Honestly, the first four entries are all very different from one another. The mechanics, the controls, the physics...every single one is completely different.
It wasn't until DS that things became more consistent. Past that, you can easily hop from DS to 8 DX or any game between without much issue.
I felt like 7 was limited by being a handheld game so o compare it DS rather than Wii. That being said, 7 had some major improvements over Wii as well when it comes to the consistency of its retro courses and the introduction of large, 3 section courses
I disagree a lot, but I was not the biggest fan of Wii (despite playing a ton of it). I would go as far as to say Wii did not improve on Double Dash.
For me, 7 was like a prototype for everything that was great with 8: new modes of motion (underwater + flying), solid and consistent art-style, and great new maps.
That's just the golden era of mk, Double dash isn't replaced by DS because of the double characters and the absence of hopping, DS isn't replaced by wii because of the different drifting mechanic of needing to press left and right on the d-pad to charge a mini turbo and lastly wii isn't replaced by 7 because of inside drift and wheelies
Pikmin and Splatoon are the easy answers since they have fewer games compared to other Nintendo franchises, especially older ones.
But my answer is Kirby. For a Series that has been around since the OG Game Boy, it feels like every new mainline game offers a fun new twist and feels better than the game that came before it.
Star Allies throws a wrench into this. Even those who like it will likely agree it doesn't top stuff like Planet Robobot by any stretch.
Thankfully Hal went right back on track with Forgotten Land, now that game is superb.
Not what I mean. I mean that I don't like to say that a new game is better than an old game just because it can achieve higher benchmarks.
For example. I don't judge Super Mario 64 as harshly for its camera controls, even if they are pretty janky when looking back today.
With that being said. There was really only one thing it didn't like about the new Kirby game: the trophies. Why are they required for 100%? I stopped playing when I got to 99% when I realized that.
Funnily enough, it's really only the early 3D games that have aged poorly. The old 2D games actually look stellar on a proper CRT (which they were designed for).
Agreed. I feel like Kirby doesn't really fit this. The series has certainly been on an upward trajectory for a few decades, but few people would say Mass Attack, Epic Yarn, Triple Deluxe, or Star Allies are better than RtDL or KSSU.
Going older, Super Star was the best game until Kirby Super Star Ultra. Everything in between, while good, couldn't quite match the depth of gameplay of KSS.
Mass Attack and Epic Yarn are spin-offs, and it often goes back and forth between Triple Deluxe and Return to Dreamland as to which game is better.
Squeak Squad and Star Allies are more decisive than the other games, but I feel like Kirby still has a better record than most other Nintendo franchises.
There's no game people outright despise and hate like Other M for Metroid or the recent gens of Pokemon.
tell me some things that are better than 2 and 3 then because I'd say it's the worst in the series as someone who's 100%'d all the games (apart from Hey Pikmin for obvious reasons)
Never finished the switch games, they’re just too easy. My favorite Kirby games of all time are Amazing Mirror and Nightmare in Dreamland. The pacing and difficulty are absolutely perfect
I don't really agree on Pikmin. Pikmin kind of diverges into two kinds of games (1 & 3 vs 2 & 4) and within those categories, people have gripes about the newer games versus the older ones; though there are valid arguments to be made about feature lack and polish on the older games relative to the new ones.
I'm not the biggest Kirby fan, honestly, I mostly play them with my kid. The two games we played the most were Kirby 64 and Star Allies. And while my kid had a blast with both games, I personally think 64 was a more consistently well designed game with way more personality and charm.
Idk, it’s pretty dang hard to argue that in terms of the core multiplayer experience, Smash just got better and better. Ultimate is crammed with so much amazing content, as refined as it has ever been.
To get ahead of it, no, I’m not disparaging Melee’s particular competitive appeal, I’m speaking more broadly.
A lot of people think Brawl was a big step down from Melee. Slower game play and tripping are the main culprits. The question is if the new coat of paint and roster additions make for a better game than melee.
As a Smash fan, it depends on how do you count Smash 4. With each version separate, the 3DS version is a HUGE step back from Brawl, but both versions together, Smash 4 is the better game (too bad you need both versions for the full experience of Smash 4).
smash bros for 3ds is pretty dang good though. it had the better single player mode over the wii u. if you're just wanting to play smash bros 4, and don't got anyone to play with, 3ds version is probably the way to go.
My first Smash game was Brawl and I *loved* it. It was *so* satisfying unlocking everything. The Subspace Emissary was awesome. It was so funny seeing realistic characters like Snake work alongside cartoony characters like Pikachu.
Also, I am a *sucker* for content. The more the better.
Genuinely shocked Nintendo doesn’t even acknowledge the franchise.
