8 Best Nintendo Games That Lived Up To The Hype, Ranked

Summary

Mario Kart Wii excelled with motion controls and new stages, meeting high fan expectations.
Pokemon Black & White 2 was a successful sequel with improved mechanics and additions.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses integrated social sim elements and delivered a compelling, enjoyable game.

It’s always an exciting occasion anytime a brand-new Nintendo game is announced to the world, but over the years, there have been a select few titles that garnered an incredible amount of hype leading up to their release. Whether it’s because of an excellent marketing campaign or due to the previous games in the series setting high expectations, there are many reasons why people can get so excited about a new title, though whether they manage to live up to this hype varies depending on the game.

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Thankfully, though, there have been more than a few occasions that, despite the ambitious promises made by the developers, succeeded in living up to fan expectations. With the Switch 2 finally released, it feels like the perfect time to reflect on the games from Nintendo’s catalog that blew fans away for how well they managed to meet the excitement inspired by the fans.

8

Mario Kart Wii

Mario Kart Wii Made Good Use Of The System’s Motion Controls

Whenever a new Nintendo system drops, there’s always that agonizing wait for the new Mario Kart to drop, unless it’s released as a launch title. With the Wii introducing the world to motion controls, Mario Kart Wii was a specific entry many fans had high hopes for, considering the driving gameplay was a perfect fit for the system.

While motion controls had admittedly been quite shaky for many Wii titles, they work surprisingly well for Mario Kart Wii, especially when using the steering wheel that comes included with the game. Mario Kart Wii also packs in an extensive roster of familiar characters, alongside multiple new stages which have gone on to become classics, such as Coconut Mall and Mushroom Gorge.

7

Pokemon Black & White 2

An Impressive Sequel That Improved Everything From The Original

The original Pokemon Black and White games were already considered to be very high-quality entries in the series, but the sequels improve on virtually everything that made the original games so beloved. As this was the final Pokemon game to use sprites, it means the game has a very charming aesthetic that harkens back to the classic games while still feeling modernized thanks to the fluid animations and stunning environments.

7:10

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What also helped Black and White 2 become such a fan favorite was the plethora of new mechanics and additions baked into the game. A prime example of this is the Pokemon World Tournament, which allows players to go up against some of the most powerful trainers and gym leaders from the series’ past in epic battles. Many considered Black and White to already be a high point for the Pokemon franchise, so while a lot of people were looking forward to the sequels, it was certainly nice to see them turn out to be so successful, and most importantly, fun to play.

6

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Nintendo Outdid Themselves Yet Again With Their Excellent Sequel To Mario Galaxy

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Systems

10/10

Released: May 23, 2010
ESRB: E For Everyone due to Mild Cartoon Violence
Developer(s): Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s): Nintendo

Super Mario Galaxy is a game that tinkered with the traditional Mario gameplay formula to create one of the most beloved titles in the entire franchise. The wonderful mixture of planets paired with the memorable characters and iconic soundtrack made it clear that a sequel would be in order, and needless to say, fans were extremely excited to see what Nintendo could cook up next, and how on earth they could improve on the already solid foundation.

They achieved this by not only packing in a ton more planets, many of which were extremely vibrant and engaging in their presentation, but also by adding Yoshi, who opened up plenty of mechanics and gameplay options. The soundtrack retained the orchestral style of the original while also including some slightly more alternative songs to keep things fresh. This isn’t even mentioning the plethora of power-ups, which all feel extremely creative and useful, since they all come with their own unique pros and cons to test out during gameplay.

5

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

After the Fire Emblem: Fates series of games garnered a mixed reception from fans, it’s clear that the developers, Intelligent Systems, decided to go all out with their next entry in the tactical strategy series: Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Nintendo dropped multiple trailers leading up to the game’s release, which painted it as an entry that felt very unique in how it played, especially with the introduction of the Monastery, which introduced social-sim elements to accompany the strategic battle system.

