How Would You Rank Nintendo Homeconsoles

[Ilboss]

Snes}Gamecube}Switch}N64}Wii U}Wii}Nes

[TowerOfTartarus]

Switch>Gamecube>N64>Wii>Wii U

Never really got to use NES or SNES so I can't say in those regards But I feel like SNES would go between GC and 64 and NES would go at the bottom.

[Anacybele]

Switch is the best no contest. It's getting TONS of great games and you can take it anywhere, so it's both a home console AND a handheld.

Wii is second for its library and being extremely innovative.

SNES > Gamecube > N64 > Wii U for the rest. The Wii U had potential too, poor thing. I never had or ever used an NES.

Edited June 20, 2019 by Anacybele

[Nobody]

SNES > Wii > Wii U > Gamecube > Switch > N64

Can't rank the NES properly because of how outdated it is. SNES is obvious, and there are plenty of hidden gems on the wii and wii u. Nintendo's Gamecube first party output was pretty bad, but it had decent 3rd party games. Switch hasn't impressed me so far, but it obviously can improve a lot (maybe even get to number 2). N64 was my first console yet I still find it disappointing. What did it have? Mario 64, OoT and MM (3 almost perfect games, but only 3) and that's it.

Edited June 20, 2019 by Nobody

[𝐅𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥]

in terms of library, and considering all the titles i own:

Switch » 3DS » Wii » DS » GBA » SNES » NES.

however, if it was in terms of overall visuals/quality, i'd say Switch/3DS for 3D titles, followed by GBA/SNES for 2D titles.

[Ilboss]

46 minutes ago, Nobody said:

Mario 64, OoT and MM (3 almost perfect games, but only 3) and that's it.

Banjo?

[Etrurian emperor]

I'm going to ignore the Switch for now. Its far too early for me to have a definite opinion on the console. 

6: NES

I'm sure the NES is a very important piece of video game culture but it suffers from being overshadowed by the SNES in just every area. I didn't grow up with the NES so whenever I see its games it always strikes me how much of a downgrade it is compared to the SNES and since I played the earlier Mario's on the SNES I mentally place them in the SNES era even though I'm objectively wrong on that front. 

5: Wii

The Wii had some very good games but my most powerful memory is the extreme drought that came at the very end which does dampen my opinion on it somewhat.  

4: N64

The Nintendo 64 was a big part of my childhood and undeniably had some true pearls like the Zelda's and Lylat Wars. However its also undeniable that its the generation that aged the poorest. The console was a bigger part of my childhood than the SNES but its also much harder to go back to. 

3: SNES

An upgrade from the NES in all era's. Better gameplay, bigger games, better graphics, bigger ambitious and the games have largely aged excellently. It also has some very historical titles on it like the Mario's, early Final Fantasy and the DK country trilogy. 

2: Wii-U

I don't like the reputation of the Wii-U as a failure. It was great a great system bringing game after great game after great game. After the slow death of the Wii and 360 and the incredibly slow start of the current generation it was incredibly refreshing to have a console that just got great game after great game after great game. It being Nintendo's first competent try at online helps too. When I got a Wii-U I suddenly had a lot more fun gaming than I had in a very long time. 

1: Gamecube.

The Gamecube was at a very magical age for me. I was at an age old enough that I could understand pretty much everything I picked up while at the same time being young enough to easily rack nostalgia point. I think the Gamecube was the main console of my childhood, more than the SNES, N64 or WII. Like the Wii-U it also had great game after great game after great game with many Gamecube incarnations in their respective franchises still being among my favorites. The gamecube era was also a very good middle ground in gaming history. The industry had advanced enough so we had our beautiful graphics and higher ambitions but not so far that the dev cost goes out of control and requires worse games to make up for it like in our current era. All around it was a little golden age of gaming.  

Edited June 20, 2019 by Etrurian emperor

[Nobody]

32 minutes ago, Ilboss said:

Banjo?

