Nintendo is known for some of the most iconic video game franchises ever created, like The Legend of Zelda, which dates all the way back to 1986, and it is still going strong today. With the massive success of newer offerings like Breath of the Wild, its direct sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, and the upcoming Ocarina of Time remake, it’s safe to say that fans still absolutely love this franchise.
That said, Nintendo has numerous popular franchises, many of which are just as or even more recognizable than The Legend of Zelda. Pokémon, Super Mario, Animal Crossing, and Metroid are just a few of the IPs under the Nintendo umbrella, and some of the games in these franchises easily rival The Legend of Zelda.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses Showcased the Switch’s Capabilities
Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a tactical RPG and the 16th entry into the Fire Emblem series. Fire Emblem, like most of the games that will be discussed on this list, belongs to a long line of video games that Nintendo is more or less known for. Most of Nintendo’s biggest franchises have been going on for decades and have at least a dozen or more games in each series.
Needless to say, there will always be some debate over which game in each series is “the best,” but when it comes to Fire Emblem, few games stand as tall as Three Houses. Bringing the epic, large-scale battles of Fire Emblem to the Switch, where it could be played on the go or on a larger HD screen, enhanced Three Houses in a way that past games simply couldn’t muster.
Players control Byleth, a former mercenary who becomes a professor at Garreg Mach Monastery’s officer’s academy. As Byleth, players must teach the students of the three nations of the continent of Fódlan. Three Houses cleverly incorporates a social simulation element to make players feel more connected with the gameplay and their students.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus Breathed New Life Into Pokémon Games
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is part of the eighth Pokémon generation. Technically speaking, Arceus is a prequel to Diamond and Pearl, but Arceus takes a pretty unique approach to what a Pokémon game can be. The game follows either Rei (male) or Akari (female), depending on which protagonist the player chooses, and focuses on the player being sent back in time, where they must traverse the Hisui region.
The Hisui region is based on the real-life island of Hokkaido and set during the early Japanese colonization era. Arceus features a lot of the same core gameplay mechanics from the Pokémon video game series, but finds ways to shake things up. Instead of traveling from town to town, battling Gym Leaders, and collecting badges, players are challenged with exploring the dangerous open world.
The main goal of the game is to complete the Pokédex by capturing Pokémon in the wild, but unlike past games, players can actually be attacked by wild Pokémon. The challenging gameplay mixed with the hub and multiple open-world areas to explore mechanics make Arceus feel more like Capcom’s Monster Hunter series than a traditional Pokémon game, and fans loved the switch-up.
Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver are the Peak of Pokémon’s 2D Era
Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver (2009) are the remakes of Pokémon Gold & Silver, which came out in 1999, and many Pokémon fans believe they are the best of the best. For many years, Pokémon games followed a very predictable formula, and it’s safe to say that Gold & Silver perfected that formula in the late ’90s. The 2009 remakes helped modernize classic Pokémon in a way that has earned the remakes the title of being one of Nintendo’s greatest masterpieces.
By today’s standards, HeartGold & SoulSilver might feel like standard protocol for Pokémon, but they’re the games that most modern Pokémon games want to live up to. The games feature two full regions, the Johto region and the Kanto region, and a massive, 16-badge progression system to give players even more playtime. The game also introduced many beloved mechanics that fans still rave about today, like a chosen Pokémon walking alongside the Trainer as they travel.
The only real downside to HeartGold and SoulSilver is that the remakes didn’t really change a lot about the original games. They just made the games easier to play, with better graphics and an improved sound system. The remakes also added a lot of new features and mechanics that many modern Pokémon games still use, like the Pokéwalker pedometer, Pokéathlon, and they even added more Pokémon to catch.
Super Metroid is the Best Metroid Game Ever Made
Over the years, the Metroid series has fallen out of the limelight, overshadowed by newer games and larger franchises that have taken over the top shelves. That’s unfortunate, though, because Metroid is one of the most influential video game series of all time, and also one of the earliest franchises that features a playable female protagonist, intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran.
There are several decent entries into the Metroid franchise that could have made this list, but none of the games have surpassed the legacy of Super Metroid (1994), originally released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). Super Metroid has received critical acclaim for basically every aspect of the game, from atmosphere to gameplay, and many critics and gamers consider it to be one of the greatest video games ever made.
Super Metroid is so that helped coin the Metroidvania genre,a subgenre of action-adventure games where players are challenged with non-linear exploration that forces them to find key items to advance the game’s progression. Heavily inspired by the Alien franchise, Super Metroid follows Samus Aran as she tracks down Ridley and the Space Pirates who stole a Metroid larva. In this game, Samus actually bonds with the Metroid hatchling after it imprints on her, changing everything fans knew about these deadly aliens.
Super Mario World is the Poster Child of Nintendo Games
Mario is, perhaps, the most recognizable and beloved Nintendo character of all time. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) and its sequel, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) both earned more than a billion dollars at the box office, proving how much this red-clad character means to people. The franchise dates back to the early ’80s, when Mario first appeared in Donkey Kong as “Jumpman,” and soon enough, received his own video game.
There are a lot of incredible Super Mario games out there, and many of them could have easily made this list, but none are quite as iconic as Super Mario World (1990). This is the Super Mario game that most people think of when they think of Super Mario. It’s hard to meet a person who hasn’t played this game at least once, because it’s such an iconic and memorable 2D side-scrolling platform game. In fact, most games that feature similar gameplay have used Super Mario World as a template for what to do right.
Super Mario World is the best-selling SNES game ever made and has sold more than 20 million copies. The game has also been re-released numerous times over the years, with its most recent home landing on the Nintendo Classics service for the Nintendo Switch. This game is also considered to be one of the greatest games ever made, and it’s so addictive that most hardcore gamers still love the challenging platforming offered in Super Mario World.