Many pine for the days when Nintendo systems were among the cutting edge for video game consoles. While Nintendo has eschewed power for affordability and innovation over the last few generations, it was not too long ago that they were releasing games that were among the most technically impressive games found outside of the PC. And even with the change in focus, they've still managed to come out with games that are stunning based on art style and clever use of resources. Chances are at some point your jaw has dropped while looking at a Nintendo published game.

The question is, which one impressed you the most? Perhaps it's a classic game that technology has long since passed by, but still evokes memories of dazzling you at the time. Perhaps it's a more recent game that shows just how far video games have come from those simple days of 8 bit sprites. Let us know which one did it for you and, by all means, bring the screenshots that show off the goods!

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I first played Pikmin with the Wii version and I felt it still looked nice. I would even say it had the best graphics from Nintendo in the launch window, beating out Luigi's Mansion and Melee. It's also probably the best launch title in terms of showing what the new system could do, as I don't think the N64 could handle the game even with a graphic reduction, whereas I do think it could with Luigi's Mansion and Melee.

I kind of feel the PS2/GCN/Xbox/DC generation is the start of when graphics became "good enough" that they will still hold up over time. Gone are things like huge pixels and blurry textures, there are very few games on those systems that are an "eye sore" compared to older systems. I wouldn't be surprised if games from this era stand the test of time better than everything before it.

@Jargon Ha ha, I thought someone might mention that! I remember that bold statement from Sony. In fact, I did get caught up in the hype over these new systems and I was disappointed when I bought a GameCube and found out that the graphics aren't on par with CG movies. That actually probably is a factor in my early disappointment with the GameCube. What can I say, I was just an excitable teenager.

The number of colors in super Mario world really blew my mind back in the day.

More recently Pikmin 3 really impressed.

A lot of titles have been mentioned already but here are some other choices by me :)

Mop it up said:

I don't think I've been truly impressed by graphics since the N64 days...

It's funny you mention that, since I had almost the exact opposite reaction. The N64 era was the first time I was honestly disappointed by the graphics the newest machines could cook up. After all of Nintendo's PR talking about their high-tech processors, their goal of having "movie-like" graphics, their "Dream Team" of hand-selected developers...made me think that the visuals of the N64 were going to blow us away. I mean, they code-named the machine "Project Reality" for crying out loud.

And instead of getting 'Toy Story' or 'Jurassic Park' level graphics, we got goofy, blocky, blurry-textured imitations of our beloved video game characters and worlds. Super-disappointing, IMO.

The games were still fun, thankfully. And the 3D aspect was new ground for the industry, so it was impressive by that sense. But visually? It was kind of a shame. It wasn't until GameCube came along that we actually got the graphics that looked like something we might see in a movie. Something that actually looked like it was supposed to, rather than the "best we could do" at the time.

And hey, speaking of games that looked like a movie, I remember playing Starfox Adventures for the first time back in the early 2000's, and thinking how it basically looked like a freakin' Pixar film.

Super Mario RPG.

EDIT: Couldn't think of a specific moment that stood out so I just linked a youtube playthrough. Think of it as a rapidly progressing slideshow of screenshots. With an accompanying soundtrack.

Melee was really impressive when compared to the outgoing N64 and its offerings.

@Smerd Oh yeah, I remember thinking Rogue Leader looked really good, especially with Rogue Squadron 64 still fresh in my mind. The smooth framerate, lighting effects, and amount and speed of the stuff on screen made it feel like a movie-true Star Wars space combat game.

@Smerd What's the game in the exact middle screenshot?

@GameDadGrant Yeah, it probably helped that I didn't have a Nintendo Power subscription yet, so I never heard any of the hyperbole for the N64. And I didn't have much experience with the SNES as we didn't own one before the N64, so my jump was more like NES to N64. GameCube is still a far cry from movies though, especially ones released in the 2000s.

@Mop it up

Yeah, a jump from NES to N64 would be quite the change, lol!

And you're right, GCN wasn't close to movies in reality, but I gotta admit, I was impressed by the graphics in 2001. Maybe not as blown away as I was when I first played Soul Calibur on Dreamcast in 1999, but it still left an impression.

Many of the games I had in mind have been mentioned, but a few others that have come to mind are:

Wario Land: Shake it!

Wario's animation and the hand drawn backgrounds are a treat for the eyes.

A Boy and His Blob

Not the best picture to show of its beautiful visuals, but you get an animated hug which beats all.

Secret of Mana

While SNES games are known for their colorful ways, Secret of Mana seemed to have a magical element to its look few other games had when it came to colors. The game seemed so alive. So rich. Chrono Trigger was close, but Secret of Mana was, and is, a sight to behold.

Child of Light

It's a game I gave up on due to its combat, but its visuals made the purchase worth it. Simply stunning.

@Mop it up

The games are, in order, Resident Evil 4, Rogue Leader, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, The Last Story, and Uniracers (lol?)

Beardednerd said:

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