Staff Collaboration

The Wii had so many quality games in its library, it was really nice to look over the years with our Wii and reminisce about our favorite moments and decide upon the Top 30 Wii Games. Looking back upon the entirety of the Wii’s lifespan, I\’m really happy with how it all turned out. It was a success. While many gamers were afraid that the Wii would only have casual experiences to offer once Wii Sports took root in the heart of the industry, it was almost like Nintendo knew about such a fear and included Twilight Princess as a launch title to signify that for every \”Wii Sports\” there will be a corresponding \”Twilight Princess\”. And honestly, the Wii is brimming with deep experiences if you\’re willing to try out new experiences. Here we present you with what in our opinion are the 30 Best Wii Games.

Disclaimer: We\’re sorry for not including _________ (insert your favorite game here.) It was really hard to put these in any sort of intelligible order and we had think and fight and bicker for hours until we came to an agreement. Also, we combined some games with their sequels and included them as a ‘series\’. Examples are Super Mario Galaxy, No More Heroes, Wii Sports, and Endless Ocean. We did not combine Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword nor Metroid Prime Trilogy with Metroid Other M because each of these seemed different enough from each other that they didn\’t seem to create a sequential experience.

1. Xenoblade Chronicles

A beautiful, immersive game world. A magnificent soundtrack. Immense gameplay depth. Potentially hundreds of hours of RPG bliss. It is no simple task to sum up a game like this, because frankly, there aren’t actually a whole lot of games like it to begin with. The best thing to do is probably to keep this brief and to the point. Xenoblade Chronicles is an instant classic, a true masterpiece, and the game by which we will judge all future RPG efforts. Buy it.

2. Skyward Sword

Perfect games do not exist. If you dig deeply enough, you will always find flaws in any game. But what Skyward Sword does is fulfill its objectives in nearly every possible respect. It reaffirms the legitimacy and promise of motion controls, bringing a final validation to Nintendo’s motion control gamble in the last year of the Wii’s lifespan. It laid down a viable origin story for the series, something which had been sorely needing for decades. It masked the Wii’s lack of graphical horsepower with a beautiful art style that will age well. The story, boss fights, and overall experience are worthy of the series namesake. Skyward Sword bypasses the ultimately useless and perfunctory plaudits the gaming industry showers upon it by being something larger: an important game. Legendary, indeed.

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3. Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2

Super Mario Galaxy was the second game created by EAD Tokyo after the GameCube hit Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat, you know – the one with the bongos! Upon its release the game was hailed as one of the finest video games ever released. The sheer amount of vibrancy, colorful creativity, and gameplay perfection was unparalleled across the indsutry. Nintendo followed up with what started off as Super Mario Galaxy 1.5, but later became a full title in its own right, Super Mario Galaxy 2. For this second intergalactic installment Nintendo brought back Yoshi as well as a series of new gameplay mechanics which improved further upon the original. These two titles hold joint second place on Metacritic’s all-time high scores.

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4. Metroid Prime Trilogy

Retro Studios rereleased their first three games on one disc with upgraded controls and an achievements system. Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime: Echoes and Metroid Prime: Corruption all make an appearance. The game only received a short print and has made it one of the most sought after Wii games. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is the only Wii-exclusive game of the three but based on its own merits it would have rightfully held a top ranking in this list. The inclusion of two more masterpieces makes this bundle on par with epic bundles such as The Orange Box.

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5. Metroid: Other M

Metroid Other M is the first non-Retro developed main-series Metroid title on a home console in sixteen years. This is possibly one of the reasons it is such a controversial title and held up to such a high standard. Gone are the open worlds and fully-explorable 3D landscapes of the Metroid Prime series, as well as the First Person viewpoint. Metroid Other M was a surprise collaboration between series creator Yoshio Sakamoto and Team Ninja of Ninja Gaiden fame. The game featured a third person view point, simple controls, and extensive character-developing cut scenes. There were those who criticized the emotional vulnerability shown by Samus, but here at Nintendo Enthusiast we felt the game’s fusion of the 2D and 3D Metroid experiences combined with an innovative control system were enough to make this a standout Metroid title with gameplay mechanics that we would love to see explored more in the future. The tense action, sharp visuals, and appropriate music didn\’t disappoint either.

