Summary
- Super Mario Bros. for NES was a groundbreaking launch title that revolutionized video games.
- Super Mario World for SNES raised the bar with enhanced graphics, music, and levels.
- Luigi’s Mansion for GameCube brought a unique twist to the Mario IP and gained a cult following.
The most important part of any new video game console’s release is arguably its lineup of launch titles. After all, consumers who are interested in buying a brand-new system the day it comes out need to know which pieces of software they will be able to experience from the get-go to justify their purchase.
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Fortunately, Nintendo is very aware of this and, as a result, has made sure to always deliver high-quality video games that players can play on their systems from day one, whether it’s on home consoles or handhelds. The Japanese publisher is renowned for its large number of excellent launch titles, so there are a lot to choose from, but the following games are the best ones in the company’s entire history.
Only one game per console.
Super Mario Bros.
Nintendo Entertainment System
- Released
-
November 17, 1985
- Developer(s)
-
Nintendo R&D4
Super Mario Bros. is undoubtedly one of the most important and influential video games ever created. Fortunately for consumers who bought a brand-new Nintendo Entertainment System on October 18, 1985, they were immediately able to experience this wonderful adventure, which finally showed the world that video games could be bigger and better than anything they’d seen before.
While the NES eventually became a successful console with multiple solid titles (including Super Mario Bros 2 and Super Mario Bros 3), people around the world still kept buying Super Mario Bros. years after its initial release, so it can certainly be considered the console’s biggest system seller. However, this only applies to the North American version of the console because the Famicom had already come out 2 years before in Japan, so, even though the game was also very popular over there, it wasn’t a launch title at all.
Super Mario World
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
- Released
-
August 23, 1991
- Developer(s)
-
Nintendo EAD
After the huge success of the original Super Mario Bros. and the NES, Nintendo naturally began making sure that a Mario game would always launch alongside one of its new consoles. So, when the next generation of consoles arrived, Super Mario World immediately became the Super Nintendo’s best and most effective launch title.
The Super Mario Bros series had been evolving with the release of each sequel, but Super Mario World was on a whole new level. The technology of the SNES allowed for more detailed sprites, higher quality music, more ambitious levels, and more complex power-ups (like Yoshi, whom Shigeru Miyamoto had wanted to make a reality since the first game). Super Mario World was one of the SNES’ biggest system sellers, and it was the main reason consumers back in 1990 wanted to buy the console on its release date. On top of that, it also helped Nintendo to turn the tide of the Console War against the Sega Genesis and its mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog.
Tetris
Game Boy
Tetris (1989)
- Released
-
July 31, 1989
- Developer(s)
-
Nintendo
, Alexey Pajitnov
As was tradition, the original Game Boy launched in Japan with a brand-new Mario game, Super Mario Land. But, not only did the rest of the world have to wait a few more months to experience it, people were also not eager to buy this new revolutionary handheld just to play Mario again. Instead, gamers were way more attracted to its simple yet effective pack-in title, Tetris.
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Nintendo heavily marketed the Game Boy around Tetris back in the day, since the accessible yet addictive nature of Alexey Pajitnov’s classic puzzle game was a perfect fit for the brand-new handheld device. The most fascinating part of this story is that the original Tetris was almost 5 years old when the Game Boy came out, and yet the portability of this console completely re-contextualized its appeal.
Super Mario 64
Nintendo 64
- Released
-
September 26, 1996
- Developer(s)
-
Nintendo
In the mid-to-late 90s, a huge shift in the gaming industry began thanks to the arrival of 3D graphics, and Nintendo was no exception. And, while it may have joined this new trend a few years late in comparison to its competitors, the wait was certainly worth it because the Nintendo 64 launched with none other than Super Mario 64, which instantly became one of the most revolutionary 3D video games ever made.
Super Mario 64 did for the Nintendo 64 what Super Mario Bros. had done for the NES, as it showed the world what a true, fully 3D platformer could be, mostly thanks to the free movement that the console’s innovative analog sticks could achieve. At a moment in history when everyone was interested in the PlayStation 1, Super Mario 64 gave them a reason to buy a Nintendo 64 on its release date instead (even though the rest of the console’s catalog was not able to fully maintain this momentum).
Super Mario 64 DS was also a launch title for the Nintendo DS.
Luigi’s Mansion
Nintendo GameCube
- Released
-
November 18, 2001
Nintendo took a big risk when it launched its sixth-generation console, the Nintendo GameCube. Instead of making a more traditional Mario game, they decided to go with something completely different: an adventure/horror game starring his brother, Luigi. As a result of this odd concept, Luigi’s Mansion got a lukewarm reception when it first came out, but it slowly gained a huge cult following.
Nevertheless, Luigi’s Mansion demonstrated that both Nintendo and the Mario IP could always reinvent themselves and shouldn’t always rely on the same platforming formula. This game was brilliantly creative and unique (albeit a bit brief) and even though the GameCube eventually received a conventional Mario title in the form of Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi’s Mansion remains one of the most beloved games on the console’s entire catalog, to the point it even spawned two sequels on the 3DS and the Switch respectively.
Wii Sports
Nintendo Wii
- Released
-
November 19, 2006
- Developer(s)
-
Nintendo EAD
The Nintendo Wii shocked the gaming world during the mid-2000s with its new and revolutionary motion controls. However, of course, the company needed to offer something that would let people try out this ambitious control scheme in a fun, accessible, and effective way. That’s exactly why Wii Sports was the console’s main pack-in game, a brilliant idea that ended up working extremely well.
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Entire groups of friends and families could join together and play simple, but addictive versions of popular sports like tennis, boxing, golf, and more, all enhanced by the console’s signature motion controls and charming new customizable characters called Miis. Wii Sports played a key role in the Wii’s monumental success, and it was so incredibly popular that it’s the only exclusive that some people may have tried out on the console.
Nintendo Land
Nintendo Wii U
- Released
-
November 18, 2012
- Developer(s)
-
Nintendo EAD
Nintendo Land may not have been as accessible or appealing as Wii Sports, but it had the same effect on the Nintendo Wii U as the console’s main pack-in game: to show off all the fascinating new features of the eight-generation system in entertaining and unique ways. And, to no one’s surprise, it ended up working quite well. Maybe a little too well.
Nintendo Land offered players 12 different minigames based on classic Nintendo IPs, like Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, Metroid, and more. Every single game had its own unique mechanics and play styles, not to mention that they perfectly showcased the full potential of the GamePad, something that future exclusives tragically failed to do. Because of all of this, Nintendo Land is synonymous with the Wii U, even to this day. It literally can’t be ported over to Switch (or, at least, it would be extremely difficult to do so).
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
Nintendo Switch
- Released
-
March 3, 2017
- Developer(s)
-
Nintendo EPD
After the release of Skyward Sword in 2011, Legend of Zelda fans spent years waiting for the arrival of the next mainline entry for home consoles. This game was revealed in 2014, and it was slated to come out on the Wii U, but it was delayed for so many years that it finally came out in 2017, on the very same day as the company released its new console, the Nintendo Switch.
However, this delay ended up being extremely beneficial for Nintendo, because everyone who bought a Switch on its release date could immediately try out The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a stunning open-world adventure with hours and hours of content, incredible set pieces and an emotional storyline. The fact all of this could be experienced on a hybrid console that can also be used as a handheld was nothing short of mind-blowing, and it greatly contributed to the eventual success of the Switch, especially during its first year. The only remaining question is: Will the Nintendo Switch 2 launch with a title as ambitious and impressive as Breath of the Wild?
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