I meant games I enjoy. There are of course more beloved games in there, but subjectively, for me, those are the only 3 I actually like (even if I really like them)

[Zapp Branniglenn]

SNES > Gamecube > Switch (prediction) > N64 > Wii U > Wii > NES

1. SNES was the first generation where Nintendo had a competent rival and the games benefited greatly even if they stuck to just a few tried and true genres, it may not have ever had a backwards compatible edition to match the Genesis, but the Super Game Boy rocked. This was also the age Nintendo learned there were competent game developers outside Japan with NoA's gamble on Rare's Donkey Kong Country. 
2. Gamecube was more of a damage control era to stay afloat but I appreciate deals made like the Capcom Five even if they didn't pan out beyond one of the greatest games ever made. They also took a gamble on Retro Studious to make a game they couldn't. Iwata really turned the company around in its relations to the rest of the industry. My only complaint is the lack of new IPs. The amount of Mario spinoff games for quick cash reached a level of parody during this era. Only Pikmin was a new IP during these five years. But First party franchises still innovated more than most generations of nintendo games. Probably as a result of Nintendo taking existing games and sticking Nintendo characters in them to make them more marketable (See: Donkey Konga, Star Fox Adventures). Also there was no Kirby game besides Air Ride, what's up with that?
3. Switch is too early to judge but I think this placement will seem appropriate within five years. 2017 was a hell of a launch year, but between now and Mario Odyssey we've pretty much been in a drought of notable Nintendo games broken up only by Kirby and Smash Bros. The Switch has had its moments, but it also reminds us how Nintendo won't budge on subjects such as online play or making their back catalogue of games compatible. Also the joycons suck if mine stop functioning after two years of use, forcing me into using my 15 year old gamecube controllers instead which have seen several magnitudes more wear. When it comes to controllers, Nintendo used to be synonymous with "sturdy".
4. N64 is the moment Nintendo fell from the top. You can't make it without third party game developers in this industry, but you can be sure Nintendo tried. Ocarina and Mario 64 were landmark games while other franchises floundered in the third dimension such as Mega Man and Sonic. Other series also made the transition well though I don't appreciate shelving the Metroid and Fire Emblem series' once they were just starting to get good. 
5. Wii U I want to rank higher because it was a fun system with a promising gimmick. However, so much of its library was redundant in the face of the 3DS. So many games came out for both systems that you'd be forgiven for skipping the Wii U entirely. And the gamepad's 10 feet radius requirement from the system only shows us how close it was to the Switch's brilliance. Greatest highlight of the 3DS/Wii U generation? Being able to play every single Zelda game ever released on one of them. Except for the CDI games of course. I wish that were the standard on every Nintendo system, just making all the Zelda games playable. The world needs that.
6. Wii had a lot in common with NES. Lots of shovelware and unneeded gimmicks. The controller is also a pretty terrible design for contemporary titles. Game developers didn't want to deal with this nonsense, but the Wii's install base was so enticing. Too bad so few of those people are in the market for games other than the pack-in Wii Sports. First party titles also took a hit, though I guess Brawl and Mario Galaxy were as good as could be expected (I count Twilight Princess as a Gamecube game with a Wii port). Star Fox, F-Zero, and Pokemon RPGs did not make it to this generation of home consoles, but there were surprises here and there such as Punch Out, Sin and Punishment, Kirby's Return to Dreamland and Donkey Kong Country Returns.
7. NES is everything wrong with the Wii but cranked up an extra notch. Yeah the NES saved the game industry, but start listing out the best games for the system and see how many compare with the library of other Nintendo consoles. Beyond being bad ports of arcade titles, most of these games were a proof of concept intended to be expanded upon, and the fruits of their labor showed on the SNES. 

Edited June 20, 2019 by Glennstavos

[Lewyn]

1. NES, not even close either.  Many of the genres of game started here, innovation is unmatched in this period.  Ton of all time great games as well during this period.  It is by far the biggest jump from the previous system as well (atari).   It blew the world away at its time much more than any other Nintendo console as well.  

2. SNES.  Further developed some genres and innovated some too.  Really strong library with quite a few games that rank at the top or near the top of most lists.  Has aged really well in that the sound chip and 2d graphics still look good.

3. Switch.  I think this is the first time since SNES, Nintendo really got it right and created the best system of its generation.  Combines portable and console, looks and sounds great, has good third party support (something lacking since SNES), and a strong line up of games with something for near anyone.  