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6. Twilight Princess

Twilight Princess was released right at the end of the GameCube’s lifecycle and fortunately right at the start of the Wii’s existence. Nintendo released an upgraded port as a Wii launch title with improved graphics, Wii Remote controls and a flipped, mirror-image over-world. The game was set one hundred years after the events which unfolded in Ocarina of Time and saw Link transform into a wolf to stop Hyrule being corrupted by the Twilight Realm. It was acclaimed for featuring a darker storyline, introducing the character Midna, and featuring a Hyrule that was more massive than ever before. This was fantasy world-building at its finest.

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7. The Last Story

Lazulis City is one of the best cities ever made in any game. The interaction possible with its citizens (bumping into them, making them slip with bananas and oranges, dazzling them with fireworks) is very satisfying and adds a whole layer of reality to the game. The combat system is fun enough to last the 30 or so hours of gameplay, and then more. Though the story is simple, it is executed very well, and the cast of characters is very strong for the most part. RPG fans should check it out – especially if you prioritize action over exploration or if you’re new to the genre – and Nintendo of America should be ashamed of themselves for not publishing it themselves.

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8. Pandora’s Tower

While its existence may have been overshadowed by the two other Operation Rainfall games, Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story, Pandora’s Tower delivered an experience well worth acknowledging on its own merits. Mixing romance with body horror, action with exploration, and resource management with dating sim elements, Pandora’s Tower is one of the most unique games on the system, and a true gem for anyone open to trying something different. The game is not limited to offering a quirky mix of styles, though; the adventure’s pacing is top-notch, and the chain-swinging battle system is surprisingly rewarding, with boss fights good enough to be comparable to the better 3D Zeldas. Ganbarion’s Pandora’s Tower truly deserves more recognition than it currently gets – both from gamers and Nintendo themselves. Unfortunately, it still hasn\’t reached North American shores.

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9. Monster Hunter Tri

Originally announced as a Playstation 3 exclusive, this eventual Wii exclusive was the first Monster Hunter title to feature underwater combat. The game featured free online play in the west, and also supported the under-used Wii Speak accessory making the game the first Wii game to feature VoIP. Originally released in 2010, this game would later be re-released and upgraded for the 3DS and it has also now been announced that a HD version is in the works for the Wii U. The game will run in 1080p and support up to three 3DS’s for local multi-player or again online multiplayer. It will be a Japanese Wii U launch title, but launch in the rest of the world in March 2013. So, why so many re-releases for this one game? Because it was a fan-favorite that offered addictive and deep gameplay, that, once you broached its initial learning curve, would reel you in as a long-term fan of the series.

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10. Fragile Dreams: Ruins of the Farewell Moon

Fragile Dreams is one of the Wii’s most under-appreciated, under-the-radar cult hits. On the IGN Wii Boards there was a whole fan club dedicated to the game. The atmosphere and emotional impression that it left on players was unlike most any other game. At its core, Fragile is a third-person role-playing exploration game that stars a young boy called Seto who is alone in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo. As he ventures through the ruins of a once vibrant-city, hoping to find others, he collects mementos left behind which conjure up the haunting memories of its previous inhabitants. The game makes use of stunning art work and colour palette to imbue the game with a sense of gloom and loneliness. The game also features a stunning soundtrack that leaves goosebumps, just like the stunning finale– a game not to be missed!

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11. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

Proof that there is more to \”mature\” gaming than campy gore and dudebro shooters, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories plays with the idea of what a videogame has to be. When was the last time you played a game that eschewed the very idea of a combat scheme? Shattered Memories does just that. When was the last time you played a game that treated its story – and who the story is being told to – with the same respect as the best in film? This game does. It paints from a different palette than most other games ever released. By doing so, it reclaims the \”survival/horror\” genre from the \”action/zombie\” ditch it’s been stuck in for years.

