/TP --x-- (Zelda BOtW is a Wii U entry) = Gamecube

Mario Sunshine --x-- Odyssey = Switch. Sunshine is my favorite 3D Mario but let's give this one to Odyssey because of the huge amount of content post game.

Fire Emblem PoR --x-- 3H/Engage = Gamecube. Fire Emblem is sopossed to have true warriors, true war. Not a soap-opera or reality show about who is more beautiful or who dresses better. Since 3DS FE games became pathetic and childish. Teenager girls carrying heavy weapons and having a STR higher than the adult warriors. It's nonsense.

Metroid Prime 1/2 --x-- Dread = Gamecube. Dread is nice but both primes are masterpieces.

Animal Crossing --x-- Animal Crossing NH = Switch. NH has a huge amount of content.

Mario Strickers --x-- Battle League = Gamecube. Battle league doesn't feel like soccer anymore. It's more like a hockey game. The fields are too small and you don't have enough space. It's a 5 on 5 hockey game. While the first Strickers felt more like soccer. Also BL has came incomplete.

Mario Power Tennis --x-- Aces = Gamecube. MPT only loses to the 64 entry. Aces is fun but if you don't play online there's not much to explore.

Pokemon Colloseum/XD GoD --x-- SwSh/SV/Arceus = Gamecube. Both gamecube titles better developed. Made for kids and adults, characters don't keep smiling and jumping all the time. Pokemons have more expressions and stories are deeper and darker. You feel like a trainer and not like a baby.

Nothing --x-- Splatoon 2/3 = Switch
Nothing --x-- Xenoblade 2/3 = Switch (even after ruining the design of the franchise)
Nothing --x-- Arms = Switch
Mario Kart DD --x-- (MK8 is a port) = Gamecube
Star Fox Assault/Adventures --x-- Nothing = Gamecube
F-Zero GX --x-- Nothing = Gamecube
Pikmin 1/2 --x-- Nothing (3 is port. 4 is comming) = Gamecube
Wave Race BS --x-- Nothing = Gamecube
1080 Avalanche --x-- Nothing = Gamecube
Luigi's Mansion --x-- LM3 = Switch. the third title has a lot to explore.
Mario Party 4/5/6/7 --x-- superstars/super = Gamecube. No Mario Party can beat 6. And gamecube has 4 titles.
Donkey Konga 1/2 --x-- Nothing = Gamecube

Well there's more to compare but it should take a long time. Quality is not what I see on switch when I remember the gamecube games. Most games still need DLC, most games are delayed, some games are laggy like Pokemon. I don't see effort anymore.

@FishyS But I have "been there" for the rest to fully explain why I choose Gamecube over NES or SNES.

But, yes, I agree with you, that's why I am curious of people's ages just to see if it the choice is a "childhood memories" thing.

Plus, this poll is about best first-party output. Favorite console is a different answer.

N64

But you had to be there.

@Digitamamon64 Did you play Duck Dodgers? I really liked that game (but then I loved anything Paradigm touched.)

They’re all great, but N64 is untouchable in this category.

@GrailUK
The name sounded familiar so I looked up gameplay of it. I definitely played it at some point but it was probably just a rental from blockbuster or something. So I can't comment too much on it

I agree with the third staff writer. As much as I like the Switch library, it borrows a lot from other systems. Switch has no real Mario Kart, BoTW is a WiiU port, Splatoon 2&3 are great but it was the Wii U who paved that road.

I have a hard time deciding between SNES and GameCube, but I had to give it to the Cube. The titles for it were just so fresh and still feel unique compared to other generations!

For me, very close toss up between n64 and snes. Gamecube was still excellent, but previous 2 are almost even for me

Have to go with N64. What a phenomenal and crazy fun library.

Good cases made here for various systems....except for N64. I'm not a fan. But more seriously, definitely quality games on SNES and GameCube. I think the Cube benefits from a bit of a higher rate of output. Two Metroid Prime games helps its case. I wasn't fond of Mario Sunshine or Zelda Twilight Princess though.

