I finally finished this Wii holiday guide – it was the toughest one of the three for me to write. A hardcore gamer trying to figure out which casual games are best to get can be more daunting than expected, but hopefully I covered the gamut. In any case, there have been very slim pickings in terms of releases this season for the Wii, so I will break down my guide into recommendations for casual players and then ones for the more traditional gamers going all the way back to the launch of the system.
Casual Titles
Guitar Hero World Tour [$189.99 Amazon]
With Rock Band 2 not released yet on the Wii, Guitar Hero World Tour is really this year’s only full band release for Wii owners. The special edition set comes with a guitar, a drumset, and mic (you will need a second guitar for the full four player experience). Guitar Hero 3 was practically the only non-first party Wii game that consistently cracked the top 10 Wii games sold last year, and for good reason: the Wii is the perfect casual system and a music band game works well since it can be appreciated by all owners of the system.
Boom Blox [$39.99 Amazon]
If you want another family friendly game to play this holiday season, consider Boom Blox, one of the top games on the Wii and produced by Steven Spielberg. This game is like a super version with similarities to Jenga but instead of trying not to knock down blocks in Jenga, your goal is to knock them down in Boom Blox. Players grab the Wii-mote and perform a throwing motion to throw a ball at a stack of blocks, trying to knock over higher point value ones to win the match. There are over 300 different levels and various game types for people to compete in and it’s fun for all ages.
WarioWare: Smooth Moves [$49.99 Amazon]
The WarioWare games have always been pretty amusing minigames, and are no different now that the series has hit the Wii. WarioWare: Smooth Moves is a perfect party game for the Wii owner as players compete on silly and amusing challenges like flipping pancakes and zipping up people into panda suits at the zoo. The game may not be too enjoyable for the grumpy people, but the WarioWare series is so silly that you can’t help but laugh when you play them.
Mario Kart Wii [$49.99 Amazon]
Many lifelong Mario Kart fans were disappointed with the Mario Kart released on the Wii, as it has been dumbed down even more for the casual audience. This is clearly evident by the inclusion of a Wii steering wheel that comes bundled with the game. The steering wheel works by attaching your Wii-mote inside, and you can drive with it. The only problem is, it handles terribly. Still, the game at its heart is still an innocent little kart racing game, and still fun for people that enjoy racing. It might not be possible for our parents to get good at this game though.
Any of the LEGO games
LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga [$19.99 Amazon]
LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures [$49.99 Amazon]
LEGO Batman [$49.99 Amazon]
Wii owners tend to be generally be more casual due to having less time to play or less skill than the traditional gamer. Sometimes this is a result of having children, and if the children are old enough to play the Wii, any of the LEGO games should be fun as they are based on LEGOs, the violence is minimal, and the games are humorous and fun. LEGO Star Wars is the oldest, but also the cheapest of the three.
Wii Fit [$89.99 Amazon]
This game still can’t be found today and for good reason: it’s a game that’s actually popular with women and the older crowd. For $90, the Wii Fit comes with its own weight-sensitive pressure board that allows you to perform Yoga, weight exercises, and cardio activities all making use of the board and tracked in game. If you’re not planning on using it for the long run or have other players to play it with (to compete on scores), then it may not necessarily be the best purchase. Many current Wii Fit owners no longer touch them.
Active Life: Outdoor Challenge [$59.99 Amazon]
For those that can’t get enough of the cardio activities of the Wii Fit (or felt that it was a bit lacking), you may want to consider Active Life: Outdoor Challenge. It doesn’t make use of the Wii Fit board, but comes with its own DDR style pad that is used to play various cardio games. Its main limitation, however, is that only two players can play it although they can both play on one pad.
Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party [$39.97 Amazon]
The original Rayman Raving Rabbids was one of the best launch titles for the Wii, comprised of silly party games like throwing cows and listening for pigs. The sequel wasn’t too good, but this third iteration of the game seems to be back to the fun of the first one. This time around, TV Party consist of over 65 brand new games based on pop TV culture and makes use of the Wii Fit balance board (but is not required).
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games [$48.99 Amazon]
Even though the Summer Olympics are over, that doesn’t mean the game is no longer fun. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games have been described by some as a more advanced version of Wii Sports, as up to four players can compete in various sporting events to try to beat each other’s best scores.
Mario Strikers Charged [$49.99 Amazon]
Mario Strikers Charged is a light-hearted soccer game that allows for up to four players to compete. It’s cute but due to the powerups and skill involved, the game may require a certain amount of experience gaming. This rules out our parents but should be appropriate for the kiddies.
