The Best Nintendo Game Every Year 1983 - 2024

Nintendo posited 2013 as the Year of Luigi so it’s some kind of hilarious irony that even still he got overshadowed. 

This year saw the release of the Wii U’s highest-rated, second-best-selling game (behind Mario Kart 8) and one that - despite launching on a console with a limited audience - smashed Mario’s previous sales records. 

Super Mario 3D World was the follow-up to 2011’s 3DS title and whilst it didn’t make great use of the Wii U’s gimmicks, it certainly felt like the full-fat version of what 3D Land had offered on handheld. Now, players could race through the Mushroom Kingdom in teams of up to four. This was the big appeal - something akin to classic Mario that was playable with friends, simultaneously, for the first time. 

This made for cooperative but, more importantly, competitive chaos as Nintendo knew all too well how players get when the chance to outperform friends presents itself. The game’s “crown” mechanic of giving the highest-scoring player visible bragging rights drove groups to put more and more time into the game.

Super Mario 3D World also gave us the introduction of Captain Toad and his isometric adventures and Cat Mario - a costume so popular it showed up in the 2022 Mario movie. With great stages and plenty of content, it was the perfect blend of new and old and one of Mario’s greatest outings.