The Most Disappointing Nintendo Games Ever Released, Ranked Worst to Best

Today, we’re taking a hard look at some of the least impressive games Nintendo has put out over the years. While most Nintendo releases that miss the mark still land in the “not quite great” range, every so often a title comes along that feels like it’s missing the point—and that’s exactly what this list focuses on.

As with most ranking-style pieces, this one isn’t designed to celebrate the top entries. Instead, it’s built around the idea that truly bad Nintendo games do exist—just not very often. Also, we’re leaving out Hotel Mario and other CD-i releases, since those weren’t developed by Nintendo. Realistically, they’re almost certainly worse than anything included below.

Honorable mentions

Star Fox Zero is a name that tends to show up whenever people talk about Nintendo’s worst. It didn’t make the main list for two reasons: first, the writer hasn’t played it personally. Second, after digging into the discussion around it, it doesn’t seem as catastrophically bad as a few other entries on this list.

The loudest complaints usually come in two forms. One is that the controls are complex and take time to get used to. The other is that the story essentially retells the original Star Fox. That second issue is a big one, especially when you consider how much fans were hoping the next Star Fox entry might move beyond that. Still, there are also players who say that once you learn the control scheme, it becomes surprisingly satisfying. The question is whether it takes longer to master than the game itself lasts—something only someone who’s spent time with it can really confirm. So, is Star Fox Zero truly among Nintendo’s worst, or does it get more heat than it deserves?

Some people will also likely bring up Pokemon as a candidate. The problem, though, is that the titles on this list are argued to be worse in a deeper way. The debate around “modern Pokemon” is complicated, and it’s hard to compress into a single paragraph, but here’s the simple version: even at its low points, the core Pokemon loop—catching and training creatures—still works. What tends to fall short is presentation, with graphics not matching the highest-grossing entertainment brands. The games below are said to have issues that go beyond visuals, with many lacking genuinely enjoyable gameplay loops. Regardless of other shortcomings, Pokemon’s core appeal is strong enough to keep it selling.

Pokemon Rumble U

Pokémon Rumble U is described as one of the franchise’s most forgettable outings and also among its lowest-reviewed. Many players probably didn’t realize that a Pokemon Rumble game existed on Wii U. It also had its own NFC figure line, which actually arrived before amiibo.

Criticism pointed to stages that feel overly straight-line, gameplay that’s shallow, and a lot of repeat content. The impression here is that only a small number of people really stuck with it—so if you’re one of them, it’s an invitation to share what you thought.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

Sticker Star gets a particularly personal take: it was the writer’s first Paper Mario game, which is presented as a rough way to start. As a kid, they remember getting frustrated by some tougher puzzle moments in the desert portion, but at the time they didn’t fully understand why the game earned such widespread dislike. Playing Paper Mario on Nintendo 64 later made the differences feel clearer.

The argument here isn’t just that Sticker Star is bad—it’s that it’s misguided. There are positives, including solid visuals and strong music. But the game is said to be nearly derailed by a long list of confusing design choices: character designs that don’t feel unique, Bowser showing up as a silent primary antagonist, an annoying partner character, no in-battle partners at all, and a sticker-management system replacing the classic Paper Mario approach fans actually loved.

Some people may point out that Super Paper Mario started shifting away from the traditional formula. The distinction, though, is that it kept what the series is known for most: creative character designs and an unexpectedly deep story for a Mario-branded game. With Sticker Star, it feels like Nintendo stepped away from nearly everything longtime fans valued, leaving the experience feeling like an insult rather than a continuation.

Paper Mario: Color Splash isn’t included here. Even though it leans into several of the same ideas, it’s described as a noticeably better game than Sticker Star. With the franchise hopefully back on track thanks to the The Thousand-Year Door remake, Color Splash is easier to judge on its own terms. The writer also claims to have beaten it twice, saying it’s not as awful as people make it out to be.

Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival

For this entry, the article revisits the moment it was revealed. In 2015, during Nintendo’s E3 showcase, people were expecting a new home console Animal Crossing. Then the presentation appeared to show an Animal Crossing town in high definition—only for it to be a party game. Opinions supposedly soured immediately and never really improved.