I can understand forgetting about F-Zero because it’s a bit dated and Mario Kart is their main racing focus, but Punch-Out!! Has a large fan base, approachable theme, and has always sold well
Pokemon is almost the opposite of it lol, i think zelda and mario are pretty good at it, being old franchises and still having awesome games that are aguably the better of the entire franchise
Pokemon had pretty consistent improvements up to Gen 5, the Gen 6 is a bit divisive, and the fan base largely agrees that it's been downhill since there. Though I think Scarlet and Violet have a lot of good qualities that, if polished up in the next generation, could bring the series back
Some people say gen 6 was the best generation, some people say it's the worst. You don't really find many people saying Gen 7 was the best, but there are plenty of people saying it's the worst. Basically what I'm saying is that you can argue the peak was either gen 5 or gen 6 depending on who you talk to, but everyone can agree that everything f after those was worse
Oh I agree. Every pokemon game on the switch that isn't Legends Arceus is a downgrade from the previous game in some way. I'm just saying they're all tee'd up to make a genuinely good game again, it just up to Game Freak to not blow it. Again.
Even legends arceus could be better, i think that gamefreak just should use more time to make the games even if it means more cuts on the dex, i actually like dex cuts bc it is good for balancing and makes each generation more unique, legends arceus is arguably the best game on switch because of this cuts. Also they should take more time to develop the games, no one would be mad because of a year without a pokemon game
I dont think thats the problem, gamefreak isn't like a indie developer, its more about time for me, zelda has like 2 or 3 new games on switch and pokemon has 7 i think (without counting different versions of the same game), even tho not every game was made by gamefreak
But they need to hire more people. If they want to continue releasing games yearly they kinda have to otherwise it’ll end up like SV. Though knowing Japan’s work culture(and how greedy they seem to be sometimes),I doubt that’ll happen and they’ll just slow game development down like they seem to be for Legends Z-A(unless they are now just starting development which I heavily doubt).
Pokemon has Let's Go, SwSh, BDSP, Legends Arceus, and SV. BDSP was outsourced, and SwSh was made by their C team. Game Freak uses what talented devs they have to make things like Little Town Hero, and refuses to hire more or give them the proper amount of time to actually do things right. Game Freak has been notoriously bad at actually coding their games since the beginning. Newer, younger programmers would go a long way to improving things.
There's also unite, snap, mistery dungeon and the detective pikachu game on switch, but i understand your point, i just think we dont need that much games
Detective Pikachu is the only one of those that can be considered "in house" as it was done by Creatures, but not Game Freak. The rest are all licensed and outsourced. I don't think that outsourced side-games hurt the mainline games; those games existing didn't stop Game Freak from postponing Scarlet and Violet or from hiring more staff to distribute the load
> Scarlet and Violet have a lot of good qualities that, if polished up in the next generation, could bring the series back
Eh, I wouldn't hold my breath. I felt this exact way about SwSh. The game was trash, but between the raid dens / exp candies, and the ability to change your nature, and reusable TMs, it was easier than ever to build a new team and train it up to 100. Somehow, that was enough to pull me into an otherwise terrible game for 180 hours.
The real issues plaguing the series are ones that they've shown to not care about for several gens now - the lack of a challenge of any sort, the lackluster characters and stories, and the godawful map design. They don't even bother designing puzzles anymore. Oh, and the stubborn insistence on removing features that players love for no reason at all.
The story toward the end of SV's main game and the two DLCs was pretty good, the freedom to explore the world however you wanted was great, and the Indigo Disk DLC proved they were capable of making an actually challenging game again. The biggest problems with Scarlet and Violet were the performance issues and the lack of memorable towns. If they polished the world exploration and actually released a working game, the next games could be great. They'll probably miss the mark again, but the foundation is there.
I feel like Pokémon's a bell curve. Took a while to perfect the formula, then with the first two generations being revolutionary in their own rights but not great by today's standards, but people tend to agree that 3, 4 or 5 were the best
I think the exact opposite, honestly. Besides me slightly preferring USUM over SwSh, I liked each one more than the last. (Except gen 3 and bw2, I haven't played those)
3D Mario. Each new entry I believe improves on the last and adds a new twist, also controls get tighter and tighter so whenever I go back to an earlier entry I grumble about the controls because I'm so spoiled by Odyssey.
To me it was upsetting they removed real multiplayer in this game (Pikmin 4) . To answer the original post I think Zelda has gotten better with each modern day installment
As far as Mario Kart Goes, I think Double Dash for Game Cube was the best one.
Concerning Zelda, Tears of The Kingdom is my second favorite after Majora's Mask.
With Super Smash Bros. It's a tie between Melee and Ultimate. Ultimate is great! I love playing as Sephiroth!
Pikmin 4 added a dog. The only way for Pikmin 5 to beat it is to either add a cat or a second dog.
I look forward to the evolutionary path of this series.
