It’s no secret that Nintendo has had a profound impact on the history of the video game industry.

After an epic collapse of the video game industry in the early ‘80’s, which left retailers with absolutely no desire to have anything to do with any product that called itself a video game, Nintendo was able to single-handily resurrect home console gaming, through their sheer determination and moxie.

What was once an emerging art-form that was left for dead, was suddenly reforged into an activity synonymous with the name Nintendo itself; through the popularity and might of the Nintendo Entertainment System.

While those salad days didn’t last forever, as new challengers rose and eventually overtook Nintendo’s position of industry leader, the company has continued to pioneer; pushing forward our conceptions of gaming, the mechanics of games, and what products will be accepted by the consumer.

After resurrecting the home console, Nintendo was able to define gaming on the go, through the portable Game Boy line of systems. When Nintendo needed to rethink both portable and home gaming, they did so through the massively successful Nintendo DS and the Wii systems.

At this moment, we are on the cusp of Nintendo’s next console, a hybrid device between  a home console and a portable unit called the Nintendo Switch. Much like the launches of the Wii and the Nintendo DS, Nintendo is once again attempting to redefine the concept of what it means to play video games.

There is a huge potential impact that the Nintendo Switch may have on the market place if they are successful in their endeavors to marry home and portable gaming.

However, as good as the Nintendo Switch may or may not be, no console is going to be worth a single dime without good games.

Fortunately, Nintendo has often been at the forefront of redefining the art of gaming itself; having published numerous games that have pioneered new mechanics and established new genre’s.

With the launch of the Nintendo Switch on the horizon (March 2017 as of this writing) I thought it would be fun to take a look back through the history of Nintendo and pinpoint the ten games that in my opinion, have been the Ten Most Important Games Nintendo Ever Published.

Throughout the month of December, we’ll be counting down the titles in Nintendo’s vast history that have pioneered standards for the entire industry and laid the foundations for Nintendo’s success.

These games were the games that were often instrumental in refining the very notion of what video games are and what they can be.

10. Super Mario Kart.

Prior to Super Mario Kart’s 1993 debut, Mario and his Mushroom Kingdom pals were just known for running and jumping their way from left to right in a number of excellent adventures that helped shape the 2D platform genre.

Sure, Mario had made a few cameo appearances outside of the mainline series which made him a household name in titles like Dr. Mario, NES Golf, and as a referee in Mike Tyson’s Punch Out; however, it was Super Mario Kart that gave us our first real chance to disengage our association of Mario as simply a platform game star.

Super Mario Kart came along and changed exponentially expanded the horizons for Nintendo’s flagship character through an immensely creative go-kart racing game. Super Mario Kart provided an expertly crafted combination of intense racing action, with the whimsical thematic spirit of what made the Mario games great in the first place.

Super Mario Kart’s success helped open the door for Nintendo’s most prolific property to spin-off into a whole slew of other genre’s; ranging from a slew of Mario-themed sports titles like Mario Party and Mario Tennis, to another landmark title which would become a bedrock title for Nintendo: Super Smash Bros.

More importantly, however, Super Mario Kart would go on to provide Nintendo with a franchise that would become a pillar for the company – spawning 8 total games in the series, as well as countless imitators from other companies.

An enhanced version of Mario Kart 8 is rumored to be in development for the Nintendo Switch, and footage of young adults playing the game on the new hardware was shown as part of the Nintendo Switch introduction video.

I hope that you enjoy this look at the Most Important Games Nintendo’s Ever Published. Please keep an eye out at NerdBacon.com, or like our Facebook page as we continue the countdown!

We also want to know your thoughts on what games were most important to Nintendo. Have a disagreement with the list? Want to share a Nintendo memory? Just let us know in the comments section below.

Written by The Watchman

The Watchman is a journeyman gamer who has seen and played a good chunk of gaming history.
He’s also an actor, a reporter, a pro wrestling connoisseur, and some say he’s a cat whisperer.
If you have any questions or just want to drop me a line, hit me up at thewatchman@nerdbacon.com
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