It’s that magical time of year again. May 2023 has come round rather fast and while we eagerly await the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, May is special to us for another reason as well. Having founded Miketendo64 in May 2015, this year marks our humble little site’s eighth anniversary and as you might expect, we’re feeling rather nostalgic.
So nostalgic, in fact, that the original Miketendo64 bros. and founders of our outlet, have reflected on their three most favourite Nintendo published games of each year the site has been running. So, strap yourselves in for here are our three best Nintendo games of 2016:
M64 Retrospective | Our 3 Best Nintendo Games of 2016:
Pokkén Tournament (Nintendo Wii U)
Jack: One-on-one Pokémon battles are back and they’re better than ever. With a new region to do battle in and a physical release that includes a Shadow Mewtwo amiibo card, Pokkén Tournament swiftly became the go-to fighting game for Mike and I to settle our disputes.
Whether we played together in the same room or miles apart and online, Pokkén Tournament was one of the few Wii U games that my brother and I would play together during a time in our lives where life was pulling us in different directions. Sometimes our battles would result in more arguments than they solved, but it still made for a worthwhile experience I will always treasure.
Mike: I had fallen out of the Pokémon scene for quite a while. I didn’t have much time for them and kind of lost interest in all the “newer generations”. When Pokkén Tournament released on Nintendo Wii U, I was instantly on board the Poké Train again. Being about to have heated Pokémon battles one-on-one Tekken style? I was sold!
What also made it a top contender was that there were a good number of Pokémon in the roster that I recognized like Pikachu, Charizard, Machamp, Gengar, Mewtwo, and Lucario. The other Pokémon were from latter generations like Blaziken, Gardevoir, Weavile, Suicune, Chandelure (and several others that I can’t recall the names of). I personally found the game to be very fun and even though I did get my butt handed to me online a LOT, being able to play online with my brother Jack was a more enjoyable experience as we sometimes he would win and other times I would win. The matches would play out more fairly as opposed to being absolutely decimated by the online “pro gamers”
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE (Nintendo Wii U)
Jack: Developed by ATLUS and published by Nintendo, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE was a game that deserved so much more, except by the time it released, most didn’t even realize it had come out. A shame really, as this compelling RPG was a blend of Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem that worked brilliantly.
At least Nintendo and ATLUS would right their wrong be giving Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE a new lease of life as Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore when they brought it to the Nintendo Switch in 2020 and the game finally got the praise it deserved.
Mike: Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE was a game that we missed out on the first time around because I couldn’t find a physical copy in the Spain. I did manage to acquire it for Mr. Panda who was writing for us at the time so that he could review it for the website.
It wasn’t until The Switch version for the game (Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore) came out did I actually get to play this game and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I put in well over 70 hours or so into the title and could see why the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series are both held in high regard as TMS #FE is a combination of those games with Fire Emblem elements mixed in.
Miitomo (Android | iOS)
Jack: As sad as this might sound, but Miitomo was actually one of my favourite applications Nintendo ever made for smartphone devices and I genuinely miss it. Mike and I used to get up to all sorts with the mobile application and every time Nintendo did a tie-in event with one of their, at the time, latest releases, I was all for it.
Although the application was rather basic in the two- and a-bit years it lasted for, I have always personally felt like Nintendo dropped the ball with it and instead of trying to do more, they moved on, focusing on their other games and mobile games. It’s surreal to think that this May (May 9 to be exact) would mark the fifth anniversary since Nintendo discontinued services for Miitomo.
Mike: Oh, Miitomo. Nintendo gave up on you long before you had the chance to really spread your wings. This app was one of Nintendo’s first on the mobile platform and I was all for it. I would use the app daily, I would dress up my Mii in all sorts of outfits. The Miifoto section was the best as I could create some funny and entertaining images with my Mii and the Miis of my friends.
Our community also grew because of Miitomo. I discovered the first Miituber Nbro on YouTuber who used Miitomo to create YouTube videos in which, he would talk about Nintendo news and interview people. I even got to appear in one of his videos as a guest. When the app got shut down on May 9th, 2018. It was such a shame as a good number of petitions began to appear on Change.org in the hopes of getting Nintendo to change their minds and keep the app going just a little longer but alas, it was not to be.
We would like to take this moment to thank all of you who have shared in our journey for the last eight years. It’s been a hell of a ride and if you’d like to know what other games made our best of list, we hope you’ll check out our other instalments of this mini-series.
Until next time, keep on gaming.
