Folks with a Wii...what are your favorite games?

[XT]

Just got a Wii this weekend for the kids and I'm looking for some good games to play on it for them (and for me and the wife as well...surprisingly I'm actually enjoying playing on this thing for the first time in a long time with a console type game system...even my dad was playing it and he hates games!).

I was thinking of maybe some sports games, perhaps a better golf and bowling game than what ship with the console...maybe an action game or adventure type game.

What are your favorite games for the Wii and why do you like them? What games really show off the game controller? What games leave you trembling and sweating with exhaustion? :)

-XT

[Kokopilau]

The best action game on the Wii, without a doubt, is Resident Evil 4. It makes perfect use of the Wii controls, it's tense, exciting, and cleverly put together.

[bubastis]

Can't tear mtyself away from Geometry Wars; Galaxies. OK, its not a family game, its a lonely-man-trying-to-beat-his-high-score game, but hey, its exactly what you thought games were going to be like in the future.

[Mosier]

Super Mario galaxy was voted game of the year by at least one game-rating organization that I know of, and I think it deserves the title.

[Pithy Moniker]

I started on Paper Mario last week and it's been a hoot. I also have been digging Harvest Moon off the Virtual Console.

[Mahna Mahna]

The best action game on the Wii, without a doubt, is Resident Evil 4. It makes perfect use of the Wii controls, it's tense, exciting, and cleverly put together.

Word of caution re: RE4. It's most definitely **not** suitable for younger children, and may even be a little bit disturbing to older children - or squeamish adults, for that matter. The Boy found it to be a very entertaining game that made good use of the controllers, but I stopped playing very quickly because I'm too much of a wuss to repeatedly shoot little old Spanish grannies in the head, no matter how zombified they are.

If you're looking for something the whole fam can enjoy, I'd recommend both Mario Galaxies and/or Rayman Raging Rabbids. Both are composed of various mini-levels, do a great job of integrating the controllers, and Mario also has an interesting co-op mode where a younger/less skilled player can contribute (essentially, player B can collect points, boost Mario's jumps and interfere with enemies, but doesn't play a character of their own).

[Kokopilau]

Word of caution re: RE4. It's most definitely **not** suitable for younger children, and may even be a little bit disturbing to older children - or squeamish adults, for that matter. The Boy found it to be a very entertaining game that made good use of the controllers, but I stopped playing very quickly because I'm too much of a wuss to repeatedly shoot little old Spanish grannies in the head, no matter how zombified they are.

D'oh! You're right. I misread the OP as asking for something for him to play, outside of what the kids were playing.

If you're looking for something the whole fam can enjoy, I'd recommend both Mario Galaxies and/or Rayman Raging Rabbids. Both are composed of various mini-levels, do a great job of integrating the controllers, and Mario also has an interesting co-op mode where a younger/less skilled player can contribute (essentially, player B can collect points, boost Mario's jumps and interfere with enemies, but doesn't play a character of their own).

Pretty much anything Mario is good. Super Smash Brothers Brawl is fun too. It's a fighting game, but it's very cartoony.

There's a fishing game that's rather good, too, Fishing Master. Using the Wiimote as a rod and reel is fun.

[levdrakon]

The best action game on the Wii, without a doubt, is Resident Evil 4. It makes perfect use of the Wii controls, it's tense, exciting, and cleverly put together.As someone who played the hell out of the Gamecube version, is there any reason I'd want to play the Wii version?

[XT]

Appreciate the responses. :)

Has anyone tried the Tiger Woods golf game? If so is it better than the little cheesy golf game that ships with the console?

I bought the kids Mario Galaxies but I have to say I'm a bit disappointed in it. I bought the Wii to have the kids be more interactive but with that game they just sit there like nearly all other console games.

-XT

[bouv]

As someone who played the hell out of the Gamecube version, is there any reason I'd want to play the Wii version?