Mercury Meltdown Revolution [$19.99 Amazon]
Mercury Meltdown Revolution is our generation’s marble madness. It’s a puzzle game consisting of 150 levels where you use your Wii-mote to steer a blob of goo through various passageways and traps. It’s not exactly something our parents could play, but the concept of the game is simple enough that anyone interested in puzzle games could enjoy it.
Animal Crossing: City Folk [$49.99 Amazon]
The latest iteration of Animal Crossing just hit the Wii, and unsurprisingly, it’s basically the exact same as the Gamecube and DS versions. If you’ve grown tired of Animal Crossing on one of those platforms already, this Wii version should be skipped but if you can’t seem to get enough, it should satisfy your furniture collecting addiction.
House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return [$27.99 Amazon]
The unique aspect about the Wii is that there’s a sensor bar, something that none of the other current generation consoles have. This sensor bar makes it possible to register where you Wii is exactly, and lends itself well to arcade shooting games, such as House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return. If you’re up for a simple 2-player zombie shooting game where you point your Wii and pull the trigger on screen to fire at enemies, House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return is your best bet on the Wii.
Wii Music [$49.99 Amazon]
Wii Music is Nintendo’s other major 2008 offering besides Animal Crossing: City Folk, and it is a very polarizing game. It’s not necessarily a “game” per se, as you’re not trying to beat anything. Its main difference from games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero World Tour is that there are dozens of various instruments, all playable with just the motions of the Wii-mote. The problem is, you’re not actually playing anything – sliding the Wii-mote along your arm mimics a violin, but no matter how fast or slow, wide or shallow, the slide of the Wii-mote, your violin will play. The length of the game varies from person to person, depending on how much they enjoy recording and remixing the same songs over and over with different instruments.
Wii Play [$45.99 Amazon]
Still the first game to buy with any new Wii purchase, the Wii Play consists of 9 mini-games and a Wii-mote. With the Wii console only coming with one Wii-mote and a stand-alone Wii mote retailing for $40, it’s worth it to just pay a few dollars more to get the bundle of 9 mini-games. They’re not particularly deep, but some can be pretty enjoyable like the fishing one.
First Party Titles for the Hardcore Gamer
All of these games are self explanatory, as they are all the next iteration in their respective series for Nintendo fans:
Super Mario Galaxy [$49.99 Amazon]
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess [$49.99 Amazon]
Super Smash Bros. Brawl [$49.99 Amazon]
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption [$49.99 Amazon]
Super Paper Mario [$49.99 Amazon]
Wario Land: Shake It! [$49.99 Amazon]
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn [$49.99 Amazon]
Re-releases for the Hardcore Gamer
Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition [$19.99 Amazon]
The smash hit from last generation has been released on the Wii with new Wii-mote controls. I felt that this was the best game ever released last generation, so it’s definitely worth checking out if you haven’t yet.
Okami [$39.99 Amazon]
Like Resident Evil 4, Okami was also released last console generation on the PS2. With certain Zelda gameplay similarities and a moving brush, it made sense that the game was re-released on the Wii so that the Wii-mote could be used to control the brush.
Bully: Scholarship Edition [$29.99 Amazon]
From the makers of Grand Theft Auto, Bully is a game that follows a similar structure but takes place in school so there’s nothing as violent or orbscene as you would see in a GTA game. There are plenty of quests, humorous dialogue, and things to do in the school of Bullworth Academy.
Original Third Party Wii Titles for the Hardcore Gamer
Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure [$19.99 Amazon]
Zack & Wiki is probably my most favorite third party title currently on the Wii. It’s an adventure game where the player has to solve various puzzles on screen through ingenious use of the Wii-mote. For example, the player may have to figure out how to get past an area by cutting down a tree with a saw, and thus moves the Wii-mote in a saw like motion to cut the tree down.
No More Heroes [$19.99 Amazon]
Originally planned as an Xbox 360 release, No More Heroes is a stylish sandbox game where the player controls an otaku (anime/manga/video game nerd) to kill 10 assassins. Along the way he can take side quests to earn money to buy new weapons, clothes, etc.
de Blob [$49.99 Amazon]
de Blob is this year’s most innovative Wii release: a platform puzzle game where you control a blob that needs to return colors to a city by painting it. Along the way, you will have to to deal with invaders while mastering the mixing of paint colors.
Call of Duty: World at War [$49.99 Amazon]
While Call of Duty: World at War was released on practically every major title and is best played on the 360 or PS3, the Wii version is no slouch in terms of gameplay either. It actually preserves the addictive online setup of the 360 and PS3 versions, with customizable classes, weapons, and Perks. This is the game to get for the Wii owner that wants to play competitively online but hasn’t made the jump to the 360 or PS3 yet.