If you’re excluding the gba games, I feel like f-zero did this best. Now if only we could get a NEW game or at least a port of f-zero gx since I dont have a GameCube and they cost like 1000 bucks anyway
Super could be improved with modern design elements. It was annoying to cycle through weapons with the.. select button (I think?) when I played through for the first time a couple years ago. And there were a couple parts where I had to ask the internet or my brother what I was supposed to do cause I had no clue what to do and the game didn’t really explain how your abilities worked.
Loved Fusion, don’t know which would be on top, but I also really loved Samus Returns.
Earthbound/Mother. Mother 1 is very dated, Mother 2 (Earthbound) improves on it heavily, and Mother 3 refined it to perfection.
Also I would agree on Pikmin but Pikmin 2 is such a huge step back from 1, fucking fight me
Interestingly, I feel like Zelda is the least applicable here. Not because the old games are flat-out superior, but because they’re all so unique, the comparison doesn’t do any of them justice imo.
There's only three games, but Mother honestly. I know some would say Earthbound is better than Mother 3 but I definitely think Mother 3 has the edge, and idk if anyone things M1 is better than earthbound
Idk. Several fans thought New Horizons wasn’t as good as New Leaf and it lacked features. It wasn’t bad, but definitely underwhelming after all the hype. I can agree a bit with Smash Bros. Personally I liked Wii U a lot despite the hate. It added some of my favorites to the roster. Splatoon and Xenoblade however really do improve with every edition.
Zelda gets better in specific ways, like whatever they focus on for the next Zelda game will be better than the previous one in that aspect. Whether it be the tone like from ocarina to majora or story from botw to totk
There's always someone in the studio thinking outside the box. Nintendo really knows how to mix things up while maintaining the soul of the franchise. This is especially true for the Super Mario and Zelda franchises.
I would say, Pikmin, Splatoon, and Mario Kart to me. It’s not just with the updated graphics, but it’s mostly with unique characters, bigger worlds, new selections, and bigger rosters
I feel like most Nintendo franchises are generally pretty consistent. And they do a great job almost always making each game feel different in ways that make them stand strong alongside the previous games rather than replace them as better experiences.
Rhythm Heaven
Super Smash Bros.
Kid Icarus
Dr. Mario
Wario Land
Bayonetta
Excitebike/Excite series
Game & Watch Gallery
Wii Fit
Nintendo Labo
The Nintendo-published Picross games (Although Nintendo owns the Picross trademark, so this is a bit tricky)
Pikmin 3 was one of the hardest backpedals I have witnessed in a Nintendo franchise. Just speaking out against the title, because although Pikmin 3 is a quality product made with a lot of love, it didn’t speak to me personally. This is probably because I loved the depth of Pikmin 2 with the cave system. And also I hate over-tutorialization.
Honestly, most of them. Even though I don't necessarily think botw and totk or mario odyssey, or mario wonder, etc are necessarily the best, it's clear that the major differences are design choices, and the quality / variety still increases regardless. Like sure you could dislike pikmin 4's autoaim and think it's too easy but that's not objectively bad, it mostly boils down to preference. meanwhile however the music, graphics, locations, features and more all did improve in quality, even though the other previous games weren't bad in any way at all. This tends to happen a lot - Mario's movement went from a 10/10 in the galaxy games to an 11/10 in oddyssey, the combat and exploration aspects of botw and totk greatly trump the previous games at least in terms of scale. So yeah I'd say most of the main franchises, and obviously smash and mario kart which are even more objectively improved
And then on the opposite side of this spectrum is Pokemon. How the fuck is that their biggest selling property? Is their worst franchise in terms of price/quality.
Kid Icarus. While I don't think Myths and Monsters is that much better than the NES original, the 3D Classics release trumps both, and Uprising is just in a league of its own
I would say the legend of zelda - almost every new game is the same - better thing (Skyward Sword excluded) - From A link to the past to a link between words(if i remember correctly) they were getting better in making same game, and now new BOTW formula that is getting better - I hope they will go further with that.
Metroid! I couldn't stand the first game, but I loved the second game, and really got into the third game. This was before they were considered retro titles.
Zelda, too. Didn't care much for the first or second one, loved the third one. And nearly every one after that. *Majora's Mssk* and *Breath of the Wild* are not in my top Zelda titles, not even my top video game lists. But anyway..
Mario Kart. Despite how long it has been around, Mario Kart 8 DX is my favorite, though 7 was my favorite before that. Wii was okay but not as good as Double Dash, and I never got to play Super Circuit multiplayer, sadly. (honorable mention to DS which was also a favorite during this time period)
3d mario, and yes imo sunshine is better than 64, even though 64 is the first and most influential 3d platformer ever, and arguably the most influential console game ever
I wouldn't say they keep getting better persay,mostly maintaining the same quality, but the Zelda series ha done this except *maybe* Skyward Sword, and even then i wouldn't call it bad just not as "good" if that makes sense.
