The Best Nintendo Game Every Year 1983 - 2024
9. 2016 - Pokkén Tournament
It was clear early on that the Wii U was going to be a rough generation for the company to turn around but 2016 was a dud across both of Nintendo’s consoles; giving us a bad Paper Mario, a disappointing Star Fox and a divisive Pokémon generation in Sun and Moon.
Thank goodness for the anticipated home console release of Pokkén Tournament, the fighting game that pit the likes of Mewtwo and Lucario against Pikachu in a mask and a sentient chandelier.
Like traditional Pokémon gameplay, Pokkén was on the surface a game of rock/paper/scissors whilst also being deceptively complex. More than just trying to outfox your opponent's choice of attack style; there was making use of the two different phases of battle, a diverse move pool and a choice of support Pokémon. Battles looked good as they felt and it was cool to see classic monsters actually getting into a proper scrap.
Whilst Nintendo’s slow embrace of online play was where Pokkén tended to live best, it was unfortunately lacking content elsewhere. Despite a Switch rerelease, Pokkén feels all but forgotten, which is a shame because it added something unique to a franchise that is often very sweet and twee.
And that something was beating Pikachu into a fine, yellow paste.