But I had to go with the GBA. It has the Mario Advance games, Mario Kart, several F-Zero, two great Metroids, Wario's games, Zelda in both a classic and a new form, Pokemon, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Mario Golf, Fire Emblem, and probably several more of note. Game Boy Advance is definitely a top contender if not far and away the winner of this category.

I voted SNES just for Earthbound, Kirby Super Star, and Super Metroid alone

I wonder if Earthbound and Super Star count, since maybe they are more considered 2nd party?

Also I feel like Switch is now the strongest console and offers these classics as well but SNES... well, it's the SNES. It's a strong historic console and those titles and their impact can't be beat for me.

We need to get some GBA appreciation going here in the poll.

SNES, then N64 and Switch.

Overall, I don't think you can beat the Switch. But all consoles save for the Wii U and Virtual Boy if anyone counts those had solid first party lineups.

Switch hands down.

@HugoGED I agree that it has borrowed a lot from the WiiU but writing off BOTW as a WiiU port is a little disingenuous and Mario kart 8DX offers so much more than 8 at this point it shouldn’t be written off either. Plus Switch got the first 3D Kirby, Astral Chain, Pokemon Snap, Bayonetta 3, and many more.. . But if you look at games financed by Nintendo you’ll see the Switch is extremely competitive in terms of 1st party titles even if you remove the straight ports.

I've gone Switch on this. BUT I would say pretty much all of them have had outstanding releases though. Switch has been going a fair while now and had some of the best releases of any of its franchises (debatable I know). SNES would be a strong second to me along with the Wii/Gamecube probably. See I've just picked another 3 lol. They were all great in their own ways.

@InJeffable Yeah, I forgot Xenoblade as well, that was pretty much the only other game like that. Still, the absence of a sandbox 3D Mario and Metroid Prime really took a toll on the variety, those are some key IPs for Nintendo fans that like open adventure games.

@TheBigBlue Actually it's not even true that the Wii U ports are more successful. Let's look at the 10 best selling Switch games:

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe- 52.00 million
Animal Crossing New Horizons- 41.59 million
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate- 30.44 million
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild- 29.00 million
Pokemon Sword and Shield- 25.68 million
Super Mario Odyssey- 25.12 million
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet- 20.61 million
Super Mario Party- 18.79 million
Ring Fit Adventure- 15.22 million
Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee- 15.07 million

Only two of these games are Wii U ports, and one of them was a cross gen game so you could argue it doesn't really count. 3 of them are Pokemon games, with 2 of them being new generations and 1 of them being a remake. But the remaining 5? All new and original games. So this narrative of "the Switch is driven by Wii U ports" is faulty. Not only are there quality original titles as you point out, but they're actually selling extremely well. In fact many of them from that Top 10 list are from IPs that did not have a proper Wii U entry (no sandbox 3D Mario like Odyssey, no main series Animal Crossing, no main series Pokemon, and the main Zelda game was cross gen when everyone was beyond ready to drop the Wii U). You'd have to wonder that if the Wii U had gotten more entries like those maybe it would've been a little more successful.

@gojiguy "No F-Zero
No Star Fox"

Hate to break it to you, but these two IPs are niche and not a lot of people care about them.

"One Mario game"

Well 1 original Mario game. But tell me again where was the second Mario game for N64 and GC? Wii U also only got 1 3D Mario game whereas the Wii and Switch have had multiple (although again, the additional ones were ports/remakes, but still more than most consoles get).

"One Zelda game (thats actually a Wii U game)"

We'll be getting a Switch original Zelda game in 3 months.

"No original Mario Kart"

I'll give you this one, their treatment of Mario Kart has been utterly maddening this gen and it's clear that they've gotten cynical and cash grabby lately. Still, I would say this is the only major flaw in the Switch's library.

