Best Nintendo Game From Every Year In The 2010s

Highlights

• The 2010s saw Nintendo dropping excellent titles yearly, including superb sequels like Mario Galaxy 2.
• Standout games like Zelda: Skyward Sword and Professor Layton captivated gamers and pushed hardware.
• Switch’s first year gave us Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, defining Nintendo’s dominance in gaming.

Nintendo isn’t just a company brimming with amazing gaming consoles, it’s also a company overflowing with amazing first-party titles. The 2010s were no different for the studio, thanks to the company continuing to drop excellent titles year after year.

With a wide range of great IPs, including the likes of Mario, Zelda & Pokemon, to name a few. The company continued to push its hardware and bring out new games that lived up to the its potential, delivering some exceptional games across the 2010s. Curious to see what titles blew Nintendo players away each year? Read on below.

2010: Super Mario Galaxy 2

Metascore: 97

When Super Mario Galaxy was released back in 2007, the game took the beloved platforming series to new heights thanks to its challenging levels, gorgeous world design, and well-refined platforming. It set a benchmark for Mario games, so when Super Mario Galaxy 2 was released three years later, there was plenty of pressure for the game to deliver.

Somehow, Super Mario Galaxy 2 surpassed everyone’s expectations. The game not only improved on nearly every aspect of the game, but it brought with it new and inventive boss battles, more challenging platforming, and a whole new galaxy of beautiful worlds to explore. In short, Super Mario Galaxy 2 did everything a great sequel should do, and in turn, it delivered one of the best Wii exclusives ever.

2011: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Metascore: 93

To many Zelda fans out there, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword remains one of the best adventures Link has ever had. Much of this can be attributed to the exceptional gameplay, cinematic feel, and having one of the best storylines within a Zelda game.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was easily one of the best Wii games to grace the console during its life cycle. It wasn’t just a game that featured on the Wii, but it was a game that utilized the full capabilities of the Wii’s motion control to deliver an interactive adventure. The combat, as a result, felt precise and more challenging, making for truly exciting battles. Add to that a sweeping adventure, an excellent array of supporting characters, and some great dungeons to explore. The game still holds up incredibly well, so it’s easy to see why this superb game got an HD remaster on the Nintendo Switch 10 years later.

2012: Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask

Metascore: 82

• Platform: Nintendo 3DS
• Released: 2012/10/28
• Developer: Level 5
• Genre: Puzzle, Adventure

One of gaming’s most iconic pacifists, Professor Layton, has gripped the hearts of many gamers out there thanks to a history of stellar adventures, complete with some fascinating tales and thought-provoking puzzles.

Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask is no different and delivered on everything that made it the beloved series that it is today. The game had a beautiful soundtrack, some rather enjoyable mini-games, well over 100 puzzles that ranged from the accessible to the puzzling, as well as entrapping players with an interesting narrative that intertwined timelines of the present day and Layton’s more youthful days. The game may have had a slow start, but it still delivered a great adventure that fans and newcomers of the Professor would wholeheartedly enjoy.

2013: Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Metascore: 88

There’s no two ways about it, the Animal Crossing series is a hallmark of cozy games. The way the game presents itself, and its mellow but addictive gameplay makes it a must-play for any gaming fan.

Releasing on the Nintendo 3DS, Animal Crossing: New Leaf ushered in, to many, the best Animal Crossing game to date. The game allowed players to become the mayor of their village, building bridges and spicing up their own slice of paradise. It also brought forward a lot of gameplay improvements, including the mini-game island tours. Though there’s still debate between Animal Crossing: New Leaf & Animal Crossing: New Horizon, there’s no denying that New Leaf was a masterpiece, and remains one of the best 3DS games ever made.

2014: Mario Kart 8

Metascore: 88

For many gamers out there, Mario Kart is the go-to game series for accessible and competitive kart racing. Whilst there have been some other great mascot kart racers, none have quite come as close to the title that Mario Kart has cemented for itself over the years.

Mario Kart 8 is still the latest entry in the long-running series, and the Deluxe version on the Switch is considered by many to be the best Mario Kart game out there. The game was released with a robust roster, a range of gameplay modes, and a plethora of great maps. It kept all the power-ups that made the series so great and family friendly, whilst adding new ones like the super horn to wade off unwanted blue shells.