4. Gamecube

5. N64

6. Wii

7. Wii U

 

[Reality]

Top to Bottom

N64 - It is my childhood console. It's strength is half in a core of firstparty games, and half in a disproportionate local multiplayer catalog - But even before getting into being a collector, I had a strong fondness for many of the "second string" games on this console already and still do. In the environment of having siblings, and later locking

Gamecube - A lot more focused when it comes to multiplayer games, but the best ones it had were wroth it. It throws it's weight around a lot better when it comes to singleplayer games, but for some reason, for a lot of them, I would finish them and never look back, while on NES / N64 I would replay games much more aggressively. 

NES - I didn't grow up with it, but I find it very, very good. It has some really top shelf puzzle games (that you have to dig to discover for yourself I guess) It has a bunch of competent C64 ports and pseudo sequels if you know what to look for them. The most important thing for me is that the real games. cut the window dressing and action-slowing features. The "limitations of Castlevania 3 or Mario 3" compared to their Super versions actually feel in part more like a sense of controlled design rather than an actual lack of console power, etc. There is something liberating about not needing chceckpoints because every level's length is standaridized, and C3 is still a breath of fresh air compared to Super and Igavania,. It's very much a lead-in to playing arcade games all day on MAME, which I love compared to many consoles if I have to spend an extended time in singleplayer.

Switch - Making a strong showing in bringing family together for local multiplayer even despite the "everyone has jobs now" problem that held the Wii U and Wii back for me and not really being their fault as much as the time period I encountered the devices. Very impressed.

Wii -  My favorite thing about the first Wii was in my opinion, starting a 2-d platformer revival -  Rayman O, New Super, Donkey Kong.  I also got a lot of great  local multiplayer one on the Wii, although some series - let down compared to their n64 or game cube counterparts -  Mario party/kart/smash of course... but Wii unique MP games made up for it to an extent, with Boom Blox probably being my absolute favorite. I have to deduct points because..... I played Eyetoy Play on PlayStation 2 before the Wii came out and it DUMPSTERS the Wi's gimmick, with only a handful of the best implemented games getting a pass, and the rest of the good Wii games being the ones that basically don't use the motion controls at all / alternate classic controller setup. 

Wii U - Picks up many of the Wii's features and positive trends but for me perfsonally it was the victim of timing, I was heavily invested into other companies consoles more for the first time and typically of the old group of 5 it was just me and my youngest brother for Wii U... when I did play it I felt like I only ever got got do 3-4 of the same games (good games mind you ).

SNES- many amazing, wonderful games on the system.. . but at the same time I repeatedly get talked into trying out what feels like every "hidden gem" on the system and they almost invariably disappoint... Which is unfair in some ways since There are games like Spindizzy and Super Turrican 2(much more than a port) which are equally not talked and absolutely god tier. I have a grudge to pick with it since it has probbbably disapponinted me the most, but at the same time it's good games, especially it's action games, and platformers, are often overwhelmingly so and can get me to take a gamble on it one more time. I guess my main problem is that subconsiouslly I don't think of it as a console, since I played it's best games almost exclusively on GBA and Nintendo DS ports, and I played the rest mostly on emulators. I guess the lack of a "tactile" element makes me have a harder time remembering it. 

[SSbardock84]

In terms of the games they've given us: GameCube>Wii>Wii U>64>Switch>SNES>NES>

Ordered by best game of each console: Wii (Radiant Dawn) > Wii U (Breath of the Wild) > GameCube (Twilight Princess) > 64 (Ocarina of Time) > Switch (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) > NES (The Legend of Zelda) > SNES (Genealogy of the Holy War)

The Switch doesn't really have anything that is amazing yet that's exclusive on it. Smash Bros is about as close as they've gotten. Not counting Breath of the Wild since its on the Wii U too.

[Dark Holy Elf]

Abstain on the Switch, it's still way too soon to judge (it doesn't even have a Mario Kart yet!). Much love for the fact that it is both a home console and portable, though.

