With Animal Crossing Switch game dropping real soon and #PokemonDay coming up in the near future, we’re in a very Nintendo-y headspace. As a result, we feel like ranking all of the best Nintendo consoles. So without further ado, here are our favourite seven.
7. Nintendo Game Boy
Ah, the Gameboy. The first hand-held console to come out of Nintendo, outsold its rivals Game Gear, Lynx, and TurboExpress by a considerable amount. I know, I don’t know what those are either. This #PokemonDay, whip out your old Gameboy and celebrate the console that put the phenomenon on the map. Not to mention, we have to show love to Mario Tennis and Kirby’s Dreamland!
6. Nintendo Wii
Ah, the Wii. The Wii might be one of the most innovative consoles that have ever come out in my lifetime. The departure from the chorded controllers that came with the GameCube showed that Nintendo we’re ready to take risks. The console, which launched with Wii Sports, demonstrated Nintendo were here to get active. This was further reinforced with the addictive, virtual-gym, Wii Fit. Also, we got Super Mario Galaxy!
5. Nintendo Game Boy Advance
Even though the Game Boy was super successful, it didn’t stop Nintendo from innovating like there’s no tomorrow. Introducing the Game Boy Advance; the ultimate extension from its ubiquitous predecessor. The screen got bigger, the visuals got better and the console supported the entire back-catalogue of Game Boy games. Also, shout out to the Game Boy Advance SP that gave users the backlight, essential for playing right before going to bed.
4. Nintendo GameCube
While the GameCube was a commercial flop, it remains a fan-favourite within the Nintendo community. It honestly changed the game. The console dramatically improved the graphics of the N64 predecessor with this evolution from bricks to small disks. Not to mention, there were adaptors so that you could play your old Game Boy games! The reason this console didn’t get the commercial credit it deserved was because of its family-friendly reputation, which turned off a huge chunk of gamers. But we still love it, nonetheless.
3. Nintendo 64
If you’ve tried to play Nintendo 64 in the last few years, you’d understand that the graphics suck. But, that didn’t stop this console from being incredible at the time. The games that came along with this console equally showed significant strides in innovation. Super Mario 64? Changed the game when it came to adventure games. Also, Goldeneye 007? Changed the game for first-person shooters. 007 walked so that Call of Duty could run.
2. Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch was greater than anything we could have imagined. 2017 was a wild time, Nintendo was about to launch their new consoles and the sceptics jumped out because of how poorly the Wii U did. But, they not only met expectations, they exceeded it. The games on it appealed to everyone and their seamless gameplay from docked to handheld was exceptional. Shout out to Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild too for being one of the best games of all time. Also, now that Animal Crossing is coming out, there’s never been a better time to get yourself a Switch! Or a Switch Lite. Up to you.
1. Nintendo DS
The Nintendo DS deserves to top this list for a number of reasons, but the only one you need is Brain Training. Somehow, Brain Training made learning fun, and I will never forgive Nintendo for it. Not to mention, Animal Crossing and Nintendogs single-handedly caused an entire generation of kids to ask their parents for family pets. But seriously, the groundbreaking dual-screen design changed the way we played games, forever. Every game that you played seemed to utilise it in a different way. Not to mention, PictoChat was the best way to communicate with people who were literally in the room with you. Sure, the original DS was a little on the chunkier side, but the DS Lite is one of the sexist consoles of all time. And that is the hill I will die on.
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