2015: Super Mario Maker U

Metascore: 88

To this day, Super Mario Maker U remains one of the best games to be released on the Wii U. The game was a celebration of Mario’s long history and, as such, let long-time players into the creation side of the game, allowing them to craft their own Mario levels that ranged from the simple to the downright twisted and evil.

Super Mario Maker U comes pre-packed with a bunch of levels to play, but they can be beaten fairly quickly. Where the game truly excelled was through the dedicated community and incredibly accessible level creator kit. It was easy for players to spend hours tweaking their perfect levels. The game was incredibly addictive and let fans’ imaginations run wild, so much so that one fan even proposed to his girlfriend by having her play through a proposal level he built her.

2016: Pokemon Sun/Moon

Metascore: 87

Following on from the excellent Pokemon X & Y games that were released three years earlier, Pokemon Sun & Moon had a lot to live up to. The series was celebrating its 20th anniversary and, as such, many players were hoping Sun & Moon would be a celebration of that legacy, but also try to improve the tried and tested formula of the series. Thankfully, Sun & Moon did just that.

Taking place in the Alolan region, an area heavily influenced by Hawaii, Game Freak decided to make several changes to the series that really shook up the formula. Gone was the traditional Pokemon Gym progression, replaced by trials that saw a mix of combat and challenges that led to a final battle against stronger foes. The game also introduced Alola forms, the first regional variants to grace the series, with the likes of the adorable surfing Raichu and an ice-typed Vulpix evolution line.

Sun and Moon was a breath of fresh air for the series. It made its mark on the long-running series whilst still staying true to what makes the mainline Pokemon games so great in the first place. It was a refreshing and vibrant take on the series and remains a great JRPG to experience almost 10 years on.

2017: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild & Super Mario Odyssey

Metascore: 97 (Both Titles)

It’s not often that a console’s first year releases an absolute gaming masterpiece, one that demands the system to be bought. What’s even rarer is a console that releases two phenomenal games, but that’s exactly what happened with the Nintendo Switch. Releasing with the impeccable The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, only to be followed up eight months later by the outstanding Super Mario Odyssey, in what was one of Nintendo’s most dominant years in gaming.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild remains one of the Switch’s best first-party games seven years on, but it also stands as a benchmark for what great open-world sandbox games can be. On top of the game’s striking visuals, Breath of the Wild also featured some of the series’ best combat to date, with menacing foes, a cataclysmic central narrative, and some of the most fun dungeon challenges seen in the series yet. Add to that a world littered with stuff to do, and it’s no wonder this title has cemented itself as a must-play for any Switch owner.

On the other side of the 2017 coin, there’s Super Mario Odyssey. An absolutely insane Mario adventure that has Mario throwing Cappy, a ghostly hat that allows Mario to possess and play as anything wearing the hat, including a giant T-Rex. The game has Mario back to his 3D platforming best with a wide range of colorful and distinct worlds that’ll have him encountering some absurd and inventive platforming challenges. The game is also packed with an enormous number of collectibles to find and some really great boss fights to encounter. Once again, Mario delivered another stellar platforming adventure.

2018: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Metascore: 93

The Super Smash Bros series has been a fan favorite among fighting game fans, thanks to the game’s accessible but incredibly deep combat. The latest title in the fighting series is no different, with the biggest roster yet, alongside new maps and a new adventure mode, World of Light, to sink plenty of hours into.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate didn’t topple the king, which is Super Smash Bros. Melee, but it is still a hugely rewarding and addictive platform fighter that appeals to newcomers and hardcore series enthusiasts. Finding a favorite fighter, and learning the move sets and platforming range remained as fun as ever. It was another hit for Nintendo and another great iteration that still has gamers pumping hours upon hours into the game.

2019: Pokemon Sword/Shield

Metascore: 80

Pokemon Sword and Shield marked the entrance of the eighth generation of Pokemon. The game took players to the Galar region, a new setting for the series that was inspired by Great Britain.

Sword and Shield marked a return to series normality following the changes made by Pokemon Sun & Moon, but the game also introduced a bunch of new and exciting concepts to the series, including the wild area. The game had fun gym challenges to beat, some great new Pokemon designs, and, thanks to the Dynamax mechanic, it made battles feel like epic duels between towering Kaiju.