Tag: Best Games
Guide Every Nintendo Switch Online SNES Game Ranked
All the SNES games, ranked by you
Update: Now includes Claymates, Jelly Boy and Bombuzal, which are the most recent arrivals on Nintendo Switch Online's SNES app. Remember, this list evolves as users rate the games within, so head to the game profiles and rate them out of 10 if you'd like to see the rankings below alter. All of the above additions...
Guide Best Final Fantasy Games Of All Time
Every mainline Final Fantasy on Nintendo systems, ranked by you
In celebration not only of Final Fantasy X's 20th anniversary, but also Final Fantasy IV's 30th anniversary (both Japanese launches), we're republishing this reader-ranked list of all the mainline Final Fantasy games available on Nintendo consoles. Remember, this list is dynamic and...
Guide Best Zelda Games Of All Time
All the Zelda games ranked, now with Skyward Sword HD!
What are the best Zelda games? Following decades of adventures across Nintendo consoles, ranking The Legend of Zelda series is one heck of an undertaking. Bar a couple of exceptions, each entry is pretty much a classic, and even the 'lesser' ones are really rather good. Many remain fixed as...
Guide Best Metroid Games Of All Time
As ranked by you
What's the best Metroid game of all time? The reveal and upcoming release of 'Metroid 5', better known as Metroid Dread, has had many of us going back to either revisit games in the franchise or catch up on ones we missed first time round. We compiled our personal ranking of the best Metroid games long ago with the sublime Metroid...
Guide Best Donkey Kong Games Of All Time
Every DK game ranked for your pleasure
9th July 2021 marks 40 years exactly since the original Donkey Kong debuted in arcades and the world got its first look at the eponymous ape and his adversary, Jumpman (whatever happened to him?). With rumours of a new DK game and an animation project in the works, we're bracing ourselv
Guide Best Tony Hawk Games Of All Time
As ranked by you
The arrival of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 on Switch ends a decade-long drought on Nintendo consoles of ollies, nollies, kickflips, grinds from the master Mr Anthony Hawk. The games (and their iconic soundtracks) were a formative part of many gamers' lives in the late '90s/early 2000s and we're thrilled to have him back. Tony...
Poll What's The Best Tony Hawk Game?
The best of Birdman
It's been a while since Nintendo gamers have been able to take Tony Hawk and his skater pals for a spin, but the release of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 (check out our review for the NL verdict — spoilers: it's good) has had us thinking back on all the ollies, nollies, kickflips, grinds and such that we've pulled as Birdman on...
Guide Best Sonic Games Of All Time
Every Sonic game on Nintendo consoles, ranked by you
It was 30 years ago that Sonic the Hedgehog — the blue dude with the most 'tude — first burst forth onto the Mega Drive in Japan and Sega finally presented a credible challenger for the platforming crown Nintendo's jumping plumber had been wearing since the mid 1980s. In the three decades...
The top 50 N64 games ever, as ranked by you
In celebration of this mighty 64-bit console's 25th anniversary, we're republishing this reader-ranked list of the top 50 Nintendo 64 games ever. As with all our Top 50 library lists, this ranking is is based on User Ratings in the Nintendo Life games database and is subject to fluctuation, even after...
As rated by you
The Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES (ness? nezz? enn-eee-ess?), is the archetypal home video game console. Sure, earlier machines such as the mighty Atari 2600 pioneered the basic concept of an under-the-TV console with interchangeable software and controller accessories, but the utilitarian design and hardware innovations of...
Guide Best Game Boy Advance (GBA) Games
The Top 50 GBA games ever, as ranked by you
The Game Boy Advance celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Japanese debut on 21st March 2021. Nintendo's first true successor to the original Game Boy line (the Game Boys Pocket and Color notwithstanding), the GBA in all its forms — original horizontal console, clamshell SP model, and ludicrously small...
Guide Best Game Boy Color (GBC) Games
The top 50 GBC games, as ranked by you
It was 1996 in Japan and 1998 in North America (and a year later in Europe) when the ageing Game Boy got an unexpected shot in the arm thanks to a little game named Pokémon. Nintendo's granddaddy of handheld gaming suddenly had a new lease of life, but in the West the release of the game was followed just...
