User blog:Element Knight 375/My list of must-have Wii games!

With the Wii sadly on its way out of fashion with the release of the Wii U, I felt it would be a good idea to tell those of you who have or are getting a Wii U which Wii games I think you should get to play on it. There is a definite rationale for this; when I got my Wii, I largely ignored the fact that GameCube games could be played on it. As a result, I missed out on a lot of big hits on the GameCube, like Wind Waker.

So with the Wii U coming out, I want to prevent the same thing happening to you guys by suggesting 10 or 20 Wii games I personally really enjoyed, so that you can consider getting them and make sure you don't regret not getting them later on.

For now, I'm just going to list some games, but I'll describe them shortly later. I'll likely add even more later.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
I know there have been a lot of good Wii games to choose from, but The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess deserves special credit because it originally came out on the Nintendo GameCube, and was so wildly popular that i became a select game that was ported to the Wii. Another option you can consider is the original Wii Zelda game, namely Skyward Sword, but my selection is Twilight Princess all the way.

Why, you ask? Well, for one thing, the gameplay is fantastic. The items are fun and useful, the controls are innovative and intuitive, and you can learn new moves as you go along, which you can use to strategize against your enemies. Not to mention that the game is both incredibly atmospheric and very big. You can spend hours on end just riding around, finding treasure, and exploring, in between making your way through very intricately crafted dungeons. You can read my full review of the game here, but you can trust me when I say that this is a gem you'll at least want to try.

Super Mario Galaxy
Essentially anyone who's ever heard of Mario has heard of Super Mario Galaxy. For a long time, I ignored this game because it didn't sound appealing to me; it's probably because I was so used to Super Mario going from side to side, not forward, backward, diagonal, or squagonal, or whatever. But I eventually decided to try it out and see if it was any good. I went in expecting a medium game, but I found it to be incredibly innovative, fun, and generally a great game.

And even beside that, Super Mario Galaxy is really something that you should try even if you're indifferent to it, because it's widely considered to be a Wii staple. If you'd like some more detail on the game, see my review of it here.

Sonic Colors
Sonic Colors is the most recent addition to my Wii collection, and it's the first Sonic game I ever played all the way through, and it's definitely my favorite Sonic game so far. I was rather concerned about it at first, because I didn't know if I would be able to get used to the use of Wisps and the fast-paced gameplay. However, I was surprised to find that I was really comfortable with it, considering the fact that I had never really played a Sonic game before. Plus, the level design and especially the music were so uplifting and fun. I can easily say that through this game, the Sonic series has fully redeemed itself, and I recommend you check it out, and hopefully buy it.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Even though it's the third game in the series, this is the first Smash Bros. game I ever bought and/or played, and it's always been the one I was most fascinated with. I'm not entirely sure why; I think it's mainly the variety of characters, power-ups, and stages (including customized stages, which are in themselves a major reason to buy the game), as well as the realism in the movesets, graphics, and animations. The only real issues are that the stages are rather small, and the characters aren't very balanced. However, I do think that this game is worth getting, as it has a lot of control options, a lot of characters, and just overall massive potential for fun (you can read my full review here).

Mario Kart Wii
Some people think that motion controls in driving games, and just in general, are overdone. To a certain degree, they're kind of right, but this is one shining example of motion controls done flawlessly. Now, I'm aware that Mario Kart Wii doesn't compare for a lot of people to the Mario Kart-ing of old, but it was my first game in the series, and it was always my favorite. When I strapped on the wheel and got into the action, I found it not only well-designed and fun, but also immersive. When I was playing this game with my family, it was some of the most pure fun I've ever had while playing a video game. This, therefore, is one game you really cannot afford to pass up. It's at a very low price of 40 or 50 dollars, and this is more than worth it for an extraordinary multiplayer and racing experience such as this.

Xenoblade Chronicles
Xenoblade Chronicles is another recent addition to my collection, and is a game I heard about mainly in the context of games that were originally exclusive to Japan, but popular enough to be brought to other nations. Now, I'm really not a fan of this kind of RPG where you have to wander around and do quests, and utilize a combat system that necessitates controlling a number of things at once. So boy was I surprised with the amount of fun I had with it! Granted, some of the writing, voice acting, and graphical features were rather odd, but for a Wii game, this title just has so much depth! Its size is that of a simulated Japanese peninsula, and it is loaded with exploration, such that play time has been known to soar over 100 hours! Not only that, but the combat system is fluid and easy to manage, making this a great game for those new to the RPG.

Kirby's Return to Dreamland
I'm going to come out and say that I really have no personal experience with this game myself. But I do have experience with the Kirby format of platforming, and I can tell you that's all you could need to get what this game is about. It introduces new power-ups, new characters, and 4-player co-operative play, not to mention an impressive level of difficulty for a Kirby game. Overall, it's very well-executed, well-designed, and just a great game that you and all your family members can enjoy.

Mario Party 9
There's no doubt the world has had its lion's share of Mario Party games, and given how popular it still is, findings would indicate that the people can't get enough. However, one thing that the big-time critics have pointed out is the level of repetition in the gameplay across the many titles. This is the big reason why I enjoy Mario Party 9. Both stylistically and gameplay-wise, the ninth Mario Party breaks the monotonous format of playing board game-style, but still maintains the fun of the older, more lauded Mario Party games, such as the first sequel. I only ever played it once myself, but I can tell you that it is an absolute joy to play with others, and a game you should definitely have in your collection.