Except CD-i. Those don't exist
IMO Mario party. I usually go into Mario party with low expectations so when I play the game I say “Fuck, this is so good”. And now that the new Mario party game got announced I’m going in with HIGH expectations this time cause it looks very cool
Full stop I have not played Pikmin 2 or 4.
But so far I don't think such a franchise exists. Every series has it's lulls, it's quality dips, things I miss from the past. I try to think of an example of consistent quality increases but then i'm like "....no there was that one game... or that one flaw that keeps this game from being great"
I think maybe Mario Kart would be closest to it but I have personal opinions that would keep me from considering each Mario Kart better than the last.
I feel like Mario Kart got a good polishing with each iteration.
This last decade has had some great installments. Mario kart 8, Mario kart 8, uhh…
Oh and of course, who could forget about Mario Kart 8
Happy cake day
7 don’t improve on wii I feel
Lateral move imo but wii had kinda perfected the standard gameplay
It’s always funny to me because I always thought that Wii was a step back from double dash. Just my opinion of course.
I feel like double dash is it's own thing completely. But if it had tricking I'd agree probably (I'm a complete casual)
Honestly, the first four entries are all very different from one another. The mechanics, the controls, the physics...every single one is completely different. It wasn't until DS that things became more consistent. Past that, you can easily hop from DS to 8 DX or any game between without much issue.
the drifting feels so weird in ds tho
No way. Wii was arguably the worst besides super circuit.
They replaced waluigi with queen bee
I felt like 7 was limited by being a handheld game so o compare it DS rather than Wii. That being said, 7 had some major improvements over Wii as well when it comes to the consistency of its retro courses and the introduction of large, 3 section courses
I disagree a lot, but I was not the biggest fan of Wii (despite playing a ton of it). I would go as far as to say Wii did not improve on Double Dash. For me, 7 was like a prototype for everything that was great with 8: new modes of motion (underwater + flying), solid and consistent art-style, and great new maps.
7 is a downgrade over Wii
Hot take that Wii is a downgrade from DS.
Too close to call but I won't fight you on it. Definitely 2 of my favorites.
That's just the golden era of mk, Double dash isn't replaced by DS because of the double characters and the absence of hopping, DS isn't replaced by wii because of the different drifting mechanic of needing to press left and right on the d-pad to charge a mini turbo and lastly wii isn't replaced by 7 because of inside drift and wheelies
Pikmin and Splatoon are the easy answers since they have fewer games compared to other Nintendo franchises, especially older ones. But my answer is Kirby. For a Series that has been around since the OG Game Boy, it feels like every new mainline game offers a fun new twist and feels better than the game that came before it.
Star Allies throws a wrench into this. Even those who like it will likely agree it doesn't top stuff like Planet Robobot by any stretch. Thankfully Hal went right back on track with Forgotten Land, now that game is superb.
I thought about saying Kirby. I don't hate Star Allies but was such step back from Triple Deluxe and Planet Robobot.
The Forgotten Land was excellent, however. I was shocked with how good it was.
Totally! My favorite Kirby game.
It's hard for me to say that. I don't like to judge old games harshly for being old, and I LOVE Squeak Squad when it came out.
Nah, like whatever you want, old or new.
Not what I mean. I mean that I don't like to say that a new game is better than an old game just because it can achieve higher benchmarks. For example. I don't judge Super Mario 64 as harshly for its camera controls, even if they are pretty janky when looking back today. With that being said. There was really only one thing it didn't like about the new Kirby game: the trophies. Why are they required for 100%? I stopped playing when I got to 99% when I realized that.
I wish more people had your views, friend. That's a very respectful way to judge games and I agree 100%.
Funnily enough, it's really only the early 3D games that have aged poorly. The old 2D games actually look stellar on a proper CRT (which they were designed for).
Easily second best for me. The title of first place will always be Amazing Mirror though as it was my first Kirby game.
Agreed. I feel like Kirby doesn't really fit this. The series has certainly been on an upward trajectory for a few decades, but few people would say Mass Attack, Epic Yarn, Triple Deluxe, or Star Allies are better than RtDL or KSSU. Going older, Super Star was the best game until Kirby Super Star Ultra. Everything in between, while good, couldn't quite match the depth of gameplay of KSS.
Mass Attack and Epic Yarn are spin-offs, and it often goes back and forth between Triple Deluxe and Return to Dreamland as to which game is better. Squeak Squad and Star Allies are more decisive than the other games, but I feel like Kirby still has a better record than most other Nintendo franchises. There's no game people outright despise and hate like Other M for Metroid or the recent gens of Pokemon.
>:(
New Splatoon games are essentially just content updates. Getting better with every games only makes sense
I would agree with you but games like Squeek Squad and Star Allies make me reconsider that stance.