"A bunch of lame kirby games (sorry kirby fans)"

Star Allies was pretty meh, yeah, but Forgotten Land? The first 3D Kirby game that is brimming with tons of ideas like Mouthful Mode and ability upgrades? How is that lame?

"Some weird games as a service stuff"

You mean like DLC stuff? Meh, it hurts the sports and multiplayer games I guess but I don't care about those genres as much.

"and then PORTS from console that had BETTER libraries"

Better libraries? There's a few good games spread across various consoles, but again name another console that had a high quality open world Zelda, a high quality sandbox Mario, sandbox/open world Pokemon games, a highly engaging Animal Crossing, a Smash game with literally every character ever, a 3D Kirby game. I could go on and on, but there's much more to the Switch's appeal than "warmed over ports", some of the ORIGINAL games on the Switch are some of the best entries yet or at the very least take the IPs in groundbreaking new directions that expand what they can do.

@HugoGED So what games did the likes of Mario Odyssey, Animal Crossing New Horizons, Luigi's Mansion 3, Pokemon Legends Arceus, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Metroid Dread, or Kirby and the Forgotten Land borrow from on the Wii U? Because last I checked, there was nothing remotely resembling those games from the Wii U originals.

@AllanMortom I like your Gamecube / Switch software comparison and I agree with you. The quality is not there with Switch.

There's also a severe lack of quantity... no all new 2D Mario? 2D Zelda? Donkey Kong? Mario Kart?

The ports and remakes have definitely been nice - Link's Awakening and Metroid Prime in particular - but as far as all new Switch games we've never seen before goes... Nintendo have been very average.

@Bolt_Strike Same could be said about Captain Toad, Mario 3D World, Tropical Freeze, Mario Kart 8, Pokken, Star Fox Zero, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse. Because last I checked, there was nothing remotely resembling those games from the Switch originals.

@roboshort BoTW originally featured gamepad integration which was dropped in favor of the Switch version, which is a shame tbh. Mario Kart 8DX just lacks identity, now it's a Tour port lol.
Can't argue with the titles you mentioned though, ports aside Switch is indeed bringing some great games to the table.

@Ollie agree with the gamecube.. recently hooked up my konga's to the switch with the taito drum game still fun!

Ultimate is the only Super Smash Bros. that I don't have, I couldn't bare another collection of expensive DLC on top of the price of the game. I love Wii U and it's nice to see those ports available on the current console but with no digital cross-buy or discount, that is a no. Wii U and Switch literally belong to the same generation and by adding minimal content to some ports, it's like they are asking for a second purchase at full price. Pikmin 3 and Captain Toad Treasure Tracker even add issues to the new version. Motion controls are better on Wii and Wii U. I define Switch as Jack of all trades, master of none.

Playing the Wii U version feels like i can breath, as if i swatted a frikkin' fly on my TV that's been driving me nuts for hours. lol

That's a perfect explanation! 😂

I have to admit that I didn't love Super Mario Odyssey because although it's technically solid, it's also the most boring Mario 3D game overall and controls never convinced me. Don't get me started on Super Mario 3D Almost All Stars skipping Super Mario Galaxy 2...

I have both Mario Kart 8+DLC and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe but it's also the most boring Mario Kart game. Of course, it has loads of tracks, most of them I have paid for twice and, of course, it's good-looking and has some nice instrumental music but the gameplay, controls and physics are dull. Here I agree totally, once again. I have more fun playing the 16 tracks of Double Dash because of the controls and physics. Mario Kart 8 is almost a walking/running simulator. Like you, I have tried to love it many times since it was released in 2014, because it's (now) the one with the highest number of circuits but they messed the gameplay up. It's just a Mario Kart Museum.

the Switch I now believe is incredibly overrated

I'll go with switch, new zelda, new mario, new splatton, new bayonetta, new fire emblem, and a frigging new 2D metroid, with 3D version soon. Yeah I think switch is the winner here 😃

@-wc-

there are some great ones but it's not like the old days, is it?

