chess

Apologies in advance for a long post that may or may not get any discussion and will probably end up looking more like an article than a forum post...

Amongst all the fuss about E3 and the new consoles, I’ve been having a bit of a rediscovery of the Wii. It’s tough to explain, because it’s largely been a disappointing console for me, but it made the move to the living room a few weeks back, and I’ve been picking up some cheap games. Some of them (along with a few I already had) are so good that I felt a bit compelled to offer them up to you guys as 1) some games you should try and 2) a Nintendo fanboy defense of the Wii as a console despite all of the shovelware and waggle and casual gamer focus.

So here are 10 reasons to dust off your Wii, in no particular order…10 hardcore games that you probably missed that make innovative use of Wii controls and/or are legitimately great games. Most of them aren’t from Nintendo, and you can get most of them for well under $10 (Amazon used prices noted).

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories: (~$15)

This is legitimately the only game that has ever truly creeped me out while playing it. It makes innovative use of the Wii remote as your flashlight and your cell phone with its internal speaker in a way that genuinely adds to the immersion of the game. It also makes interesting adjustments to the story based on your psychological profile and the objects you dwell on during the game, and the lack of fighting/shooting is a welcome change of pace.

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Sin and Punishment 2: (~$6)

The fact that this is made by Treasure should be enough to make you get out and buy it…especially for $8 at Gamestop. At its heart, it’s an on rails shooter with the added element of moving your character on screen, which gives it a bit of shmup feel. I can’t think of another game with that mechanic, and I can’t imagine why because it works brilliantly.

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House of the Dead: Overkill: (~$7)

This is another on rails shooter because it's something the Wii does well, but this time with a grainy grind-house theme. This one has the distinction of being the only game that I could put my Wii controller in a gun shell, calibrate it and use it as a light gun without the on screen reticule. It feels great, and the game is a blast. It’s also on PS Move, but nobody really has a Move hooked up do they? House of the Dead 2 & 3 is also worth getting if only for 3.

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Red Steel 2: (~$5)

The only game aside from Skyward Sword that justifies Wiimotion Plus. It has nothing to do with the terrible Red Steel other than combining gun and sword mechanics, so I’m not sure why they stuck with the name unless they thought it worked for marketing.

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007 Goldeneye: (~$9)

As proven on Metroid Prime 3, first person shooting really works well with Wii controls. Combine that with some nostalgia from the N64 classic and a movie-like presentation, and you’ve got yourself a good time.

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Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles: (~$13)

Yet another on-rails shooter. This is better than Umbrella Chronicles, but both are worth owning. There’s no point using a gun shell with these though, as you can’t calibrate. Just use the Wii remote as a pointer, and you’re all set. Warning: Quick Time Events

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Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (~$4)

Wii controls added to this classic in a way I never would have imagined possible. The shooting is so much better on Wii that it almost makes the game too easy with the ability to rapidly make precision knee and head shots. Combine that with widescreen presentation and all of the extra content from the PS2 version, and you have the best version of one of the best games of all time.

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Muramasa: The Demon Blade: (~$13)

A beautiful artistic beat em up with some RPG elements.

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Dead Space Extraction (~$8)

One last on-rails shooter. This one tells a pretty good backstory for Dead Space and has the fun alternate weapon switching from the HD games. It's also been rereleased on Move, but again, anybody got that hooked up?

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Donkey Kong Country Returns: (~$15)

I’m adding this one because it came so late in the Wii’s life cycle that I’ll bet a lot of people had given up on it. This one is from Retro, the guys who brought you the Metroid Prime series, and it’s simply an amazing 2D platformer. And that’s coming from somebody who didn’t like the SNES series. This is the only first-party game on the list and the only one that goes for anywhere near retail, but it’s worth it.

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Other reasons why the Wii was a solid console…

Nintendo’s Big 3:

Face it, if you own a Wii, this is probably why, and none of the Wii’s entrants disappointed other than Metroid Other M, which wasn’t bad but wasn’t anywhere near as good as the Prime series. Mario Galaxy and 2 were the two best video games of this generation (IMO, of course). Zelda Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword are both phenomenal entries in the series with the latter making great use of WiiMotion Plus. Wii controls worked brilliantly on Metroid Prime 3 and actually improved the other two games in the trilogy. Also, Smash Brothers and Mario Kart were solid versions even if they weren't really any better than their Gamecube counterparts.

JRPGs:

These aren’t my thing, but Xenoblade Chronicles and Last Story (Final Fantasy guys went off and made their own Final Fantasy) are widely regarded as some of the best JRPGs of this generation.