Silent Hill isn’t about slaying demons; it’s about surviving them.

12. Donkey Kong Country Returns

Donkey Kong Country Returns is Retro Studios one and only game which doesn’t have Metroid in the title! With this game, they’ve cemented themselves as Nintendo fan’s favourite non-Japanese developers taking up the reins left behind following Rare’s departure. DKCR is a faithful recreation of the original series, featuring real-time graphics as opposed to the original’s pre-rendered backdrops. Featuring a new set of enemies, the Tikis, Donkey Kong (and Diddy!) must stop them hypnotising the island’s animals that are making off with all of the bananas! The game received critical acclaim for not only being stunning, humorous and a nostalgic blast from the past, but also for providing a steep level of difficulty. Complete this and you’ll earn a ton of respect from the NE team!

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13. Muramasa: The Demon Blade

Muramasa is an action-RPG developed by Vanillaware exclusively for the Wii. The hand-painted style of the game never ceases to impress anyone who looks at it. You will feel like you\’re playing a Japanese painting come-to-life. Muramasa follows the story of Kisuke, a fugitive who has lost his memory, including that of a crime that he committed; and Momohime, a lithe princess possessed by a dark spirit. Gameplay allows players to use the Wii Remote (with Nunchuk), the Classic controller, and the GameCube controller. The game allows players to use two different characters and features three difficulty levels.

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14. Project Zero 2: Wii Edition (Fatal Frame 2)

Another sad case of a great game being neglected by Nintendo in the Americas, Project Zero 2: Wii Edition represents a dying breed of games, namely survival horror adventures. In a time when most of its kind are turning into blockbuster action affairs, Project Zero is not afraid to take it slow and build up tension with care and finesse. The grim ambience and overall uncertainty will eat away at you just as much as the surprise scares and ghosts themselves will, thanks to the game’s masterfully crafted atmosphere and pacing. The camera serving as your only weapon goes hand in hand with this system, seeming limited and slow on the surface, but ending up growing on you as you delve in the combos and customizations available. Considering Nintendo now owns part of the franchise, we can only hope that they will do the right thing and bring future efforts to gamers all over the world, because Project Zero 2 clearly shows that the genre still has more to give.

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15. Sin and Punishment: Star Successor

Sin and Punishment: Star Successor is an on-rails shooting game developed by Treasure, and follow-up to the cult-classic N64 title Sin & Punishment. Set many years after the first game, Star Successor focuses on Isa Jo, the son of Saki and Airan from the first game, and a mysterious young woman named Kachi. The game featured online leader boards. While the original game featured English voice acting in both the Japanese and English versions, the sequel has Japanese voice acting for the Japanese version, as well as the option to switch between Japanese and English voice acting in the non-Japanese versions.

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16. No More Heroes 1 and 2

No More Heroes was originally announced as a Wii exclusive action-adventure beat em up. It was later released on both PS3 and 360 with additional content. The game is from the mind that brought you Killer 7 (GameCube), Yoichi Suda, or Suda51 to his friends. The game features an open world, where players take control of Travis Touchdown as he tours the streets on his hover-bike taking down enemies with his beam-katana (COUGHlightsabreCOUGH). The game received a decent level of acclaim, but is one of those titles you either love, or hate.

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17. Kirby’s Epic Yarn

Kirby’s first Wii outing is most often mentioned for its low level of difficulty and its unique graphics, but there is so much more to the game than that. The crafts themed visuals aren’t there merely to look pretty, they are intimately connected to the gameplay, letting Kirby tear away parts of the scenery, pull them closer together by tugging on loose threads, or roll enemies up into yarn balls to use as projectiles. While these abilities have replaced Kirby’s trademark sucking manoeuvres, there are still plenty great transformations to be had; Our pink friend abducts enemies as a UFO, puts out flames as a fire engine, wreaks havoc being a giant tank, and even zooms across levels in the form of a train while you lay down tracks before him via IR. The game also sports a cheery, orchestral score entirely comparable to those of the Super Mario Galaxy games. It may be easy to make your way through, but that doesn’t make the game any less accomplished. Kirby’s Epic Yarn is pure, digital antidepressant.

