What is the worst Nintendo game?

[Lucifer]

I got it for the amiibo. Still sealed. Maybe one day I will play it.



The funny thing is that I feel if the game had much better controls, Ice Climbers would be a fun arcade game.



I feel personally attacked lol

I kid, I kid. I can understand it though. After the amazing Wooly World, which is just as a fantastic game as the original Yoshi's Island once people learn to let go of the original (and it is still an amazing game), they will find a game that nails the pacing, collectibles, exploration, and challenge. The bonus levels are no joke, and like a good Nintendo game, it starts off easy and then ramps up without ever feeling frustrating. And like the original game, the challenge is doing a perfect run. One thing Wooly World does better than the original for sure, is that progress saves. Meaning, I don't have to have all the stars, red coins, and flowers in one go. If I miss the flowers, but I have all the red coins... I do not have to get all the red coins all over again.

Crafted World is an odd game. It plays well. The designs are great too. But it also had some missteps. One, lacked the challenge of Wooly World. Two, the bonus objectives were not that fun. Three, short as heck and less variety after being spoiled by Wooly World.

I will say this, the last half of the game was a lot of fun. But the first half was... just okay. Shame. Because the horror world and the ninja world were an absolute blast.

Agreed, Woolly Worlds pulled from the original and did its own thing as well, which was good. I'd say the only downside it has to the original is its slower pace.

I don't know what happened with Crafted Worlds, with Woolly Worlds they improved a lot on the Kirby game, but the quality really went downhill with Crafted Worlds. And the soundtrack made me feel like I was watching Teletubbies.

 

[Clix]

Agreed, Woolly Worlds pulled from the original and did its own thing as well, which was good. I'd say the only downside it has to the original is its slower pace.

I don't know what happened with Crafted Worlds, with Woolly Worlds they improved a lot on the Kirby game, but the quality really went downhill with Crafted Worlds. And the soundtrack made me feel like I was watching Teletubbies.

Could be development time. Maybe they did not have as much. I have no idea. I enjoyed my time with the game (minus soundtrack), but it felt like a development build at times. Especially with how some worlds were so clever, and others so flat.

Replaying the original last week, it has a pretty slow pace too. I think it's just that Yoshi moves a lot quicker compared to Wooly World. But yeah, both great games. Also, customizing Yoshi was pretty rad.

 

[Robert]

Other M is absolutely worse than Fed Force OP. Unless you like watching Samus get shot in the back for no goddamn reason.

 

[lemonfresh]

Other M is absolutely worse than Fed Force OP. Unless you like watching Samus get shot in the back for no goddamn reason.

Yeah you are probably right, I try to forget about other m every chance I get though.

 

[Apopheniac]

Anyone play this game? Was it any good? I've heard nothing about it.

I fished it out of a Gamestop bargain bin for like $3 some years back. Nothing too special but I had fun with it.

 

[Joseki]

Yes [INSERT_YOUR_FAVORITE_VIDEOGAME_HERE]

 

[Mbolibombo]

I was originally gonna say Urban Champion but honesty it’s just boring, not terrible.

Ice Climber, however, is an abysmal turd.

Dont do this to me -
Ice Climber is fun.

 

[NabiscoFelt]

You know this isn't the old place when it's been a full page and no one has said BoTW

 

[Derachi]

Dont do this to me -
Ice Climber is fun.

Look this forum is going for a cozy, positive vibe

But you are EXTREMELY wrong about this. Ice Climber is a clunky frustrating mess of a video game. I would genuinely rather play Superman 64 for an hour than Ice Climber for 10 minutes.

 

[Lichtsang]

Most of you just name games that you don't like, but are by no means the worst Nintendo games.

 

[Mbolibombo]

Look this forum is going for a cozy, positive vibe

But you are EXTREMELY wrong about this. Ice Climber is a clunky frustrating mess of a video game. I would genuinely rather play Superman 64 for an hour than Ice Climber for 10 minutes.

It's the Dark Souls of Climber games.

No but seriously, I always enjoyed Ice Climber - even to this date.. but yeah the jumping physics take some time to get used to

But rather playing Superman 64 for more more minutes than anyone has ever managed in one go over 10 minutes of Ice CLimber, dont know about that

 

[storres]

Star Fox Zero

 

[Derachi]

It's the Dark Souls of Climber games.

No but seriously, I always enjoyed Ice Climber - even to this date.. but yeah the jumping physics take some time to get used to

But rather playing Superman 64 for more more minutes than anyone has ever managed in one go over 10 minutes of Ice CLimber, dont know about that

I have actually played Superman 64 for probably an hour or so. It’s bad but it’s not “the worst game ever” as it is often called.