Guide Every Dragon Quest Game Ranked
All the mainline Dragon Quests ranked by you
On 27th May 2021, Yuji Horii's seminal RPG Dragon Quest turned 35. Initially released in the West with the name Dragon Warrior, the Chunsoft-developed first entry in this genre-defining series debuted on Famicom in Japan before migrating to the North American NES three years later, and over the past...
Poll What's The Best Game Boy Color Game?
A splash of colo(u)r
The granddaddy of modern handheld gaming, the Game Boy, got an unexpected shot in the arm in the mid-'90s when a little game named Pokémon released and gave the ageing hardware a new lease of life. The updated Game Boy Pocket hardware might have slimmed down the bulky original DMG-001, but it was the long-awaited arrival of the...
Poll What's The Best Dragon Quest Game?
I need a Hero
Originally released in the West under the localised Dragon Warrior title, it's been nearly thirty-five years since Dragon Quest, Yuji Horii's seminal RPG series, debuted in Japan. In that time, we've seen eleven mainline entries in a series which led the way in defining the JRPG genre itself. Japanese Nintendo gamers have enjoyed...
Guide Star Wars Games - Every Star Wars Game On Nintendo Systems Ranked
We sort the padawans from the poodoo
Update: Now featuring 100% more Star Wars: Republic Commando. Originally posted on 7th April 2021, we've republished this list to celebrate Star Wars Day - enjoy! The release of Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker may have 'ended' Star Wars as we've known it for the past four-and-a-half decades, but all...
Guide Every Mega Man Game Ranked
All the Mega Men ranked by you (yes, ALL of them)
The little blue guy known as Mega Man (along with his various associates and related robots) has had a very long and storied career in video games. Since the NES days, he's starred in some absolute classics of the run-and-gun genre, although for every incredible game or spin-off experience Capcom has...
Black and white brilliance
Friday 21st April 1989 — the day that the Game Boy launched in Japan. Over thirty years ago the video gaming landscape would be forever changed as Nintendo opened up the new frontier of portable gaming to the masses. The company’s Game & Watch line let you take limited gaming experiences on-the-go, but the Game Boy...
Poll What's The Best Mega Man Game?
Rate every Mega Man game on Nintendo systems
Capcom's blue bomber and his various successors, companions and assorted compadres might have had a quiet few years a while back, but a string of more recent collections — not to mention the excellent Mega Man 11 — have helped put the little robot dude back on the gaming map in a way that fans could...
Guide Best Monster Hunter Games Of All Time
What's that coming over the hill?
What's the best Monster Hunter of all time? In a series where half of the titles have the word 'Ultimate' fixed on the end, it can be a difficult question to answer. We're not averse to difficult decisions, though, so we've taken it upon ourselves to rank every single Monster Hunter game (yes, in a departure from...
Guide Best Resident Evil Games Of All Time
You sort the S.T.A.R.S. from the lickers
Astonishingly, the Resident Evil franchise is now twenty-five years old. Ah, it seems like only yesterday we were soiling ourselves in the basement! Seem to remember playing some Resident Evil, too... Ahem. With the original Biohazard now old enough to rent a car, we thought it was the perfect time to...
Guide Every 2D Super Mario Game Ranked
As rated by you
With the imminent release of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury on Switch, and the Super Mario 35th anniversary celebrations drawing to a close in a matter of weeks, we thought it was about time we tried putting all of Mario's original 2D platforming adventures into some kind of order. We've previously looked at each and every...
Guide Best Kirby Games Of All Time
Every Kirby game ever, as ranked by you
Kirby — one of the most famous faces (with little podgy arms and feet attached) in Nintendo's stable of stars — has been wowing players with his impressive abilities and sheer versatility for nearly thirty years now. Created by Smash Bros. boss Masahiro Sakurai, the pink one built up a very impressive...
As ranked by you
Despite our affection for the the console, there's no denying that Wii U had its share of issues. Chiefly, Nintendo failed to properly communicate the hardware's unique potential to the game-playing public — a mistake the company was careful avoid repeating with Switch. The name was a point of confusion, too, with some people...
