Metacritic's 'Best Video Games' Feature Highlights Quiet Year for Nintendo

Color Splash deserves higher. I'm really enjoying it.

@abbyhitter It doesn't. And Star Fox Zero deserved lower. Wii U's gone out with a bit of a whimper. If there's one word that sums up their year, it's laziness.

We all know the Wii U has had some great games but at this point I am more than ready to move on to the Switch and not think about the Wii U for a couple years until I get excited to play their retro games on some type of virtual console.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE And why doesn't colour splash deserve higher? Its an incredibly fun game which improves on sticker star in so many ways. Even though it isn't an RPG, we have to accept that that isn't paper mario any more. For the game that it is trying to be, it's excellent.

Most of those scores seem reasonably fair. After all, 80+ percent is still a great score. I feel that Pokémon Sun and Moon deserved to be a little higher.

@Miles_Edgeworth It's nowhere near as good as TTYD and instead of having a cast of interesting NPC's they were lazy and just copied and pasted Toads everywhere.

The Switch will change everything. It's got to.

I don't really care about scoring. Basically I judging my games from 0 - 10. I have my own scoring based on my impression before and post games. So far, even the games I gave score 5 - 6 from 10 are quite entertaining somehow.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE it shouldn't be compared to TTYD. Yes it's part of the same series but they've taken a TOTALLY different direction with the gameplay and they're sticking to it. You shouldn't compare an adventure game to an RPG. I do agree with you about the characters however, and I feel that's something they need to work on.

This highlights two facts: thankfully general game critics didn't overrate Fates as much as Awakening (though this has the unfortunate side effect of the worse game having a better score), and that Nintendo is focused on making games for the Switch- and giving it primary support out of the gate is a good thing.

It's not too surprising scores are down for many Nintendo games this year, especially with a slowed release of games for the Wii U. People who play these games own these systems... it's hard not to let the perceived Nintendoom colour your ratings.

My favourite game of this year is probably Minecraft FTB for my PC. But then it would have been up there the last couple of years as well.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE well the devs couldn't put new npc's in as the creator said no to it. so they just made the toads all have things to say and unique personalities, you can't say they didn't try it wasn't a copy paste job from sticker star they changed things up.

Ouch have not played through FEF yet, why is it not critically acclaimed like Awakening?

Like A01 said, I think this was a quiet year in general, but jeez, Star Fox Zero in the top ten... I know it's not an outright BAD game, but it just goes to show how much of a barren wasteland this year was for Wii U owners imo. Same for Color Splash.

I could give a fudge for this outdated and archaic scoring system. Looking at all 20 games covering both WiiU and 3DS, one thing is for sure, from the games I've played, all of them are recommended (minimum) and some near essential. Yes, it's not been a monsoon of titles, but what have made it to us, I'm more than happy. Next up, Shantae HGH...

That's sad that a Picross game is the highest rated 3DS game of 2016. Critics are obviously stupid.

It's important to note that the top 10's are excluding games that got less than seven reviews... if they were included, then it would put 6 other games in the Wii U top 10 and one other in the 3DS top 10.

As for the total scored games for each console, Nintendo always looks low in that respect due to the lack of third-party support, and development for the Switch would obviously cause a drop in first-party titles this year as well.

Where the fudge is Bravely Second?

It was a down year in general. Only 13 titles overall reached 90 or above. This included 5 PC, 4 XB1, & 4 PS4. There were several games that were on multiple systems (Overwatch on 3, Witcher 3 and INSIDE on 2), bringing the number down to 9 (nine) unique games.

At least in 2017 Nintendo are going to re-release all their 90+ games on Switch...

Meh. It's really simple, honestly. Nintendo consoles have at the same time the best exclusives and the worst hardware. Nintendo fans are perfectly fine with the former and, therefore, mostly with the latter, unless they're also great fans of the third-party stuff that routinely skips Nintendo consoles. Non-Nintendo fans, on the other hand, tend to be on the opposite side of the spectrum, being quick to point out flaws in Nintendo games (and by that I mean the usually good ones, not missteps as Star Fox Zero and Paper Mario Sticker Star) and pretending mobile gaming is enough to satisfy their portable gaming needs. Nintendo-centric reviewers are accused of being biased while other reviewers are blatantly anti-Nintendo biased. Buggy messes like Skyrim get perfect scores on other sites while Nintendo games often get high, and sometimes average, scores out of what I believe to be pure spite by now, with said spite being the offspring of a desire to see Nintendo out of the console market because Nintendo games are loved as long as people don't have to open their wallets for a Nintendo console.
I mean, for Pokémon breeding's sake, look at this.