I think this summarizes best my opinion on the Switch. There are only 2 games that make me glad to have a Switch, those being Metroid Dread (for that Metroid (not Metroidvania) itch) and Kirby and the Forgotten Land (this game revitalized my interest in gaming after growing tired of it for a brief period of time in late 2022-early 2022. I hope to see more ideas with this gameplay or a combination of 2D and 3D, kind of like Mario Galaxy or the boost-based Sonic games).
Metroid Prime 4 was the real reason I wanted to get a Switch, the wait is making me regret it a bit, thankfully Dread and Kirby are now good replacements to that honor. I've said it a few times before, but my Switch purchase was mostly due to peer pressure from my friends and co-workers. If it were on me, I would've waited until the OLED was a thing while getting games for it.

SNES being my first ever console also has a special place for me. Unfortunately when it comes to first-party offerings I've only played Super Mario World, Kirby Super Star, Kirby's Avalanche, Super Mario All-Stars, Tetris Attack and the Donkey Kong Country trilogy on an actual SNES since I got it on Christmas 1996, by then the Nintendo 64 was a thing already. Everything else I played through the Virtual Console services and the Nintendo Switch Online app.

I could've just omitted it much like the NES, but that would've been denying my gaming history.

Switch easily, it's got the most first party games and most of those games, excluding things like Smash Ultimate, are some of the best games in the series.

@HugoGED So then you could say the Wii U is no better when it comes to standing on its own lineup instead of relying on past games.

Also, most of the games I mentioned that the Wii U was lacking are some of Nintendo's biggest and highest selling IPs. 3D Mario, Pokemon, and Animal Crossing are huge, so lacking those kinds of games (or in 3D Mario's case, lacking the sandbox style of 3D Mario) are pretty glaring omissions. Most of the IPs you mentioned are largely not as significant to Nintendo's plans. About the only glaring omission from that list is Mario Kart (also 3D World, but there are also plenty of other linear platformer IPs whereas there were few alternatives to the Odyssey style sandbox on Wii U), the rest of those are relatively niche IPs or spinoffs.

@KevinP Sure, but it's ironic. Wii U is currently at 4%, while those same games have 30% on the Switch.

Some people might see it as a negative, BTW: there's not much incentive to buy a Switch if you already own a Wii U.

Fun question! Top 6 for me:
1. SNES
2. Switch (my favorite console overall)
3. NES
4. N64
5. GameCube
6. Game Boy

My judgment of the poll is that readers give a little too much weight to the N64/GC era since that's how old most of them were when they were old enough to start getting good at games. I'm early 30s, so that's certainly the case for me. However, NES and GB are criminally UNDERrated here, imo. SNES runs away with it for me. Switch has lots of very good 1st party offerings, but in another 10 years there will only be 1-2 that are considered alongside the top 5-6 SNES games.

@Asaki I mean the Switch has Mario Odyssey, ACNH, multiple Pokemon games, Luigi's Mansion 3, Metroid Dread, and 2 Kirby games including the first ever 3D Kirby game, you don't think those games are enough incentive? I'd much rather play those games than the Wii U's mediocrity.

@AllanMortom Yeah, not sure your comparison is accurate here. For one, you're missing quite a few IPs here. Where's Smash, Kirby, and Yoshi? Smash had far more characters, stages, and mechanics in Ultimate than Melee. And Kirby and Yoshi were nonexistent on the GC (except for Air Ride which was a spinoff).