Guide Best Super Nintendo (SNES) Games
As rated by you
A lot can happen in thirty years. To be fair, a lot can happen in one year (2020 was a stark reminder of that), but thirty?!? We've seen five-ish console generations in that time, and some incredible advances in the tech and design ideas behind video games, but there was something special about the 16-bit generation. Maybe it's just...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Games Of 2020
A great year for games, at least
2020 is all but over (good riddance!) and it's time to look back and survey the gaming battleground. Despite this year being a particularly ugly one for practically all of us, we've been lucky enough to enjoy some incredible games throughout the year which have helped to restore our spirits in our down time, enforced...
Guide Every Nintendo Switch Online NES Game Ranked
All the NES games, ranked by you
Update: Now includes Ninja JaJaMaru-kun which is available on the Nintendo Switch Online service in the West from 26th May 2021. Remember, this list evolves as users rate the games within, so head to the game's profile and rate it out of 10 if you'd like to see a particular game climb the rankings below. Carry on!
As ranked by you
Next year we'll be celebrating fifteen years since Nintendo changed the game with Wii, the little motion-controlled console which broke away from the competition and started a revolution. Its brilliantly compact design (the size of three DVD boxes, remember?) and approachable and accessible controller helped it open up gaming to a...
Guide Best 3D Sonic Games Of All Time
Every 3D Sonic the Hedgehog game ranked by you
The release of Super Mario 3D All-Stars got us thinking about the plumber's platforming rival from the days of the console wars. Sonic the Hedgehog's jump into the third dimension may not have been as graceful as Mario's, but over the years he's amassed a large collection of 3D games, and despite a few...
Guide Every 3D Super Mario Game Ranked
As rated by you
The release of Super Mario 3D All-Stars had us debating at Nintendo Life Towers which of the Mario adventures in the third dimension is the absolute best. Team Nintendo Life has its own ideas about the best Super Mario games (including the 2D entries), but we recently asked for your opinions regarding the 3D entries specifically...
Guide Best Paper Mario Games Of All Time
All the Paper Mario games, ranked by you
The Paper Mario series began two decades ago when Paper Mario for the Nintendo 64 launched in Japan on 11th August 2000. Since then, we've seen five more mainline Paper Mario games of different flavours, plus a 3DS crossover with AlphaDream's Mario & Luigi series. Branching off from the role-playing path...
As voted by you
It may have had a slow start at launch back in 2011, but Nintendo 3DS steadily went from strength to strength and amassed a huge library of quality titles - enough to rival the company's finest. Sure, glasses-free stereoscopic 3D turned out to be a bit of a non-starter, but the best games made great use of the feature and the...
Guide Best Pokémon Games Of All Time
Where does Pokémon Sword and Shield rank?
What are the best Pokémon games? Ranking such awesome games proved a lot more difficult than we first anticipated, given how many of them end up being among the best games of their particular generation. We deliberated for many hours here at Nintendo Life Towers to decide the order of these turn-based RPG...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Games - The Best Switch Games 2021
The very best Switch games ever (so far)
Nintendo Switch has amassed a huge amount of great games since the console launched over three years ago. Of course, this abundance of riches leaves us in something of a pickle - too much software, not enough time to play it all. In fairness, it's a lovely problem to have. Help! There are too many excellent...
Guide Every Virtual Boy Game Ranked
Virtual virtues
Nintendo is an odd company in many ways; deeply conservative in some respects, but also able to swing for the fences and invest money and resources in the pursuit of pure novelty. Time and again it puts out products that no other platform holder would have dreamed of, and more often than not those frivolities turn out to be...
As ranked by you lovely people
The Nintendo GameCube launched in Japan in September 2001 and a couple of months later in North America. Unlucky Europeans wouldn't get their hands on it until the following year, but the wait was worth it for one of the best-looking video game consoles of all time. The NGC (sorry, GCN) is a beautiful, compact piece of...
Guide Best Professor Layton Games Of All Time
The mainline Layton games, ranked by you lovely lot
The release of Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy – Deluxe Edition on Nintendo Switch marked the belated debut of the Layton clan on Nintendo's current console. A clutch of excellent puzzle games came out for the Nintendo DS and 3DS handhelds, but it took a...