My friend (a BIG RE, especially RE4 fan) tells me there is added content. New levels and/or playable characters.

[Kokopilau]

As someone who played the hell out of the Gamecube version, is there any reason I'd want to play the Wii version?

The Wii version has the extra content that the PS2 and PC versions have, like the unlockable costumes and the "Separate Ways" side mission (basically, you play as Ada Wong, experiencing the story from her POV, including getting her side of the events where she crosses paths with Leon).

The controls on the Wii also make the game play a lot differently than it did using a gamepad, so much so that while you might be familiar with the plot and events of the game from going through the Gamecube version, it feels almost like an entirely different game.

[DudleyGarrett]

I have Carnival Games, some crappy bowling game, and the Wii Sports. I play the latter 99% of the time. I still find the controllers to be inconsisent with other games.

[shy guy]

I bought the Wii to have the kids be more interactive but with that game they just sit there like nearly all other console games.
If you specifically want your kids to be swinging their arms a lot and stuff, I'd go for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. It's a track and field game with, obviously, Mario and Sonic characters. More fleshed out than Wii Sports, but with similar gameplay.

[pulykamell]

Super Mario Galaxy is, without a doubt, the best game for the Wii, IMHO, of course. The two best console games I've played in the last year or so are that and Portal for the 360.

Resident Evil 4 is definitely fun as hell, too. It's not Silent Hill 2, but it's an addictive and creepy game.

Super Paper Mario is another fun game, if not a bit on the easy side and a little slow with all the exposition. Perfectly suitable for kids.

Metroid Prime 3 is the best of the first-person shooter category I've seen on the Wii. I'm not a bit FPS guy, but this game has a lot of variety and the way the controls handle is excellent and intuitive.

[DoctorJ]

Super Mario Galaxy is my favorite video game ever, bar none. Made me smile from start to finish.

For interaction with the kids, Wario Ware: Smooth Moves is fun and very fast-paced. My wife likes Mario Party 8, but I find it a little dull.

No More Heroes is a blast, but don't let the kids anywhere near it.

[stpauler]

Avatar: The Last Airbender: 4 Boring

Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree: 4 Fun for ten minutes

Boogie: 2 Poorly made/designed. Real shame since it has potential

Brunswick Pro Bowling:1 Spent 20 minutes trying to bowl before figuring it out.

Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party: 6 It's an OK DDR, but no real "storyline". Utilizes the arms too.

Elebits: 8 Inventive and fun game. Reminded me in a tangential way of Katamari

Far Cry: Vengeance: 1 Horrible controls, graffics, etc.

The Godfather: Blackhand Edition: 7 An alright game

The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy: 5 Not much of an improvement from Game Cube...but fun

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess: 5 I tried to get into this but apparently the game takes an hour or two to get rolling. Schnoooooze.

Madden NFL 07: 4 Great options but difficult controls. High learning curve.

Mario Party 8: 8 One of the most played games because of the kids

Mario Strikers: Charged Football: 7 A fun spin on regular soccer.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance: 6 A bit below average.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption: 8 Good first person shooter.

Ninjabread Man 1 Very Cute concept, so poorly executed though, not even worth a rental

Happy Feet/Open Season/Surf's Up: 4 Standard "licensed" games. Not much oomph to 'em.

Pokémon Battle Revolution: 2 Unless you're working with the Nintendo DS, you're just a guest.

Rampage: Total Destruction: 2 Horrible controls without the nunchuck. With the nunchuck it comes up from a one to a two. And I loved the arcade version.

Rayman Raving Rabbids: 9 Fun and funny. A must have game. Better as a solo game

Rayman Raving Rabbids2 :10 Fun and funny. A must have game. Better as a "party" game.

Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition: 10 This game sucked me in. And for the price, very much worth it.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz: 2 This game seems to throw its feces at the walls.

Super Paper Mario: 9 This game would've gotten a 10 if it weren't for the space "maze".

