Over the last five years of Nintendo Wii we’ve endured all sorts of games, from the great to the grim. The most popular console of the generation has housed a myriad of maddening mini-game collections designed to hone in on Nintendo’s expanded audience success, but the system has also been rewarded with some absolute classics.
Cubed3 contributors past and present each nominated their personal top ten favourite games on Wii. After much deliberation, point-counting and many difficult decisions, we came up with a list of our collective favourite games to have graced Nintendo Wii. Without further ado and in true Tops of the Pops countdown fashion, here are our top Wii choices…
20) Sonic Colours
SEGA have tried and tested many Sonic the Hedgehog formulas. Some of these games captured the hearts of fans and newer players, others scoffed at them and found themselves buried deep in overflowing bargain bins. It’s hard to imagine a Nintendo platform hosting games created by a once-rival studio; however, Wii and DS in particular have had their fair share of exclusives. The most recent and arguably most refined was Sonic Colours.
SEGA had already attempted to meld the franchise with the Wii controller, but it performed more strongly with a tighter blend of 2D and 3D. Step up Sonic Colours as a spectacular mix of what fans had been longing for in a modern entry. Bright, bold worlds complemented by unique transformations/power-ups and a careful blend of speed, platforming and puzzle.
Like Super Mario Bros., Sonic Colours was easy to begin playing but had its fair share of tricky yet satisfying moments. One of the best Sonic games and an essential Wii purchase, enhanced by multiple missions, awards and a charming story. – Jorge Ba-oh
19) Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 – 2012
There was a time when Nintendo fans had the cream of the crop in terms of football titles, with International Superstar Soccer gracing the SNES and Nintendo 64, trumping FIFA at every turn. Then everything seemed to go wrong. After the disaster of ISS3 on the GameCube, Konamis Major A team seemed to disappear into the ether and the Pro Evolution Soccer series on PlayStation started to go from strength-to-strength, bypassing Nintendos console scene other than a Japanese-only release for Winning Eleven 6 Final Evolution (the Japanese branding of the series). Thankfully Konami saw the light and decided to not only back Wii, but also brought about a control system that made perfect use of the Wii Remotes functionality. Welcome the Playmaker series.
Konami saw the opportunity to draw players further into the football experience by allowing for that much requested chance to gain more control of the entire team. After all, how many times had you previously passed a ball into space only for the computer AI to be totally oblivious to the idea of running onto the loose ball and taking advantage of gaps in the defence? How often did you spend shouting run, dammit, RUN! at the screen? No matter how impressive the artificial intelligence was, it just never quite compared to our human minds — our perception and understanding of the beautiful game that keeps more people entertained around the world than any other sport.
Back when Michael Owen graced the cover of Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 — and Nintendo advertised the Wii game to death on British TV — it was not particularly refined. As the 2009, 2010 and 2011 editions were rolled out, though, the level did not simply creep up but shot through the roof, blowing FIFA out of the water once more, whilst retaining a Classic Controller mode for those unable to adapt to the finer controls. With Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 being nothing more than a retread of last years edition, anyone that missed out before should grab what is without a shadow of a doubt the finest arcade football experience today. – Adam Riley
18) Monster Hunter tri
Monster Hunter tri began slowly, but once it got its hooks in, it refused to let go; it’s been known to suck up a colossal 650 hours of playtime from a single player. In theory, it should be a completely boring game because it only consists of grinding, whether that is collecting ingredients for potions or hunting a monster for a specific body part. Yet somehow, it managed to provide a hugely satisfying feeling that constantly motivates play.
While the offline portion of the game was far from short-lived, it was the online aspect of Monster Hunter tri that made it shine even brighter. Excellent graphics with high attention to detail and fantastic animations made it one of the best looking games on Wii, while the orchestrated soundtrack defined the word epic, making every hunt feel like a fight to the death. Which it actually was.
Aside from Nintendos own efforts in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Kart Wii, Monster Hunter tri is the best online game on Wii. It’s more than worth your attention even if you only plan to hunt alone in the offline mode, though. – SirLink
17) Kirby’s Epic Yarn
A game is special when it can transport you to another place, but a game is magical when it can take you to another time altogether. Kirbys Epic Yarn is such a title, able to forcibly pull a person back to their childhood through the combination of incredible artistic approach and endless invention. Constructed entirely of wool, the creativity poured into Epic Yarns world never lets up. Theres always a string to pull, forever a new piece of patchwork to peel back to uncover secrets.