6. N64: A complete dud for third-party games. But even for Nintendo, I'm not too impressed? No 2D Mario, no Metroid, no Fire Emblem. The Mario Kart was a colossal step back from SMK. Goldeneye was its killer app (along with Ocarina, but I'm not a Zelda fan), and that hasn't aged that well. F-Zero X is probably my favourite game here; it's certainly good, but shouldn't be a system's best game.

5. GameCube: More or less an improved N64 on every front, but I'm still not that impressed really. Still no 2D Mario for some reason. It had some games I really enjoy, like Double Dash, F-Zero GX, and Path of Radiance, but not much depth.

4. Wii: 2D Mario is back, 3D Mario is certainly improved, it has my favourite Fire Emblem (maybe). Thanks in part to the proliferation of downloadable games, it felt like the Wii competed better on third-party stuff than the last two systems, though is still a step behind.

3. Wii U: I think it's sad that this console had a poor reception because it had a ton of games I loved. Two excellent Marios (3D World is my favourite since the NES), Hyrule Warriors, Bayonetta 2, Mario Kart 8, Smash Wii U, Rayman Legends, I could probably go on. The GamePad was a bit of a failed gimmick, I'll give the haters that. Mine no longer works and the system is less than five years old. 😞 Good thing most games don't need it.

2. NES: My childhood console. It really only did one genre very well, though, that being platformers. That said, it might well still be the best overall console for platformers to this day. Mario's and Mega Man's best entries on this console have arguably never been surpassed, and there were plenty of other great ones. The NES also saw the birth of many great series, even if a lot of them didn't exactly have their best entries on this system.

1. SNES: Obviously great. Just about every major Nintendo franchise is represented on this system, usually well, and it killed it for third-party support too (Square's Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger, Capcom's Street Fighter 2 and Mega Man X, etc.), being the last time a Nintendo home console could claim that. NES is a bit of a pet favourite for me of course, but I can still acknowledge that this one deserves the top spot, and honestly I have a hard time seeing how you can argue anything else deserves it.

[Anacybele]

1 hour ago, Dark Holy Elf said:

Abstain on the Switch, it's still way too soon to judge (it doesn't even have a Mario Kart yet!)

Uh, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe exists...

[Rezzy]

1: NES

2: SNES

3: N64

4: GameCube

5: Wii

6: Wii U

[Fire Emblem Fan]

I think my ranking for home consoles would probably be like this:

7. NES
It's got lots of awesome games, like Super Mario Bros. 3 and the original Legend of Zelda, but overall it's definitely pretty dated and a lot of stuff is kinda hard to actually play.

6. Wii U
I loved the Wii U. It gave us an awesome GBA Virtual Console and it did have some pretty great games in its own library, like Hyrule Warriors, Super Mario 3D World, and Super Mario Maker. But overall, the system was just...lackluster. The potential was, unfortunately, wasted.

5. GameCube
There's several games on the GC that I really love, like Path of Radiance and Luigi's Mansion. But, honestly, I just feel like it was simply outdone by the majority of other home consoles. That's all.

4. N64
Mario 64! Banjo-Kazooie! Smash Bros.! Star Fox 64! Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask! The library may seem small overall and the controller may be pretty wonky, but I honestly think a lot of things about the N64 are pretty underrated.

3. Wii
The Wii was so dang great. It gave me what I think is still the BEST version of Resident Evil 4, as well as amazing games like the Super Mario Galaxy duology. The motion controls could be wonky in some games, but man this system was so fun.

2. SNES
With games like Chrono Trigger, Super Mario World, Super Metroid, Earthbound, and A Link to the Past, it's easy to see why the SNES is so amazing. And that's all that needs to be said.

1. Switch
Yup. It may be a recent system and it may seem too soon to say this, but I really do think that the Switch is probably Nintendo's best home console. It's already brought fantastic games like Super Mario Odyssey and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, as well as salvaging a good chunk of the Wii U's library, as well as a pretty good NES library, as well as a bunch of fantastic games yet to come, as well as the definitive way to play Breath of the Wild, as well as awesome third-party games like Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, as well as...yeah, you get the idea. The Switch has proven to be so dang great. Maybe in time it'll fall down the ranks. But for right now, I think it's at the top.

@Rezzy I see what you did there!