Tamagotchi: Party On!: 1 I'm not sure who this game is for. The reading was too difficult for the kids but the game play was too simple for anyone older than 8.

WarioWare: Smooth Moves: 10 Every Wii owner should have this game. The best tutorial for newBiis.

Wii Play: 2 The adage "well, it's only $10 with the controller" and this is still overpriced.

[Gangster Octopus]

My wife adores "Endless Ocean". There is no dying, no killing anything, it is on your own time, it is educational and it looks great. It might be a little slow for kids, but for kids that love animals, fish especially it is great. It's funny reading some of the reviews online, mostly things like, "I didn't think I would ike this game and next thing I know I had spent 5 hours playing it."

Oh yeah, it's only $30.

[XT]

I think my little girl would LOVE that. I'll definitely check it out! Thanks for all the good feed back guys. Got a lot of things to check out. I think what I'll do is hit BlockBuster or one of those online game rental places and get a few of the games recommended here to try out before I buy.

-XT

[Spatial Rift 47]

I will add my votes to Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3. Remember when you were a kid and video games were "Wow! COOL!"? Super Mario Galaxy gets you back there. It's not complicated, it's not based on having the best graphics, but the gameplay is astoundingly just-plain-fun. There is a cooperative mode where a second player can assist (or annoy) the first.

Metroid Prime 3 is of a different feather, naturally. It's the best FPS I've ever played. Even if you haven't played Metroid Prime or Metroid Prime 2, both of which were on the Gamecube, you can jump right into this one and there's loads of bad alien pirates to blow up. And they blow up good.

[Autumn Almanac]

I'll be predictable and put in another vote for Super Mario Galaxy. The game is just pure fun. The multiplayer co-op in Lego Star Wars is also a blast if you've got an extra Wiimote and nunchuk.

Twilight Princess is awesome, though I actually own the GameCube version. I don't know whether the waggle really adds anything, but it's a great game regardless.

Also, don't forget the Virtual Console, especially if you have a couple of old 'Cube controllers lying around. For me, replaying games like F-Zero and Super Mario Bros. 3 has been one of the very best things about owning a Wii.

[Rysto]

Twilight Princess is awesome, though I actually own the GameCube version. I don't know whether the waggle really adds anything, but it's a great game regardless.
I've played both versions and the Wii controls are better. It's the first 3D Zelda in which the spin attack move is actually useful again.

[levdrakon]

My friend (a BIG RE, especially RE4 fan) tells me there is added content. New levels and/or playable characters.Oh, maaaaaan. That sucks. I wore my fingers raw working through all the Merc missions and getting the damn hand cannon. Now I gotta do it again? Can't I just stick my GC memory card in and load my saved game? Pretty please?

[motomoon]

Appreciate the responses. :)

Has anyone tried the Tiger Woods golf game? If so is it better than the little cheesy golf game that ships with the console?

<snip>

-XT

It's different. Much more stuff to change and play through of course but it's not a perfect game by any means. The swing is not realistic, the putting can be frustrating, and the graphics can be choppy sometimes. It's a EA Sports-of-the-year first iteration, so there will be more and depending on when they plan to release the next one if I were you I would wait for the next one, hopefully they will iron out all the annoyances.
That said, it's the game I tend to play most. :p

[Nars Glinley]

No love for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock? Some younger kids might have a tough time with it. My 15yo son loves it. So do I.

If you want to break a sweat, the Rabbids are the way to go. Or get Dance Dance Revolution for a full on work out. Wii Fit (http://e3nin.nintendo.com/wii_fit.html) also looks promising in this regard but it's not available yet.

[Jayn_Newell]

Lemme see what I have that hasn't been mentioned...

Bust-a-move Bash: Max 8 players, but despite this it sucks as a party game. The multiplayer mode gets very chaotic and only lasts a couple minutes per round. Decent timewaster solo, but nothing special. Avoid like hell if you're colourblind.