Second, I disagree with several of your comparisons here. Colosseum and XD are neat games for their time and good under the circumstances of the GC not having main series Pokemon game, but they don't hold a candle to a main series Pokemon game which has a fully fleshed out region (one of which is full OPEN WORLD), not a series of relatively small self-contained areas, and the main games on the Switch have twice as many Pokemon to catch as Colosseum/XD. The "smiling and jumping around" (whatever that means) is nothing compared to having actual, fully fleshed out content instead of some side project made to compensate for a "No Console Pokemon" rule instituted at the time. I also didn't like WW and TP and BotW are both cross gen, and Zelda is also getting a fully open world sequel in 3 months. A bit early, but I don't think you can give Zelda to the GC. Also Donkey Konga is a spinoff game and the Switch has a TF port, which while a port is at least something main game so you really have to rank that higher than a rhythm spinoff. Put Switch against the SNES, N64, Wii, or Wii U? Fine, those consoles all had original main series DK games so those would outdo the Switch on DK games (at least unless that rumored DK game gets announced, then the conversation will get a lot more interesting). But the GC? The GC didn't have much to get excited for for DK fans.

Lastly, I think you have to kind of weigh some of these IP comparisons instead of just counting them outright. Getting a cornerstone Nintendo IP like Mario, Zelda, or Pokemon right holds more significance than getting niche IPs like F-Zero or Star Fox right. And the Switch is really winning on many of the cornerstone IPs. The Switch has the better Mario game, the better Zelda games, the better Pokemon games, the better AC game, the better Smash game, and added Splatoon which is another higher selling IP. Whereas most of the IPs you're citing as being better on the GC are more niche, stuff like F-Zero, Pikmin, and (as much as it pains me to say it) Metroid. So quality wise the Switch has higher quality games in the IPs they really needed to get right. GC has some better games in largely niche IPs which is a good bonus but some of the cornerstone IPs were a bit more hit or miss on GC.

@Bolt_Strike First of all, your avatar is pretty cool. Pokemon BW/BW2 were my favorite ones.

Well I couldn't talk about all IPs because I'd spend a lot of time doing that. But let's remember we're talking about first party games released first in the console. So Zelda TP is a Gamecube release. Zelda BoTW is a Wii U release adapted to Switch. Smash Bros = Switch (maybe because melee was a masterpiece, ultimate is just a quantitypiece)
Kirby = Switch? (even I believe no Kirby game has been better than AirRide, a game being spinoff or not doesn't make it being less enjoyable. I had so much fun with the vast variety of game modes)
Pokemon = Gamecube easily (again, being a spinoff doesn't make the game less enjoyable). I foung Arceus legends better than SV or SwSh. Even the newer ones being open world, what does it mean? just because they're open world does it mean that they're better? No way! they are buggy and made for the newer players. Gamecube entries even being spinoff they were way better done, made for the newer players and adult player of the era. You really feel like a trainer. Not like an elementary school student.
Yoshi = Switch
Paper Mario = Gamecube
Chibi Robo = Gamecube

Now the thing is. Being a giant IP doesn't mean that they're better than the smaller and niche IPs.

I'd swap all Splatoon for F-zero GX
I'd swap all Yoshi games for Wave Race and 1080
I'd swap the Xenoblade Games for Star Fox Adv/Assault.

Gamecube was a hardware failure but never a software failure.

Now I agree with one thing. If we put all the games including the remasters and remake. Than yes, Switch can get the crown.

@AllanMortom I feel like you have to put cross gen releases like TP and BotW in a different category from ports like MK8D. With ports, the game was already out there for several years so people might be double dipping. But for cross gen? It's a simultaneous release. Fans of both consoles are experiencing the game at exactly the same time. So you can't really discount the newer console for that.

As for Pokemon, the open world means more area to explore and there's also more Pokemon to catch. You simply get much more out of it than a game like Colosseum/XD which is just sort of a gimped Pokemon experience with no routes and no (or in XD's case little) wild Pokemon to catch. Also, I really didn't encounter a lot of bugs unless I specifically went looking for them, I feel like the complaints about bugs and lack of polish is overblown.

My opinion:
1. Switch
2. 3DS
3. SNES

Switch has my personal favorite compendium of great games of all time, with the 3DS and PS2 following closely behind. SNES was my first ever console and nostalgia aside, what a beautiful piece of hardware. Switch is a machine that I can see myself pulling out years afters we've got new Nintendo systems, it's that good.