The gameplay is described as pretty dull in practice, likened to Mario Party without the mini-games. The gimmick—tapping an amiibo every turn—is said to feel irritating rather than charming. Overall, the game is framed as not being what Animal Crossing fans wanted at the time, and in many ways it’s treated as filler on Wii U aimed at squeezing profit from the amiibo craze.

Unfortunately for that strategy, the amiibo themselves didn’t sell as strongly as expected. The article claims amiibo were mainly popular because of Super Smash Bros., not because players wanted to use them in titles that required constant tapping.

Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast

The writer admits they previously said they wouldn’t include games not developed by Nintendo, but makes an exception for Barrel Blast. It’s presented as a more “recent-ish” Donkey Kong title in the grand timeline, released on Wii, and because it’s a DK game, it sits in one of Nintendo’s biggest franchises.

When looking at critic feedback, the article says the reception was overwhelmingly negative. Complaints include slow driving speed, awkward controls, and frustrating AI—basically, everything that could go wrong did.

It’s also singled out as one of Nintendo’s lowest-rated titles on Metacritic. The conclusion is that it isn’t worth revisiting, though there’s a small note of credit for character inclusions like Lanky Kong and King K. Rool—followed by the implication that that’s about where the positives end.

Chibi-Robo: Zip Lash

This one comes with a direct admission: the writer actually picked it up and played it specifically to write this article, insisting it couldn’t be that bad. Their response is that it definitely is.

It’s another example of decisions that “don’t make sense.” The writer had recently played the original Chibi-Robo on GameCube for the first time and completed it fully, describing it as a charming little adventure. The next step for the series—according to the writer—should have been something that builds on that identity, not switching to a 2D platformer, a genre already dominated by Mario, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, and Kirby.

Even beyond the mismatch, the game is said not to be a strong 2D platformer either. It’s described as bland and uninspired, with boredom arriving quickly. The writer then asks the rhetorical question: boring is still not necessarily “that bad,” right?

That tolerance collapses when they reach the “destination wheel.” Instead of moving straight to the next stage after clearing one, the player spins a wheel to decide which stage comes next. The world can’t be completed until every level is finished. The destination wheel is said to frequently force players to replay stages they already cleared, simply to stretch the time and lengthen the game’s runtime. That directly kills whatever small interest remained. The writer didn’t go far past the first world, and says that should be enough to explain their stance: Zip Lash wasn’t the right move for Chibi-Robo, and they can’t understand how Nintendo missed that.

Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash

Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash is presented as a serious contender for one of the worst Nintendo sports games overall. The description is simple: it’s tennis with Mega Mushrooms, and that’s basically the whole pitch. Content is claimed to be extremely limited, and the game released in 2016 as one of the last Wii U titles.

Matches can work, but there’s a key limitation: you can’t even invite friends to play online, because the player is forced to match with a random opponent. While the online portion is no longer relevant because services have been shut down, the article still treats this as evidence of a bare-bones, empty excuse for a Mario sports release.

In most cases where a game is criticized for poor online performance, you’ll find defenders somewhere. Here, the writer claims they’ve never seen anyone defend Ultra Smash. Their final point is that if you want Mario Tennis, other entries in the franchise do a much better job.

Urban Champion

Urban Champion is noted for receiving a much-improved 3D Classics edition on Nintendo 3DS. The main criticism, however, is that the original gameplay is extremely simple. The writer recalls playing it on Virtual Console and realizes now that they can’t really say much about it—because it’s so forgettable.

Nintendo still references it occasionally, which the article finds strange since the game doesn’t seem to have earned positive reception when it first appeared.

Everybody 1-2 Switch

Everybody 1-2 Switch is described as possibly the weakest Switch game. In 2022, the article says it was reported that the game was in development and that it performed especially poorly in playtesting groups. Even after release, the game is described as not being particularly good, with the expectation that it won’t keep attention for long—even in a party setting.

One issue is the player count. The best experience requires a lot of players, and the article questions how many groups can realistically get more than two or three people together. Others can join through phones, but the writer still argues it would likely be hard to assemble a full group consistently. They also criticize the marketing as unusually aggressive, calling the trailers a bit cringe, while expressing surprise that Nintendo pushed ahead despite apparently poor internal reception.

Do you agree with this list of Nintendo’s worst games? The article ends by inviting readers to share which titles they think were left out—and, just as importantly, which games on the list they actually enjoy.