18. Tatsunoko vs Capcom

Tatsunoko is the seventh Capcom Vs title in the series and was originally announced as a Japan-exclusive. After fan pressure Capcom eventually released the title in both North America and Europe. It was the first Capcom Vs title to be fully rendered in 3D, and also incorporates a simple three-button attack system. The fact that it didn\’t have much competition on the Wii doesn\’t mean it’s an less of a fighting game.

19. Red Steel 2

Red Steel 2 was developed exclusively by Ubisoft Paris for the Wii to coincide with the launch of the Motion Plus accessory. To date, this is one of a handful of games which proves just how awesome the Motion Plus is. Completely juxtaposed to its predecessor (Wii launch title Red Steel), this game features a striking cel-shaded desert setting which has to be seen to be believed. Present in first-person view-point and giving you the ability to control both swords and a gun, taking on up to six enemies at once has never been such fun!

20. Super Smash Bros Brawl

I remember when Brawl’s release date was approaching fast I was beyond excited. I played Melee a lot to try and calm myself, but nothing was going to quell my hype. A large number of stores sold out so I had to wait a few days before finding my copy, and I was not disappointed in the least. Super Smash Bros Brawl gameplay is faster then Melee. The controls are liquid smooth and perfect for this type of game. The frame rate is always at a steady 60 fps ensuring no issues with slow downs. You can now pick up items while moving or catching them as their thrown towards you. Brawl also seen an increase in items, too many to memorize. Assist trophies are also a great addition Brawl was the first game in the series to include characters from third party franchises: Sonic the Hedgehog and Solid Snake from Metal Gear. Many Smash Bros fans still play online matches to this day, and with the recent Project M mod, the community was invigorated, coming back to play in swarms. The online multiplayer matches probably won\’t slow down until the next game in the series in released on Wii U and 3DS.

21. Call of Duty: Black Ops

The seventh title in the Call of Duty series, and the first set in the cold war graced the Wii back in the winter of 2010. Developed by Nintendo-veterans Treyarch the game boasted solid gameplay, graphics, and online multiplayer boosted by lightning-quick controls. The game is currently the best-selling series-entry to date and is being followed up with this year’s Black Ops II which is seeing release on the Wii U.

22. Mario Kart Wii

Mario Kart Wii is the sixth entry in this long-running series and the second to feature online multiplayer, supporting up to twelve players simultaneously. For the first time in the series history players were able to choose motorbikes in addition to the titular karts. The game also made use of the Wii Wheel accessory which was included in most instances but wasn’t mandatory. To date this is the best-selling Mario Kart game ever with over 24million sold world-wide.

23. Wii Sports / Resort

Wii Sports. Where to begin? In some ways this could be considered the ultimate game. It’s concept, so simple that anyone can pick up and play without even asking what they need to do. Featuring Tennis, Golf, Boxing, Baseball and Bowling, this pack in title has become the best-selling video game, ever with more than 80 million units moved.

24. Little King’s Story

Little King’s Story is a real-time strategy game like Pikmin but blended with the life-simulation qualities from Harvest Moon. The player becomes a timid young boy who has found a mysterious crown that gives him the powers to charm his citizens into doing anything for him. The goal of the game is to expand your village and keep everyone happy. You do this by adventuring into the unknown, defeating monsters and assigning different types of villages to different tasks. The game received worldwide acclaim upon its release but sale’s didn’t live up to expectation making this become a niche title and one of the final nails in developer Cing’s coffin.

25. Punch Out

This retro-revival of a game, developed by Mario Strikers developers Next Level Games is the first in the series since the SNES entry. A boxing game like no other, players compete in a professional boxing circuit as Little Mac, facing a series of colourful fictional boxers. The game requires outstanding reflexes in reaction to the computer-controller foes moves much like the earlier entries. Several characters return from past games as well as a new faces and a surprise cameo from everyone’s favourite ape!