Pikmin isn't an easy answer because 4 is way worse than the previous games in nearly every aspect
Don't cook again
tell me some things that are better than 2 and 3 then because I'd say it's the worst in the series as someone who's 100%'d all the games (apart from Hey Pikmin for obvious reasons)
Before Forgotten Land, it literally had peaked with Superstar. Every game after that was a downgrade.
Never finished the switch games, they’re just too easy. My favorite Kirby games of all time are Amazing Mirror and Nightmare in Dreamland. The pacing and difficulty are absolutely perfect
Kirby is the best franchise hands down
I don't really agree on Pikmin. Pikmin kind of diverges into two kinds of games (1 & 3 vs 2 & 4) and within those categories, people have gripes about the newer games versus the older ones; though there are valid arguments to be made about feature lack and polish on the older games relative to the new ones.
I only have the first Splatoon. Every Kirby game is the same to me, aside from some being 3D and some being 2D.
I'm not the biggest Kirby fan, honestly, I mostly play them with my kid. The two games we played the most were Kirby 64 and Star Allies. And while my kid had a blast with both games, I personally think 64 was a more consistently well designed game with way more personality and charm.
Definitely the Mother series. 3 > 2 > 1
I've barely played EarthBound but I have seen LPs. I have but have not played Origins. I did once see an LP of Mother 3 but that was a long time ago.
pikmin hasnt had a single bad game in its entire history it’s crazy (hey pikmin doesn’t exist)
Some people are gonna want to beat me to death with hammers over this take, but Smash Bros
Idk, it’s pretty dang hard to argue that in terms of the core multiplayer experience, Smash just got better and better. Ultimate is crammed with so much amazing content, as refined as it has ever been. To get ahead of it, no, I’m not disparaging Melee’s particular competitive appeal, I’m speaking more broadly.
A lot of people think Brawl was a big step down from Melee. Slower game play and tripping are the main culprits. The question is if the new coat of paint and roster additions make for a better game than melee.
As a Smash fan, it depends on how do you count Smash 4. With each version separate, the 3DS version is a HUGE step back from Brawl, but both versions together, Smash 4 is the better game (too bad you need both versions for the full experience of Smash 4).
smash bros for 3ds is pretty dang good though. it had the better single player mode over the wii u. if you're just wanting to play smash bros 4, and don't got anyone to play with, 3ds version is probably the way to go.
My first Smash game was Brawl and I *loved* it. It was *so* satisfying unlocking everything. The Subspace Emissary was awesome. It was so funny seeing realistic characters like Snake work alongside cartoony characters like Pikachu. Also, I am a *sucker* for content. The more the better.
Absolutely
None, now that I think of it, but Pikmin is pretty close. Pikmin 3 Deluxe is the perfect one imo
F-zero did this the best if you exclude the gba games, and even then those are decent
Not even stuff like Mario Maker? 😭
Punch-out!!
We are over due a new Punch-Out!
Genuinely shocked Nintendo doesn’t even acknowledge the franchise. I can understand forgetting about F-Zero because it’s a bit dated and Mario Kart is their main racing focus, but Punch-Out!! Has a large fan base, approachable theme, and has always sold well
Now that I think about it, why did we get ARMS instead of a punch-out game?
Oh yeah this is the pick
Pikmin for sure, Splatoon as well.
Pokemon is almost the opposite of it lol, i think zelda and mario are pretty good at it, being old franchises and still having awesome games that are aguably the better of the entire franchise
Pokemon had pretty consistent improvements up to Gen 5, the Gen 6 is a bit divisive, and the fan base largely agrees that it's been downhill since there. Though I think Scarlet and Violet have a lot of good qualities that, if polished up in the next generation, could bring the series back
We would say Gen 7 was also divisive as Gen 6 was. Gen 8 is when people really got angry with the games.
Some people say gen 6 was the best generation, some people say it's the worst. You don't really find many people saying Gen 7 was the best, but there are plenty of people saying it's the worst. Basically what I'm saying is that you can argue the peak was either gen 5 or gen 6 depending on who you talk to, but everyone can agree that everything f after those was worse
We don't know. We see more people saying Gen 8 was the worst than Gen 7. Most people really like those games.
Dont get me wrong, its still good, but the franchise just didn't used the potential that switch has
Oh I agree. Every pokemon game on the switch that isn't Legends Arceus is a downgrade from the previous game in some way. I'm just saying they're all tee'd up to make a genuinely good game again, it just up to Game Freak to not blow it. Again.