Odds and ends:

The only reason Okami isn’t on the list above is that I think the PS2 version is a bit better and the Wii controls weren’t as additive as you’d think they’d be at face value. Kirby’s Epic Yarn and Return to Dreamland are both very solid platformers, and Sonic Colors was exclusive to Wii and was the first good Sonic game in as long as I can remember. Wii Sports & Resort were innovative despite the hype and whatever other issues you might have with them.

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I know the Wii’s reputation as a bit of a joke, and even I have been disappointed with the over-use of waggle, but I think the 25+ games above along with some other obvious choices make the Wii a worthwhile console despite its technical limitations...maybe even a great console in hindsight.

I'm interested in hearing from those who agree, those who disagree, and those who have games that I overlooked. I'd also love to hear from anybody who buys anything on the list whether it's "Hey thanks" or "You're full of shit".

RichC2

Yeah I have to disagree with most of those, but it's all personal opinion, I think the Wii is a worthwhile game console, just for different reasons. I, for one, hate the motion controls, including in Red Steel 2 and Skyward Sword, and often found myself frustrated using it for shooting. Skyward Sword was a nice rebound from the incredibly dull Twilight Princess but I kept getting irked by the control scheme. I do agree the Mario Galaxy games were two of the better games this generation, and easily the best on the Wii.

Also is Goldeneye playable in 3rd person? I thought it was FPS still?

But hey thanks, you're full of shit.

chess

Swordplay never quite lived up to where we all hoped it would, but I love first person (at least in single player) and rail shooting on the Wii.

I have no idea why I typed third person there...edited.

Me007gold

Loved Skyward Sword, dispised the Silent Realm, would have played it a 2nd or probley even a third time if it werent for those

fujishig

I don't remember Muramasa using any kind of motion controls (which was fine by me... same goes for Xenoblade Saga). That's the weird thing about the Wii, at times the motion controls and the odd nunchuk/wiimote combination made traditional games a pain to play, but at times the lack of pretty graphics made developers do more with what they had. I feel the same way about the DS, where some of my favorite games barely use the second screen and don't use the stylus at all.

I would love it if they allowed Wii games that don't require the wiimote to be played on the WiiU tablet... Xenoblade especially.

I'd add:
No More Heroes 1 and 2 (though both later came out on PS3)
MadWorld
Tatsunoko vs. Capcom (but you need a stick)
Zack and Wiki
Little King Story (though this also came out on PSP)

bunkaroo

Fuck the Silent Realm SO HARD.

Oliver Clothesoff

I use my Wii for Gamecube games only at this point... occasionally a round of Donkey Kong Country Returns.

chess

You're right, they don't. I put an "and/or" in my preface...some are great games that make innovative use of the controls, and some are simply great games.

I agree. Almost any time a developer substituted a motion control for a button, I was turned off. The only exception was when it made sense in the context of the game like shaking to shake an enemy off in Silent Hill or swiping the knife in RE4.

I didn't know about No More Heroes going to PS3. I didn't care for the first one, but I can't remember why...might have been the terrible overworld.

I almost put Mad World on there, and I probably should have...maybe instead of DK Country. It's super stylish and pretty funny.

I loved Zack and Wiki but didn't finish it...just never been a point and click adventure fan. That said, it did make 100 clever uses of the controller.

I have no experience with the other two.

RichC2

I was so disappointed in Zack and Wiki, I'm such a huge fan of PnC Adventure games and was hoping it'd be more like that.

chess

The Gamecube was my favorite console of that generation, but overall, I think the Wii has a better library both in terms of exclusive third party content and in terms of first party content (3 Marios, 2 Zeldas, 2 Metroids, a DKC and at least one of almost every other franchise on GCN).

Basically, I think the Wii was a better console than most gamers think it was in terms of sofware. As for the hardware, I wish it had more internal memory and an HDMI output and just a bit more power to close the gap between it and the 360/PS3. I also think WiiMotion plus fixed the controller, but it was too late for software support.

RichC2

Dreamcast still has my vote from that Gen.

chess

I love my Dreamcast, and it could have been great, but realistically it's in 4th place...particularly given that most of its best games were ported to the other consoles. That's just nostalgia talking.

It also had perhaps the worst controller of all time...my wrists ache just thinking about it.

RichC2

I loved the DC controller myself, no complaints with it. It is true the system had plenty of games ported off, but at the time RE:Code Veronica, Soul Calibur, House of the Dead 2, Grandia II, Phantasy Star Online, Seaman, Skies of Arcadia, hell Crazy Taxi were tops for me. Powerstone and an imported Ikaruga added to it. None of them aged particularly great but they left a great impression.

Gamecube had some good titles, but imo it was a low point for Nintendo first party titles. Mario Sunshine, Paper Mario, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Donkey Kong, Star Fox Adventures were all inferior to other releases. I know a lot of people were gaga over Smash Bros but that franchise never did anything for me. They tried something different which is to be commended, and the titles were never flat out bad and seem critically well received, I just didn't enjoy them personally.

