{"id":4719,"date":"2025-06-12T13:25:31","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T13:25:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/?p=4719"},"modified":"2025-06-17T06:39:30","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T06:39:30","slug":"the-8-worst-nintendo-games-ever-from-welcome-tour-to-donkey-kong-jet-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/12\/the-8-worst-nintendo-games-ever-from-welcome-tour-to-donkey-kong-jet-race\/","title":{"rendered":"The 8 worst Nintendo games ever \u2013 from Welcome Tour to Donkey Kong Jet Race"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/SEI_255262913-5b12.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-23396990\" alt=\"Nintendo Switch 2 console displayed with Joy-Cons detached in Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour.\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is awful, but Nintendo has actually released far worse in its time (Nintendo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Following the launch of <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/nintendo\/\">Nintendo<\/a> <a data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/nintendo-switch-2\/\">Switch 2<\/a> Welcome Tour, GameCentral looks back on the worst Nintendo games ever made.<\/p>\n<p>Whereas <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/06\/10\/mario-kart-world-review-final-verdict-switch-2s-biggest-game-23373706\/\">Mario Kart World<\/a> is a joyous experience worth getting a Nintendo Switch 2 for, the only other first party title available for the system is Nintendo Switch 2 World Tour: a shockingly banal experience unbecoming of a company like Nintendo.<\/p>\n<p>Reviews were late in arriving, because <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/06\/03\/therell-no-nintendo-switch-2-console-review-this-week-23308135\/\">consoles weren&#8217;t sent out<\/a> more than a day before launch, so it&#8217;s taken a while for the game to get a consensus of review on Metacritic. But now that it has, it&#8217;s sitting at just 52. That makes it one of the worst reviewed games that Nintendo itself has ever made &#8211; but not the very worst.<\/p>\n<p>Badly reviewed games are impressively rare in Nintendo&#8217;s discography, with most never getting any worse than average. But if you\u2019ve ever wanted to see what a genuinely bad game from Nintendo looks like, here is their hall of shame&#8230;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour<\/h2>\n<p>Metacritic score: 52<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour \u2014 Launch Trailer \u2014 Nintendo Switch 2\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qJZF4y-OYgM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tExpert, exclusive gaming analysis\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<p>Sign up to the <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/newsletters\/game-central\/\"><strong>GameCentral newsletter<\/strong><\/a> for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Just to get the ball rolling, let\u2019s start with the impetus for this list. While there\u2019s far worse yet to come, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is baffling in how sterile and un-Nintendo-like it is in its presentation.<\/p>\n<p>Be sure to read <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/06\/09\/nintendo-switch-2-welcome-tour-review-dullest-nintendo-game-ever-made-23368371\/\">our full review<\/a> for a proper breakdown, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.metacritic.com\/browse\/game\/all\/all\/current-year\/metascore\/?page=8\">per Metacritic<\/a>, it\u2019s only scored higher than two games this year: hack and slash action game Captain Blood and <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/02\/06\/ambulance-life-a-paramedic-simulator-review-worst-game-2025-22506939\/\">Ambulance Life: A Paramedic Simulator<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Everybody 1-2-Switch<\/h2>\n<p>Metacritic score: 54<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Everybody 1-2-Switch! \u2013 Out now! (Nintendo Switch)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2_CMWYMz4Es?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Not only one of the worst games Nintendo has ever made but almost certainly their least asked for sequel as well. Arriving six years after the already unpopular launch game <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2023\/07\/04\/everybody-1-2-switch-review-nintendos-least-wanted-sequel-19064446\/\">1-2-Switch<\/a> (Metacritic score: 58) it&#8217;s baffling as to who thought this would be a good idea.<\/p>\n<p>If <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2022\/06\/08\/nintendo-wont-release-1-2-switch-sequel-because-no-one-likes-it-16789882\/\">a 2022 report<\/a> is to be believed, it bombed so hard with playtesters that some Nintendo execs were hesitant about releasing <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2023\/07\/04\/everybody-1-2-switch-review-nintendos-least-wanted-sequel-19064446\/\">Everybody 1-2-Switch<\/a> out of fear it would damage the company\u2019s reputation. It didn&#8217;t, but you can&#8217;t help but wonder why Nintendo bothered.