Guide Best Mario Kart Games Of All Time
Burn rubber
Back when Nintendo announced the very first Mario Kart game in the early '90s, there were some in the industry who proclaimed it as a sign that the veteran firm had finally lost its marbles. Sure, Mario had appeared in other games, but his forte was 2D platformers – he had no place on the racing track, and Super Mario Kart was...
Guide Best Super Smash Bros. Games Of All Time
What's the ultimate Super Smash Bros.?
When Super Smash Bros. Ultimate arrived on Switch and brought with it every single fighter from the series' history, it sent us back through the older games. With the original Super Smash Bros. now over 20 years old it's incredible
Guide Best Castlevania Games On Nintendo Consoles
Far from a miserable pile
The Castlevania series has a rich history on Nintendo consoles ever since the original game came first to the Japanese Famicom Disk System way back in 1986, and then to the NES a year later. There may be a significant release or two from Konami's vampire-killing catalogue still missing from Nintendo platforms (we're looking...
As voted for by you
This ranked reader-voted list of the 50 best Nintendo DS games is governed by Nintendo Life User Ratings and can change depending on those scores. Feel free to rate your favourites and, perhaps, rejig the ranking below. Enjoy! One of the joys of Nintendo's Switch is how it marries the company's home console heritage with its...
Guide Best Super Mario Games Of All Time
All the mainline Marios ranked
What's the best Mario game ever? Where do you even begin to rank them? Let's face it, any of the games in the top 10 could justifiably take the top spot. All of them could easily be somebody's 'best game of all time', and there'll always be someone who believes the series peaked with The Lost Levels. That's an opinion...
Guide Best Animal Crossing Games Of All Time
Is New Horizons the latest and greatest?
Since launching back in March, it seems like half the planet has been enjoying Animal Crossing: New Horizons at some time or other. Nintendo's serene life sim series has a habit of becoming a part of your daily routine like doing your teeth or walking the dog. Consequently, it etches itself into your brain;
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Games Of 2017
I just wanna go back, back to 2017
Remember 2017? While it might be something of a hazy memory now, that was the fateful year when Nintendo released the Switch to the world. The portable powerhouse would hit the ground running with the wonderful The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild upon its March 2017 launch. July 2017 saw the colourful...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Games Of 2019
The best games from Switch's third year
2019 was a fantastic year for Nintendo Switch owners, with a stellar lineup from the platform holder itself joined by a near-endless stream of brilliant third party games; finding the time to play them all was by far the biggest problem facing Switch (and Switch Lite) gamers. Nintendo's console got off to a...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Games Of 2018
The very best games from Switch's sophomore year
Cast your minds back, if you will, deep into the mists of time, all the way back to 2018. Yes, a lot has happened since then, not least where Nintendo Switch is concerned! After a barnstorming opener which featured genre-defining winners like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario...
Guide Every SEGA AGES Game On Nintendo Switch, Plus Our Top Picks
Blue skies smiling at me
Since the 2018 release of SEGA AGES Sonic the Hedgehog, we've seen a slow and steady flow of classic SEGA games arrive on Switch eShop courtesy of developer and retro port specialists M2. This is the same company responsible for the excellent SEGA 3D Classics line for 3DS. While not as plentiful or frequent as Hamster's...
Guide Best Fire Emblem Games Of All Time
Fancy a game of Swords-Axes-Lances?
This is our list of the best games in the Fire Emblem series to release in the West, and now includes Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light. If you disagree with our personal ranking, our reader poll of the best Fire Emblem games might make for an interesting comparison. Enjoy! It might have taken...
Guide Game Of The Decade - The Best Games On Nintendo Systems 2010-2019
The best games of the teens, as ranked by you
As the 21st century passed from its teens into its twenties, we looked back over the previous ten years in the video game industry. It was quite the rollercoaster journey for Nintendo in particular, riding the highs of the Wii and DS period through the trials of the Wii U and 3DS era right up to the...
Feature Best Nintendo 3DS RPGs
A quest for the best
As the 3DS's sixth year in the world draws to a close, we can already look back on its impressively varied library with wonder; along with plenty of standout platformers, life sims, rhythm games, and puzzlers, it's also carved out a particular niche by delivering an almost non-stop barrage of first class RPGs. Responsible for...