Though it started life as new IP Fluffs Epic Yarn, the addition of Kirby worked perfectly. Kirby and company were similarly given the material treatment, presented in outlines of cotton only, given fresh looks without losing any of their character. The concept even allowed Kirbys morphing abilities to be taken further — while he lost the ability to borrow the traits of enemies, he gained the power to become tanks, submarines, cars and whatever else Good-Feel felt like.
Kirbys Epic Yarn, though laid out as an easy, traditional platformer, felt free of restrictions. It was as if a craft box had just been emptied, possibilities stitched into every threaded platform and knotted in each button. It serves as a reminder that, even in this time of mature games and over-challenging beasts, there is always room for a colourful game that sets out to do nothing but make its players beam with glee. – Mike Mason
16) Sin & Punishment: Successor of the Skies
Treasure is renowned for its ultimate shooter experiences, with Gunstar Heroes, Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga being just a few examples of games that have reached cult status over the years. However, one particular effort that became highly sought after was Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Earth on the Nintendo 64, a game that sadly never made it outside of Japan when initially released, before becoming a smash hit via its Virtual Console Western debut. Due to its eventual support, Nintendo gave Treasure the green light to create a successor for Wii, and the final result was one that blew the original out of the water.
Featuring fast, frenetic gameplay, standard shmup elements in the sky mixed with platform shooting action, Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Skies was an adrenaline-filled joyride; a true masterpiece that kept even the most seasoned gamer on their toes and showed that Treasure had not lost its touch in the slightest. Taking charge of a male or female lead, players would zoom across numerous futuristic landscapes filled to the brim with enemies of all kinds, having to use numerous styles of tactics to despatch the incoming assailants before encountering some epic boss battles.
To top it all off, the developer made perfect use of the Wii Remotes infrared pointer system for directing gunfire and the Nunchuk for deftly darting around stages, dodging the plethora of bullets heading your way. Every single aspect of this Sin and Punishment sequel was, and still remains, the quintessential shooter on Wii, and possibly even on any other format. The only way to top this would be if Treasure manages to cram a third game onto the Nintendo 3DS, as the immersion levels would be heightened considerably. – Adam Riley
15) Little King’s Story
Little Kings Story is one of the shiniest hidden gems Wii has to offer, crafted by Harvest Moon creator Yasuhiro Wada and a team of skilled developers at CiNG and Town Factory. Its a shame that this game was so extremely overlooked because it really is one of the best games Wii has to offer.
Little King’s Story combined a variety of elements from different genres — life-sim, adventure, role playing and real-time strategy — into something very unique and, more importantly, fun. The addictive nature of the gameplay hooked instantly, compelling players into constant exploration and kingdom expansion. The core of the gameplay was actually very reminiscent of Pikmin, except that citizens are controlled to achieve the goal of complete world domination.
Little Kings Story‘s visuals were filled with an irresistible charm, and any gamer would be a fool to not give the game a chance despite the cute factor. The entire soundtrack consisted solely of remixes of classical compositions that fit the games overall atmosphere superbly. Perhaps the most astounding achievement of Little Kings Story was simply how well all the elements blend with each other. Out of all the overlooked Wii games that deserved much higher sales, Little Kings Story certainly stands out the most. – SirLink
14) New Super Mario Bros. Wii
One of the best selling Super Mario Bros. and Wii games, the rejuvenated side-scrolling platformer stuck firmly to its heritage with a familiar art direction, designs, enemies and music, though also introduced fans and newcomers to a heated co-operative feature for up to four players.
The setup was much like that seen many times before — a shared goal to save the poor Princess Peach from the clutches of Bowser and the Koopalings, venturing through over eighty tricky levels alone or with friends, eventually encountering a devious boss before plodding onto the next world. Classic mechanics were boosted with a bevvy of new power-ups, retaining the Super Mario Bros. charm but sprinkling it with something new.
The overall formula let anyone leap into the action from the very beginning while satisfying dedicated Mario enthusiasts with some of the most intensely difficult levels in a Super Mario Bros. game to date. It culminated in an essential and rare platforming game that’s equally satisfying with friends or alone. A timeless Wii gem that will be in the party playlists for many sessions yet. – Jorge Ba-oh
13) Wii Sports
Wii Sports is easily the most important game that has ever been released for Wii. More than a tech demo, the five-in-one sports title was an accomplished display of what the Wii motion controls could do, something that never got beaten until MotionPlus was released.
Whether your poison was the deft skill involved in Tennis or Golf, the precise timing of Baseball, the thrashing of Boxing or showing off your bespoke Bowling technique, Wii Sports was as versatile as any title. The appeal was that it was designed as a pick up and play game, but it became a title that one could excel at over time.
