Tag: Best Games
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...
Feature 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...
Feature 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...
Feature Every Nintendo Switch Online SNES Game Ranked
All the SNES games, ranked by you
Update: Now includes Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble!, The Ignition Factor, Super Valis IV and Tuff E Nuff which will be available to Nintendo S
Feature Every Nintendo Switch Online NES Game Ranked
All the NES games, ranked by you
Update: Now includes Nightshade which is available on the Nintendo Switch Online service in the West from 18th December 2020. 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!...
Feature Best Nintendo Wii Games
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...
Feature Best Nintendo 64 Games
The top 50 N64 games ever, as ranked by you
We asked Nintendo Life readers to rate their favourite N64 games, and it's now time to reveal the results! The Nintendo 64 is a console which tends to divide gamers. Launching back in 1996 (or 1997 in PAL regions) as the gaming industry's bread-and-butter switched from sprites to polygons, the console...
Feature 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...
Feature Every 3D Super Mario Game Ranked
As rated by you
The release of Super Mario 3D All-Stars has 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...
Feature Best Final Fantasy Games Of All Time
Every mainline Final Fantasy on Nintendo systems, ranked by you
The release of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition has had us looking back over the long-running and celebrated Final Fantasy franchise. The RPG series with the title to get Lionel Hutz hot under the collar has over three decades-worth of titles to its name, with...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Fighting Games
Final Round. Fight!
It's ironic that one of the most violent video game genres is also one which has pulled millions of people together; ever since the early days of Fatal Fury and Street Fighter II, the humble 'fighting game' genre has created (and arguably ended) countless friendships. This style of game is perfect for social multiplayer malarkey...
Feature Best Retro Nintendo Switch Games - Modern Games With Old-School Style
Scratch that nostalgia itch with these Switch neo-classics
Ah nostalgia - it's a tricksy thing. How many times have we gone back to revisit a treasured classic only to find that modern games have spoiled it for us? For all the brilliant aspects of retro games, the mod cons and performance we're used to now are pretty fantastic, too, and sometimes...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Exclusives
Games you can only play on Nintendo Switch
Nintendo's Switch has become home to a great many games over the last three-and-a-half years. A great deal of them have appeared on other platforms, whether celebrated indie games or huge AAA releases getting a second wind on Nintendo's handheld hybrid. However, the console is also home to a clutch of...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch 2D Platformers
Jump around
With so many excellent platformers available on Switch, picking something out from the overwhelming selection can be hard. The genre has a very strong pedigree on Nintendo systems going all the way back to the original Super Mario Bros. on NES (which you can find on Switch along with several of its celebrated sequels via the Nintendo...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Strategy Games
The best RTS, 4X, strategy and tactics games on Switch
Strategy and tactics games by their very nature require deep thought and careful consideration, and many gamers these days often find it hard to embark on epic multi-hour campaigns in a single sitting. Planning a multi-turn offensive in a 4X game like Civilization or outfitting your party with...
Guide Every ACA Neo Geo Game On Nintendo Switch, Plus Our Top Picks
A complete list of Hamster's ACA Neo Geo Switch titles
Much like Hamster's Arcade Archives series, the company's line of Neo Geo titles - which goes by the bespoke title 'ACA NEOGEO' to separate it from the rest - has been a regular fixture of the weekly Nintendo Switch eShop download lists. With over a hundred releases under the ACA banner, Hamster...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Music And Rhythm Games
Not rushing, not dragging
Whether you're a rhythm-gaming master or just enjoy getting down to the funky beat, there are a wealth of games available on Switch that cater to the musically inclined. From games that give you a full body workout to titles that test the timing of a single digit, we were surprised to see just how many excellent rhythm and...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Kart Racing Games
Who could possibly be in pole position?
When it comes to kart racers, there's one undisputed king of the crop on Nintendo systems, and we're not talking Crash Bandicoot. Let's not kid ourselves here - we all know what's sitting at number one on the list below of the best (and worst) kart racers on Nintendo Switch. With a record like Schumacher in...
Feature 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...
Feature Best Nintendo 3DS Games
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...
Feature Best Zelda Games Of All Time
All the Zelda games ranked
What are the best Zelda games? Following several 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 among the very best...
Feature 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...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch FPS Games
Lock and load
Nintendo Switch's bulging catalogue of games covers practically every genre, and First-Person Shooters are no exception. It's a welcome change because Nintendo systems have historically lagged a little behind other consoles in the FPS field despite hosting some classics. GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark helped define the FPS on consoles,...
Feature 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...
Feature 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...
Feature 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...
Feature 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...
Feature 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 incre
Feature 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...
Feature Best Donkey Kong Games Of All Time
Every DK game ranked for your pleasure
While Mario is the undisputed man when it comes to all things Nintendo, let it never be forgotten that it was Donkey Kong who gave the plumber a leg-up in the world of video games. The ape's original game not only conquered the arcade and introduced the world to the character who would become Nintendo's mascot,...
Feature Best Nintendo DS Games
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...
Feature Best Metroid Games Of All Time
Ranking Samus' adventures
What's the best Metroid game of all time? Well, we're about to tell you just that with our list of all Metroid games ranked from worst to best. As is the case with all our All Time lists, we've taken all the opinions of Team NL along with a host of other variables, put that data into a blender, mixed it into a delicious...
Feature 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...
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...
Feature 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 decision to make. 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 our...
Feature 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;
Feature 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...
Feature 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...
Feature 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...
Feature Best Resident Evil Games Of All Time
You sort the S.T.A.R.S. from the lickers
The Resident Evil series has evolved so much over the years that even hardened fans find it hard to pin down a favourite. Which brand of Resident Evil are we talking about? Do you prefer old-school tank controls and fixed camera angles, or are your tastes more action-oriented? Regardless of the individual...
Feature 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...
Feature Star Wars Games - Every Star Wars Game On Nintendo Systems Ranked
We sort the padawans from the poodoo
The release of Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker may have 'ended' Star Wars as we've known it for over 40 years, tying a bow on the cinematic tales of the Skywalker clan and the nine-film series which began way back in 1977, but Star Wars is never really gone. Streaming platform Disney+ has all the...
Feature 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...
Feature 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...
