Top 20 Best Wii Games Of All Time

Normally, 3D Sonic games have been a total bust whether it was due to awful optimization, boring gameplay, or you know, just being bad in general. “Sonic Colors” is not one of those games! On the contrary, “Sonic Colors” is one of the better 3D “Sonic” games thanks to its captivating visuals and focused blend of speed and style. As for the Wisps, they offered up new ways to interact with environments, leading to some of the most creative and exhilarating level design the Blue Blur had seen in years. And if you wanna try this Wii gem for yourself, they did put out a remaster on modern hardware!

It’s not everyday you see a new IP from the likes of Capcom. Unfortunately, “Zack & Wiki” would be overshadowed by a certain plucky plumber and his galactic mustache, but we’ll get to him later. As for “Zack & Wiki”, players got to experience an adventure of puzzles, pirates, and treasure! Despite not selling remarkably well, the game went on to be nominated for and win numerous awards from various publications for its charming characters, unique gameplay mechanics, and beautiful art style. To this day, the few who got to experience this have been clamoring for a sequel or port to this underrated title.

If you have never heard of this title, well, we can’t really blame you. Much like Capcom’s kid pirate and monkey, “Muramasa: The Demon Blade” did not sell many copies. That doesn’t take away the quality of the game, though. “Muramasa” employs a combat system with simplistic controls, allowing anyone to pick up a controller and start to land insanely cool attacks and combos. Couple that with a breathtaking art direction and narrative, and “Muramasa” is a fantastic action RPG that absolutely needs to come back. At the very least give it a port for modern consoles!

Our garlic-munching gremlin of a man had quite the presence on the Wii, and one of his best outings was “Wario Land: Shake It!”. Before “Shake It”, we had only seen “Wario Land” on handhelds, so we weren’t sure how well the series’ formula would hold up on a home console. Well, “Shake It” became a treasure on the Wii thanks to its implementation of the console’s motion controls. Shake the Wiimote to punch the ground and activate mechanisms or shake bags of money and litter the screen with coins and gems. Or rattle enemies about to annoy and stun them. Whichever use you prefer, “Shake It” was a blast to play!

The first “Red Steel” may have been rough on the eyes, but we’re willing to forgive and forget since the Wii and motion control gaming was still brand new at the time of its launch. It’s sequel, on the other hand, achieved what its predecessor tried in making you feel like a badass. The action was more energetic here as you clashed swords with enemies and deflected bullets like they were nothing. Even if the story wasn’t as strong as it could have been, “Red Steel 2” still managed to show the technical feat in the Wii’s motion control technology.

“Kirby’s Return to Dream Land” was the perfect easy platformer to play with friends with its focus on 4-player co-op. However, “Kirby’s Epic Yarn” hit different. Was it the unique visuals and artstyle that mimicked the flair of an arts and crafts table? Was it the various forms of yarn that Kirby and Prince Fluff could take form of? The focus on two-player co-op? The drive to collect all furniture and patches? Or was it simply because the game is too gosh darn cute?? Whatever the reason, “Kirby’s Epic Yarn” was an absolute pleasure to experience, and it’s hard to really feel down when playing something this charming and easygoing.

The era of the Wii was kind of a turning point for Nintendo as the company wanted to focus more on a family-friendly image. (Makes sense given how many parents were having to buy the console for the kids and grandparents.) So, imagine seeing an edgy and gory game like “MadWorld” on the store shelves. Seems out of place, but damn, was it an awesome game! As Jack Cayman, players could rip apart enemies with their chainsaw arm and off them with gruesome environmental hazards. It had a comedic grit that no other Wii game was attempting to replicate at the time. It was visceral, it was over-the-top, and we loved every second of this bloodthirsty game.

While “Mario Party” was normally the go-to for party games, the Wii didn’t exactly have a home to offer the franchise with “Mario Party 8” and “9” being widely disliked by fans. So, “Wii Party” had to be the alternative, but it was a really good alternative! Along with the typical “board game”-style game mode, players could compete by traveling the world and grabbing photos, spinning roulette wheels to win the most tokens, claiming Miis to match shirt patterns, or even a simple game of Bingo. And it was all packaged with a great collection of minigames, providing hours and hours of fun with friends and family.

And if you wanted to keep the party train moving, you most likely kept coming back to one of the best games in the “WarioWare” franchise. “Smooth Moves” wasn’t just a tech demo for the Wii’s motion controls - it utilized those controls in fun and interesting ways. It was more of the weirdness from the GBA and DS installments, but with a spin on tilting, spinning, shaking, and gesturing, sometimes with the Nunchuk attachment included! Additionally, it came with some incredibly fun modes to break up the microgame mayhem like “Pyoro S” [pronounced pee-yo-ro] and “Bungee Buddies”!

Of course we had to put a “Fire Emblem” game on here! Have you played these games? The tactical RPG franchise has long been known for its challenging permadeath mechanic and exceptional level design. Some may complain that “Radiant Dawn” doesn’t change enough while others cite the game changes too much in other aspects. Even so, we couldn’t find much to complain about with “Radiant Dawn”. The visuals may not have been a significant difference after “Path of Radiance” on the GameCube, but the gameplay and story still made it worth our hard-earned cash.

