Top 5 Nintendo Games of 2016

It's a New Year, yes it is!

I hope all of you, my dear readers, had a splendid New Years Eve and a good start into 2017.

During my christmas break this year I took the time to replay some games from 2016 and reflect on the Year. And while I think gaming wise the past year has been generally good, as a Nintendo fan it was quite rocky. The Wii-U support reached a new low and even the 3DS is slowly declining. There were some very enjoyable experiences on both consoles, but it's a sad truth that there were time periods in which I didn't turn on my Wii-U for several weeks.

But with 2017 officially started and the Switch on the Horizon the future looks bright for Nintendo. So today I wanted to look back at 2016 one last time the only way it makes sense. With a Toplist about the Five best Nintendo games of the last year.

Yes this is the arbitrary games award show, which everyone does around this time. So I hope you enjoy my pics.

5: Paper Mario: Color Splash

Source

A game that got a lot of hate from the community from the get got managed to pull itself into the Top 5 Games of the year? This means this year was truly terrible... or maybe the game wasn't so bad after all. Color Splash has some very obvious weaknesses, but during my playthrough I didn't mind them, because this game has also a lot of charm. The only true complain I have subjectively is the endless stream of Toad NPCs instead of a diverse cast.

Objectively you also have to criticize the battle system and the general simplicity of the game, but this doesn't deprive the game of its fun.

Paper Mario Color Splash is a good game. It's not outstanding and it's weaker than Thousand Years Door, but it is still a good adventure game.

Especially the music and level design are top notch. It's a lot of fun to explore the different stages of the game. The handcrafted paper look of the series truly shines in HD.

If you can overlook the shallow combat system and the copy pasted Toad NPCs you'll find Paper Mario to be a game with a lot of charm and thought put into.

Maybe the path to a truly great new Paper Mario lies somewhere in the middle. Fans should be more open to changes, but at the same time the developers shouldn't forcefully try to fix what isn't broken. We don't need another Thousand Year Door, but a new game that carries the spirit of the GameCube classic, while also stepping forward. Also, an that can't be denied, we need Paper Mario to return to its Roleplaying roots.

Until then we have an enjoyable experience in Color Splash, that doesn't manage to reach the same heights as it's predecessors, but is a good game nonetheless.

4: Fire Emblem Fates

Source

And now to a truly great game that would be deserving of an even higher place on this list, if it wasn't for one huge hiccup.

If you're lucky enough to own a Japanese copy of this game, you can ignore the following criticism and put Fates as the number 2 on this list. As for the rest of us. Fuck Censorship.

Fire Emblem Fates has become synonymous for Nintendo (especially Nintendo of Americas) desire to remain child friendly at all costs. And in the process they butchered the translation of this great game. I don't want to recount the whole drama surrounding this release, but by inserting political messages and memes into the translation they made Fire Emblem Fates worse. It is a saddening example of translators hampering the work of the creators. And it is also a reminder that Nintendo doesn't value it's customers as much as it should.

But on the other hand it's also one of the best tactical RPGs of the last years. Since Awakening the Fire Emblem series rose from the Ashes like a phoenix. It's unique style of tactical and round based strategy makes it a worthy pic for this list. Fire Emblem Fates is a great game. Which makes it all the more painful, that I couldn't enjoy this game during it's release. (I only played it second hand by borrowing it from a friend.)

It tells a great and deep story about two vastly different kingdoms at war. And while having two Versions of the game to experience both sides of the story may leave a bad aftertaste, both, Conquest and Birthright, are excellent games with a lot of content.

If Nintendo did have more confidence in its consumers and products this game could have competed for the Numer One spot on this list. Sadly they thought otherwise. Even though I'm sure the West would have been ready for petting your Anime Waifu...

Source

3: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD

Source

Yes your eyes are not deceiving you. Number 3 is a remaster of a ten year old game. It is a great game with a Metacritic of 95 (96 for the GameCube version), but it's a remaster nonetheless.

The remaster is technically sound and it is a clear visual improvement over the original. The Colors don't look as washed out and the world looks more vibrant and alive. Everything looks crisp and detailed. So in that department the remaster was a full success. And as opposed to Wind Waker HD Twilight Princess HD even offered some new content. Granted it was only a cave of ordeals especially designed for Wolf Link, but it still was quite enjoyable. And the fact that you can safe your result on the Wolf Link Amiibo and then carry it on to Breath of Wild to summon him as companion there, even makes the whole thing worthwhile.