 

[GamerJM]

Warioware: Snapped, a DSiWare game with controls that didn't even really function when I played it.

 

[Hyrulean]

It’s a cop out answer to say Soccer or some random obscure game on NES/SNES. Anybody can say that. It’s better to look at series with huge disappointments like Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival.

No offence, but even if I understand what you say, for people like me who grew up with NES and SNES (SFC in my case), those games ARE NOT "some random obscure games".
And if you knew how miserable I felt when, at the age of 8, I could've receveid Rush n' Attack as a gift and ended up with Urban Champion instead, I'm sure you would understand why it makes the case very, very personnal...

 

[Shroomy]

Star Fox Zero, because I never got the hang of the controls.

 

[Smilator]

Hey where is the doshin the giant hate i'd expect from a thread like this?

Also the latest Mario Golf is seriously bad.

 

[diakyu]

Some blistering hot takes in here lmao

But I’d prolly say Wii Music. Gonna be honest I haven’t really played any I thought were totally terrible but wii music was the most nothing out of them all. Wii Play and Sports it was not

 

[NabiscoFelt]

Some blistering hot takes in here lmao

But I’d prolly say Wii Music. Gonna be honest I haven’t really played any I thought were totally terrible but wii music was the most nothing out of them all. Wii Play and Sports it was not

Honestly there have been far fewer hot takes than I was expecting

Like, there's been a "Mario Galaxy" and "Sunshine" but that's about it for really hot takes (granted, Galaxy is an extremely hot take)

 

[Rooster]

Came here to say Urban Champion and Ice Climber but someone beat me to it with those exact two.

 

[Mazzle]

There are bad gamey by Nintendo especially in their early days and there are games that are bad but inoffensive.

That's why I choose Other M.
Fuck this game and what it DID to the character Samus Aran

 

[MetalLord]

 

[Donnie]

What I would actually love to hear about is what everyone's guilty pleasure is. It's easy to hate on a game but it's more fun to hear people really own their love for a game people might hate on!

Oh and I should probably put my money where my mouth is haha it's been mentioned in this thread I think, but I have a real soft spot for Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival. It came at a time I think people just did not want it one little bit and had fallen out of love with the Wii U but I had such a good time with my family playing it and we would get really into the different characters and do voices when they appeared lol I would always do Joan the old sow

 

[Clix]

What I would actually love to hear about is what everyone's guilty pleasure is. It's easy to hate on a game but it's more fun to hear people really own their love for a game people might hate on!

This may be a cop out answer because it has a caveat. The first Kid Icarus. Here is the caveat:

The original NES release is not that great.

The 3D Classics release is the same damn game but with better controls and all of a sudden it became a really good game.

I could never beat the first level as a kid, as a young adult, or as an adult. The 3D Classics? Beat it in a weekend and had a blast. No more slippery walking, better jumping, better shooting.

Edit: that’s a good idea for a thread. You should make one

 

[Kingo]

For me it’s probably Paper Mario: Sticker Star. It’s just not what I wanted out of a Paper Mario game, and I haven’t bought any since then.

I guess I would also add the more recent Yoshi games as well. They’re not actually bad, but just way too slow for my liking.

Actual “worst” is probably Urban Champion or something. (I actually like Ice Climbers, come at me)

 

[Chalphy]

Realistically, it's probably Radar Scope. For me personally, it's AC amiibo Festival. Just terribly unfun all around.

 

[Brock Reiher]

Does this count? Got it for Christmas and admittedly was excited when I opened it because I was expecting something at least as interactive as Hey You PIkachu on N64, but damn.

Wii Music, 1-2 Switch at least I got several hours of playtime out of before I dropped. Pokemon Channel I think I effectively reached the end within two hours (one hour played Christmas Day, one hour played on Boxing Day)

It does not count because it's an amazing game but thanks for asking

 

[Theswweet]

Have any of you played Warioware Snapped? It's Warioware Snapped.

 

[Lichtsang]

Hey where is the doshin the giant hate i'd expect from a thread like this?

Also the latest Mario Golf is seriously bad.

Doshin is my precious child and I'll fight anyone that says a bad word about him!

 

[AngryAlchemist]

Most of you just name games that you don't like, but are by no means the worst Nintendo games.

I don't see the point in people trying to search far and wide for the worst Nintendo game ever made when the reality is they probably haven't even played it. What's the point if people are just trying to search for what is "objectively" the worst - you'd just get one, two, maybe three of the same answers over and over again. Plus, it wouldn't actually make discussion interesting because again, it would probably be games no one played.

I think its much more valuable for people to give their own personal experience with what the worst Nintendo game they've played is. Especially if you don't believe in objectivity in game critique, because then personal taste plays a large factor and you couldn't verify if a game is actually the worst Nintendo game or not so easily.