There was a hidden depth to Wii Sports – something that wasnt accessible without tens of hours of practise. Techniques and moves could be traded and guarded like precious secrets and competition could be fierce. Wii Sports is Nintendo at their best, mixing accessibility with a broad level of skill and application. After five years, it is still one of Wiis must-have games. – Sam Turner
12) No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
For the amount of shovelware that was produced for Wii over the past five years, there were at least several developers who looked at Wii as more than a wiggling and waggling cash cow. Goichi Suda was one who saw that the console was a potent vehicle for Travis Touchdown and his deadly Beam Katana.
Even though No More Heroes was the big surprise for the cuddly system, the sequel was to take the formula of mixing motion controls and ultra-violence and refine it to deliver an experience that was beyond much that the critics thought the console was capable of. Sexy, uncompromising and deliciously funny, No More Heroes 2 was also one of Sudas most technically accomplished titles.
No More Heroes 2 proved that Wii had potential as a console that could deliver fresh, exciting and adaptable experiences. All it took was a developer with vision and an appetite for the unique — something that was applied to Wii much less than desired. – Sam Turner
11) The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
We followed the history of what was meant to be Nintendo’s biggest GameCube gem evolve into an essential Wii launch title, right from its original reveal during E3 2004 until players first swung their Wii Remote swords during a chilly winter’s night several years later. It’s a hard one to class in a top Wii games list given that it was originally designed for its predecessor, but Nintendo shaped the project into more than a mere port.
The Wii edition of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess introduced completely new mechanics that carefully invited a new generation of players captivated by Wii Sports into a deep, dark adventure, but also offered a refreshing way of approaching the classic Legend of Zelda setup for the series’ minions. Swing your Wii Remote to slice an enemy, point towards the screen to fire a bow, toss to hook a fish. From the very opening moments players step into protagonist Link’s shoes, there’s a far stronger connection than simply pressing buttons.
The adventure itself melded together tried and tested Legend of Zelda structure and gameplay with a thoroughly inviting world packed with some of the best level designs and content that pushed well past the thirty hour mark. Twilight Princess may have established the groundwork for the eventual system used in follow-up Skyward Sword, but it is still a comprehensive, refined and memorable quest that’s worthy of a place in any Wii collection. – Jorge Ba-oh
10) Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Wii might not be on par with its direct competitors in terms of raw horsepower, but that doesn’t mean that the hardware can’t output a visual masterpiece when put in the hands of talented artists. Developers Vanillaware were already well known for pushing the SEGA Saturn and PlayStation 2 consoles to their limits, forcing them to display eye-popping 2D graphics in the form of Princess Crown (before the foundation of Vanillaware), GrimGrimoire and Odin Sphere. The prospect of seeing them at work on the superior hardware of Wii — when compared to anything they had worked on before — was certainly a mouth-watering one. Muramasa delivered on that promise in droves, even going so far as making Wii detractors cry for a release on their favourite HD consoles. But no, Muramasa: The Demon Blade is and remains to this day a Wii exclusive title, and one of the finest out there.
What Muramasa may have lacked in terms of story depth and variety of settings — compared to other RPGs — it made up for in the art department, with the most stunningly beautiful 2D visuals the console has ever seen and a tear-sheddingly beautiful soundtrack. The sword crafting and character progression systems at the core of the game also entice enough to ensure that there will be no buyer’s remorse should you decide to get yourself a copy of this gem if you haven’t already. – Rudy Lavaux
9) No More Heroes
Taking its moniker from The Stranglers hit song, No More Heroes was one of the key third party titles that really showed off what Wii was capable of outside of sports and mini-game compilations. Grasshopper Manufacture were unafraid to paint Nintendos family friendly home console in an entirely different light, bringing ultra-violent melee battles and visceral combat to the forefront.
While many others used motion wherever they felt like it, Goichi Sudas team actually made each swipe of the Wii Remote matter by using movement only to unleash the deadliest of finishing moves. No More Heroes restricted use of motion made it all the more important when those opportunities arose, and in turn it made the gameplay far more engaging and involving. In those key moments players got a taste, no matter how small, of Travis Touchdowns unrelenting passion for bloodshed.