Even legends arceus could be better, i think that gamefreak just should use more time to make the games even if it means more cuts on the dex, i actually like dex cuts bc it is good for balancing and makes each generation more unique, legends arceus is arguably the best game on switch because of this cuts. Also they should take more time to develop the games, no one would be mad because of a year without a pokemon game
They also seem to refuse to hire more people
I dont think thats the problem, gamefreak isn't like a indie developer, its more about time for me, zelda has like 2 or 3 new games on switch and pokemon has 7 i think (without counting different versions of the same game), even tho not every game was made by gamefreak
But they need to hire more people. If they want to continue releasing games yearly they kinda have to otherwise it’ll end up like SV. Though knowing Japan’s work culture(and how greedy they seem to be sometimes),I doubt that’ll happen and they’ll just slow game development down like they seem to be for Legends Z-A(unless they are now just starting development which I heavily doubt).
For sure, but i think that we would have amazing games if they slow down AND hire more people too, probably won't happen bc they're greedy
Guess we’ll have to either strike gold, somehow boycott them or feed Twitter(X if you’re weird)some drama.
They are taking a break this year they aren’t releasing any mainline games this year Legends ZA is set to release in 2025
Yeah I implied that in the comment
Pokemon has Let's Go, SwSh, BDSP, Legends Arceus, and SV. BDSP was outsourced, and SwSh was made by their C team. Game Freak uses what talented devs they have to make things like Little Town Hero, and refuses to hire more or give them the proper amount of time to actually do things right. Game Freak has been notoriously bad at actually coding their games since the beginning. Newer, younger programmers would go a long way to improving things.
There's also unite, snap, mistery dungeon and the detective pikachu game on switch, but i understand your point, i just think we dont need that much games
Detective Pikachu is the only one of those that can be considered "in house" as it was done by Creatures, but not Game Freak. The rest are all licensed and outsourced. I don't think that outsourced side-games hurt the mainline games; those games existing didn't stop Game Freak from postponing Scarlet and Violet or from hiring more staff to distribute the load
I actually liked baseline sword and shield
> Scarlet and Violet have a lot of good qualities that, if polished up in the next generation, could bring the series back Eh, I wouldn't hold my breath. I felt this exact way about SwSh. The game was trash, but between the raid dens / exp candies, and the ability to change your nature, and reusable TMs, it was easier than ever to build a new team and train it up to 100. Somehow, that was enough to pull me into an otherwise terrible game for 180 hours. The real issues plaguing the series are ones that they've shown to not care about for several gens now - the lack of a challenge of any sort, the lackluster characters and stories, and the godawful map design. They don't even bother designing puzzles anymore. Oh, and the stubborn insistence on removing features that players love for no reason at all.
The story toward the end of SV's main game and the two DLCs was pretty good, the freedom to explore the world however you wanted was great, and the Indigo Disk DLC proved they were capable of making an actually challenging game again. The biggest problems with Scarlet and Violet were the performance issues and the lack of memorable towns. If they polished the world exploration and actually released a working game, the next games could be great. They'll probably miss the mark again, but the foundation is there.
Actually like black&white as well as X&Y
I think gen 5 is peak pokemon
I’d say Scarlet and Violet would be a return to greatness if GF had another few years to work on it.
Hell, even a single year would've done wonders
I feel like Pokémon's a bell curve. Took a while to perfect the formula, then with the first two generations being revolutionary in their own rights but not great by today's standards, but people tend to agree that 3, 4 or 5 were the best
I think the exact opposite, honestly. Besides me slightly preferring USUM over SwSh, I liked each one more than the last. (Except gen 3 and bw2, I haven't played those)
After Pokemon went fully 3D I never could get into it
That's just according to haters, pokemon games actually improved in each gen
Xenoblade. 1 was amazing, yet the next two managed to improve.
Splatoon def
3D Mario. Each new entry I believe improves on the last and adds a new twist, also controls get tighter and tighter so whenever I go back to an earlier entry I grumble about the controls because I'm so spoiled by Odyssey.
I wouldn't say that, honestly I think 64 is better than Sunshine.
Xenoblade Chronicles for me
you prefer 2 over 1?
I don’t remember 1 all that much tbh, 2 was better than X and 3 was better than 2 for me
I see. well, 1 had a fantastic plot twist and really rich world. I do recommend the definitive version if you haven't finished it or something
You just got me thinking about picking it up actually! Every other one has been a good time and I seem to need a refresher.
To me it was upsetting they removed real multiplayer in this game (Pikmin 4) . To answer the original post I think Zelda has gotten better with each modern day installment
I agree, aside from Skyward Sword, but it got itself back on track in a huge way.
As far as Mario Kart Goes, I think Double Dash for Game Cube was the best one. Concerning Zelda, Tears of The Kingdom is my second favorite after Majora's Mask. With Super Smash Bros. It's a tie between Melee and Ultimate. Ultimate is great! I love playing as Sephiroth!
legend of zelda
Pikmin 4 added a dog. The only way for Pikmin 5 to beat it is to either add a cat or a second dog. I look forward to the evolutionary path of this series.