Bleach: Shattered Blade: I haven't actually played this, though my husband enjoys it. It looks like something that would be best enjoyed by fans of the series. Graphics are a nice blend of cel-shading and texturing though, it gives a nice realistic look while keeping very true to the style of the series.

Naruto: Clash of the Ninja 3: Not much change from the GC version, though more characters and multiple special moves per character. I personally don't like the movement system, it's a bit unintuitive, especially with more than two players on the screen. Great game for a series-based fighter, but not enough change from CotN2 to keep me interested.

Soul Caliber Legends: Decent adventure game that's very reminiscent of the SNES era. Controls are simple and intuitive enough, although step attacks are a pain to try and pull off. More worth playing for the story than anything else--it tends to devolve into a bunch of arm-waving. The split screen makes the two-player mode feel really cramped.

Transformers: For fans only. There's a lot of unlockable content, including movie trailers and a clip from the original cartoon, but overall nothing special as far as gameplay goes.

Trauma Center: Second Opinion: I wish I had the DS version to compare. The controls are a bit shakey because of the wiimote, and I wound up giving up around the start of chapter two because of an operation that required quick tool swaping and reactions. Otherwise not a bad game from what I've seen, it just wound up pissing me off. Especially when trying to play in the afternoon--the sunlight was screwing up the sensor.

[Kokopilau]

Oh, maaaaaan. That sucks. I wore my fingers raw working through all the Merc missions and getting the damn hand cannon. Now I gotta do it again? Can't I just stick my GC memory card in and load my saved game? Pretty please?

Well, if you have an SD card (easy to get...some digital cameras use them for picture storage), you should be able to find a save game online fairly easily.

[Cisco]

Yet another vote for Super Mario Galaxy. It's the most "fun" game I've played in a long time (that might only make sense to gamers.)

Wii Sports and Wii Play aren't worth the plastic they're printed on, IMO.

Super Monkey Ball was pretty fun with my wife and parents, but I don't think I'd ever play it alone or with other seasoned gamers.

Call of Duty 4 (I think?) was the only FPS I've played on Wii so far. I was really digging the controls but I personally don't much care for realistic games.

I was thrilled when a friend loaned me Super Paper Mario . . . but even to a guy who likes a lot of story (me), it's a lot of story . . . the first couple hours seem to be 1 minute of gameplay for every 5-10 minutes of cutscene. I played through level 1 - 4 and haven't had the motivation to pick it back up yet.

I'm waiting anxiously for Mario Kart Wii. Mario Kart 64 was IMO the best game on that system and possibly the best multiplayer console game ever.

[levdrakon]

Well, if you have an SD card (easy to get...some digital cameras use them for picture storage), you should be able to find a save game online fairly easily.Hm. I'm not above cheating. Oh, I will if I have to. But there's something about using someone else's saved game that feels like wearing someone else's dirty underwear. I just can't do it.

[shy guy]

Call of Duty 4 (I think?) was the only FPS I've played on Wii so far. I was really digging the controls but I personally don't much care for realistic games.

That would be Call of Duty 3. CoD 4 is available on the 360, PS3, PC, and DS, but not the Wii.

[Cisco]

Touché, good man.

[gfloyd]

We just got Mario and Sonic at the Olympics and I love it. It's so much fun. It's rather athletic, for a video game, which makes it more interesting to me.

[Ghanima]

How old are the kids? My friend has a 3 and a 5 year old, and they don't have the skills (yet) to play some of the more complex games with jumping and timing, but they really love Cooking Mama. It's good for the little kids.

[Charlie Tan]

A problem with games for the Wii is that there's a lot of dumping old titles from the PS2 and other consoles onto the Wii. A lot of game developers want to cash in on the hype around the Wii and essentieally, are shipping older games "with added Wii content", which is basically shaking the nunchuck instead of pushing a button to achieve the same action.
It works quite poorly, as in Tomb Raider Anniversary, where it's almost random if the grappling line will actually extend and hit something or if Lara will fall to her death prompting a very long loading sequence and climbing a ton of ledges again from the last checkpoint.