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What resulted was a compelling, challenging, but extremely enjoyable game, which also features a ton of replay value due to there being three separate campaigns. Fire Emblem: Three Houses also received positive reception for its story, which contains plenty of twists and turns while also dealing with a lot of serious themes such as classism and prejudice. The marketing did an excellent job of getting people excited for Three Houses, so it’s a good thing the game managed to fulfill and even exceed people’s expectations once it finally released.

4

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing Arrived At Just The Right Time To Make Life A Little Easier For Many People

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Systems

9/10

Released: March 20, 2020
ESRB: E for Everyone: Comic Mischief
Developer(s): Nintendo EPD
Publisher(s): Nintendo

When Animal Crossing: New Horizons was announced in a September Nintendo Direct in 2018, it was hard not to get hyped up about the return of such a classic Nintendo franchise. However, it was soon revealed that the game would be pushed back to ensure it was up to the quality fans expected, but if anything, this just got people more excited to jump into the social simulator as soon as they possibly could.

While the game itself turned out to be a fantastic entry in the series, with players being given plenty of creative options in terms of how to model their own personal island, it also resonated with a lot of people due to launching during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a weird roundabout way, this allowed a lot of people to connect with Animal Crossing on an even deeper level, as many began to appreciate its social mechanics and online features, which have only been improved over time with updates.

3

Pikmin 4

After A Decade Long Hiatus, Pikmin Made A Grand Return In 2023

Despite starting on the GameCube as a fairly niche passion project from Miyamoto, Pikmin would go on to become one of the most commercially successful franchises to ever come out of Nintendo. Though Pikmin 3 received pretty good reviews from most outlets, it was ultimately skipped over by many people due to being on the less-than-popular Wii U system.

This is why, when the next installment was announced for the Switch a decade later, Pikmin fans were overjoyed to see the series make a grand return, with the game itself turning out to be one of the best games on the system. Not only does Pikmin 4 sport jaw-dropping graphics, but it also contains a healthy selection of creative environments to keep players on their toes. The introduction of Oatchi also makes exploration feel a lot faster and more rewarding in Pikmin 4 than previous entries, ensuring it feels fun to play from the beginning of a playthrough all the way through to the end.

2

Super Smash Bros Ultimate

A Game That Seemed Too Good To Be True

To say Nintendo fans were excited about the release of Super Smash Bros Ultimate would be putting it lightly. After it was revealed that every fighter from the previous Smash games would be coming back for Ultimate, along with a few brand-new fighters making it into the roster for the very first time, people couldn’t wait to get their hands on the game, which, for a while, seemed like it was too good to be true.

Somehow, though, Masahiro Sakurai and the team at Nintendo ensured that the game lived up to its namesake by creating what is undoubtedly the ultimate version of Super Smash Bros, featuring an incredible amount of content for both single-player and online. When combined with the performance running buttery smooth on the Switch and an extremely flashy and eye-catching aesthetic, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ticks off all the boxes, making it well worth the wait.

1

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

A Real Game Changer For The Franchise, Which Lived Up To Its Trailers

No long-time Zelda fan will ever be able to forget the reveal trailer for Breath of the Wild, which shows Link gazing upon the gorgeous landscape of Hyrule in all its glory. It was made clear early on by Nintendo that Breath of the Wild would be going into the open world genre, and while the Zelda franchise had flirted with this idea in the past, this was the first time it would truly be dedicating itself to giving players the freedom to explore anywhere and everywhere without being restricted to a linear pathway.

What also helped generate hype for Breath of the Wild was the fact that it was a launch title for the Nintendo Switch, and while there was certainly also excitement for Mario Odyssey, it did feel as though Breath of the Wild was the game people were most eager to play first. With a dazzling open world to explore, plenty of quirky characters to interact with, and a frankly jaw-dropping amount of creative potential granted to the player, Breath of the Wild became the best game on the entire system in the eyes of many.