Speaking of...

Ok, yeah, it's actually probably this game for me. Forgot about it, I knew there was a worse Nintendo game I played that was worse/downright bad. Feel kind of bad picking this one though because it's been forever since I played it so I can't give a great description of it, but I just remember it feeling so bland, lifeless, and boring. Not a good feeling game and not super fun.

 

[Yoshifan31]

You know this isn't the old place when it's been a full page and no one has said BoTW

BOTW is definitely the worst great game Nintendo has made

The actual answer is Ice Climber. Nothing of value would be lost if this game would be deleted from existence. It had freaking seal enemies in the original version, this is unnacceptable. Its only legacy is putting the character in Smash, which tormented tournaments due to infinite chaingrabs. You can play actual fun games on NES, Ice Climber isn’t one.

People really need to get perspective on these discussions, the black sheep of your favorite series usually isn’t actually bad enough to be considered the worst of anything. Sure Other M had no reason to exist and was offensively bad in terms of narrative but the game itself is simply a third person, bland version of Metroid that uses a setting similar to Fusion’s. It’s honestly on par with most AAA cinematic games of its generation. I’d much rather play Other M over Ice Climber, hell I’d play Other M over most 7th gen cinematic schlock

 

[totofogo]

Imo if a game is only bad because of the context you're putting it in (eg. Federation Force when Metroid was MIA for so long, Crafted World vs Wooly World), it's not a good pick for "worst game".

The real contenders here are the shells of games: Mario Tennis Ultra Smash, AC Amiibo Festival, Wii Music...

 

[A. G. Cook]

Gonna be honest .... the worst Nintendo game I've ever played is Super Mario 64.

I MEAN, it is a good game somewhat. But I don't know how a game with so many bad levels, repetitive mission structures, and bad collisions with the environment can be so praised. Plus, whatever the fuck the controls for the Wing Cap are.

When did you play Mario 64? At launch or years after?

 

[bellydrum]

Not to pick on you in particular, but I'm really hoping the "What's the worst...." threads are kept at a minimum here. Those type of threads have become really prominent on Era, especially in the past year. While it can be fun to talk about things we don't enjoy at times, I think people have become too obsessed with negativity and I think so many "Worst" topics helped deteriorate the discourse on Era. People just run in, complain about something, and then leave. They're don't bring about the most engaging or inciteful conversations. But that's just my opinion on these type of topics.

I strongly agree with this

 

[AngryAlchemist]

When did you play Mario 64? At launch or years after?

I first casually played it around the time the collection came out, if not day one, but I didn't dedicate to beating it till earlier this year.

I still think it's "a good game", but certain parts of it were so frustrating or annoying that I couldn't stand it at times. Which is funny, because the basic movement has stood the test of time, it's crazy how much Odyssey feels like Mario 64 and how well its movement plays all these years later. But a bunch of other stuff was just grating.

 

[Clix]

A few months ago.

I still think it's "a good game", but certain parts of it were so frustrating or annoying that I couldn't stand it at times. Which is funny, because the basic movement has stood the test of time, it's crazy how much Odyssey feels like Mario 64 and how well its movement plays all these years later. But a bunch of other stuff was just grating.

It’s all instinct. So the biggest hurdle with older 3D games IMO is not visuals but controls. And not just early 3D games but any new Gen. You get used to a new way or standard way of controlling it, so playing an older game is like fighting against your instincts. Which back in the day was second nature.

I get that frustration to now, but I find after a while I start adjusting to those old instincts and once the re-learning curve is done, it feels to me as if I was playing it upon release.

 

[A. G. Cook]

I first casually played it around the time the collection came out, if not day one, but I didn't dedicate to beating it till earlier this year.

I still think it's "a good game", but certain parts of it were so frustrating or annoying that I couldn't stand it at times. Which is funny, because the basic movement has stood the test of time, it's crazy how much Odyssey feels like Mario 64 and how well its movement plays all these years later. But a bunch of other stuff was just grating.

I actually consider it one of the best Nintendo games ever made. A huge reason is because for one of the first fully 3D games ever, it got so many things right. It lacks modern polish, but it still has a certain charm where parts of the jank are appealing. The movement is top notch though and it's really the blue print for all modern games. I understand playing something like Mario 64 many years after release and the quirks sticking out like a sore thumb compared to Odyssey.

 

[lexony]

Like, there's been a "Mario Galaxy" and "Sunshine" but that's about it for really hot takes (granted, Galaxy is an extremely hot take)

It‘s like saying that the first trilogy is the worst one, when asking which Star Wars Film is the worst.

