20 Nintendo Games You Must Play Before You Die

3. Splatoon (Wii U)

Ninty surprised everyone when it launched a team-based shooter, but Splatoon is further proof that the gaming giant is capable of reshaping any genre it chooses.

Like Mario Kart and Smash Bros, this ink-em-up is an accessible alternative to its category's usual offering. Guns and ammunition makes way for ink blasters, and harrowing war-torn backdrops are replaced by tapestries of vivid colours.

Nintendo is often criticised for leaning too heavily on its flagship franchises, but games like Splatoon prove it's capable of delivering a fresh and interesting take on existing concepts. Turf Wars mode, for instance - which has players compete to colour in as much of the map as they can within three minutes - is the kind of thing you won't find elsewhere.

Splatoon isn't perfect - the inclusion of voice chat would have made it a more complete multiplayer experience, for starters - but it's another great example of Nintendo running a tired blueprint through its colourful filters to create something unique and universally accessible.