Not many fans know this but Nintendo did not begin as a console-based company with the NES or even as an arcade company like with Donkey Kong. Instead, they began as a toy manufacturer in Japan as far back as 1889. So, they’ve been around for a long time and they will continue to grow so long as they make the pillars of their franchise kingdom appear on new consoles like Mario, Pokemon, and The Legend of Zelda.

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All of those Nintendo franchises have had big reveals over the years from E3 events to Nintendo Directs. Minus hardware announcements, these games were big surprises, and with a bright past and present, players can only wonder what will the Switch 2 bring to the table.

6 Punch-Out (2009)

A Knock-Out Fifteen Years In The Making

Punch-Out is a big series for some in the Nintendo world and getting to see a new one for the Wii was huge. It was announced during the Nintendo Media Summit in 2008 with a quick trailer lasting less than a minute. Little Mac was training in a dark room followed by him pummeling classic opponents like Glass Joe and King Hippo.

For context, the last game in the series, Super Punch-Out, was released in 1994 for the SNES. While shown in 2008, it wasn’t released until the following year, making the gap between the two games fifteen years. Sadly for Switch fans, the Punch-Out game for the Wii is still the latest edition.

5 Golden Sun: Dark Dawn

The Power Of The Sun In The Palm Of Your Hand

• Released: November 29, 2010 (NA)
• Platform: DS
• Developer: Camelot Software Planning

The two Golden Sun games for the GBA were well-reviewed turn-based RPGs at the time. They came out in 2001 and 2002 in Japan and their data could be linked to continue the journey. After that, things went dark until E3 2009.

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There was a brief trailer for a third game shown during Nintendo’s press conference and it was simply titled Golden Sun DS. The gap between the two games was eight years, so it was an exciting update. At E3 2010, it was given the name Golden Sun: Dark Dawn and it was released later that year on the DS. Like Punch-Out, there have been no more entries in the Golden Sun series.

4 Donkey Kong Country Returns

Getting Back To The Jungle After Decades Of Waiting

The lead into the reveal of Donkey Kong Country Returns at E3 2010 was masterful. During the Nintendo presentation, then Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime, told the audience that they could almost hear a jungle beat which is when the Donkey Kong Country theme started piping in followed by a trailer. It was a big surprise and a bigger deal that Retro, the studio behind the Metroid Prime series, was working on it.

Even greater was the fact that it was going to launch on the Wii that Fall. The last Donkey Kong-focused game before that was Donkey Kong 64 for the N64 in 1999. However, if one wants to get technical, the last Donkey Kong Country game was Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble in 1996 for the SNES.

3 Super Smash Bros. (2014)

The Nintendo Tournament Evolves On The Portable

The first Super Smash Bros. was a big deal when it was released on the N64 in 1999 as a bizarre crossover game. Every release in the series following that would boost the franchise’s appeal more. However, starting in 2013, Nintendo upped their game in how they revealed these things. The 3DS and Wii U versions of the new Super Smash Bros. game were interesting because it was the first time the series was going to a portable system and both games were slightly different.

At this E3 2013 Nintendo event, they also had the first big CG reveal trailer which involved Mega Man joining the fray. At E3 2014, there was a funny live-action skit involving Reggie Fils-Aime and Satoru Iwata fighting before they started playing the Wii U version of Super Smash Bros. During that fight Iwata pulled out a Mario Amiibo which was a wild reveal for the collectible line. This dramatic showcasing of characters would continue for DLC and the release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Switch in 2018.

2 Kid Icarus: Uprising

A 21-Year Development That's Sorry To Keep Players Waiting

Kid Icarus was a game that was a hit when it debuted on the NES in 1986 in Japan, but it did not blow up like other Nintendo franchises. It got one sequel in 1991 on the Game Boy, Kid Icarus: Of Mythsand Monsters, and then that was it. Fast-forwarding nearly two decades later, Nintendo announced the secret game known as Project Sora in 2009. There were few details given other than Masahiro Sakurai was working on it, the mastermind behind the Super Smash Bros. series.

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At E3 2010 when the 3DS was having its big blowout unveiling, Nintendo finally announced what Project Sora was. A trailer began to play and eventually, Pit showed up to say, “Sorry to keep you waiting!” Project Sora was Kid Icarus: Uprising, a sequel that took twenty-one years to arrive as it eventually launched in 2012. Years later, fans are still clamoring for Nintendo to port it to the Switch.

1 Wii Sports

Easily Accessible Sports For The Whole Family Changed Nintendo

The N64 was popular thanks to hits like Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. However, it does not have a giant library compared to its competitor, the PS1. The successor console, the GameCube, faired even worse next to the PS2 which is still one of the best-selling consoles of all time. Nintendo desperately needed a hit, but no one on the development staff could have predicted how momentous the Wii was going to be.

Part of its success has to go to the pack-in game, Wii Sports. It was demoed onstage at E3 2006 to showcase how easy it was to set up a game of tennis, baseball, bowling, golf, or boxing. The motion tracking, while not perfect, was good enough to be mind-blowing in the early 2000s. Because of Wii Sports, the Wii would go down as one of the wildest console releases of all time and in turn, helped rejuvenate the spirit of Nintendo as a brand.

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