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Donkey Kong Jet Race<\/h2>\n<p>Metacritic score: 46<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast | Wii Longplay, Full Game, No Commentary\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7fVz0JkfVLc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Titled Donkey Kong Barrel Blast elsewhere in the world, this racing spin-off was originally designed as a GameCube game you controlled with the DK Bongos accessory. However, it was delayed and retrofitted for the Wii to make use of the Wii remote and nunchuk.<\/p>\n<p>The end result was a physically and mentally tiring experience, given how much motion-controlled shaking was required, although we don\u2019t think it would\u2019ve been much better on GameCube thanks to how shallow and dull the actual racing is.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Chibi-Robo! Let&#8217;s Go, Photo!<\/h2>\n<p>Metacritic score: 49<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Chibi-Robo! Let&#039;s Go, Photo! - Launch Trailer (Nintendo 3DS)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OdBzeet9O8k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The original Chibi-Robo! on GameCube was a flawed but mildly interesting distraction, with some neat ideas, but every subsequent sequel seemed to strip away its best qualities and make things worse with every new entry.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2014\/07\/03\/chibi-robo-lets-go-photo-review-no-cameras-please-4785020\/\">Chibi-Robo! Let&#8217;s Go, Photo!<\/a> (aka Chibi-Robo! Photo Finder) was designed to show off the 3DS\u2019s camera and AR features, but it didn\u2019t use them very well. The end result is a simply awful collection of minigames and while normally people would be upset that the game was lost to the ether, when the 3DS eShop shut down, it&#8217;s hard to care in this instance.<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tThe worst of the worst\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<p>Although these games weren&#8217;t developed by Nintendo itself, they were published by them, as format exclusives, and in many cases they&#8217;re even worse than the in-house failures.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Devil\u2019s Third<\/strong> &#8211; A Wii U exclusive from the creator of Ninja Gaiden and Dead Or Alive, <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2015\/08\/26\/devils-third-review-hellish-experience-5362111\/\">Devil&#8217;s Third<\/a> is a laughably awful action game that is almost so bad it&#8217;s good.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gardening Mama 2: Forest Friends<\/strong> &#8211; This was only published by Nintendo in Europe &#8211; for some reason &#8211; with its drab collection of minigames unlikely to please even the most undemanding child.<\/p>\n<p><strong>My Pok\u00e9mon Ranch<\/strong> &#8211; This barely counts as a game, since it serves mostly as a place to store pok\u00e9mon from other games, but it did include a number of vapid minigames and some extremely ugly 3D models.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">WarioWare: Snapped!<\/h2>\n<p>Metacritic score: 53<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"WarioWare: Snapped! Playthrough\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bd81HPT9XTQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>We were stuck on whether this or the Wii U\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2013\/06\/27\/game-wario-review-mini-game-mayhem-3858504\/\">Game &amp; Wario<\/a> is the worst WarioWare game, but at least Game &amp; Wario has a couple of fun minigames. We\u2019re not sure the same can be said for WarioWare: Snapped.<\/p>\n<p>A digital download made exclusively for the Nintendo DSi and its digital cameras, it had a criminally small pool of microgames that often didn\u2019t work and weren\u2019t even that micro &#8211; thus eliminating the manic, fast-paced excitement of the rest of the WarioWare series.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pok\u00e9mon Dash<\/h2>\n<p>Metacritic score: 46<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Longplay of Pok\u00e9mon Dash\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JGOcRARi-3I?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Although the Pok\u00e9mon games aren\u2019t made in-house at Nintendo, we still think they should count, since Pok\u00e9mon is one of the company\u2019s premiere franchises and, as evidenced by Pok\u00e9mon Dash, something they consider useful to push a new console launch.<\/p>\n<p>This racing spin-off was one of the very first DS games and it forced you to use the stylus for making Pikachu (who was the only playable character for some reason) race through painfully uninteresting courses.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pok\u00e9mon Battle Revolution<\/h2>\n<p>Metacritic score: 53<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Longplay of Pok\u00e9mon: Battle Revolution\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AkfFyK7Ok8A?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Pok\u00e9mon Battle Revolution felt very much like the Wii successor to the Pok\u00e9mon Stadium games, letting you bring your party of pok\u00e9mon from the 2D games into 3D.<\/p>\n<p>While it did boast online play, it lacked the meaty single-player content seen in the Stadium games, making it nothing more than a battle simulator. Considering the same developer, Genius Sonority, had previously made the fan favourite Pok\u00e9mon Colosseum spin-offs, this was quite the downgrade.