Launch line-ups for consoles can be a tricky business, especially for Nintendo, fresh off of its Switch 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 new Nintendo console means the potential to start strong and offer revolutionary new ways to experience video games, or offer new spins on established classics.
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Over the years, Nintendo has done a mixture of both, dropping world-changing games like Super Mario Bros. For the Nintendo Entertainment System and then much later introducing titles like Wii Sports to 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.
6 Wii U
The 'U' Stands For 'Unwieldy'
- New Super Mario Bros. U
- Nintendo Land
- SiNG Party
- Assassin's Creed 3
- Batman: Arkham City - Armored Edition
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
- Darksiders 2
- Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
- FIFA Soccer 13
- Game Party Champions
- Just Dance 4
- Madden NFL 13
- Mass Effect 3: Special Edition
- NBA 2K13
- Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge
- Rabbids Land
- Scribblenauts Unlimited
- Skylanders Giants
- Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
- Tank! Tank! Tank!
- Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition
- Transformers: Prime – The Game
- Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper
- Wipeout 3
- Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013
- ZombiU
- Original Release Date
- November 18, 2012
- Original MSRP (USD)
- $299 Deluxe Sets: $349
In terms of sheer numbers, the Wii U launch line-up could 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 like Call of Duty and Madden were included in the third-party efforts, and Nintendo had its own MVP with New 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, and New Super Mario Bros. U was a good time, but far from an unmissable experience. The glut of titles meant that real gems, like the hugely underrated ZombiU, never got the chance to shine. An overall case of quantity rather than quantity.
5 Nintendo 64
Slim Pickings, Despite One of the Most Classic and Best Video Games of All Time
- Super Mario 64
- Pilotwings 64
- Original Release Date
- September 29, 1996
- Brand
- Nintendo
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 PlayStation and 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.
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Super Mario 64 not 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 eventually lost the console war to 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.
4 Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Super In More Ways Than One
- F-Zero
- Pilotwings
- SimCity
- Super Mario World
- Gradius 3
- Original Release Date
- August 23, 1991
- Original MSRP (USD)
- $199
It's worth noting that in Japan, the SNES (known in its home country as the Super Famicom) only launched 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.
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The rest of the selection is rounded out by fondly remembered franchise iterations. F-Zero was a state-of-the-art sci-fi racing game unlike anything anyone had ever seen at the time, while Pilotwings used the SNES horsepower to show off impressive displays of aerial skill. For the hardcore, Gradius 3 provided 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.
3 Nintendo Wii
A Master Class of Motion Controls and Family Fun
- Wii Sports (bundled with the console)
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
- Excite Truck
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Call of Duty 3
- Cars
- Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2
- Elebits
- GT Pro Series
- Happy Feet
- Madden NFL 07
- Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
- Monster 4x4: World Circuit
- Need for Speed: Carbon
- Rampage: Total Destruction
- Rayman Raving Rabbids
- Red Steel
- SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab
- Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
- Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam
- Trauma Center: Second Opinion
- Original Release Date
- November 19, 2006
- Original MSRP (USD)
- $249.99
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.
With The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Nintendo gave its devoted fanbase what they had wanted for years - a Zelda game with a darker tone and more gritty combat. Then there's Wii 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.
2 Nintendo Switch
One Game To Rule Them All
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- 1-2-Switch
- Super Bomberman R
- Just Dance 2017
- Skylanders: Imaginators
- Fast RMX
- Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove
- Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment
- Snipperclips: Cut It Out, Together!
- I Am Setsuna
There's no point beating around the bush; if someone bought a Switch on launch day, it was because they wanted to play Breath Of The Wild. The game was Nintendo's single most creatively daring title since Super 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.
1 Nintendo Entertainment System
It All Starts Here with the NES
- 10-Yard Fight
- Baseball
- Clu Clu Land
- Duck Hunt
- Excitebike
- Golf
- Gyromite
- Hogan's Alley
- Ice Climber
- Kung Fu
- Pinball
- Stack-Up
- Super Mario Bros.
- Tennis
- Wild Gunman
- Wrecking Crew
- Original Release Date
- July 31, 1989
- Original MSRP (USD)
- $179
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 found Super Mario Bros. Too taxing could unwind with Duck Hunt. Anyone who wanted an arcade beat em up could play Kung Fu. Anyone who was uninterested in any of the above could kick back with a sports game or Pinball. 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 like Super Mario Bros. And Duck Hunt came into people's living rooms. The rest is history.