So yeah, the only extent of this surprising me is merely the site being Metacritic and not another one like IGN or GameSpot. That aside, though, I like to think of Nintendo as Asterix's Gaelic village. For the uninitiated, here's the premise of the Asterix books.

Yep, the small Nintendo village is still surrounded by the Microsony Empire, but as Marix and Obelink are there, no one's going to see Nintendo goodness outside those walls, by Toutatis!

@SnackBox Well it's only 4 points difference, it's not like fates was rated worse by any significant amount! If I were to say why it was very slightly lower, it's probably just because it didn't have quite the same wow factor that Awakening had, where the series was rejuvenated to allow many more people to join the fanbase. Fates is more of the same, and whilst it improves upon Awakening significantly in lots of aspects, especially Conquest, in areas such as map design, it isn't quite as mindblowing. Still, it's incredibly good, and if you liked Awakening, you're certain to like Fates

Do the people defending Star Fox Zero and Colour Splash own other systems? I love both series but those two were huge disappoints, based on previous titles in their own series, and other games out this year. Nintendo were phoning it in this year as they put resources towards the Switch. I don't blame them at all, but do find it strange so many people are complaining how low these games scores.

The only real good games on Wii U this year is TPHD and TMS#FE

@AlexSora89 It's all a matter of perspective. Skyrim may give you odd bugs every now and then (which 99% of are harmless and don't affect gameplay), but it is an incredibly fun RPG. I would much rather play a fun game over something that is more technically proficient but lacks substance.

And as for reviewers being biased against Nintendo, Mario Kart 7 is indeed a poor Mario Kart game in every possible way. Lack of versus mode (essential), small and weak character roster, and online woes due to glitches and exploits in the track design.

@Dakt Really?
YES IM HAPPY ! SMT DESERVES MORE LOVE

I see SMT4 Apocalypse on the list I'm a happy person !

I'll admit that this has been a rather quiet year for the Wii U, but I still enjoyed the games we got, regardless. Pokken Tournament, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, Paper Mario: Color Splash, Axiom Verge, Super Meat Boy, and Twisted Fusion (though I'm getting Half Genie Hero), though wasn't a fan of Twilight Princess HD (which was my first game into the world of Twilight Princess). Not to mention, the 3DS got back on its feet after a rather truly lackluster year it had in 2015, with Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, Fire Emblem Fates, Mega Man Legacy Collection, Parascientific Escape, Gurumin 3D, Fairune II, Mario Party: Star Rush, etc (I have yet to get Pokemon Sun to see if it delivers). If this isn't the best year for the Wii U, I'd say it's underrated in my book.

Scores don't affect which games I buy, but I think Color Splash and TMS #FE deserved higher score, in my opinion. I vastly enjoyed those two games, especially the latter since that is my personal GOTY. It struck that dead-center spot between fun and strategic and the new Session Combos system kept the battles fresh for me (though a fast-forward button would've been nice).

I still think that this was a really solid year for 3DS, if you're a RPG fan that is

Looking deeper into the stats and PS4 had 401 more games reviewed than Wii U, yet only 4 games had 90+ score and only one of those was exclusive.

Quality, not Quantity... Although, I wouldn't have minded a bit more quantity from the Wii U.

@eltomo 90 and above is a very rare score, which is why Metacritic classes something getting that score as great. The Wii U only has 6 in total and only 3 of those are exclusive.

They use 75 and above for 'good' games, and in 2016 the PS4 has 133 (13 exclusives), Wii U has 8 (4 exclusives), the 3DS has 23 (20 exclusive). If anything, those numbers are being very kind to Nintendo platforms by including things like the Zelda HD remakes as exclusive, plus 4 versions of Fates and two versions of Pokemon.

It comes down to choice. With the Wii U, you kind of need to hope all those good games are suited to you, while it's probably quite easy to find a number of games you enjoy on PS4 if you give it a chance.

I'm really enjoying Paper Mario Color Splash.
If you don't like it thats fine, but don't try to convince people who like it that it's a bad Game.

Nintendo hasn't brought much to the party but the backlog is still stellar.

It wasn't a popular game, but I enjoyed the heck out of Hyrule Warriors Legends. I put a lot of time into it and still have a lot to unlock.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Color Splash was great.

@abbyhitter "That's sad that a Picross game is the highest rated 3DS game of 2016. Critics are obviously stupid"

So when critics are rating a game, you want them to hold it up against every other game that has been rated that year so far? Or they should rate certain genres higher than others because oh no, what if that game ends up on an arbitrary list? How embarrassing!

