10 Awesome First-Party Nintendo Games That Flew Under the Radar

With over 40 years worth of experience, Nintendo has released iconic games across nearly every generation of gaming console. Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, and Kirby are only a few of the gaming behemoths that have helped Nintendo become the industry leader they are today.

Unfortunately, with such a long history to their name, many of Nintendo’s first-party titles have become forgotten over the years. Some titles just never quite took off the way they had hoped for, or were lost in the shadows of bigger games upon their release. For Nintendo fans looking for other games that they have forgotten about, this list compiles a handful of the more notable titles that have become lost to time.

10 Mole Mania Brought Tons of Burrowing Fun to Players’ Hands

A late release for the original Game Boy, Mole Mania is also one of the most underappreciated games developed by Shigeru Miyamoto. As Muddy Mole, players must rescue Muddy’s wife and seven children who have been captured by the mean farmer, Jinbe. A puzzle game, Mole Mania requires players to navigate stages both above and below ground. By maneuvering around various obstacles and by manipulating different objects, players’ tasks of completing each stage can be quite difficult.

Mole Mania received glowing reviews when it was released, with several critics praising its graphics, music, and puzzle elements. It’s understandable why Mole Mania flew under the radar when it was released: games such as Final Fantasy VII, Goldeneye 007, Mario Kart 64, and Star Fox 64 all released in the same year. It’s a criminal shame that Mole Mania never received the love it deserves as it’s 100% one of the best games Shigeru Miyamoto has ever created. Had the same style of gameplay been applied to a licensed title, it might have fared much better.

9 One of Nintendo’s Biggest Failures Gave Birth to One of Their Biggest Hits

No one could have known at the time that one of Nintendo’s worst financial failures would actually help pave the way for them to become a dominant force in the gaming industry. Radar Scope is a vertical shooter with a unique 3-D third-person perspective. Similar to Galaxian and Space Invaders, players must pilot the Sonic Spaceport ship and blast away at the attacking Gamma Raiders forces. Radar Scope was an utter failure on its release that resulted in thousands of Radar Scope arcade cabinets sitting unsold and unused.

This catastrophic failure led Nintendo of America president Minoru Arakawa to ask for a new title that could then convert the old Radar Scope cabinets into a profitable game. Enter young developer Shigeru Miyamoto. With his input and help, Donkey Kong was created as the replacement game to fill the unused Radar Scope cabinets. The rest is history. With Donkey Kong’s unparalleled success, Nintendo pivoted away from the arcade market and began to focus on entering the home console market. One poorly received game (which is actually pretty fun) led to Nintendo becoming the industry giant it is today.

8 Pac-Man Found a Brand-New Way to Gobble Pellets on the Gamecube

What was originally designed as a tech demo to showcase the Gamecube’s Game Boy Advance Link Cable technology, Pac-Man Vs. was eventually greenlit into its own dedicated release. It has classic Pac-Man gameplay, but with the interesting twist that one player plays as Pac-Man using the Game Boy Advance via link cable and three other players play as ghosts on the TV screen.

Pac-Man Vs. was a moderate success when it was released, being bundled with other Namco titles such as Pac-Man World 2 and R: Racing Evolution. Critics stated that the core Pac-Man experience was solid and the novel approach to playing the arcade game worked well. The small amount of content in the game, however, was pointed out, as well as the lack of any memory card functionality. As a party game, though, Pac-Man Vs. was a solid hit that breathed fresh air into the arcade classic.

7 Nintendo’s Music Simulator Was a Fun if Wonky Attempt

A part of Nintendo’s Touch! Generations brand, Wii Music was an ardent, if not flawed, attempt at experimenting with the Wii’s motion controls. As the title implies, the focus of the game is music, both in performing and listening to it. By using the Wii controls, players can perform with various instruments across a variety of different songs.

As novel an idea as it was, Wii Music failed to impress critics and players alike. Many cited the game’s poor controls and weak selection of music as its major issues. Still, credit needs to be given for the attempt that Nintendo made to bring the excitement of music to players in an interactive fashion. If it had tighter controls and a better selection of music (possibly more traditional Japanese songs as well as Nintendo originals) it might have performed much better.

6 A Joint Venture Between Nintendo and Argonaut Software Resulted in a Powerful New Piece of Technology

Back in 1991, Nintendo teamed up with British company Argonaut Software to develop a cutting-edge new chip that would push the limits of what the Super Nintendo could do. The result was the Super FX chip, a product that gave birth to the mega-hit Star Fox. It also allowed Nintendo and Argonaut to develop Stunt Racer FX, an arcade-style racer featuring anthropomorphic vehicles.