Zack & Wiki is a lot of fun, though I have to wonder what the developers at Capcom was smoking when designing the game.

[FoieGrasIsEvil]

I will second Mario Galaxy, it's our most recent title and it's a blast playing it with my 6 year old son, who's getting good at it.
Another game we have that I like that we play a lot is Excite Truck Racing. It's a riot and the graphics are decent.
I'll also second Rayman Raving Rabbids...it's a total crackup and a quasi-workout game.

I am surprised at the lack of love for the Wii Sports disc. My son and I have marathon tennis tournaments, and you really do break a sweat playing that game. It's so much fun! Also the bowling game is awesome! Baseball/Boxing sucks, and the golf is pretty weak too.

As for Tiger Woods Golf, I have the 2007 version and the poster above pretty much nailed it. It has it's quirks, but overall it's the best golf game I've ever played on any system, and that includes the likes of Golden Tee.

I'm looking for a good reccomendation for a baseball game and a solid FPS myself. I'm hearing all this good stuff about Metroid and COD 3 (which I already have on my PC).

[OneCentStamp]

My kids are addicted to Super Mario Galaxy. Their mom, who hates video games, is addicted to Super Mario Galaxy. I can sit and watch it like a cartoon.

[Cubsfan]

Galaxy is a great game, but it could have been done on the game cube.

MY wife and I like to play Wii Play, only for the pool and wheres waldo game.

Metroid was good but hard.

Warioware was disappointing. Not very mulitplayer friendly.

Pool Party or whatever its called SUCKS. Run from it.

Generally the Wii is over rated IMHO but there are some decent games on it.

[Cisco]

I will second Mario Galaxy
You actually ninthed it, and in only 34 posts that's got to be some kind of record :D. If anyone is sitting on the fence about this game, here's your proof. Yes, it's that good.
Generally the Wii is over rated IMHO but there are some decent games on it.Most consoles are a bit of a dud when they launch. It takes awhile for the software to catch up to what the hardware can do. Xbox was "Halo-only" for a lot of people for the first couple years, but it eventually matured into one of the best consoles ever, IMO. I think the Wii is good now but it will be great in about 2 years.

[Justin_Bailey]

Also, don't forget the Virtual Console, especially if you have a couple of old 'Cube controllers lying around. For me, replaying games like F-Zero and Super Mario Bros. 3 has been one of the very best things about owning a Wii.

If you're going to dig up Virtual Console games, get a Classic Controller.

The GameCube controller is poorly suited to VC games in my opinion.

[shy guy]

Depends what you're playing. The GCN pad is good for some N64 games on the VC, and you can use the Wii-Mote for NES, Genesis, and Turbografix games, but you'll want a Classic Controller for anything else.

[DeadlyAccurate]

No love for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock? Some younger kids might have a tough time with it. My 15yo son loves it. So do I.

My six-year-old niece plays on Easy - Slow mode. My seven-year-old nephew was playing regular Easy by the end of Christmas Day (and hilariously, does the whole rock star jump in the air thing at the end of the song). I strongly recommend this one for the whole family. Word of warning: you'll find yourself strongly desiring two guitars for co-op career mode.

[MentalGuy]

For games where you really want to be up moving and using the motion capabilities of the remote a lot, I think WarioWare and Mario and Sonic at the Olympics are the best ones we have. WarioWare is a bit frustrating though in that you have to share a single remote when playing multiplayer.

My personal favorite game has been Super Paper Mario, but it could have been done on the Gamecube and not lost a whole lot. Super Mario Galaxy is excellent. Zack and Wiki is a very good puzzle solving game. I have the 2007 version of Tiger Woods and would not recommend it. I think some of the major problems with it were corrected for the 2008 version though.