Another "best-of" list with no Bravely Second mentioned. I'm beginning to think I just imagined playing and loving it. In 2017, I'm going to imagine playing a Trauma Team sequel.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE I don't see how Color Splash or SF: ZERO equate to Nintendo's laziness, but rather too ambitious/too quirky to really appeal/be appreciated by to those who love those franchises. Trying something different is hardly lazy but always dangerous.

@Peach64 Can you not believe that people might actually like both games a lot? It's all subjective unless there are game breaking bugs/mechanics. However, both games have their flaws, but both games are quite fun. Also ratings systems are (many poop emoji), that a 7 is somehow only mediocre is baffling.

I believe Kirby Planet Robobot should be higher up there because it was a fantastic game that was pushed off the top ten because of Fire Emblem and Pokemon taking up more than one spot. It also seems to only be hampered by one negative review who wished they should change up the formula/engine like Kirby of old.

@BranJ0 Ahh that explains it perfectly, thanks. In this day and age if it's not as mind blowing as a previous installment it's not as 'good' in the eyes of a reviewer

@AlexSora89 I think a company like Projekt CD Red fits in more with the description of Asterix. Nintendo is an empire too, they're not some tiny Gaelic/Celtic village. They're just closer to being like an Assyrian or Egyptian Empire, while Sony is a Greek, Roman, or Persian Empire, and Microsoft is the Mongol Empire.

Axiom Verge the top pick on Wii U, instead of any of the first party offerings, and Picross 3D Round 2 coming from behind to dethrone Fire Emblem Fates Special Edition (for those lucky enough to have it) for the top pick on 3DS... sounds about right. I'm STILL salty over Nintendo's handling of FE: Fates... But a really good puzzle game winning out over it is poetic justice, at least. Same goes for the indie Metroidvania winning out over both the mere shadow of a real Paper Mario game and the bizarrely pandering replacement for a new Majin Tensei game.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE No, 69% is the perfect rating for Star Fox Zero, if you think about it...

@greengecko007
Indeed it is, and if anyone remembers my comments about the matter, I always bring up the lack of single-player Versus Mode. But I also recognise the game's merits: gliders and underwater sections. Those two shaked up the formula, and saying MK7 didn't change anything is a damnable lie.
And the first Skyrim bug I came across crashed the game. Ten minutes in. Pete Hines said the Wii U "missed the boat" about third party support, but at least Nintendo's own games never crash so bad. Unless, of course, you ask for it by summoning MissingNo every now and then.

@PlywoodStick
Well, I was being more... more comparative, so to speak.

@AlexSora89 Edit: Mario Kart Wii confirmed the Egyptian Empire reference with the Yoshi Sphinx.

Also in Paper Mario: Sticker Star, although it looks like a really lazy version:

Also, on the topic of Mario Kart 7...

Nope, I'd say MK7 did nothing new. Rare has been there, done that, with Diddy Kong Racing... And they did it better.

@PlywoodStick
Okay, new for Mario Kart.
As for the Yoshi Sphinx, I guess it's an inside joke for Intelligent Systems, who did both Sticker Star and... wait, the other is not Mario Kart Wii, it's actually Super Circuit!!

AKA The One Mario Kart Game People Keep Forgetting About.

@mike_intv I wouldn't call a year with at least twelve 90+ rated games over the course of twelve months a "down" year... And counting 80+ rated games, it really wasn't a "down" year for PC! It was only a "down" year for Nintendo, by failing to place a single entry into the 90+ rated pantheon for 2016, which happens to include the illustrious... Stephen's Sausage Roll... Yeah...

@AlexSora89 OH SNAP! I have Super Circuit, and I forgot about that! Oops...

@PlywoodStick
No no no, bad Plywood, bad!
People always forget about Super Circuit despite it being one of the finest ones, not to mention that, unlike Mario Kart DS, Wii and 8, it has an actual single-player single race mode: Quick Run.

@AlexSora89 Oh yeah! I forgot about that too! I was wondering what happened to the single track mode... I must be getting old, memory loss setting in already.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE I agree they could of added different characters to replace the one billion toads. Having said that though, the writing and the stories managed to give the toads personality, so I still enjoyed it.

@SnackBox I highly recommend Conquest. While it does have problems (mainly the story, which granted was also awful in Awakening), in terms of gameplay I'd rank it as best in the entire series.

This has been one of Nintendo's worst years in terms of software lineup for quite some time. Not that I blame them too much.

Previously, the latter parts of a handheld's life would coincide with more great console games and vice versa. When the GameCube was declining, we got DS games like Mario Kart, NSMB, Nintendogs, etc. When the DS was declining in 2010, we got DKC Returns, Epic Yarn, and SMG2. And the 3DS was gathering steam before the Wii U was released.

