Feature: 2010-2019 - Nintendo's Decade In Review

Best moment for me is the start of the “Nintendo directs”. So used to them right know, but it’s not for that long that we are having them. And they are (almost) always exciting!

Still love to train my amiibo and then get destroyed by them. Definitely a highlight of the decade for me.

2010's was the beginning of Minecraft type games booming.
So many fresh or great ideas for gaming during 2010's, especially on 3DS and Switch.
But it was also the darkest and the worst moment of Nintendo on year 2015.
Amiibo mandatory, Worst sales of Wii U, Absurd ideas from Nintendo (Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer & Amiibo Festival), spinoff controversy, milked franchise to death (Mario & Luigi RPG), etc.

My highlights--The Wii U's game library (best pound-per-pound Nintendo library?) and the Switch console. And that amazing moment of watching the reveal when the guy takes his dog and his Switch for a walk . . .and a later promo video with the Switch visiting the bathroom for the first time. You couldn't watch these and think the Switch would flop. Great way to end the decade, and I really hope Nintendo builds up the Switch library with ORIGINAL TITLES and some excellent (non-cardboard) peripherals and joy-con variants in the decade to come!

I thought things turned around when kimishima took over. This is not a slam to anyone else. But when that bull dog took over, advertising went through the roof. It seemed Nintendo got real brave at that point. It paid off.

That was a great read. Thank you

The falloff of the Wii started the decade, followed by 3DS becoming the undisputed leader of handheld gaming, to the absolute failure of the Wii U (which I loved), to the tremendous success of the Switch.

It was a rollercoaster indeed for the Big N.

Decade started strong with 2010 being arguably the Wii's best year (2007 was great as well). The Wii U/3DS era I mostly checked out as far as Nintendo gaming but the Switch brought me back in 2017. The true successor to the original Wii and easily my favorite Nintendo system since the SNES. 2019 ended things with a bang. Seemed like from June forward there was a great big budget game every month along with lots of awesome indie stuff.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Bit like this decade as a whole, then...

The Switch brought me back into gaming after largely "checking out" of it after the Wii Sports bowling phase ended and my Wii became a dust collector. I never was a fan of that system. The Virtual Console was cool and I loved Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 outside of the fact you had to use motion controls, which almost killed the game for me, despite it being perhaps the two best Mario games ever.

I haven't gamed this much since my PS2 days in college. In fact, I think the Switch has overtaken the SNES as my favorite console of all time.

The Nintendo Wii U had great untapped potential and a vast number of possibilities that both Nintendo and third-party developers did not dare experiment with, out of fear of loosing time and money due to the large number of complaints regarding motion controls from people who are either to lazy or inept to learn/adapt to the changes with the growth and evolution of the new generations.
(basically lots of people prefer to stay stuck with the old ways)

It also most definitely did not help the console at all with how strictly Nintendo was being with their family friendly policy at the time, that definitely made a lot of third-party developers back away from working with that system, unfortunately.

And ofcourse they did not advertise the console probably which caused it to become somewhat obscure during the beginning of the Wii U's lifetime.
(Heck, i didn't find out about the console's existence until 2014)

The Wii U's marketing was absolutely dreadful. Advertising in non-video game locations like Pottery Barn, always have kids as the stars of the commercials, not pointing out that it's a separate system, not an accessory for the Wii. It really nailed all the things people criticized Nintendo for during the Wii era of "going kiddie friendly casual only." They learned their lessons and the marketing for the Switch has been much, much better.

@Gamer83 Honestly while I got so much in 2019(and specifically in the last Fall season XD ), I'll probably still be busy playing a lot of my current games well into 2020.

Nonetheless I'll be -really- curious for what surprises the big N might have in store next year... and in some cases if some of them might even include present titles. I'm enjoying Pokemon Sword a lot right now despite the controversy, but I'm starting to feel like and wonder if there might be some stuff specifically held back for Pokemon Home's release, just judging by how much is already in the game data(35 pokemons not in the GalarDex, with moves/models/etc et al) but also what is "not"(a yet to be revealed "Gen8 Mythical" with ties to the Galar Region....which is one tradition I don't expect a studio as predictable as Game Freak is going to go without, even with "Dexit" shaking what we might used to think of as "predictable" from them).