Though the action was extremely satisfying, it wasnt the sole thing that made No More Heroes what it was; indeed, it may not even be the main impetus behind its charm. What really shone through were the characters: a bizarre, perverted, insane cast of killers and manipulators from all walks of life, each bringing their own unique brand of hilarity or tension to the table. Not knowing exactly what to expect next continually drove the desire to fight through all challenges right to the chaotic conclusion. – Mike Mason
8) Okami
Okami, originally released very late during the previous generation on PlayStation 2, was a fantastic action-adventure game that matched, and in some cases even surpasses, the brilliance found in the many Legend of Zelda games. The best and most remarkable aspect of the game was the overall atmosphere. A fantastic art style featuring ink wash paintings, a marvellous soundtrack inspired by classical Japanese works and a very touching story based on Japanese mythology truly brought the world of Nippon to life. Never before has a videogame mesmerised so much.
The idea of fighting and impacting the in-game world by drawing with a brush was a stroke of genius. There was nothing quite like quickly drawing a symbol to summon a devastating fire storm that obliterated every enemy in its way, or drawing a sun onto the starry sky to turn night into day. Okami was an excellent action adventure game more than worthy of being pitted against titles from the Zelda series. – SirLink
7) Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Bigger doesnt always mean better, but that wasnt the case for Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Masahiro Sakurai packed this iteration of Smash Bros. with an insane amounts of content to keep players busy. New characters, new stages and new music were added, but its main new attraction was a single player experience, The Subspace Emissary; a large adventure where you fought foes and large bosses and eventually brought peace to the Smash Bros. universe. Along the way you were treated to some of the best cutscenes produced in a Nintendo game and it was incredible to see Nintendo characters rendered in beautiful CGI graphics. The fact that a story was told so well through these and also through some humorous character animation made it far more engaging to play.
On top of all the single player modes though, its much loved multiplayer aspects were further improved over Super Smash Bros. Melee, and an online mode was even added. It may not have been the most stable experience, but when it worked it was hugely enjoyable to be able to play against our community in tournaments. – Ross Marrs
6) Mario Kart Wii
Like just about every Nintendo franchise the company brought onto Wii, innovative new ways to play were incorporated by utilising the unique abilities of the Wii Remote. With Mario Kart Wii, Nintendo introduced the Wii Wheel — a simulation of a car steering wheel which allowed the Wii Remote to slot in sideways, creating an intuitive control system which meant anybody could get into the game. Other more traditional control methods were still usable though, with skilled players tending to prefer these options.
To the absolute delight of many, Nintendo put into place a solid online infrastructure, which let players race against friends and others from all over the world. Mario Kart Wii was one of the best online games on the system, and proved that if Nintendo try, they can provide solid online games as good as anybody else. With the introduction of 12 players in one race, Mario Kart Wii had some of the best competitive multiplayer of the generation. As well as racing ghosts from your friends, competing in downloadable competitions, and the introduction of motorbikes and tricks, Mario Kart Wii brought a freshness to the series and is regarded by many as the best yet. – Aaron Elias
5) Xenoblade Chronicles
Do people recall the days when it was said Wii simply could not handle epic role-playing games? After GameCube lacked anything like Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, Wii was almost written off immediately since many saw the system as being a minor upgrade to the previous console. However, with adventures such as Arc Rise Fantasia, Tales of Graces, The Last Story, Phantom Brave, Rune Factory Frontier, Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Wii certainly had its fair share of meaty quests. However, none of those quite match the scale of Monolith Softs majestic Xenoblade Chronicles, a game from Tetsuya Takahashi, the brains behind both Xenogears and Xenosaga and founder of the now Nintendo-owned developer.
Draped with beautiful scenery, a soundtrack that touches the soul, and a vast world that encourages constant exploration of new areas, Xenoblade Chronicles is a true piece of art. Taking on the role of Shulk, ultimately the weight of the world in which he lives lies on his shoulders, and this ambitious tale encapsulates every possible traditional RPG arc, whilst hurling new additions aplenty at players who quickly become truly absorbed into the world around them.
From the extraordinarily visceral real-time battle system and the overwhelming amount of side quests, right through to the deep characterisation that help augment the ambience impeccably, Xenoblade Chronicles stands head and shoulders above all other recent RPG releases that are merely happy to tread water, and will no doubt be heralded by many as not only one of the best Wii games on the market now, but the superlative traditional RPG of this generation. – Adam Riley
4) Metroid Prime Trilogy
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption proved one thing in particular when it came out: that the Wii Remote and Nunchuk combination is the most intuitive way to play a game in first person view on a home console. Samus’ every move could be controlled in the most simple and satisfying way ever seen in any entry in the series so far. This led Nintendo to re-release the two GameCube instalments in Japan under their Wii de Asobu line of games. Both were sold separately there, and Europe patiently waited for them to join our very own New Play Control! line up, which had already seen Mario Power Tennis and both Pikmin games. Then, Nintendo suddenly announced they wouldn’t just release the games standalone in the West; they would all be made available on one single dual-layered disc, with Metroid Prime 3 joining them as well.