Mario Galaxy came back and knocked it out of the park, Metroid Prime 3 fixed many of the issues from Echoes.

The Resident Evil remake, Resident Evil 4, Eternal Darkness, Metroid Prime, Monkey Ball, etc; were more up my alley. I never did play Zelda: 4 Swords, wanted to though.

chess

Something about the way the Dreamcast handles were narrow and curved in toward the bottom just destroyed my wrists.

I mostly agree about Sunshine/Wind Waker (though Wind Waker had phenomenal art and combat), and I never cared about Starfox or Smash Bros. I did like Double Dash a lot. I also love the list and would add Beyond Good and Evil and RE4.

Metroid Prime was hands down the best single player game of that generation, and the Wii version is even better IMO.

RichC2

Yeah, it was one of my favorite games of that gen, which is why Echoes was so crushing to me.

chess

<--- Still hasn't finished Echoes.

RE4 was my second favorite game of that generation and it was also GCN exclusive for a year or so.

Michael Corvin

Wow, not quite the list I was expecting. On rails shooters & horror titles?

TP was dull and the color palette didn't help. 8 hours(6 of which is tutorial/introduction) and I called it quits. Skyward Sword... sigh... the controls were abysmal and the 4 hour(maybe longer? I gave up) tutorial and text bubbles did me in. What a fall from grace this franchise has become. I don't have a problem "reading" my games, but really, a game that is supposed to be an immersive adventure shouldn't rely on text bubbles in 2012.

It kinda sucks really. Zelda needs to take a generation off but Nintendo can't afford to do that with the WiiU struggling.

Only 'traditional' controller that keeps the DualShock from being the worst.

Another much maligned game, Mario Kart: Double Dash. It was hard to appreciate at the time as my friends and I were HUGE MK64 fans and it was such a departure. Hindsight being 20/20, I'd take another DD over any of the recent MK titles. Another series absolutely run into the ground.

And Wind Waker; I still maintain that it would have been better served as a new IP instead of it being a cell shaded Zelda game.

This will probably draw flames, but man I don't know if I can edge out the original Halo. I love Prime but it was so small scale by comparison. The original Halo campaign was just so big and epic by comparison.

Point being, they both have a place in my heart.

chess

Maybe not the message I meant to send with the title. I was basically looking to get outside of the stereotypical Wii game and show that the Wii had more interesting third party games than most people think...to show that there were reasons outside of first party Nintendo games to own/play a Wii.

I thought the game was brilliant other than being made artificially long with the sailing and being a dungeon or three short otherwise. I loved the art and combat, and I think it holds up even now. The only upside of calling it a new IP would be the lack of fan drama over cell shading...which was absurd in hindsight.

No flames, but I would wager that Prime holds up better now, and good god what an amazingly structured game. The Arkham Asylum guys should send a thank you note.

But I'm hardly objective...Super Metroid is probably my favorite game of all time, so it's logical that I'd have a softer spot for Prime. I remember being super worried about the first person stuff and it being made by a US developer. It turned out that US developer was pretty badass.

I agree generally that Nintendo has run many of its franchises into the ground and that Zelda should take a generation off. My favorite Zelda game this generation was Darksiders.

Michael Corvin

My last two favorite Zelda games were Okami and Beyond Good & Evil.

I honestly think it's hard to compare the two since one is a shooter and the other is still largely an exploration/adventure game. Metroid was more atmospheric and structured, while Halo was so large & epic in a way that console's had never seen. Metroid was full of dark environments, Halo had bright environments. Both have great scores and great protagonists.

RichC2

I think they're both excellent. Metroid Prime's world was well realized and very nice to look at but I never got the sense it was a living, breathing place.

Halo had some weird illusion that it was based on something that could really be out there - even if it did result in some repetition.

chess

Posting one a day for the next few days. Today's $5 game:

Mad World

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Anubis2005X

You guys should give Echoes a second chance. I finally went back and played through it a few months ago and it ended up being a fairly good experience.

Michael Corvin

MadWorld was a good rental. Fun for a few hours but once the repetition and obnoxious announcers set in it's time for a different game.

chess

I can't honestly say that it was my bag either, but then I was never a fan of beat em ups.

But I think if you are into that kind of thing, it's easily worth what it goes for used.

I've been fairly predictable so far if you know the Wii's library, but I'll have some surprises soon.

LosingMyMind

A couple of Wii games that I would love to play, but unfortunately they were not released in the US. I wish these could be released on the Wii U eshop. They're already translated to English, just put them up there and let me get them.