Then there's ton of other possibility in future titles such as apossible late 2020 release of Breath of the Wild 2, more than three years since the title from whose foundations it is most likely being directly being built from. And that's not mentioning hypothetical titles we might not know of "yet".

@kingbk "the marketing for the Switch has been much, much better."
It did tackle that, but it still has to work at being more realistic to what people actually think/do with the products and finding some copy writers that create less cringey scripts (way less cringey!).

It always warms my heart to see anything related to Iwata. I was recommended this video last month, where Iwata delivers his famous "heart of a gamer" quote, and I was baffled I had never seen the full speech before. It was very inspiring, and I highly recommend anyone who hasn't seen it to give it a watch. (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RMrj8gdUfCU&t=1596s) The man also spoke for like an hour with a sore throat, which is a further testament to his dedication. It was a moving testimony, and many of his statements about the gamingh industry are still relevant today. We lost a true visionary this decade--a man whose humility makes him, in my eyes, the Mr. Rogers of Japan: someone who just makes you smile. Because it wasn't always just the games that made me smile.

@KingBowser86, oh no question, the marketing still has some work to do, but the level of improvement from where it was with the Wii U is noticeable and I believe a big factor for Nintendo's drastic turnaround.

@kingbk Certainly the advertising spend helped. I think? Eh, a good perception in North America does wonders for every other region (for whatever reason).

@bluedogrulez
I agree that the wiiu has a great library but I prefer the switch hardware.

I still remember Adam Sessler being confused after the Wii U reveal. He didn't know if it was an accessory to Wii or a new console. I always thought he was an idiot to not see it was a new console, but of course millions of others had the same problem.

Honestly I think this was kind of a weak decade for Nintendo. Last decade was a much stronger time period for them with the GBA, DS, Gamecube and Wii. This decade felt like their popularity really went on the decline, at least when it came to the home console scene. The 3DS managed to sell well but that said most Nintendo enthusiast seem to agree that the DS and GBA had better games, especially when it came to 3'rd party. The Wii was really showing it's age at the start of this decade and the Wii U was a failure.

It is really the Switch that stands out as savior of Nintendo, they would have been firmly cemented in third place if it wasn't for the Switch taking off. Honestly I think the whole Reggie era was disappointing time for the company, the Bowser era is looking a lot more optimistic.

Great article and look back guys. I still remember just being stone cold stunned at the new of Mr. Iwata's passing in 2015 - and so close on the heels of that very disappointing E3 that year. Such a wide range of emotions in such a short amount of time.

I feel Reggie's surprise retirement announcement was so out of the blue that it, too, felt like an unexpected loss and a period of mourning followed it as well.

As Nintendo fans (especially those in North America who was under Reggie's leadership), it was a decade of two losses that provided significant change.

It is still sad to me that Mr. Iwata never physically saw the success that the Switch is enjoying.

@JayJ Reggie's enthusiasm was infectious, but he was the one who pushed the "blue whale" marketing strategy of reaching non-gamers. It worked for the Wii, but it also pushed Nintendo into the "kiddie friendly casual" box that turned off many gamers until the Switch won back their trust.

I will miss him. It's still early for me to grade Doug Bowser, but he doesn't seem to have the same joy for Nintendo that Reggie did.

@kingbk You bring up a good point, I think the wild success of the Wii era directly influenced Nintendo's decisions in the 3DS and Wii U era. They had a ton of success in the casual and kiddish audience with the Wii so they must have assumed that was the direction to focus in on. I think most people will admit that the motion control was the real draw back then and they heavily overestimated their ability to succeed by focusing on a casual/kid audience. It worked with the Wii because the motion controls were a new and attractive gimmick that drew in a ton of people outside of the usual gaming audience, but the Wii U tablet didn't have the draw that motion controls had.

Lol at the angry birds guy.

Xenoblade came out this decade.

@kingbk Yeah I mean I definitely can't be all negative about Reggie, he did a lot of great things for the company and you can really see his passion. That said I have often found myself disagreeing with him and his philosophies towards gaming, and I felt like his influence turned Nintendo consoles into something that I struggled to enjoy.

What stands out to me now is how I loved the N64, Gamecube, and Wii (I was a Sega gamer back in the 16-bit era). I also loved the Game Boy, GBA, and DS. Yet I always struggled to enjoy the Wii U and 3DS and barely played them. To me the problem with those consoles was always a lack of great 3'rd party, Nintendo games can be great and all but it is really everything else that keeps me interested in a console. I enjoyed the virtual console support but that is just retro gaming and it doesn't really make the consoles appealing on their own.