Boom Blox: Bash Party
I played the original Boom Blox years ago, and I thought it was a very creative, very fun, and unique gaming experience. So I suppose you're wondering why I'm recommending its sequel, Boom Blox: Bash Party instead of the original.

The reason is that even though there have only been two installments, the Boom Blox series is, by nature, one that simply gets bigger and better with each installment. As you can imagine, then, I had immediate and serious fun playing Boom Blox: Bash Party. More types of levels, better level building, more amazing gameplay elements, more characters, more blox, more more. Thusly, if forced to choose between the two games, I absolutely recommend this game for your collection.

de Blob
There are some games in this world that have sequels, but were really more meant to be one-hit wonders, and that's what I feel with de Blob. I've never been interested in getting de Blob 2, simply because an amazing game like de Blob is something best experienced as its own game. You play as one character, a laid-back, fun-loving character named Blob, who is tasked by the rebellious Color Underground with repainting the buildings with color, which has been taken away by the sinister INKT Corporation. It may sound simple and pointless up front, but once you start to get the hang of the game, it becomes an empowering, inspirational, feel-good, and creative game that is worth playing by nature (not to mention good for a hefty bit of challenge later on).

In my opinion, if you're looking for a solid, enjoyable Wii title, this is one you should have.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
There have been plenty of people who are underwhelmed by this game because it's "too easy" with respect to the other games in the classic platforming series. Personally, though, I think that it's very fun to play in multiplayer, and it has a lot of play time to it. The graphics are neat, the worlds are well-designed and fun with a lot of levels, and I find it to be quite challenging in the long run. Plus, you can go back through every single level and locate all three giant coins in every one, and then those can be used as credit to find cool videos of epic skill runs, ways to get tons of 1-Ups, etc. Now, it may be a better idea for you to get New Super Mario Bros. U instead of this title, but I still recommend you get this one as well, just for the experience and different levels.

Mario Sports Mix
This is a game that I remember being a little bit shallow in terms of what it had to offer, but this list is made up of Nintendo Wii exclusives that I think are genuinely worth your time, and I think this game is that. I really did find it to be quite enjoyable when I played it, and it was a very interesting combination of sports; these sports are Dodgeball, Volleyball, Hockey, and Basketball. All of them work rather well; they could become rather easy and monotonous after awhile, but I enjoyed the dynamics of each of them. The characters were very interesting, and you could take various paths in the tournaments where you could play quirky versions of whatever sport the tournament was for, and these could get rather difficult and intense at times. Plus, the multiplayer can be kind of fun in my experience, and it's enjoyable to play with or against others, so I recommend you buy it if you're looking for a new Wii game.

Animal Crossing: City Folk
I'm going to come out and admit that I'm no authority on Animal Crossing; I've never played a single game in the series, and I don't have a vested interest in it. But, I still have a lot of respect for the series, and I love the style and gameplay from what I've seen of them. Now, I've heard that this title isn't really the pinnacle of the series, but I know its decently well-liked and fun, so I'd say that if you have an interest in the series, you should definitely this game for your Wii U!

Wii Sports Resort
I was very, very excited about getting this game for my Wii, because at the time, I had never experienced the wonder of one-to-one motion control. And I'll tell you what, for a first application, they work pretty well in this game; they're basically tight most of the time, and they were assigned to the right functions. The overarching complaint I have with the game itself is that it could get tiresome quite quickly; you could only play multiplayer if you went to the trouble of getting more than one Wii MotionPlus device, and if you decided against doing that, then you would have to stick with the singleplayer modes. Now, this isn't necessarily bad; it's just that it can get a bit dull playing the same games over and over again.

Regardless, I think it's a good idea for all of you out there to at least try this game if you can, because some people absolutely love it, and I can fully understand why. It's an excellent game, and a great game for the motion control experience.

Donkey Kong Country Returns
DKC Returns is another example of a game that I was incredibly excited for, but ended up being disappointed with. The reason for this has to do with something which the youtuber JonTron refers to as, "the fine line between 'Hard but Fair' and 'Overly Frustrating.'"  For you see, there are a good few instances where this game crosses said line, and resorts to overly-cheap, neurosurgical-precision difficulty that removed all the satisfaction from actually playing the game. This cheapness stems mainly from the minecrat levels and from the rocket barrel levels, which tend to suck all the fun out of an otherwise excellent game. Yes, you heard me right, I think that the rest of this game is actually excellent. That's why it's on this list. Aside from the levels I just mentioned, the game is incredibly well-designed, nicely challenging, and fun to play with one or two people. So, if you think you have what it takes to get past the overly-cheap levels, I absolutely recommend this game.

Extra mentions
There are a couple other games I wanted to suggest; these are games that have been ported to the Wii from the Nintendo GameCube as Nintendo Selects, or hit games that Nintendo brought over to the newer console specifically so that they wouldn't end up as dust in the wind. There are a few of these, but three I want to mention are: There are many, many more games under this tag, and some of them are GameCube ports that have been brought over to the Wii, so if you're interested in any of these, feel free to check them out, as I'm sure they're excellent games.
 * 1) Pikmin
 * 2) Pikmin 2
 * 3) Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door

Thanks for reading, everybody, and I hope you Wii U owners out there find this list to be helpful!