Edited June 21, 2019 by Fire Emblem Fan

[Rezzy]

33 minutes ago, Fire Emblem Fan said:

 

@Rezzy I see what you did there!

I was being a bit silly, but it's true.  NES was my first console growing up, and that and the SNES were the ones I've probably put the most hours into over the years.  I've played the NES and SNES classic more than anything else released from the last 20 years since I've picked them up.  My son loves playing Super Mario Bros 3 with me.

[Ilboss]

7 hours ago, SSbardock84 said:

The Switch doesn't really have anything that is amazing yet that's exclusive on it. Smash Bros is about as close as they've gotten. Not counting Breath of the Wild since its on the Wii U too.

Super Mario Odyssey? Xenoblade Chronicles 2?

 

[Dark Holy Elf]

12 hours ago, Anacybele said:

Uh, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe exists...

It's also pretty close to a straight port of the Wii U game. Every other Nintendo console since the SNES (and portable since the GBA) had a full-fledged new entry.

[Etrurian emperor]

8 minutes ago, Dark Holy Elf said:

It's also pretty close to a straight port of the Wii U game. Every other Nintendo console since the SNES (and portable since the GBA) had a full-fledged new entry.

That's probably why I'm not yet as crazy on the Switch as the rest of the internet. As a Wii-U owner a lot of things that get released on the platform are things I already owned. There's new stuff like Odyssey and Xenoblade but a lot of the time I suspect Nintendo of having Wii-U ports carry their release schedule for some months. 

[Anacybele]

47 minutes ago, Dark Holy Elf said:

It's also pretty close to a straight port of the Wii U game. Every other Nintendo console since the SNES (and portable since the GBA) had a full-fledged new entry.

You didn't specify that it had to be a brand new entry though, you just said Mario Kart. xP

[Fabulously Olivier]

18 hours ago, TowerOfTartarus said:

Switch>Gamecube>N64>Wii>Wii U

Never really got to use NES or SNES so I can't say in those regards But I feel like SNES would go between GC and 64 and NES would go at the bottom.

Pretty much my thoughts exactly.

 

The Switch and the Gamecube are two of my favorite consoles ever (with the PS2 in the middle), and the rest don't even really rate for me, despite a few great titles on the Wii amidst all its shovelware.

Edited June 21, 2019 by Etheus

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

In quantity Wii would be my least favorite console of the ones I have, but in quality it is the best.
Smash Brawl and Radiant Dawn are my two most favorite and played console games of all time especially latter.
Without it, I never would have got into gaming and this forum.
So the Wii is an absolute essential console for me even if I own only two games.

Edited June 21, 2019 by Rosalina

[SSbardock84]

12 hours ago, Ilboss said:

Super Mario Odyssey? Xenoblade Chronicles 2?

 

I think Mario Odyssey is a highly overrated game. It's good, but not a masterpiece by any means. It can't hold a candle to something like Breath of the Wild. As for Xenoblade I can't speak for since I've never played it. Never heard anything about it either.

Edited June 21, 2019 by SSbardock84

[DragonFlames]

8 hours ago, Etrurian emperor said:

That's probably why I'm not yet as crazy on the Switch as the rest of the internet. As a Wii-U owner a lot of things that get released on the platform are things I already owned. There's new stuff like Odyssey and Xenoblade but a lot of the time I suspect Nintendo of having Wii-U ports carry their release schedule for some months. 

It's the same for me. I have a 3DS (Hyrule Warriors Legends, Fire Emblem Warriors) and a PS4 (Nights of Azure 2, Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends, Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires, Atelier Lulua, Tales of Vesperia Remaster), so I already have the games I'm interested in. Then again, I do want to get a Switch to play Three Houses, and, since I'm running out of space on my PS4's hard drive, I might also get the upcoming Super Neptunia RPG on it, as well, but... the entry price is pretty high for only two games I'm really interested in that I don't have yet, one of which I only want to get on it for convenience, and future releases not getting me all too hyped, either.

Anyway, as for my personal ranking (leaving out the Switch, (S)NES, and Wii U since I've never had these):
1. GameCube
2. Wii
3. N64

I grew up on Nintendo handheld consoles, like the GameBoy Color, that's why I don't have as strong a connection to the N64 as other people do.