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 2018:
M64 Retrospective | Our 3 Best Nintendo Games of 2018:
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo Switch)
Jack: Ultimate in name, ultimate in nature. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was easily the best game that released in 2018 for a whole range of reasons, with one being, “everyone is here.” And just in case the biggest selection of characters in one Smash game wasn’t enough, this fighting extravaganza would go on to become so popular that it would receive two fighter passes and that added even more fighters to the roster.
Some choices were questionable, but with the likes of Banjo & Kazooie joining the ranks, along with Joker, Min Min, Steve, Pyra and Mythra and more, there was something for everyone. Then there were the new character trailers that would drop, new amiibo and the many Smash presentations hosted by Masahiro Sakurai.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was more than just a game; it was an experience and an experience that kept us entertained for many years since and raised the bar so high that no other fighting game has been able to reach so far.
Mike: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate definitely lived up to its name. It was the ultimate Super Smash Bros. experience with over 80 fighters and so many stages to fight on, each with an assortment of fantastically arranged music tracks to accompany them. While the World of Light content was fairly expansive as a single player experience, I did prefer the Subspace Emissary from Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii, mainly for its super cool cutscenes and how it was handled in general.
That said. The fact that SSBU had so many of my favourite characters in one game including Banjo Kazooie being added as part of the first Fighter Pass. It is easily one of my favourite fighting games on Nintendo Switch and even one of my favourite fighting games full stop.
Detective Pikachu (Nintendo 3DS)
Jack: Not to be confused with the film of the same name, Detective Pikachu the video game, is easily one of the greatest Pokémon spin-offs ever developed. The upscaled graphics for Pokémon, how they interact with one another and their human counterparts, was something that had never been properly portrayed in the Pokémon games since Pokémon Snap. At last we finally had a game that was on par with the Pokémon anime and films and the story in the game, was a hell of a lot more satisfying than the one we got in the film.
Also, unlike the film, the game ended on a cliffhanger, which I am hoping will be explored when the sequel, a game that is still in development for the Nintendo Switch, finally releases. Plus, it gave us the larger Detective Pikachu amiibo, which made for an amazing collectible.
Mike: To be honest, I have not really played this game on 3DS but I have wanted it on Switch ever since it was mentioned during a Pokémon Direct that aired in what feels like an age ago. The premise of the game seems like a lot of fun and it did help spawn a live-action film starring Justice Smith and Ryan Reynolds.
I do still hope Detective Pikachu gets released on Nintendo Switch otherwise I am going have to dust off my 2DS XL and play the game that way.
WarioWare Gold (Nintendo 3DS)
Jack: WarioWare has always been a series close to my heart and with no Switch alternative available at that time, in between Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, WarioWare Gold became my guilty pleasure. Each instalment always offers something new and with support for the Nintendo 3DS winding down, it was one of the last games to be released on the handheld system, it made for a fitting farewell to one of Nintendo’s best platforms.
Mike: This is another title that I missed out on at the time due to not owning a 3DS or 2DS. However, 2018 was very much the last solid year for Nintendo 3DS before Nintendo fully shifted their focus to developing games for Nintendo Switch. WarioWare is one of those game series that is as madcap as it is fun and after listening to Jack talk very highly about WarioWare Gold, we decided it deserved its place as one of our favourite games for 2018.
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.