Stunt Race FX was a hit upon its release. Despite some critics frowning at the lack of real speed in the game, most players enjoyed the visuals, the silly theme of the game, and its controls. It might seem dated by today’s standards, but Stunt Race FX was an important step forward for 3D gaming, helping bridge the gap between 2D sprite work and 3D polygons.

5 A Super Nintendo Launch Title Showcased Nintendo’s Impressive Mode 7 Technology

A launch title for the Super Nintendo, Pilotwings proved with startingly clarity how effective Nintendo’s use of Mode 7 could be. Tasked with earning their pilot licenses, players are tasked with flying light planes, hang gliders, parachutes, and even rocket packs. Skilled players could earn higher points based on the precision of their flying and, sometimes more importantly, their landings.

Pilotwings was a great success when it was released, earning praise for its graphics, controls, and music. It performed so well that two sequels released after it, 1996’s Pilotwings 64 for the N64, and 2011’s Pilotwings Resort for the 3DS. Its premise and presentation may be simple, but the level of challenge presented in Pilotwings gives it a large amount of replayability for dedicated players.

4 Mario Starred in a Fiendishly Difficult, but Extremely Addictive Puzzle Game

Co-developed by Jupiter and Ape, Mario Picross is a puzzle game that focuses on the solving of nonogram logic puzzles. Gameplay is simple, but exceedingly difficult to master: blank rows and columns are presented to the player, who must figure out which empty squares must be filled in based on numerical clues given to each row and column. The numbers give hints as to how many squares are to be filled, how many spaces there are between them, and how many consecutive squares must be filled side by side. Once completed, the finished grid creates a picture.

Mario Picross received great reviews but failed to take off in the Western market. Puzzle games were huge in Japan at the time of its release, so much so that two sequels were later released, 1995’s Super Picross and 1996’s Mario Picross 2. The success of 2007’s Picross DS ensured future Picross games would see releases outside of Japan, with 2021’s Picross S Genesis & Master System Edition on the Switch being a prime example of how Jupiter is keeping the series going strong.

3 The Virtual Boy Was Home to a Super Satisfying Boxing Beat ’em Up

Released for Nintendo’s much maligned Virtual Boy, Teleroboxer is an interesting take on the sport of boxing. By taking the role of a giant robot, players must pound, flurry punch, and dodge their way to the top! As a Virtual Boy game, Teleroboxer utilizes special 3D stereographic visuals to induce a three-dimensional effect while playing. Despite being on an unpopular system, Teleroboxer makes for a great time.

Its spritework is fantastic, the music upbeat and catchy, and its core gameplay hearkens back to Nintendo’s more famous Punch-Out! series. The closest thing fans have received to a sequel or spiritual successor is 2017’s Arms on the Switch (though this was never stated as being such), another boxing-themed fighting game that incorporates colorful characters as fighters, with one even being a robot.

2 Nintendo’s Super Scope Was Necessary to Blast Away Giant Mechs in This Console Exclusive

Developed by the specialized team within Intelligent Systems known as Team Battle Clash, Battle Clash is a light gun game that utilizes gameplay control by the SNES’ Super Scope. As Mike Anderson, players must pilot their powerful Standing Tank and engage in fierce one-on-one battles against a host of other mechs. Battle Clash was one of a handful of games that specifically used the Super Scope peripheral.

As such, gameplay consists of fast gunplay, with both the player and their opponent racing across the screen, firing volleys of energy shots at one another. Bright, visually stunning, and with a fantastic soundtrack, Battle Clash was the perfect representation of 16-bit action. It might be a tad easy and a little short, but Battle Clash was a wonderful example of what the Super Scope could do, with its sequel, Metal Combat: Falcon’s Revenge upping the ante even further.

1 Mario and Luigi Donned Hard Hats and Got to Work With Some Tricky Demolition

An early release from Nintendo, Wrecking Crew features Mario and Luigi as they destroy a certain number of objects across different screens. The gameplay is simple but deceptively difficult; as later stages require a specific and optimized route, players who destroy certain objects out of order can find themselves stuck. Lacking the ability to jump, guiding Mario through each stage and out of harms way from various obstacles can be pretty tricky.

Wrecking Crew began as an arcade game and was later ported to the Famicom and as a launch title for the original NES. Since its release, Wrecking Crew has been featured in the Super Smash Bros. series, with its music, items, and stages being included. Spike, a character who harasses Mario in the game, makes an appearance in 2023’s The Super Mario Bros Movie, as well.