Nintendo’s game franchises date back to the 1980s when the 8-bit NES was king of the console world. Many of the biggest game franchises today belong to Nintendo. The big N’s greatest game series are renowned for their purity of play and innovation. Such Nintendo game series also include some of the most iconic characters in video gaming history. These are seven of the best Nintendo video game franchises to play on home consoles.
Mario Bros
Mario is the red-capped plumber who saved the gaming industry during the 1980s. The original Super Mario Bros. game was a blockbuster, boasting inventive level design, responsive controls, and a vibrant graphical aesthetic that paved the way for the 2D platform genre. That game started a Super Mario Bros franchise renowned for its revolutionary gameplay innovation, charming and memorable characters, and ingenious level design. Mario Bros. is also one of the Nintendo video game franchises that has had a significant cultural impact, thanks to its blockbuster animated films and cartoon series.
It’s hard to choose the biggest highlight of the Mario franchise because it has had many great additions. However, the Super Mario Galaxy games are two of the most highly rated in the franchise’s history. Those games incorporated ground-breaking gravity gameplay mechanics, unique galaxy-level design, and cinematic live orchestral scores that set them apart from other Mario titles.
Mario Kart
Mario Kart is generally considered the most highly rated Mario spin-off series from the Nintendo video game franchise. The original Super Mario Kart on the SNES established a new go-kart racer subgenre that prioritizes fun over realism. The Mario Kart game series is renowned for its accessible and fun gameplay, with players racing across a diverse selection of Mario-themed tracks or competing in chaotic battle modes.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the Switch is the most highly rated addition to its series. That is a great game because of its high-speed, tight racing mechanics, beautiful visuals, and polished battle mode. With up to 96 tracks to race on and 50 characters to select (with DLCs), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe offers terrific content value.
Metroid
Some of the most highly rated games in history have been from the Metroid series. Metroid is a pioneering sci-fi Nintendo game series that stars the bounty hunter Samus Aran fighting to save the galaxy from pirates and Metroids. This is one of Nintendo’s finest game series because of its unique blend of Mario platforming and Zelda exploration, intense atmosphere, environmental storytelling, and empowering power-up loop. It is a pioneer of the Metroidvania adventure subgenre that incorporates non-linear exploration of a large interconnected world.
The Metroid Nintendo video game series is an expansive series that dates back to the 1980s. Metroid Prime is one of the best games of the series that shifted the franchise into first-person 3D. That is a Metroid game with a masterful world design, immersive atmosphere, and innovative scanning mechanic. Nintendo also released a remastered version of Metroid Prime, which you can play on the Switch.
Zelda
Zelda has been the pinnacle of action-adventure RPGs for decades. This is among the best Nintendo video game franchises because of its renowned open-world exploration and unique blend of adventure, action, and puzzle-solving gameplay. Players also love the memorable atmosphere, music, and distinct, stylized visuals of the Zelda games.
There are numerous classic games in the Zelda franchise. Many players rate Ocarina of Time as one of the best games ever because of its groundbreaking gameplay and revolutionary 3D design. However, Breath of the Wild is another Zelda masterpiece because of its unprecedented exploration freedom, immersive world design, and emergent gameplay.
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong has been among the most influential and longest-running Nintendo video game franchises in history. This Nintendo series began in the arcades during the 1980s, and the original game introduced Mario to the masses. The sidescrolling Donkey Kong series is renowned for its precision platforming fun, catchy soundtracks, varied level design, and engaging gameplay.
Many rate Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze as the highlight of the DK series. Players loved Tropical Freeze because of its dynamic level design, visual flair, and phenomenal soundtrack. However, the DKC games from the Super NES era were also highly-rated titles with revolutionary visuals for their time.
Super Smash Bros
Super Smas Bros is one of the biggest Nintendo video game franchises in which players slog it out with characters from many of the Big N’s foremost series. This is a unique platform fighting game series in which players fight matches with knockouts rather than knockouts. Many players love the Super Smash Bros franchise because of its fun and accessible gameplay, versatile multiplayer, and unmatched content.
Super Smas Bros Ultimate is the pinnacle addition to this Nintendo video game franchise. The Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch) game has some of the most polished gameplay and substantial content of its series, with its Everyone is Here character roster. It is a fighting game that appeals to casual and competitive players with many stages and an extensive music library, which is almost like a celebration of gaming history.
Paper Mario
Paper Mario is a Nintendo RPG game with a unique 2D paper-craft art style. This has been among the best Nintendo video game franchises for decades because of its compelling strategic turn-based combat, creative world design, and unique art style. It is a game series that combines the Mario charm with deep character narratives.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, for the GameCube, is the most beloved addition to the Paper Mario series. Players loved that game because of its deep turn-based combat, engaging story, unique character designs, and polished storybook aesthetic. Nintendo also released a Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door remake in 2024, which you can play on the Switch.
Those have been the best Nintendo video game franchises throughout gaming history. Those game franchises continue to go strong today with Nintendo releasing new instalments for them on its latest consoles, such as Mario Kart World. The best games in those franchises are among the finest in video gaming history.
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