Nintendo Best Years

Last week, following some suggestion on social media that 2020 was shaping up to be a poor one for Nintendo on current evidence, we asked you to tell us which year you thought was Nintendo's 'worst' out of the last thirty-five.

The results showed that 23% of the people who responded counted 2015 as the worst year for Nintendo. Five years ago, it has to be said that the company appeared to be in the doldrums: Wii U was performing poorly, software releases were few and far between, and not even the incredible muppet-style puppets of Iwata, Miyamoto and Reggie were able to save a lacklustre E3 showing. It should be noted that both Splatoon and Super Mario Maker released that year, but the passing of Satoru Iwata also took its toll on the company and its followers. A tough year, that's for sure.

it's clear that many people aren't satisfied with the games offering so far this year

According to the poll, 2016 wasn't much better, with Wii U limping along as development resources were diverted to the upcoming NX. However, coming in third place with 19% was 2020 - or more accurately, the first six months of 2020. As we said last week, it's certainly been a quiet one--and far less impressive if you're not an Animal Crossing fan--but we keenly remember the lean Wii U years and the software droughts of the N64 days (which, interestingly, caused nary a blip in the poll). Only seven months into 2020, first-party software is smashing sales records, and Nintendo is having trouble keeping up with demand for its console. Even if a significant section of the audience might not be impressed, the company accountants are no doubt content - especially given the difficulties people are currently facing across the globe. Still, it's clear that many people aren't satisfied with the games offering so far this year. Hopefully, Nintendo has some aces up its sleeve over the next five months.

So, now that the negative poll is done and dusted, this week we're asking you a cheerier question: What do you consider to be Nintendo's 'best' year? Again, how you define 'best' is entirely up to you: perhaps it was the launch year of your favourite console; maybe it delivered hit after incredible hit; perhaps you're just a colossal Luigi fan.

The Year Of Luigi
What year was this again?

This time we've also highlighted some of each year's most prominent releases to help jog your memory when thinking back over the past three-and-a-half decades. Note, also, that all software listed below relates to its launch year in the US.

Which year do you think was Nintendo's very best since the launch of the NES?

Thanks for voting! Let us know how you made your choice in the comments.