5. Fitness Boxing (Series) - Nintendo Switch
Fitness Boxing might not be developed by Nintendo but it is sure a Nintendo exclusive that perfectly knows how to take advantage of the motion control capabilities the Nintendo Switch has to offer. With lots of fans and a couple of million copies sold across both the 2018 and 2020 releases around the world, Fitness Boxing motivates the player to exercise with some of the coolest upbeat songs from some of the most popular artists across the past few decades; thanks to its unique gameplay and a great selection of songs, the Fitness Boxing series has won lots of fans in both the casual and hardcore gamer world.
4. Mario Golf: Super Rush - Nintendo Switch
The Mario Golf sub-series hasn’t had as many entries as Mario Kart, for example, but it has been an important presence in Nintendo’s history ever since the Nintendo Entertainment System as Mario Open Golf in Japan (and NES Open Tournament Golf for other countries around the world). Mario Golf: Super Rush, which was released in June 2021, was well received by fans who were expecting a new Mario Golf entry since the 2014 Nintendo 3DS’ Mario Golf: World Tour. Super Rush, alongside new characters, included an important story mode that incorporated an RPG-like experience system that includes your own Mii character to interact with the ones from the Mario universe.
3. Mario Tennis Aces - Nintendo Switch
Mario Tennis has been a big face in the sports video game world ever since its first entry’s release all the way back in 2000 for the Nintendo 64 in Japan and 2001 for the rest of the world. The success that Mario Tennis had during its first years led to several sequels throughout the next couple of decades, Mario Tennis Aces being the most recent and by far one of the most successful. Mario Tennis Aces not only makes use of traditional controllers with unique mechanics gameplay-wise, but you can also aim to have lots of fun with motion controls by also adding third-party accessories mirroring the action of an actual tennis racket. Mario Tennis Aces also added a lot of characters during its first-year-release span through many tournaments held by the Nintendo Switch Online paid service.
2. Wii Sports Resort - Wii
The Wii Sports franchise as a whole was a massive event both for Nintendo and the overall video game industry. Having motion as the main control became something important to the industry for a couple of years leading Playstation and Xbox to make their own peripherals to compete with the Wii, and while the first Wii Sports entry is the most popular one since it was shipped with lots of Wiis at the time, Wii Sports Resort was the perfect sequel. Wii Sports Resort polished some of the things that annoyed people the most in the first game including the limited amount of sports available to play; and while Wii Sports might be the favorite among lots of fans, Wii Sports Resort was definitely an improvement gameplaywise and got to sell 33 million copies worldwide.
1. Ring Fit Adventure - Nintendo Switch
I’m completely aware of how controversial this spot could be taking into account that Ring Fit Adventure isn’t necessarily a sports-focused game but an exercise-focused one; nevertheless, that takes neither the fun out nor how amazingly designed this game is. Set in an RPG world, Ring Fit Adventure takes your movement through the Ring-Con and Leg Strap to attack your enemies in turn-based battles. While it doesn’t have the most compelling story ever made for video games, it is definitely satisfying to see physical input smoothly translated into movement inside of the game. It would be very interesting to see a sequel with a VR headset; let’s hope for Nintendo to fully venture into VR in the forthcoming years.