[Kiros]

I just got my Wii a couple of weeks ago, so I haven't been able to play a ton yet. I am relatively underwhelmed by Super Mario Galaxy so far - it's fun, but it's no better than my fourth-favorite Mario at this point (I'm something like half done).

The game I REALLY wanted, Fire Emblem, is exactly what I wanted it to be... but that is unlikely to be a big selling point for most Wii buyers, since what I wanted was punishing difficulty and thoughtful strategy with minimal to no use of the Wii Remote. Which I got.

I am still trying to figure out whether I want to get the Wii (widescreen!) or GameCube (Link correct-handed, don't have to point at the screen) version of Zelda. Smash is the other game that I'm really looking forward to, and basically why I bought the system.

I have played Raving Rabbids (wholly unimpressed), WarioWare (good party game but I'd never buy it), and Mario Party (bad party game and I'd never buy it).

Overall, I'm still very unimpressed by the selection of games that's out there for the Wii, and still not particularly enthused with the motion control scheme. On the other hand, Mario / Fire Emblem / Zelda / Smash is clearly enough to inspire me to buy the system, which is a threshold that the GC never reached. So there's that.


(Question: If I can get my hands on a copy of the GC Fire Emblem, which I played once but would love to play again... can I save the games without a GC memory card, i.e. on the Wii HD? This is a general GC-on-Wii question, really. I understand I'd need the GC controller and that's no problem - Smash, you know - but I'd REALLY rather not have to get a GC memory card for just the one game.)

[Jayn_Newell]

(Question: If I can get my hands on a copy of the GC Fire Emblem, which I played once but would love to play again... can I save the games without a GC memory card, i.e. on the Wii HD? This is a general GC-on-Wii question, really. I understand I'd need the GC controller and that's no problem - Smash, you know - but I'd REALLY rather not have to get a GC memory card for just the one game.)
Sadly no.

[Cisco]

My personal favorite game has been Super Paper Mario
If I'm underwhelmed at the end of 1 - 4 should I keep playing? Does it get better?

[Kiros]

Sadly no.

Blah, 'kay. Thanks!

[MentalGuy]

If I'm underwhelmed at the end of 1 - 4 should I keep playing? Does it get better?


It has been a while since I have played it, but I don't really remember the first world being that much better or worse than any of the others. I doubt that you would really like the game any better just from playing farther.

[Yookeroo]

I am still trying to figure out whether I want to get the Wii (widescreen!) or GameCube (Link correct-handed, don't have to point at the screen) version of Zelda.

Pointing at the screen is the reason to get the Wii version. Aiming is much better that way. But then, I never even noticed that Link was a lefty, so the who left/right controversy seems like much ado about nothing to me.

[Kiros]

Pointing at the screen is the reason to get the Wii version. Aiming is much better that way.

You've got it all wrong! That's a con, a con, I tell you! :D

[FoieGrasIsEvil]

Anyone have Carnival Games? My son wanted it for Christmas, we got it...it's OK, but he really likes it. The problem I have is that I can't seem to get the damn thing to play with more than one remote. There's that screen at the beginning with that "flippable" sign that directs you to play multiplayer on one or more than one remote, but it doesn't do anything...anyone know how to get a second or more remotes to work for the thing?
There are some minigames you just cannot play without having multiple remotes operating.

[Cisco]

Anyone have Carnival Games? My son wanted it for Christmas, we got it...it's OK, but he really likes it. The problem I have is that I can't seem to get the damn thing to play with more than one remote. There's that screen at the beginning with that "flippable" sign that directs you to play multiplayer on one or more than one remote, but it doesn't do anything...anyone know how to get a second or more remotes to work for the thing?
There are some minigames you just cannot play without having multiple remotes operating.
I haven't played that one but in Galaxy you hit 'Home', the 'Wii Remote Settings', then follow the onscreen instructions. See if that works.