Best Wii Games: Few video game consoles stirred up as much buzz as the Nintendo Wii. Before motion tracking software was considered standard fare and lazy shovelware began popping up left and right to take advantage, Nintendo looked to revolutionize the gaming landscape with the Wii (before the name was officially announced, the system was codenamed Revolution). Utilizing a two-piece “Wiimote” and “Nunchuk” control scheme, the Wii promised gamers an opportunity to experience a new kind of paradigm, to capitalize on the popularity of titles like Dance Dance Revolution and turn the human body into a game controller. Many of the best Wii games were Nintendo’s first-party Wii titles and earned praise, with several becoming staple party games which, to this day, maintain premium real estate in entertainment centers.
Unfortunately, the Wii came along during a period of consolidation for game developers: As it became easier to cross-publish games on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, many developers looked at the Wii’s relative technical limitations and unique controls, and simply chose to ignore the platform. Despite a dearth of quality third-party support, the Wii was still home to an exceptional core set of games in its lifespan. Without further ado, we present our list of the best Wii games ever made.
Best Wii U Games
Super Mario Galaxy 1 + 2
Let’s be clear: Either of these games would have made the top of the list. They’re both wonderful experiences in their own way and at the same time part of the same magical whole. Super Mario Galaxy 1 eases you into the planet-hopping gameplay, letting you enjoy the delightful visuals and fantastic soundtrack before hitting you hard with a challenge in the back half. SMG2, on the other hand, has the benefit of assuming you’ve already played the first game; it quickly ramps up back to difficulty levels of the first game, then takes it a few steps further as the game progresses. These games would rank high on the Best Games of All-Time list, for any system; as it stands, they’re by far the best games on the Wii.
Wii Sports Resort
Though it didn’t have anywhere near the impact of the original Wii Sports, the sequel is an all-around better package. It’s got the stuff you care about from the first game (so, tennis and bowling), plus cool additions like archery and American Gladiators-style swordplay. It’s an experience that’s definitely of a certain time and place, but after so many years there’s a bit of nostalgia tied to flailing your limbs around the living room. Just be sure to put on your Wii Remote wriststraps. They’re not joking about that.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
At first, NSMB seemed like kind of a cheap cop-out for Nintendo. New Super Mario Bros. had already been released on the DS, and it was a neat update. But to bring the simplistic update to the Wii over another Mario Galaxy-style game was sort of disappointing. Until you played it. Somehow Nintendo managed to replicate that old-school Mario feeling while updating it just enough for a modern audience. The highlight is probably the multiplayer mode, which allows you and three friends to roll through every level together. Trying to keep lifelong friendships afloat after “accidentally” throwing someone into a pit of lava is just part of the fun.
Best Selling Wii U Games
Bully: Scholarship Edition
In Bully’s Scholarship Edition, Bullworth Academy had more classes, more missions, and more craziness for Jimmy Hopkins to deal with — and it was every bit as sweet as before. With new mini-games clearly based on already-existing Nintendo games, you could actually learn something by going to class! Living out the whimsical life of these boarding school brats was a blast, and we’re hoping for a college-edition sequel to come out soon.
Boom Blox
At first glance, it’s easy to write off Boom Blox as a Jenga wannabe, but it’s SO much more. Boom Blox sports hundreds of crazy physics-based puzzles, all comprised of block towers that you can take apart with well-aimed flings of the Wii Remote. Most of the fun comes from playing with your pals, as you scrutinize every level to gain the most points possible. It looks simple, but Boom Blox is truly a thinker’s game. Best drinking game for the Wii too.
Best Wii Games For Adults
Remember the Nintendo Wii? I sure do. I’ve argued that Nintendo’s massively successful, modestly powered, the motion-control console doesn’t get nearly enough credit. Expanding the audience for video games is a wholly positive thing. And there are plenty of in-depth experiences for hardcore players too if they just got over themselves. It’s the console that most impacted the time of my life when I started getting even more serious about video games. Although there is another Nintendo console with “Wii” in the name, it’s actually the Nintendo Switch that I think has done the best job building upon the Wii’s legacy. So twelve years later, here are the best Wii games.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Yeah yeah it’s really a GameCube game and maybe the darker art style is just pandering after Wind Waker’s cel-shading, but The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess helped the Wii start off with a bang, even if the game’s own start could’ve been better paced. Arguably the single best Wii game for months, Twilight Princess to me is the best iteration of the classic Ocarina of Time-style 3D Zelda before Breath of the Wild really opened up the formula.