When “Metroid Prime” launched on GameCube in 2002, we had no idea it would become a phenomenon within the FPS genre. But how could it possibly translate to motion controls when not every Wii game was created equal in quality? We aren’t quite sure ourselves, yet “Corruption” managed to conjure an FPS experience on Wii that retained the formula of its predecessors. The action was still fast and intense, controls were as fluid and responsive as the GameCube games, and the bosses didn’t hold back their punches. “Corruption” showed that there was a place for FPS games on the Wii, and even if the rest of the games industry didn’t see that, there’s no denying the technical prowess on display.

“Punch-Out” is, sadly, not a franchise that Nintendo seems to be touting around these days. The last time we saw Little Mac and Doc Louis was in this 2009 reboot of our favorite NES boxing game. Once again, it’s time to put up your dukes and go toe-to-toe with a colorful cast of contenders and champions. What made this reboot so unique, however, was how it utilized modern technology and animation to make a fully realized “Punch-Out”. Characters were more expressive than they ever have been with every movement showing their personality. It was also less punishing than previous iterations, so you didn’t have to worry about regression anymore. Perhaps we’ll get to see Little Mac and company again on Switch soon?

It may not be the most popular of the “Legend of Zelda” games, but “Skyward Sword” is still worth mentioning as one of the best games the Wii had to offer. From the cloudy world of Skyloft to the ability to fly around on Loftwings, “Skyward Sword” featured a new buffet of locations that were just as unique and intriguing as those that came before it. In terms of gameplay, Link was given some new tools that were also fun to use such as the Beetle, whip, and ability to bowl bombs. Sure, it’s not everyone’s favorite. Even still, for what it is, “Skyward Sword” is a pretty solid title.

Some may dunk on “Super Paper Mario” for not being “Thousand-Year Door”, particularly being the one that changed the franchise forever. Thing is that even though the game is more of a platformer with RPG mechanics, the ideas it serves up are done really well. Along with challenging puzzles and robust mechanics with Pixl abilities and changing dimensions, “Super Paper Mario” featured a story and cast that was just as good as its predecessors. On top of that, you had not only Mario, but Peach, Bowser, and Luigi as playable characters, giving you new ways to explore levels and find hidden secrets. One could see the amount of love put into this.

Look, we know “Brawl” isn’t everyone’s favorite. It’s the slowest of the “Smash” games, it’s not the prettiest, and it has freakin’ tripping! Thankfully, it makes up for its shortcomings in other areas. When we weren’t doing our usual Classic mode runs or toying around with the Stage Builder mode, we were getting lost in the expansive and wondrous campaign “Subspace Emissary”. This was the ultimate “Smash Bros” adventure we had been itching to see with our favorite characters directly interacting with each other and kicking butt. That alone was worth the fifty-dollar price tag, and no other “Smash” campaign has come close to achieving that level of awe. Plus, that Meta Ridley boss fight - how cool was that!?!?

Sure, one may criticize the motion controls in “Mario Kart Wii”, but that’s why you plug in a GameCube controller instead. Control preferences aside, “Mario Kart Wii” brought a lot of new and fun ideas to the table! Bikes added a new way to play with different drifting mechanics and allowed players to get a small speed boost by popping wheelies. On top of the increased roster in characters and vehicles, we also got a plethora of courses new and old that were marvels to race through like DK Summit and Coconut Mall. Really, how could anyone want to skip over this “Mario Kart”?

Whereas the DS was getting a healthy amount of classic 2D platformers, the Wii was almost starved of it. Luckily, “New Super Mario Bros. Wii” came to satiate us! It was good ole “back-to-basics” 2D Mario platforming that we had missed for quite some time, but with some new twists to mix in. New power-ups like the Propeller and Penguin Suits gave us new abilities to jump and toy with, and the inclusion of co-op multiplayer brought a charming bit of mayhem. (Come on, if you haven’t chucked a friend into an enemy or pit, you’re not playing it right!) Needless to say, every Mario fan should play this classic Wii title.

If you found “New Super Mario Bros. Wii” to be too easy, well, “Donkey Kong Country Returns” certainly cranked up the challenge. A strange tribe of creatures known as the Tiki Tak Tribe have hypnotized the wildlife on DK Island and stolen all of DK and Diddy’s bananas. Show these vermin who’s boss and retrieve those nanners! Developer Retro Studios really shined here by retaining the difficulty of the original “Donkey Kong Country” games through diverse level design and tricky placement of collectibles. Completionists may get migraines, but even with frustration, it’s hard not to fawn over this one.

It was really, REALLY hard choosing between this and our number one entry. Make no mistake - “Super Mario Galaxy” is a splendid masterpiece of a game. The first “Galaxy” simply had so many concepts that few games had dared to try, and the way “Galaxy” executed them was so well done. Traversing levels while upside-down, launching between multiple stars, interacting with enemies and objects by spinning, they all meshed together for an epic space odyssey that none of us had anticipated. And lest we forget about the story of Rosalina, the climactic boss fights, and spectacular score! After all this, you know folks were asking for a “Galaxy 2”, and yes, it was just as amazing.
Super Mario Galaxy - Wikipedia

To some, this may seem like a confusing top pick. We’re not recognizing “Wii Sports” for the number of copies it sold, but rather its innovation. “Wii Sports” was the premier game that showed the technical prowess of the Wii and how video games were about to change entirely (at the time). This was the game that wrangled in crowds at mall kiosks, and the hype was so widespread that it birthed a whole new generation of gamers. Really, how many times did we all play bowling with friends and family or break our TVs because the Wiimote slipped in the middle of golf? “Wii Sports” defined an era of gaming, one that dissolved the negative public perception and showed the hobby’s true potential.