Feature: The 28 Best Wii Games!

By GamePro Staff
September 09, 2008 12:39 PM PST
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#9: No More Heroes

When the motion-control concept for the Wii was announced, thousands of fanboy brains immediately gravitated towards one franchise; Star Wars. Almost two years have passed, and that dream has yet to be fulfilled. While LucasArts is working overtime to produce The Force Unleashed and Clone Wars Lightsaber duels--they may have been beaten to the punch by UbiSoft and Grasshopper Manufacture, the publisher-developer team behind the stylish action title No More Heroes. With a dorky protagonist, a Lightsaber-esque weapon, buckets of blood, and lots of inspiration from icons of pop-culture like Kill Bill, Star Wars, and 8-bit gaming, No More Heroes is made for the hardcore gamer nerd in all of us.

#8: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

For the first few months of the Wii's lifespan, it seemed like the console was ill-suited for first-person shooters. Between the ambitious underachieving launch title Red Steel and the awful version of Far Cry that was a shadow of it's high-def self, the console's immersion factor took a major hit from some early flops. Thankfully, Nintendo righted that ship by publish another stellar chapter of the Metroid Prime saga. Retro Studios found a control method that managed to balance shooting, aiming, and movement on the Wii Remote and Nunchuk while keeping the game faithful to its GameCube roots. There may be a bit less exploration and a bit more action, but it's still another amazing adventure you'll enjoy taking with Samus.

#7: Okami

Okami was the definition of buried treasure when it was released for the PlayStation 2. With its second release on the Wii, gamers once again had the opportunity to witness Okami's refreshing watercolor art style and Zelda-inspired combat as they helped sun goddess Amaterasu save classical-era Japan from darkness. This port is still undervalued, yet one of the highest rated games to ever be released on the Wii.

#6: Super Smash Bros. Brawl

It's hard to imagine that Nintendo could out-do the perfect blend of action-packed brawling and nostalgia present in the GameCube's Super Smash Bros. Melee, but amazingly enough, the company managed to pack in more moves, better characters (including two long-requested third-party kings in Sonic the Hedgehog and Solid Snake), and online play! Whether you're playing online with strangers, in the same room amongst friends, or by yourself in the new expanded single-player Subspace Emissary mode, Super Smash Bros. Brawl will entertain and recall fond memories for hours on end.

#5: Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barabaros' Treasure

While many players were put off by Zack & Wiki's cutesy art style and cartoonish presentation, they also ended up missing out on one of the deepest point and click adventure games in years! With amazingly deep puzzles that would leave you scratching your head for hours to lush, wondrous environments for Zack and his monkey pal to explore, Zack & Wiki was the shot in the arm that the Wii needed, but sadly enough, went almost entirely ignored.

#4: Super Paper Mario

The nostalgia fest of Super Paper Mario truly changed everything we thought we knew about perspective. The game's main gimmick of spontaneously shifting from two to three dimensions on the fly was pure genius. Super Paper Mario also brought back levels and characters that were clearly styled after their 8-bit origins, mixing things up with entirely new gameplay, puzzles, and challenges. This game was meant to hold Nintendo fans over for Super Mario Galaxy, but it proved to be a leading act all by itself.

#3: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

How do you ensure a successful console launch, especially when said console features a unique control scheme that is completely different from one that gamers have become accustomed to? Step one is to bundle a fantastic game-Wii Sports-into the box and step two is to release a title from one of the most beloved franchises in all of gaming. That was the one-two punch combination that Nintendo employed to ensure the Wii's success. Originally pegged as a GameCube release, The Big N did the smart thing and went back to the drawing board with Twilight Princess and included Wii Remote functionality. Of course, a lesser company would have botched the job, leading to a messy final product that no one would have enjoyed. But this is Nintendo we're talking about: all they did was take a game that would have been great anyway and added a layer of complexity that made Link's epic adventure even better. The Legend of Zelda franchise is so revered that anything less than an instant classic would have been seen as a failure: thankfully, Twilight Princess lives up to the high bar set by previous titles. It's an absolutely stunning game, with gorgeous graphics, clever level designs and a great dose of action. What makes Twilight Princess even more noteworthy is that it opens up a brand new chapter in the series in terms of potential; just imagine what the next Zelda title, completely designed with the Wii in mind, will look and play like.

#2: Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition

Many people considered Resident Evil 4 to be a perfect game when it was released on the GameCube and PS2 in 2005. When the Wii version released two years later, gamers everywhere were raving about the improved control scheme, courtesy of the Wii Remote and Nunchuck. Fighting off hordes of Las Plagas was more intense than before, especially since every time you trembled, your aim did too. Sure, Resident Evil 4 came out on two platforms before the Wii, but for diehard RE fans in search of the ultimate Resident Evil 4 experience, they should look no further than the Wii Edition, which was more intense due to the aiming/shooting/stabbing mechanics introduced with the Wii exclusive controls.

#1: Super Mario Galaxy

Formerly known as Super Mario 128, the release of Super Mario Galaxy solidified the Nintendo Wii as a console that any kind of gamer couldn't go without. Mario's long-awaited return to 3D platforming was made all the more amazing by inventive gameplay and unforgettable levels that said 'so long' to the laws of gravity and physics. With Super Mario Galaxy, Nintendo proved once again that the plucky plumber's still got plenty of tricks to show off, and he's just getting better with age. On top of everything else Galaxy has going for it, it's easily one of the best looking (and shiniest) games on the Nintendo Wii yet, with graphics comparable to those seen on its next-gen console competitors. Welcome back to the world, Mario. We missed you.