Twilight Princess HD generally uses the Amiibo quite well. Especially the Ganondorf one. Using him will strengthen all monsters and increase the damage they deal, coupled with the integrated Hero Mode, which doubles the damage of all monsters, this creates the most challenging Zelda experience since Zelda 2.

Apart from these changes Twilight Princess HD is the same game as the original from ten years ago. It's still the biggest Hyrule to date, and even though the Overworld often feels empty, I always greatly enjoyed exploring it. The Dungeons are high quality, as you'd expect from a Zelda Game. But while the Story was obviously planned to be much darker than in previous Zelda games (and it is) it lacks some of the impact Majoras Mask had. Also Ganondorfs involvement is rather half handed and it feels like has been tacked onto the end.

But apart from theses small flaws Twilight Princess is a great Zelda game, which will provide you with hours upon hours of entertainment. And Twilight Princess HD is the best possible version of the game.

2: Tokyo Mirage Sessions#FE

Source

When this game was announced it didn't think much of it. I had never played Persona and wasn't to big on Fire Emblem either. And after it's long development I had already mostly forgotten about this game. But when it finally surfaced with a trailer it immediately got my attention. The unique blend of Japanese Pop Culture and classic Fantasy RPG was quite interesting. It was also batshit crazy Japanese, but that was part of its appeal. Sadly this game was also damped by some Censorship, even though it wasn't as bad as with Fire Emblem Fates because the dialogues were left mostly alone. Still it was another reminder that Nintendo doesn't truly care about their adult customers. Changing revealing outfits did greatly diminish the appeal of a game mostly centered around the Japanese Idol Scene.

But apart from these censorship issues I hardly found anything to criticize with this game. The Story is unique and fun, and perfectly fits the Idol theme. And it's surprisingly epic at the end. Especially the characters, though they are quite stereotypical, are very enjoy- and likable.

The only thing that is bothering me about this game is that there is too little side content... in a way. There are lots of side quests and stories to uncover, but apart from that there is not a lot to do. Persona games often have a plethora of mini-games or activities to simulate the normal every day life of it's protagonists. This is something I missed with Tokyo Mirage Sessions#FE.
However I don't miss it very much, because the game is just too much fun. Especially the dynamic battle system, which, even though its round based, feels very intuitive and direct through the great session mechanic. Also it's quite hard and you have to keep your enemies strengths and weaknesses in mind at all times.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions#FE was a treat. It's a very Japanese game. Something we don't get too see all to often on the Wii-U. It was a breath of fresh air in a year that desperately needed it and I can wholeheartedly recommend it. And if the censorship bothers you, try to find a used copy as I did.

1: Pokemon Sun/Moon

Source

It was quite obvious that these games would claim the Top Spot. Sun/Moon created and unbelievable Hype and they delivered. In a year with some very huge disappointments it's great to see a game delivering on it's promise. Some even go as far as calling Sun/Moon the best games since the series debut. And while I would put Gold/Silver/Crystal above them, it's hard to wholeheartedly disagree. Sun/Moon are just that good.

After 20 years GameFreak truly shook up the Pokemon Formula without completely revamping it. The games felt new, but also familiar enough for old timers to feel immediately at home.

There are some good new Pokemon Designs and especially the Alola Forms of older Pokemon are great.

Presentation wise these are the best looking Pokemon Games so far. It's clear that the 3DS is at its limits, but it is certainly worth it. Never before has the World of Pokemon felt bigger.

The Formula shake up did wonders. Traveling across the four Islands, completing diverse Insel challenges and fighting the four Island Kings is much more rewarding than simply going from Arena to Arena.

I can't give these games higher praise than to say that I truly felt like a ten year old again, while exploring the Alola Region. And from the record breaking sales of the games it looks like I'm not the only one. All I can say is well done GameFreak. Pokemon Sun/Moon are the best Nintendo Game of 2016 and for me they are also the best overall game of this past year.

So what Games did you enjoy the most this last year? Anything that truly blew you away? Or was the year overall disappointing?

Whatever your opinion about Nintendos past year is, let me know in the comments.

And as always

thanks for reading