 

[purseowner]

Yeah, it's these.

FlingSmash is straight up unresponsive.

 

[marmoka]

Lets get the obvious one out of the way first

What is the absolute worst Nintendo game in your opinion? ( and don't cheat with the cdi games)

I have not played that one and have no intention to, so I cannot give any opinion.

My answer right now after playing Dread is clearly Other M, which a huge piece of garbage.

 

[Kanhir]

At least Federation Force and Other M were games. Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival is barely a game. There's little to no gameplay. It's not even a question.

 

[sir_AnGer]

Less Nintendo's worst game, but the game that has disappointed me the most:

Spoiler: Yep, it's this one.

By all accounts, I consider both the DS games and Skyward Sword to be worse titles, but Twilight Princess is a game I really want to like but it fails massively at getting me to care about its plot, characters and world. The game hasn't started the (thankfully short-lived) "tradition" of mandatory collect quests in Zelda games, but dear oh dear did I not want to do another one of these in this game. There's no substantial rewards for the mini-games or the side quests (outside of the money armor and even that I feel takes way too much time to get to be worth it) and tbh it feels way too easy. Like, Zelda shouldn't be "Souls" levels of hard, but a lot of the fights felt like total pushovers.

 

[GamerJM]

I actually liked FlingSmash quite a bit. Never had issues with it being unresponsive. It gets better if you look at it as a 10$ arcade-style game with a unique control scheme that was bundled with a 40$ Wiimote.

 

[Phantoon]

Anybody who nominated anything from the last twenty years of Nintendo clearly needs to play more games*

*With the exception of Pokémon Channel, which has worth because of Jirachi, and that's it. There's no real game there at all.

It's the very early stuff like Urban Champion that are actually bad games. Ice Climber isn't great but when you get used to its bizarre physics it's somewhat tolerable.

 

[Ramune]

I find the Lost levels to be fundamentlally unfun to play when you're not using the rewind function.

I think this comes down to All Stars being my first Mario game and not really knowing The Lost Levels was meant to be hellish, but I have good memories of playing it as a kid. But kids have endless time and no income for new games so you bet I was going to keep playing that mess until I finished it.

Regarding Mario 64 being dragged in here (“now why am I in it?”), this has to be a generational thing right? I can see why it’d be questionable to new players and it’s not something I’m rushing to play again, but for a lot of us it was one of our first forays into 3D platforming. I put more time into it than most subsequent 3D entries in the series. Having that freedom of movement and exploration was amazing, and I think we put any flaws down to it being teething problems (on our end or the dev end).

While it can be fun to talk about things we don't enjoy at times, I think people have become too obsessed with negativity and I think so many "Worst" topics helped deteriorate the discourse

The ones like "if you could stop development on all future games in a genre, which would it be?" make me howl because it’s always people just decimating my taste in games these days.

Anyway, I haven’t personally played any Nintendo games I’d consider “the worst” or even particularly bad. I think my patience for Mario Party did wear thin over the years though and I barely touched the Wii entry I bought for some reason.

 

[julian]

Outside of the Mii games or anything of the sorts. I'm gonna go with this one. Just boring all around with a horrid soundtrack to boot.

This game made me so fucking mad. I made the mistake of trying it with my kid and he was loving it - so I can’t really say it’s the worst - but so much about it pissed me off. The core game is too easy but then the unlockables are brutal, the levels are way too long for what it wants you to get and then it makes you replay them multiple times. The flipping mechanic is not implemented well. The music repeats and repeats and repeats. The performance is spotty.
It’s even more jarring when you go back and play Woolly World which is better in just about every category.

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

Chess in Club House Games. It won't let me move my guys.

 

[Jbone916]

Mario Tennis Ultra Smash is basically the perfect example of a company pushing out an incomplete product to have something on shelves for Christmas.

Several of Nintendo’s mobile titles released or eventually incorporated the bad kind of “gatcha” mechanics.

Pokémon Rumble U and Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival are both lacking in content and lacking in fun gameplay.

I’m sure there are some really bad NES games that I can’t think of that deserve a spot on this list.

 

[ngpdrew]

I just don't like ARMS. It isn't terrible, but it felt like the dying wail of the Wii era several years late.

 

[Zeroth]

Does this count? Got it for Christmas and admittedly was excited when I opened it because I was expecting something at least as interactive as Hey You PIkachu on N64, but damn.

Wii Music, 1-2 Switch at least I got several hours of playtime out of before I dropped. Pokemon Channel I think I effectively reached the end within two hours (one hour played Christmas Day, one hour played on Boxing Day)

Even the boxart screams low quality. I'm confident the reason they included Jirachi in the European version was to boost its sales.