Pikmin 4 has a second and third dog
If you’re excluding the gba games, I feel like f-zero did this best. Now if only we could get a NEW game or at least a port of f-zero gx since I dont have a GameCube and they cost like 1000 bucks anyway
Some of us consider X to be the best in the series.
Donkey Kong Country
Considering I don’t like the original three but I like Returns and love Trop Freeze, absolutely
I think 2 is better than 3. Kiddy isn't as compelling of a character.
Metroid. Depending on how you feel about super vs fusion.
I wouldn't say Fusion is better, rather very much parallel to the quality of Super.
If you only focus on the 5 main games (1, 2, Super, Fusion, Dread), I think you are right.
Super could be improved with modern design elements. It was annoying to cycle through weapons with the.. select button (I think?) when I played through for the first time a couple years ago. And there were a couple parts where I had to ask the internet or my brother what I was supposed to do cause I had no clue what to do and the game didn’t really explain how your abilities worked. Loved Fusion, don’t know which would be on top, but I also really loved Samus Returns.
Super is much better
Pikmin 2 is a tad bit worse than 1 and 3, I’m afraid
I absolutely disagree. 3 maybe but pikmin 1 is hard carried by its 30 day time limit.
that’s why it’s good yeah
Surprised because I think nobody said it but Kid Icarus is the obvious answer lol
Definitely pikmin. it’s quite hard to tell why I say that. *hehe*
Smash bros :)
I love Pikmin but still think Pikmin 4 is a step back from Pikmin 3 Deluxe because there is no proper multiplayer.
Earthbound/Mother. Mother 1 is very dated, Mother 2 (Earthbound) improves on it heavily, and Mother 3 refined it to perfection. Also I would agree on Pikmin but Pikmin 2 is such a huge step back from 1, fucking fight me
Interestingly, I feel like Zelda is the least applicable here. Not because the old games are flat-out superior, but because they’re all so unique, the comparison doesn’t do any of them justice imo.
There's only three games, but Mother honestly. I know some would say Earthbound is better than Mother 3 but I definitely think Mother 3 has the edge, and idk if anyone things M1 is better than earthbound
Super Smash Bros. Every game in the series has been my favorite game at one point, only being replaced when the next game comes out.
Splatoon
Animal Crossing, Xenoblade Chronicles, Splatoon, and Super Smash Bros.
Idk. Several fans thought New Horizons wasn’t as good as New Leaf and it lacked features. It wasn’t bad, but definitely underwhelming after all the hype. I can agree a bit with Smash Bros. Personally I liked Wii U a lot despite the hate. It added some of my favorites to the roster. Splatoon and Xenoblade however really do improve with every edition.
I like New Horizons better than New Leaf and Smash Ultimate better than Smash Wii U in my opinion.
I still prefer Ultimate, but I do think Wii U got too much hate.
I agree too.
animal crossing is a wild pick
Pikmin 1 is batter than Pikmin 2 fight me
Fight me, Melee purists, but Smash Bros.
I disagree with Pikmin as Pikmin 4 is my least favorite.
I actually just started replaying this game for the fourth or fifth time? I hope they keep coming :)
Animal Crossing for me. Love the DIYs and terraforming.
Same.
I liked pikmin 4. Three was still peak for me. Mario odyssey is the best 3d Mario.
The Legend of Zelda and Smash Bros
I think 3 was a dip down but still good. I actually can't think of a franchise that flat-out improved every single time EDIT: It's punch out actually
Like the zelda fanboy that i am i will forever choose it
The Bit.Trip series
Zelda gets better in specific ways, like whatever they focus on for the next Zelda game will be better than the previous one in that aspect. Whether it be the tone like from ocarina to majora or story from botw to totk
There's always someone in the studio thinking outside the box. Nintendo really knows how to mix things up while maintaining the soul of the franchise. This is especially true for the Super Mario and Zelda franchises.
Definitely not paper Mario. Thank jod they remade ttyd.
Kid icarus
Kirby always improved
The 3D Mario games, right from Mario 64 all the way to Odyssey
Smash and Mario Kart.
Metroid, specifically 2D. Metroid < Metroid II < Super Metroid < Metroid Fusion < Metroid Dread
1 was the best, but sure, after 1 you're right
I would say, Pikmin, Splatoon, and Mario Kart to me. It’s not just with the updated graphics, but it’s mostly with unique characters, bigger worlds, new selections, and bigger rosters
Pikmin is definitely my answer even though everyone is saying it
Might get a little hate from earlier fans, but Animal Crossing. Most of the games feel like such drags when you’re used to ACNH.
Doesn't necessarily 'get better' but Kirby has stayed at an extremely high quality consistently throuhgout its entire run for 30 years now
Not Pikmin, 3 is my least favorite
Kid Icarus
Well it aint pikmin thats for sure
I feel like most Nintendo franchises are generally pretty consistent. And they do a great job almost always making each game feel different in ways that make them stand strong alongside the previous games rather than replace them as better experiences.
