TECH TITANS
TECH TITANS NINTENDO
Toys to the world: our favourite Ninty consoles
[ Words Andrew Hayward ]
01 SNES
There are consoles on this spread that are more innovative and important to gaming. But if forced to pick just one machine (with its entire library of games) to take with us to a desert island, we’d be hard-pressed to turn down the SNES.
Bumping the NES up to 16 bits unleashed the creativity of developers, taking decent and so-so 8-bit genres and elevating them to true greatness… and there’s no denying the Super Nintendo Entertainment System has an all-time-amazing lineup of games.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Mario World, Super Metroid and Final Fantasy VI are really just the tip of the pixelly iceberg. This was Nintendo – and, some traditionalists would argue, gaming on the whole – at its peak.
The 2017 Classic Edition was an instant hit, and the 21 games it was packed with are still chuffing brilliant. From a reborn Super Mario World to Secret of Mana and everything in between, these titles rank among the best ever to feature on a Nintendo-made machine – all living inside an adorable HDMI-capable box with two controllers for 70 quid.
That added up to a total bargain in our books – amodern reminder of how, in both gameplay and visuals, Nintendo’s future console successes owe it all to the groundwork laid by the SNES.
RELEASED 1990 (1992 in Europe)
02 GAME BOY
The Game Boy took fully fledged cartridge gaming portable. Even though its green-and-grey display meant it was technically inferior to Sega’s Game Gear and the Atari Lynx, this little handheld outlived its colour-screened rivals by years.
Why? Simplicity, long battery life, solid construction, affordability… and Tetris. The pack-in puzzler was the ultimate time-killer – one that paired perfectly with the machine and made up for a fairly paltry launch lineup.
The Game Boy also demonstrated Nintendo’s willingness to explore the possibilities of its hardware beyond gaming, with quirky add-ons including a camera, a printer and the Pocket Sonar – afishing gadget that never made it out of Japan.
It was followed by the Game Boy Color, which helped to bridge the gap until the Game Boy Advance, but the original model forever changed how – and where – we play games.
RELEASED 1989
03 NES
The NES established Nintendo as a gaming juggernaut, just about single-handedly saved the industry, and spawned some of the greatest franchises of all time: Super Mario, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Castlevania… and it remains legendary today. The NES Classic proved that when it became the must-have Christmas present of 2016; but older gamers really didn’t need reminding.
RELEASED 1983 (1986 in Europe)
04 N64
Coming after the 16-bit era, the N64’s stunning 3D games looked like magic. It might seem awfully rudimentary now – and sure, the PlayStation ultimately won out in that generation thanks in no small part to its use of discs over cartridges – but any console that gave us local multiplayer essentials GoldenEye 007 and Mario Kart 64, plus the influential Super Mario 64, deserves its place here. RELEASED 1996 (1997 in Europe)
05 SWITCH
Some might call it a bold move placing a current console in our top five, but that’s down to the Switch’s colossal impact. While it still has a long way to go to rival the best, it has outsold every one of its forebears – thanks largely to the incredible Breath of the Wild and extensive third-party support. Its novel hybrid design and versatile control scheme are equally worthy of singling out.
RELEASED 2017
ALMOST GREAT…
Wii 2006
The Wii was the hype train that lost steam. But it was as delightful as it was weird – and its motion controls helped expand the definition of gaming.
Game Boy Advance 2001
A pocket device of SNES quality, the GBA’s ports of Ninty’s hits meant it had perhaps the best lineup of any handheld ever.
GameCube 2001 (2002 in Europe)
An awkward console, but it’s roster of games included Metroid Prime, Super Smash Bros Melee and The Wind Waker.
DS 2004 (2005 in Europe)
With its dual-display approach, including a touchscreen at the bottom, the DS enabled new gaming experiences in a pre-iPhone world.