Anyways the Switch has truly succeeded where Nintendo failed in the recent past, and I am truly enjoying it. It seems to have a bit of everything for everyone, so it is no wonder that I have managed to get a bunch of games that I want to play often. I think that is what makes the Switch the success that it is. It isn't designed around being only kid/casual friendly, it is designed to work for anyone.

Nothing about "Pokemon: Detective Pikachu"? I think the first live-action Pokemon film / second live-action Nintendo film deserves a mention.

I'm glad Nintendo is picking back up, after Iwata sadly pass away and the Wii U coming to an end. with the Switch doing really well, a lot of my worries were gone for the Switch.

@JayJ Yep, I totally agree. Nintendo learned numerous lessons from the Wii/Wii U and has found the perfect balance of appealing to Nintendo fans, casual gamers AND dedicated gamers with the Switch. The gaming library, with solid first party titles, loads of indies and a growing number of third party AAA games, is a testament of that.

This decade has started with and ended with Nintendo for me. GameCube was my secondary console to my PS2 from 2003-2009 when I got a Wii in late October. The virtual console (and a raft of affordable games) got me into Nintendo on a big way (I was SEGA at school and only dipped into Nintendo with the N64 and Gameboy line).

At the same time I also got into Xbox this decade two and between them the Wii and Xbox 360 were brilliant for the first half of the decade. Then I got the 2DS in 2014 (I missed out on the DS line completely the previous decade) and it was so good that I eventually went back and built up a decent library of DS games too, as well as a few systems...). Then I got the WII U in late 2014 and I supported it fully, buying as many games as I could but it never really matched the fun of I’d had with the Wii for the previous 5 years (I couldn’t even connect it to the internet to do the infamous day one update. The single lost annoying gaming experience ever!).

I upgraded the 2DS to a 3DS XL (uncomfortable to hold and bad 3D) and then to a New 3DS (big improvement) but honestly wished I had stuck with the 2DS and saved my money. My son now plays the 2DS regularly though, so it’s still in use.

I got the SNES and NES minis which were great, but shied away from the Switch, feeling burnt after the Wii U. Now my main go to system is the Xbox One but I finally have in and snagged a Switch Lite on sale recently and it is a good little system. Glad I didn’t pay out for a full Switch; as a console it pales in performance to the Xbox but as a handheld it is superb!

So my decade has started with Nintendo Wii and ended with Nintendo Switch . Here’s to another decade, hopefully of more highs than lows!

Nintendo DS games were $40 not $50 though right?

I was also shocked for a minute about wipeout 3.

An incredible decade. And one that hopefully will define how Nintendo enter the next decade. The 3DS was my personal favourite just for the sheer volume of quality games. Yes, I enjoyed the Wii but I found it bored me for a while as the novelty wore off. That said, it was incredible how it brought everyone into gaming and it is no wonder that it sold so well.
The disastrous marketing drive (or should that be lack of) that was the Wii U has to be the lesson that Nintendo learn from. Never scared of making mistakes - something that endears them to so many - Nintendo totally fluffed it with the Wii U. As with all Nintendo consoles it was a day one purchase for myself. And I enjoyed every minute of its short life. The concept was good, the execution truly terrible.
And then Nintendo does what it does best. Realises that it is at its best when it keeps it simple but with an added element of novelty. The NX became the Nintendo Switch and it is brilliant. There are no other words. Even those at the very top of Sony and Microsoft couldn’t help admitting they bought one and openly congratulated Nintendo. Some of that was because they knew that Nintendo had not tried to compete with them but to be alive in their world.
2020 sees the release of the X Box Series X (Wii U style cock up incoming) and the PS5. Can Nintendo still survive with a console which will effectively be 2 generations older?
That is up to the big N themselves. And a Switch pro or Switch 2 wouldn’t go amiss in around 18 months time. It’s time for Nintendo to stop changing the consoles they release and embrace the continuity with the Switch. If they do that they will be selling hundreds of millions of consoles for decades to come.
And I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Happy New Year!

