10. Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii)

2010's Xenoblade Chronicles was epic in scale and setting in a way few games of the era were, and this isn't a title to rush through. You'll need many hours to examine and enjoy its incredible complexity, enhancing your abilities and exploring the world's ecosystem as you go.

The creativity Monolith Soft employed in producing this world was staggering. In terms of presentation, the immense landscapes remain a delight to traverse. While some close-up camera angles expose the Wii's graphical limitations, the art design more than compensates. Although some of the voice acting is hit-and-miss, the soundtrack is superb, genuinely enhancing the experience.

The sublime Definitive Edition on Switch is the easiest and best way to catch up with the first entry these days, but this game delivers a huge (and hugely enjoyable) JRPG experience wherever you play, laying a foundation that Monolith would build on with its sequels.

9. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD (Wii U)

Nintendo breathed new life into The Wind Waker in this HD remaster, taking its timeless art style and giving it a glorious high-def sheen and also making worthwhile improvements to previously flawed aspects of the original. Sailing across the Great Sea, discovering new islands, and exploring exciting dungeons — the designs of which still shine even today – has never been more fun than on Wii U.

Nintendo could have done more in certain areas — there really isn’t anything substantial in the way of new content — and the updated lighting, though lovely in its own right, is not necessarily 'better'; it's heavy on the bloom compared to the sublime original.

Still, The Wind Waker was never in need of a drastic overhaul; this refinement made welcome tweaks that brought it more in line with modern standards. A great game made (for the most part) even greater, then.

8. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)

Mario Kart 8 delivered a huge amount of racing goodness right out of the box on Wii U and was only a proper Battle Mode away from being top of the class. The big twist this time around was the introduction of 'anti-gravity' sections which allow tracks to bend and twist on themselves in surprising ways, making it possible to collide with other racers and gain a small speed boost, adding a welcome layer of tactical play.

And then Mario Kart 8 Deluxe repackaged the original on Switch and added in that excellent (and sorely missed) Battle Mode for good measure, making it the pinnacle of the entire series; a fast, attractive, sublimely playable romp which has to rank as one of the best racing games of all time; the definitive Mario Kart experience, content-rich and a delightful feast of comedic, cartoonish karting action.

Switch's best-selling game continually raises a smile and, occasionally, induces that trademark Mario Kart rage as shells strike and positions are lost. It's addictive, unifying, unfiltered fun that draws in anyone daring enough to take up the wheel.

And the addition of 48 more courses with the awkwardly named Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass DLC? Well, that's just more icing on an already-grand cake, isn't it? Essential.

7. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition (Switch)

Originally released for 3DS (and PS4) in Japan, Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition is one of the best games Square has ever put its name to, plain and simple — and this Switch release was a fine port, too.

Featuring a heartwarming, well-paced narrative supported by a cast of fantastic characters, a dense and interesting overworld packed with dozens of hours of content, and one of the finest soundtracks we’ve heard in a JRPG, it all combines to make this an unforgettable modern classic. Whether you’re a newcomer to the series (or genre) or a returning vet, do yourself a favour and get yourself a copy of Dragon Quest XI pronto.

6. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS)

As if its library wasn't impressive enough, the 3DS got a wonderful reworking of a game which collects ‘Best Game Of All Time’ awards like beer mats.

It was always going to be good, but Grezzo managed to strike the perfect balance between evoking nostalgia for the N64 original and carefully updating and polishing Ocarina of Time to help it shine in the 21st century. It’s just like you remember, but going back and actually comparing the two reveals that it’s vastly improved and overhauled, from UI to textures to character models and beyond.

We might miss the Stone of Agony's rumble, but all Ocarina of Time 3D's modifications make it the best way to play the game in the present day. And everybody should play Ocarina of Time.

5. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch)

How does this 'ultimate' version of Smash stack up against the rest?