Three of the most fantastic and artistically perfect first person adventures of the last decade, two of which were remade with the best first person control set-up you can expect from a home console, with full widescreen and progressive scan support — previously unavailable in Europe for the first two games — all on one single disc and all at the price of one single game. How could one not get overly excited by such an offer?! Metroid Prime Trilogy embodies this dream of a bundle, and is easily the most valuable package you will find on the console for the aforementioned reasons. – Rudy Lavaux
3) Super Mario Galaxy 2
The sequel to one of the best Wii games added plenty of new ideas to warrant its place as one of our favourite Wii games; in fact a lot were unused ideas from Super Mario Galaxy. The sequel ditched those fantastic cutscenes and a large hub world area, but it excelled in level design, and Yoshi even made a return! Nintendo once again developed on an already perfect formula and created another magical experience. To see a sequel to a Mario game on the same console since Super Mario World and Super Mario World 2: Yoshis Island was quite a surprise, too!
Nintendo also upped the difficulty, creating a better challenge for veteran Mario players, and added in some fantastic new power ups, which included a Cloud Flower that enabled Mario to create clouds and use them as platforms. Combine this with the long jump and you could use it even more effectively to cut down course times. Lets not forget its excellent soundtrack though. Nintendo brought back their superb orchestra and produced some incredible new tracks for this sterling sequel. – Ross Marrs
2) The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
If anybody was going to show the world how motion controls should be done, it was to be Nintendo. Fans waited a long five years for the true Wii instalment of the next Legend of Zelda game, but it was certainly worth it. Never before had players come this close to actually being Link. The Wii Remote was your sword and the Nunchuk was your shield. You were the one on a mission to save new and unexplored lands from an unfamiliar evil.
With Wii MotionPlus delivering precise 1:1 control over every action, a plethora of new gameplay ideas opened up. Enemies would block from different sides, meaning you had to be quick in slashing at particular open spots to defeat them. Traversing the overworld on your trusty Crimson Loftwing gave a feeling of freedom as you flew around, twisting and turning the Wii Remote. New items such as the whip and flying beetle made for even more interesting concepts, helping to engage the player into the gorgeously crafted world that resembled a watercolour painting brought to life.
An orchestrated soundtrack, fantastic dungeons, characters designed with expression and personality, and an emotional story with a dark theme has created one of the greatest entries in the 25-year strong Legend of Zelda series, and one of the best games on Wii. – Aaron Elias
1) Super Mario Galaxy
Alongside the motion-controlled, audience expanding line-up, Nintendo never forgot to cater for their die-hard fans on their fifth home console. The finest example of this can be found in Super Mario Galaxy, a game that brushed aside the shoals of less-than-exemplary titles that blighted the hardcore perception of Wii and delivered not only the best experience on the system but moment after crowning moment for the entire hardware generation.
Though the second Super Mario Galaxy is perhaps slightly better technically, it never quite captures the same feeling of the original. With the concept already familiar from the initial outing, nothing in the successor matches up to the feeling of running all the way around a planetoid for the first time, experimenting with gravity with wonder as delightful orchestral music spills forth, gawping at the visuals that seem to defy the hardware. Thanks to gorgeous fur effects, lighting, clever use of smaller play areas and fantastic art design, Nintendo were able to pull off a look that could stand up to rival consoles when viewed in standard definition.
The height of imagination reached in levels like Gusty Garden Galaxy is found in very few games, but EAD Tokyo did themselves and the rest of Nintendo proud with Super Mario Galaxy. It stands near the very top of the pile when it comes to the Mario franchise, and thus Nintendos video game output in its entirety. Even if it were not for the rest of this list, and all the brilliant games that did not make the top twenty, Wii would have been a worthwhile endeavour if only for the release of Super Mario Galaxy. – Mike Mason
Wii has been a fantastic system despite negative perceptions in the eyes of the hardcore market, and as our list shows there have been plenty of quality games released — and that’s without mentioning the dozens that were nominated but ultimately missed out on a top twenty appearance.
So, how did we do? What have been your personal favourite Wii titles over the last five years? Which games do you think really deserved a spot in our top twenty list?
