Summary
When theNintendo Wiiwas first released back in 2006, not everyone was blown away with the system’s choice of games, especially since its signature feature, themotion controls, made it seem as though it might turn out to be little more than a gimmick. However, Nintendo managed to sway a lot of people’s opinions thanks to the growing advancement of theWii’s fantastic catalog of exclusive games, some of which are now considered to be some ofthe greatest games Nintendo has put out in recent memory.
Exclusive games have always played an incredibly important role in promoting a specific system to the wider audience, and although the Wii’s selection of exclusives was admittedly a little lackluster at launch, it didn’t take long for it to acquire some absolute classics down the line that Nintendo fans still speak highly of to this day. Now that Nintendo is focusing all of its efforts on its more modern systems, it seems like the perfect time to reflect on the Nintendo Wii, and more specifically, the exclusives that helped skyrocket its popularity. Before jumping into the list, it should be noted that only games that can still be played on the Wii system will be considered, so any titles with future remasters and ports will not count.
7Wii Sports Resort
Metascore: 80
Wii Sportsgave players a taste of the console’s unique motion controls in action, but three years after that game was released alongside the system, a sequel by the name ofWii Sports Resortwas released which essentially built upon everything that already made the original so enjoyable. Although the majority of theclassic sports minigamesmade a triumphant return,Wii Sports Resortalso included a plethora of new activities for players to jump into and enjoy, some of the most popular being archery, disc golf, and swordplay.
Because the originalWii Sportsreceived a fair amount of criticism from some fans because of how unresponsive the motion controls could be at times, Nintendo made sure that they felt a lot tighter and more focused this time around, with it being much harder to make simple mistakes. Although theWii Sports Resortdoesn’t offer too much for solo players, the game is an absolute blast when trying out the numerous different sports activities with a few friends or family members.
Although there were quite a large number of RPG titles that were gradually released for the Wii over time, by far one of the most engaging and memorable in regard to both its story and gameplay wasThe Last Storyby developers Mistwalker. Set onthe mysterious island of Lazuliswhich is slowly being drained of its natural energy, players assume control of Zael, a young and naive mercenary who is suddenly thrust into the middle of an ongoing war between humans and beastly monsters known as Gurak.
Considering that a lot of theFinal Fantasydevelopers worked onThe Last Story, including Hironobu Sakaguchi and Nobuo Uematsu, it should come as no surprise that the story is extremely well written, featuring a large cast of lovable yet complex characters who are all unique in their own ways. The Action RPG combat isn’t too different from others in the genre, but the incorporation of stealth into the core gameplay does still help to make it feel unique and different to its competition.
It cannot be understated just how much of an improvementMario Kart Wiiwas over the previous game in the series that had been released for the DS a few years before. Not only were the visuals far more colorful and vibrant, which perfectly suits the whimsical world ofMario, but the game also stood out for its usage of the Wii’s motion controls, which worked surprisingly well, adding an extra layer of immersion to the intense high-speed racing action.
Mario Kart Wiialso introduced plenty of new tracks, some of which are often regarded by fans of the series as beingamong the best in the history ofMario Kart, with Coconut Mall and Wario’s Gold Mine being just a few examples. The stunning art style, motion control capabilities, and endless amount of content have all helped to makeMario Kart Wiione of the most beloved games of its respective series.
Punch-Out!!as a series has been around since the 1980s, so while it wasn’t exactly anything brand new or unique, the Wii edition managed to revitalize interest inthis long-running boxing seriesthanks to its colorful cast of fighters and fun, but brutally difficult, gameplay. Players fill the shoes of Little Mac, an up-and-coming boxer who must take down numerous opponents standing in his way before he can be proclaimed as the greatest fighter of them all.
Because of how drastically different each of Mac’s opponents is, it allows every encounter to feel fresh and unique, ensuring the game never ends up becoming too predictable. Whether it’s the hard-hitting and durable King-Hippo or the lightning-fast Glass Joe, players will need to get into the habit of switching up their attack strategy every so often to stand a chance of reaching the very top. Although it’s definitely on the harder side when it comes to difficulty, there’s something all so satisfying about eventually knocking out an opponent in the ring who is triple the size of Little Mac, proving that putting in the practice really does pay off.
After the enormous success ofSuper Smash Bros Meleefor the GameCube, Masahiro Sakurai and the team at Sora immediately started work on its sequel which wouldrefine the 2D platform fighting combat, while also throwing a ton of new content into the mix. By far the biggest addition was the Subspace Emissary, a story mode that featured a gigantic cast of characters from a range of different games all working together to take down the story’s major villains; Ganon, Bowser, and a mysterious original character known as the Ancient Minister.
In terms of the gameplay itself, every character inBrawlfeels a lot heavier than they did inMelee, which ended up making the game a lot more forgiving and accessible since it meant that characters wouldn’t just fly off the screen with a single heavy attack. There were also a few other small additions that allowed each and every battle to feel even more chaotic than before, such as how certain stages could completely change mid-battle, or the addition of Assist Trophies, which could introduce a brand-new fighter to help someone out during an intense fight.
TheFire Emblemseries has always been unique in how it managed to successfully mergetactical-strategy gameplaywith pretty in-depth RPG mechanics, but a lot of people found that some of the earlier titles were a little too difficult and unforgiving to really get into them.Radiant Dawnmanaged to still provide more than enough challenge for players to take on, while also adding in a few extra mechanics and systems to ensure that it never became too arduous. A few examples of this include being able to save mid-battle, and the re-introduction of Dark Magic, which is extremely deadly against armored enemies.
The innovative combat system in general was simply much easier to grasp and more fun as a result of these changes, but in classicFire Emblemtradition, the story is also absolutely exceptional, being packed full of political intrigue and plenty of twists and turns to keep players engaged until the very end. Pair this with some excellent map designs and a stunning visual style, and it’s really no wonder whyRadiant Dawnis such a beloved game to so many people.
Much to the surprise of pretty much everyone, Nintendo somehow managed to top the already outstandingSuper Mario Galaxyin the sequel, which was even more creative and bold than its predecessor. While the games still follow a similar gameplay loop of running around different planets and finding Power Stars to progress through the story, it felt like Nintendo went above and beyond to make each galaxy as weird and wonderful as possible,and now with the addition of Yoshi, players were able to explore them at a much faster rate without ever getting stuck.
The various new power-ups also felt incredibly creative, and as a result, made platforming sections a lot more fun, especially Cloud Mario, which can create mini cloud platforms to navigate between areas.Mario Galaxy 2also stands out for its big and bombastic music score, memorable and challenging boss fights, and endless replay value, with all of this coming together to create what some consider to be the very bestMariogame ever made, which is certainly saying something.