Well, vocal concerns about past games were actively addressed. The customisability is overwhelmingly vast, with super-solid single-player modes. And every single fighter from the series is present (even Pichu) and joined by a colossal roster of DLC characters from the annals of gaming. Let's not forget that this is the game responsible for bringing Banjo and Kazooie back home to a Nintendo console.

We’re not sure how you could make a more robust or pleasing Smash Bros. game. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate truly is the ultimate instalment in the series, and it makes you wonder where Masahiro Sakurai can possibly take this franchise next.

4. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)

With Super Mario Galaxy 2 Nintendo gave us that rarest of treats — a direct sequel to one of its finest games. While anyone who played and fell in love with Super Mario Galaxy would have been overjoyed to hear there was more on the way, the expectations couldn't have been higher. Somehow, Galaxy 2 expanded on the first game's inventiveness, turning up the colour dial to eleventy-stupid.

This was EAD Tokyo tearing up the textbook and pasting it back together in fascinating, surprising ways, flexing its beefed-up, confidently creative muscles with a huge variety of environments and obstacles, plus Yoshi and a host of new power-ups. It's a brilliant time.

To argue over which Galaxy is better is pointless, really — they're both wonderful and utterly essential, so if you never got around to playing the sequel, carve out some time as soon as possible. Inexplicably, it was missing from the 3D All-Stars collection, but it arrived on Switch eventually. Even if it hadn't, this game is truly worth hunting down a Wii for.

3. Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)

There's an argument to be made that Mario 64 never got a 'true' sequel until this game: Sunshine's FLUDD muddied the waters with its feature set; the Galaxy games eschewed large playgrounds for impeccably crafted planetoids designed around specific ideas; 3D Land and 3D World were deliberately contained with linear design to introduce 2D Mario players to the third dimension.

Super Mario Odyssey promised a return to the 'sandbox' style players had been pining for since 1996, and it delivered. Cappy's capture abilities keep things fresh in a game which blends all sorts of ideas and art styles into an improbably coherent, compelling whole.

It really shouldn't work, but New Donk City's human inhabitants co-exist happily with anthropomorphic cutlery, colourful sombrero-wearing skeletons, and the big-eyed Mushroom Kingdom clan thanks solely to the developers' impeccable execution. The mechanical mastery here is breathtaking, with so many distractions to discover. We don't envy the designers who have to come up with Mario's next game, but Mario Odyssey proves that absolutely anything is possible.

An utterly remarkable entry in this most celebrated of series, then. The best Switch Mario game is an essential purchase whether you like Mario or not.

2. Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver (DS)

The original Pokémon Gold and Silver games are fondly remembered by Pocket Monster fans all over the world, and with good reason: they introduced features that genuinely evolved the original Game Boy games, such as breeding and an in-game clock (not to mention colour!), features that have become series staples. Add in fan-favourite monsters and these remakes were always going to be well received.

Future games would trickle in additional quality-of-life features and other innovations, but some would argue — if they're able to get over an enduring love of the original 151 — that it never got better than travelling across the land, searching far and wide in these DS remakes.

The Game Boy originals may be a little hard to return to these days, but Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver strike the very best balance of nostalgia and that patented catch-'em-all gameplay. Magic.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was a landmark release, both for its franchise and Nintendo. It was the first time that the company truly took on the open-world genre, and by arriving late to the party it embraced the strengths of top-in-class games while also forging its own unique identity.

BOTW was a revolution for the series, but the Legend of Zelda essence is still there — its soul remains, and the end result is captivating. After years of following the same old template, Nintendo bravely took Zelda in a new direction and delivered an absolute triumph which still has us regularly revisiting its iteration of Hyrule. This is the series' best-selling game for a reason.

Its sequel expanded on the open world first presented here, but the excitement of exploring Breath of the Wild's wilderness for the very first is an experience nobody should miss. And the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition polishes out a couple of blemishes with 60fps performance that gives the game new life once more.

So there we are. Any surprises for you there? Disagree with this ranking? Time to get rating, then! Remember, this is a fluid, ever-changing selection governed by each game's Nintendo Life User Rating, so it's never too late to exert your influence.