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival<\/h2>\n<p>Metacritic score: 46<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival - Board Game Trailer (Wii U)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wywUYl8mNfo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s still so strange that after <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2013\/06\/04\/animal-crossing-new-leaf-review-extra-life-3828284\/\">Animal Crossing: New Leaf<\/a> for the 3DS, the next traditional Animal Crossing game wouldn\u2019t be until <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2020\/03\/16\/animal-crossing-new-horizons-review-island-paradise-12405488\/\">Animal Crossing: New Horizons<\/a> roughly eight years later.<\/p>\n<p>The only entry the Wii U ever saw was <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2015\/11\/26\/animal-crossing-amiibo-festival-review-bored-game-5526609\/\">Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival<\/a>, an atrocious board game spin-off that demands you have the appropriate amiibo figures to play and yet has no real gameplay to speak of. You just watch things happen. How the same studio went on to make <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/10\/15\/super-mario-party-jamboree-review-christmas-family-board-game-21799387\/\">Super Mario Party Jamboree<\/a> beggars\u2019 belief.<\/p>\n<p>For as bad as these games are, it speaks volumes to Nintendo\u2019s quality control that this is the worst that we could find. In fact, if you look at Nintendo\u2019s output on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.metacritic.com\/company\/nintendo\/?sort-options=score\">Metacritic<\/a>, very few games it\u2019s published have scored lower than an average score of 50.<\/p>\n<p>Past that, you start getting to games that may be considered bad by Nintendo\u2019s standards but are otherwise inoffensive, such as Wario: Master Of Disguise (Metacritic score: 60) and Kirby Air Ride (Metacritic score: 61).<\/p>\n<p>And yet clearly Nintendo isn&#8217;t bothered by these atypical duds. They didn&#8217;t take the hint with 1-2-Switch, they kept making Chibi-Robo! games for years, and, bizarrely, Kirby Air Ride is getting a sequel later this year &#8211; despite being one of their lowest rated games ever and the Switch 2 already having a Nintendo racing game, in Mario Kart World.<\/p>\n<p>It just goes to show how unpredictable Nintendo can be, not just in the sort of games it releases and their quality, but also which ones it thinks are worth revisiting.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"323\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/SEI_255262922-9e90.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-23397003\" alt=\"Kirby Air Riders visual of Kirby riding a gold star\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Kirby Air Ride didn&#8217;t make much of an impact and yet its sequel was one of Nintendo&#8217;s first Switch 2 announcements (Nintendo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><em>Email\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:gamecentral@metro.co.uk\">gamecentral@metro.co.uk<\/a>, leave a comment below,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GameCentral\">follow us on Twitter<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To submit Inbox letters and Reader\u2019s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/submit-stuff\/\">Submit Stuff page here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For more stories like this,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/entertainment\/gaming\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">check our Gaming page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><title>Arrow<\/title><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/06\/11\/nintendo-switch-2-officially-breaks-record-fastest-selling-console-ever-23385518\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">Nintendo Switch 2 officially breaks record for fastest-selling console ever<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><title>Arrow<\/title><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/06\/12\/unlock-everything-mario-kart-world-characters-costumes-23388876\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">How to unlock everything in Mario Kart World: all characters, costumes and more<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><title>Arrow<\/title><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/06\/11\/mindseye-still-no-reviews-plenty-bugs-disastrous-launch-23386973\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">MindsEye still has no reviews but plenty of bugs in \u2018disastrous\u2019 launch<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"text-justify mb-2\" >Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is awful, but Nintendo has actually released far worse in its time (Nintendo) Following the launch of Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, GameCentral looks back on the worst Nintendo games ever made. Whereas Mario Kart World is a joyous experience [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":340,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4719"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4719"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4719\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4723,"href":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4719\/revisions\/4723"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}