I guess that the shorter lifespan on the Wii U is what made this year so sparse. This would normally be the point in the generation where Nintendo releases a second big wave of top budget console games, like the Wii had in 2010. But with the Switch coming soon, projects have to be delayed or put aside. And since the 3DS is aging anyway, it isn't getting enough to make up for it.

@Salnax You're right on with the traditional Nintendo pattern being broken here. Hopefully the Sandwitch will remedy that...

@mike_intv Wait, no, you're right for the 90+ rating field... Only 9 games in the 90+ ratings for 2016... 4 of those are extra entries for the same game on another platform. Overwatch was listed 3 times... It's not THAT good... The 80+ ratings have lots of good stuff this year, but yeah, the only 90+ entry this year I would care about is Witcher 3: Blood and Wine.

Ah the foolishness of metacrtic where one timeplay through crap like Uncharted is rated so high and fun stuff like let it die has about 70.

Bleh. SMT IV Apocalypse > Everything else this year.

@A01 Don't forget Quantum Break and Forza Horizon 3 on the Xbox One list.
But I agree with you, 2016 was a quiet year, 2015 had more "oomph" all around.
Hoping that 2017 will be a great gaming year and that Switch will be a comeback for Nintendo.

@AlexSora89 Yeah citing lack of changes is a poor argument against MK7. Intetesting that you had a crash so early playing Skyrim. The opening sequence is all scripted, so crashing at that point in the game Id think is the least likely of all. Your experience is unfortunate, but highly irregular. The same can be said for those that encounter bugs in Nintendo games too. Certain moves were banned online in Pokemon Sun and Moon due to crashing reports.

@A01 Haven't finished it yet to be honest. But the concept is good. Might be more movie than game though, I'm afraid.

You don't like Forza? It's a great simu-arcade racer if you're into that stuff but most people aren't.

For a long time, review sites were reluctant to give out 10/10.

Now we are at the point its hard to get a 9/10

Now I'm all for 5 and 6 being average and above average - as Nintendo Life does - vs those being horrible ratings because people equate them to grades in schools.

STILL, it shows to a point Nintendo's quality of work is trending downward.

Sadly this list makes me realize I haven't played a lot of Nintendo games released in 2016. Fire Emblem AWAKENING is likely going to be my GOTY (my criteria is purely playing/beating it for the first time that year), and I'd give that at least 9. Imagine Fates would probably fall in line since they were well received.

@PlywoodStick
I feel old too. At least this Sunday we'll all feel young again. That's one of the good side effects of Christmas, right?

@greengecko007
That Sun and Moon thing is unfortunate. As for Skyrim, I was just running up some stairs and the game died on me. I couldn't make this up if I tried.

@AlexSora89 bahahha asterix analogy. Perfect! Well said good sir!

@SLIGEACH_EIRE They weren't lazy. They abandoned an unprofitable system, which is what any reasonable multi-billion yen corporation should do, and moved their resources to making sure that Switch has a strong launch and strong first year leading up to its first holiday, which are far more important than fumbling after the Wii U this year.

@bolt05
And they're switching to Shigetafix's/Panoriwatix's (whether your translation uses the Getafix or Panoramix name) secret potion now!

I think this was an amaznig year for the 3DS, but not so much for the Wii U, it literally died.

Sun and Moon and Kirby Planet Robobot were snubbed, those should both be in the 90s.

@doctorzzim
I have the first three and they are extremely overated, not bad but except for 2 none are better than a 7 out of ten. As was Last of Us which I own as well. Naughty Dog could release anything and some fanboys which are reviewers would give it 10 out 10. Greg Miller being the best example.

The rebooted Tomb Raider is a much better series.

Let it Die is challenging, creative, addictive game. Plus it is fun.

*Edit Uncharted 1 is actually a bad game.

@XCWarrior 15-30 years ago, 9/10's were hard fought triumphs. It's a good thing that as a whole, we're starting to move back in that direction after 10+ years of top score giveaways. Us Nintendo fans can praise our favorites, give away top scores just because they're Nintendo games, and lament and claim that everyone else has no idea what they're doing, but the fact is that almost nothing on Nintendo platforms this year truly deserved a 9/10, just an 8/10 at best. So despite all the problems that Metacritic still has, I'm glad it's at least reflecting that truth.

@SetupDisk Preach. I know it is considered mere Nintendo fanboyism, especially since the Wii, to claim that gameplay is greater than graphics, but once I played a few Naughty Dog titles, which clearly emphasize graphics over gameplay, I realized just how true it is, and how blind many reviewers are to that.