Only jumped on board the Nintendo systems in 2017 as the Switch suited me perfect with its hybrid setup. Prior to that I was xbox all the way. Now im not sure il get on board with the new xbox next year. Im loving the Nintendo exclusives and portability.

This was a pretty impacting decade for gaming. More than I'd remembered. Still love my WiiU and a part of me still wishes that it had been popular enough for nintnedo to allow the gamepad to connect to the switch dock. The loss of Iwata-denka is still a heavy one. I feel like we are just now really entering Nintendo without any of his left over guidance (aside from the mere existence of the switch.) and I think 2020-2021 will be the years that we really see where the New Nintendo will go without him.

I still think Amiibo is not worthy of mentioning here... A silly technology with little to no relevance on (most) gameplay. My highlight of the past 10 years was definitely the 3DS XL. I played on mine for the longest, and I still fire it up once in a while to play my Ambassador Games Right now, I'm obsessed with my Switch Lite and playing Zelda: links awakening and Tetris 99. Here's to another great decade of Nintendo!

Can we stop pretending that ARMS was a good game please?

@Grumble, the Amiibos are more fun to collect if you like toy figurines. I'm glad they are going more in that direction and less meaningful to gameplay itself.

No mention of LABO, I guess cardboard is forgettable material. No Ring-fit either? Come on, it's only a couple months ago how can you forget?

Nintendo Directs totally changed the ballgame. I think that has been my favorite Nintendo contribution of the decade. We miss you, Iwata.

@kingbk agreed! While I say that, I do have a MARIO amiibo still in the box unopened lol 😂

Hold up...... I just realized there's no mention of Super Mario Galaxy 2 in the 2010 section. That might be the best Nintendo game of the decade!

@Superzone13 agreed, except for the damn requirement to use motion controls. I'd love for them to remaster it for Switch and let you use a pro controller or joy cons.

the Nintendo switch was the reason I became a Nintendo fan again since early on in the Wii’s lifetime

I remember reactions to 3DS selling poorly (around launch, anyway), Mario Kart 7, the "New" SMB games, Wii U launch Smash for 3DS and Wii U, and the Watch Dogs debacle very well. Also, the launch for Splatoon and Splatoon 2 announcement, the latter of which some people assumed was a port (which is a ridiculous claim for anyone who'd played both games). This decade started out pretty badly, but ended well for Nintendo. Here's hoping for another great decade from Nintendo.

Also, calls for Nintendo to go third-party have gone on since at least 2001, when Sega went software only.

Great article but I have to remind everyone that the decades start on the number "one" and end on the "ten" (same reason why the Millennium started in 2001)

P.s: sorry for being a party killer ups..

@Balta666 is right. We use the Gregorian calendar, which went from 1 BC to 1 AD. There was no "year zero". So from 1 AD to 10 AD is a decade, then the next sequence (decade) begins on 11 AD to 20 AD and so on and so forth.

@Balta666 @Iacobus technically true but is that important? It’s pretty pedantic to point out. Like people on New Year’s Eve In 1999 telling people that it wasn’t a big deal that the first digit of the year is changing for the first time in a millennium.

If decade reflections bother you then just think of this as the best of the period from 1 January to 2010 to 31 December 2019 (which just happens to be a decade long!)

@BongoBongo don't take everything you read on the internet so serious. Cheers

This decade was the worst in terms of the amount of deaths in two of my families, both in the workforce and life in general.

In 2011, I lost a former family member that was a helper to my grandmother as well, to a massive heart attack at the age of 64

In 2013, Hiroshi Yamauchi died

In 2014, my grandmother died from breast cancer at 74

In 2015, Satoru Iwata had died

In 2017, a former employee died from stage 4 cancer.

In 2018, another former employee died from a gunshot followed by blunt force trauma to the head with a baseball bat.

This is a great format for an article. I really enjoyed reading about Nintendo through the decade with links to your historical articles and reviews. I didn’t join Nintendo Life until part way through the decade, so I’ve really savoured reading the old news articles you’ve linked to while reminiscing about the 3DS and Wii U, and all the great games I played on those systems.

You should definitely do this format again or similar when suitable. I don’t want to have to wait until 2029 for the next one! 😀

I really enjoyed this feature. Thank you. I remember leaving IGN's Nintendo channel behind and bookmarking this site after the greatness of E3 2013 (Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8, Xenoblade X, Smash), and reading through these old articles brought back some great memories.