Launch line-ups for consoles can be a tricky business, especially forNintendo, fresh off of itsSwitch 2 reveal.The company has some of the best-loved IP in video gaming, but the double edge of this particular sword means that fans and consumers alike have lofty expectations whenever a new piece of hardware is unveiled. A newNintendoconsole means the potential to start strong and offer revolutionary new ways to experience video games, or offer new spins on established classics.
Over the years, Nintendo has done a mixture of both, dropping world-changing games likeSuper Mario Bros.for the Nintendo Entertainment System and then much later introducing titles likeWii Sportsto the world as a pack-in title for the Wii. Launching a new console is no easy task, owing to the huge amount of time and money involved in getting a product out the door, so launch line-ups can vary greatly in quality. Here is a list of all of Nintendo’s home consoles so far, before the Switch 2.
To keep things simple, this list will focus on home consoles only and include the launch line-ups for North America.
Nintendo Wii U
In terms of sheer numbers, theWii U launch line-upcould be at number 1. A staggering 32 games were launched with the device, leaving gamers with no shortage of stuff to play on launch day. AAA flagships likeCall of DutyandMaddenwere included in the third-party efforts, and Nintendo had its own MVP withNew Super Mario Bros. U, a highly polished spin on the 2D platformers that had made its name.
But just as the Wii U itself couldn’t quite find the sweet spot, neither could its starting lineup. Many of the games were simply updates of titles that had already been available on other consoles for some time, andNew Super Mario Bros. Uwas a good time, but far from an unmissable experience. The glut of titles meant that real gems, like thehugely underratedZombiU, never got the chance to shine. An overall case of quantity rather than quantity.
Nintendo 64
Video gaming reached a fork in the road in the mid-90s; on the one hand, there was Nintendo clinging to its belief in cartridges and gameplay-only home devices. On the other hand was Sony,with its shiny new PlayStationand CD-based home entertainment. The latter company would emerge the victor, but for a time, it looked like the Nintendo 64 would lay waste to the competition, with a more powerful console and a paradigm-shifting launch title.
Super Mario 64not only changed how Mario games were played but also how video games themselves could be played, with a move away from linear gameplay. It was one of the best games ever made, but the Nintendo 64 failed to live up to its potential and eventuallylost the console warto Sony for at least two generations. The 1996 launch line-up of only two games, its smallest ever, compared to the double-digit library the PlayStation had by that point, was lacking and effectively sealed the console’s fate.
SNES
It’s worth noting that in Japan, the SNES (known in its home country as the Super Famicom) onlylaunched with 2 games. A more hearty selection was available for the console’s North American launch, including what many people consider to be the absolute pinnacle of Mario’s 2D exploits -Super Mario World.The deliriously enjoyable launch title gave the world Yoshi but also new gameplay mechanics, audio, and graphics that, at the time, left gamers enthralled.
The rest of the selection is rounded out by fondly remembered franchise iterations.F-Zerowas a state-of-the-art sci-fi racing game unlike anything anyone had ever seen at the time, whilePilotwingsused the SNES horsepower to show off impressive displays of aerial skill. For the hardcore,Gradius 3provided an authentic arcade shooting experience in the comfort of the home. While it’s a slim selection by today’s standards, it’s also a clutch of brilliant, polished games that got the console’s foot firmly in the door.
Nintendo Wii
The Wii was Nintendo’s grand comeback after losing out to Sony and Microsoft for years. It broke all the rules; an underpowered device with an unorthodox controller and a host of extra features (weather channel! Photo album! Cute avatars!) that absolutely no one was asking for. It wiped the floor with the competition, but that was thanks in large part to two very important games which helped it stand head and shoulders above the competition.
WithThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Nintendo gave its devoted fanbase what they had wanted for years -a Zelda gamewith a darker tone and more gritty combat. Then there’sWii Sports, a game that introduced intuitive controls that anyone could play, whether they were aged 8 or 80. The buzz that these titles generated brought consumers in droves, even though a lot of the supporting launch games were far from masterpieces.
Nintendo Switch
There’s no point beating around the bush; if someone bought a Switch on launch day, it was because they wanted to playBreath Of The Wild. The game was Nintendo’s single most creatively daring title sinceSuper Mario 64, taking everything that fans knew and loved about the franchise and turning all of it on its head, while simultaneously making a game that stayed true to the spirit of the series. It was a towering masterpiece with massive replayability.
When a console launches with a game that good, there’s not room for much else, but the rest of the Switch launch line-up, including both physical and digital-only games, is a cheerful selection that brings together hardcore deep cuts (Bomberman, Shovel Knight) with family-friendly party games (1-2 Switch, Just Dance 2017) that inject plenty of joy into the mix.
Nintendo Entertainment System
The NES launch line-up combined great gameplay experiences with titles that would change video gaming forever, but there’s also an outstanding mix of genres. Anyone who foundSuper Mario Bros.too taxing could unwind withDuck Hunt. Anyone who wanted an arcade beat em up could playKung Fu. Anyone who was uninterested in any of the above could kick back with a sports game orPinball.To this day, many of these titles are still fun to play, and the timelessness is what puts the NES at number one.
Video gaming was in a very bad place when the first NES launched; Atari had tanked the market by over-saturating it with slop, and gamers were burned out on bad titles. That all changed with the arrival of Nintendo’s very first home console, which announced the arrival of a pivotal force in video gaming and changed the course of popular culture. Iconic creations likeSuper Mario Bros.andDuck Huntcame into people’s living rooms. The rest is history.