26. Goldeneye 007

British developer Eurocom had quite a task on their hands in remaking GoldenEye. They had to fight both the ghost of N64 nostalgia, as well as the COD-sized elephant in the room of modern FPS. That they succeeded at all is a testament to their considerable skills; that they created the first good 007 game in years is nothing short of astounding. GoldenEye may have the best IR-aiming hipfire, coupled with the best hit detection, of any online FPS released for the Wii. Meanwhile, the single-player campaign manages to keep the élan of the Bond universe, and the 4-player local multiplayer is a potent reminder of the fun you can only have when trash talking to your buddies on the same couch. Of course, this modern reinterpretation of the Rare classic isn\’t nearly a match in terms of influence over the industry. But it is a clever and loving homage to one of the great legends of console gaming. For England, James? No, for the win.

27. New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Everything old is new again. And sometimes, that can be a point of contention. As our late friend and colleague, Derek, remarked about the (at the time) latest entry to the tried-and-true 2D Mario template: \”It’s practically the centerpiece of modern gaming formula and somehow still managed to be quite the controversy.\” For what? For realizing that sometimes you don\’t dicker with perfection. Toss aside the four-player local co-op, pixelate the graphics and it’s 1985 all over again. You\’ve played a game very much like this one before. But that’s not the point; you hadn\’t played thisgame before. Saying that NSMB needed to deviate more from the 2D Mario formula is like saying Porsche ought to make a front-engine, front-wheel-drive 911 Turbo. Perish the thought.

28. Okami

Okami is often compared to the Legend of Zelda series, and quite rightly so! Developed by the late Clover Studio (mostly now Platinum Games) for Capcom, this title surprises with its depth, its originality and its beauty. Originally released for the Playstation 2 and soon to be rereleased in HD for the Playstation 3, this game despite its many iterations refuses to get into as many gamer’s hands like it should. The game’s name literally means God, and that’s who you control, Amaterasu, you venture around the land finding out about the great evil trying to take over. With your miniature guide Issun and your celestrial brush, amazingly matched to the Wii Remote’s pointer controls, you set on an adventure that takes easily 60hours plus to finish. There are new abilities to learn, side quests to complete and tons of collectibles it’s easy to see Zelda’s influence in every last ink drop.

29. Endless Ocean 1 and 2

The Endless Ocean series are remarkable in every way, fundamentally unique, exceptionally beautiful, amazingly education and downright fun! The game can only be described as a scuba sim, where players control their diver by tilting the Wii Remote alone. Players embark on a series of discovery of new species of fish and plant life, to underwater caverns and artefacts as well as fun dolphin training mini games! There is so much to see you can literally spend hours relaxing along to your own music, through use of the SD card feature. Looking for a unique experience? Look no further.

30. Sky Crawlers: The Innocent Aces

Chances are, you didn\’t watch the anime film and didn\’t read the manga. It’s OK. You don\’t need to know the source material. All you need to know is that Sky Crawlers offers as much fun and quirk as any game released for this generation of consoles. The quirk factor isn\’t just because of the subject matter. Nor is it merely because the game was released by our dev-crush of all things niche and Japanese, XSEED Games. You control the game by reversing how you typically control Wii games: the nunchuck controls your aircraft’s tilt/roll, pitch and yaw, while the Wii remote controls throttle response. It works brilliantly, and it should have been a template for more arcade-y flight action. Instead, The Innocent Aces stands apart as one of the Wii’s most endearingly obtuse examples of \”it shouldn\’t work worth a damn, but it does.\” Just like the Wii, really.

Honor List

Kirby: Return to Dreamland

Rayman Origins

Super Paper Mario

Zack and Wiki

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn

Another Code R: Journey Into Lost Memories

Wii Fit

Bully

Wario Land: Shake It

Epic Mickey

The Conduit

Madworld

Our Favorite WiiWare Games

Fluidity

And Yet it Moves

Mega Man 9 and 10

World of Goo

Bit trip series

Cave Story

La Mulana

Contra Rebirth

Castlevania Rebirth

Lost Winds 1 and 2

NyxQuest

Fast Racing League

MDK