@PanurgeJr That's the new Naughty Dog team's emphasis on "cinematic gaming." The old team used to be all about gameplay over graphics, back in their Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter days. I don't think one is really worse than the other; if anything, they're different enough to almost be incomparable.

I remember reading GamePro magazine's editorial at the release of Metal Gear Solid, predicting all the way in 1998 that "cinematic gaming" was going to explode and become normalized. That was a prophetic and bold thing to say back then, because it hardly existed at the time. Lo and behold, here we are with games like the Uncharted series carrying on that banner within the mainstream. It's amazing how well some of those gaming magazine editorials and analyses back in the 90's predicted what was to come.

@PlywoodStick I agree.. thats' probably why I've bought almost nothing for 3DS/WiiU this year that has been released this year. Plenty of 8s. I enjoyed Star Fox Zero than most.

Like I said, maybe FE Conquest/Birthright given how much I loved Awakening, but won't know til I play it.

@Miles_Edgeworth Color Splash still wasn't a very good game. The game had awful game play and most of the writing was just sarcastic humor saying "We know we're generic but we still won't try hard."

@BLD Yeah I have the special edition just haven't quite finished the DLC for awakening. I enjoyed awakening's story so I'll probably enjoy Fates

@PlywoodStick cinema is easier to market and more accessible but uncharted bring held as an amazing game is concerning. It is crap as a game and crap as a movie. I don't know that it should be called a game. It is basically just a disneyland ride.

@XCWarrior nintendo gave up on the wiiu and decided to focus on the switch at the end of 2014. That is the main cause of the quality decline. For example, Pokken has a really good base but they didn't do the extra things needed to make it great because they had given up on the wiiu. They even greatly limited distribution of the wiiu in Japan this year so people would have to wait for the switch to buy splatoon. It sucks as a Nintendo fan but is for the best long term, I think.

@roboshort Somehow, I can't help but feel that statement is incredibly ironic... Miyamoto himself has also lambasted "cinematic games" for taking control away from the player, and making business sense but being boring.

And yet... he just worked on and helped release Super Mario Run, which is literally an on-rails Disneyland ride in the Mushroom Kingdom! The game literally runs itself for you- it's even in the name of the game! It may not use cutscenes, but it's a step down from previous Mario adventures (even the 2D ones) by taking away your freedom of movement. It is the epitome of a Mario game that (sort of) makes business sense, but goes against Miyamoto's past words.

I'm not exactly a fan of "cinematic gaming" myself, but if other people like it, more power to them. Just be careful not to trip on massive hypocrisies while criticizing the concept.

@PlywoodStick Yeah, I agree with pretty much everything you say. I honestly don't care if people love uncharted and think that type of "game" has its place.

@PlywoodStick I think you know what he means. Super Mario run is still an always interactive game and the player has the same level of control throughout the game, the jumping is the core of Mario's move set and that is still in the players hands. It's simplified but it is not cinematic. Much like Star Fox isn't cinematic simply because the Arwings always move forwards.

Uncharted 4 places boss fights as heavily scripted sequences with cutscenes weaved in rather than regular gameplay. It's a game that takes a lot to all control away from the player in order to to wow them with their choreography, rather than putting the way the fights play out in the player's hands.

I feel the first half of the year was a great Nintendo lineup, plenty of great games in my opinion. After June though, the quantity just massively dropped.

The biggest disappointment with games this year I'd say is the end of Nintendo supporting games like the Wii U version of Splatoon and Smash. Looking about how extremely well 343 treated Halo 5 multiplayer, I just wish Nintendo could've done the same for Splatoon. We know Halo 6 exists and Halo 3 anniversary is all but confirmed at this point but new content is still being added like maps for Warzone Firefight, the giant update recently, etc. meanwhile Splatoon just stopped outside of confirmation of a Switch port.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE The cast of Color Splash are Toads but they aren't lazy. The Toads have an immense amount of animations, if you look up their spritesheets they dwarf the previous Paper Mario games...but why wouldn't they? Everything except Mario in TTYD did not even have a back sprite.

https://www.spriters-resource.com/wii_u/papermariocolorsplash/

https://www.spriters-resource.com/gamecube/pmttyd/

TTYD did have a bigger cast of variety of characters but most of them just stood around and talked, or had a walk cycle and talk. They weren't as interactive with the world as the Toads and Shyguys are in Color Splash.

I think it's unfair to compare Color Splash and TTYD in a way that hides the way TTYD cut corners.