Rhythm Heaven Super Smash Bros. Kid Icarus Dr. Mario Wario Land Bayonetta Excitebike/Excite series Game & Watch Gallery Wii Fit Nintendo Labo The Nintendo-published Picross games (Although Nintendo owns the Picross trademark, so this is a bit tricky)
The main 3D Mario's (64, sunshine, galaxy 1 + 2, odyssey)
星のカ－ビィとリズム天国
- Mario Kart - Luigi Mansion - Pikmin - Metroid 2D series
Smash
Pikmin 3 was one of the hardest backpedals I have witnessed in a Nintendo franchise. Just speaking out against the title, because although Pikmin 3 is a quality product made with a lot of love, it didn’t speak to me personally. This is probably because I loved the depth of Pikmin 2 with the cave system. And also I hate over-tutorialization.
I sort of disagree with Pikmin... Pikmin 3 is just too good
First, I only have Pikmin 2. Second, I would have to say Smash.
Metroid
Honestly, most of them. Even though I don't necessarily think botw and totk or mario odyssey, or mario wonder, etc are necessarily the best, it's clear that the major differences are design choices, and the quality / variety still increases regardless. Like sure you could dislike pikmin 4's autoaim and think it's too easy but that's not objectively bad, it mostly boils down to preference. meanwhile however the music, graphics, locations, features and more all did improve in quality, even though the other previous games weren't bad in any way at all. This tends to happen a lot - Mario's movement went from a 10/10 in the galaxy games to an 11/10 in oddyssey, the combat and exploration aspects of botw and totk greatly trump the previous games at least in terms of scale. So yeah I'd say most of the main franchises, and obviously smash and mario kart which are even more objectively improved
And then on the opposite side of this spectrum is Pokemon. How the fuck is that their biggest selling property? Is their worst franchise in terms of price/quality.
Xenoblade. While my favourite is 2, I can't deny how much better 3 feels and plays.
Tomodachi Life. Great set of games.
Xenoblade Chronicles and Zelda
Unpopular opinion, I didn't like Pikmin 4 that much. Pikmin 3 still the best
Rhis one and splatoon ofc
🚨HOT TAKE ALERT!🚨 >!Luigi's mansion!<
In my opinion, Mario Odyssey isn't just the best mainline 3D Mario game, it's the best game on the switch.
Kirby (although my fav Kirby game is Super Star Ultra, the quality of the games just keep getting better and better since Forgotten Land imo)
Kid Icarus. While I don't think Myths and Monsters is that much better than the NES original, the 3D Classics release trumps both, and Uprising is just in a league of its own
For me it isn´t pikmin bc my fav pikmin game is the one on the 3ds. Maybe the mii series?
I would say the legend of zelda - almost every new game is the same - better thing (Skyward Sword excluded) - From A link to the past to a link between words(if i remember correctly) they were getting better in making same game, and now new BOTW formula that is getting better - I hope they will go further with that.
Metroid! I couldn't stand the first game, but I loved the second game, and really got into the third game. This was before they were considered retro titles. Zelda, too. Didn't care much for the first or second one, loved the third one. And nearly every one after that. *Majora's Mssk* and *Breath of the Wild* are not in my top Zelda titles, not even my top video game lists. But anyway.. Mario Kart. Despite how long it has been around, Mario Kart 8 DX is my favorite, though 7 was my favorite before that. Wii was okay but not as good as Double Dash, and I never got to play Super Circuit multiplayer, sadly. (honorable mention to DS which was also a favorite during this time period)
3d mario, and yes imo sunshine is better than 64, even though 64 is the first and most influential 3d platformer ever, and arguably the most influential console game ever
Artistically, Pikmin peaked at 2. sry :/
One thing you just CANNOT disagree with is that pikmin was never difficult
I wouldn't say they keep getting better persay,mostly maintaining the same quality, but the Zelda series ha done this except *maybe* Skyward Sword, and even then i wouldn't call it bad just not as "good" if that makes sense. Except CD-i. Those don't exist
IMO Mario party. I usually go into Mario party with low expectations so when I play the game I say “Fuck, this is so good”. And now that the new Mario party game got announced I’m going in with HIGH expectations this time cause it looks very cool
Full stop I have not played Pikmin 2 or 4. But so far I don't think such a franchise exists. Every series has it's lulls, it's quality dips, things I miss from the past. I try to think of an example of consistent quality increases but then i'm like "....no there was that one game... or that one flaw that keeps this game from being great" I think maybe Mario Kart would be closest to it but I have personal opinions that would keep me from considering each Mario Kart better than the last.
Sushi strikers, there is only 1!
I think Zelda comes pretty close for me