So with the Wii U finally available in Australia, and with the recent news Nintendo will not be making any more titles for the Wii, it’s time I looked back at one of the most hated pieces of hardware on Earth, and reflect on the good times I had. Here are some fond memories of the Wii I want to share with you.
The Multiplayer Games
Fun fact: The Nintendo Wii is almost the only console in the past 5 or so years I’ve played with other people… As in, you know, physically in the same room (strange concept, I know).
True, I’ve had a hand full of Guitar Hero, Little Big Planet and Marvel Vs Capcom sessions at some of my friends’ houses, but the majority of face to face play has been on the Wii. And it’s not like it has just been one genre either. I’ve played: Guitar Hero 3-5; Just Dance 1-3; Michael Jackson: The Experience; Super Smash Brothers Brawl; Mario Kart Wii; Tatsunoko Vs Capcom; WarioWare; Wii Sports; Mario Brothers Wii; and Dead Space Extraction.
As shallow and stupid as the Just Dance games are, I had great fun playing those, and still play with friends when we get together. Similar fun was had with WarioWare. And I’m sure everyone knew the joys of Guitar Hero, at least before Activision decided to destroy their own franchise by releasing a new game every 5 minutes (thankfully stopping before they managed think up the Guitar of Duty crossover). I don’t know about other people, but when it came to gaming, I had a lot more fun with friends on the Wii than I ever have on the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.
The Third Party Games
I can hear it now. “Wait, wait, wait… Everyone knows the Wii had NO third party games! Are you retarded?” As a matter of fact, it DID have a few third party games that WEREN’T shovel ware, and some were pretty great too. Yes, I will concede the PlayStation and Xbox both had infinitely more third party games, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t a few I played on the Wii.
My girlfriend and I spent a couple nights blasting our way through waves and waves of Necromorphs in Dead Space: Extraction, which I would definitely recommend for fans of the series and anyone looking to shoot something on the Wii, especially with a friend. Muramasa was an amazing 2D hack n slash-RPG, and anyone who is a fan of Odin Sphere, or beautiful 2D artwork, should check this little gem out. Everyone knows No More Heroes was a fun 3D hack n slash and another Wii game with amazing visuals. I tried out the PS3 version, and was surprised to find out the Wii Mote is actually better for playing than a standard control.
And finally, there is Tatsunoko vs Capcom, a fighting game that I loved to death. It makes me sad that so many people turned this down, either because they didn’t know the characters (than learn them, they’re awesome!), or else because it was on the Wii, which I can totally understand. Either way, it’s a great game, even if it didn’t have the Megaman everyone wanted.
There are actually a few more third party games I really enjoyed, which bring me to…
The JRPGs
You know, over the past few years, JRPGs have been stagnating. Not as many seem to come out, and most that do, feel kind of shallow compared to some of the greats on Super Nintendo, PlayStation and PlayStation 2. There are a few exceptions like Valkyria Chronicles, but most aren’t that great or seem boring. Then the past 2 years, three new RPGs came to the Wii and they were great!
I’m talking Pandora’s Tower, The Last Story, and XenoBlade Chronicles. True that Pandora’s Tower and Last Story are far from perfect games, but they were a breath of fresh air and I loved them all the same. I only just started Xenoblade Chronicles but from the first hour of play, it seems like this will be the best of the three. If you want to lose yourself in a JRPG, Last Story and XenoBlade are for you, and for something different, try Pandora’s Tower.
As for me, the second I’m done writing this, I’m going straight to my Wii to play XenoBlade! Ah but finally, let’s talk about…
The First Party Games
Of course, like any other fan of Nintendo, what I’ll remember most about my Nintendo console, are the first party games. I loved spending hours digging in the dirt looking for fossils in our town of Avalon (cool name, right?) in Animal Crossing. I loved tossing my friends into lava like a douche in Mario Brothers, and barrelling through space in Mario Galaxy. I loved beating my friends into unrecognisable pulps of flesh in Smash Brothers, shortly followed by picking a nose in WarioWare, and then crying my eyes out when the God forsaken blue shell hits me right before the finish line, making me come in 12th for the thirtieth time that day in Mario Kart.
These memories, more than any other, will linger in my mind when I think of the Wii. Did it have its problem? Of course! Shovel ware and friend codes is all anyone will remember about the Wii, because it’s so much easier to bad mouth something than it is to remember anything good it had to offer. So farewell to the Wii, and Wii hope the future ahead is will be bright.
What memories do you have from the Nintendo Wii that you will remember fondly in this new age of Tablet controller consoles? Or if you want to go further back, check out our Childhood Video Game Memories.
I felt like the Wii burned too strong, too fast. When the console was released, there was a huge slump. There was basically nothing to play but twilight princess until mario galaxy came along. Then we got hit with a huge explosion of games all at once: Smash Bros, Dead Space, TvC, Mario Kart ECT.
And then… nothing. The only memorable game I remember late in the lifecycle was Donkey Kong Country returns. There was skyward sword, but by the time that came out I had already offloaded my wii onto someone else.
Nintendo really need to work on their consistency with the WiiU.
I’ll agree with that 100%. Like I said, those three JRPGs came out very late as well, a bit later than skyward sword and Donkey Kong. I don’t think pacing will be AS big a problem with Wii U since third party developers can just port ps3/xbox games… at least until the nextbox comes out. Then all those 3rd party developers might disappear
I Wii’ll remember the Wii fondly for all the late night Smash Bros sessions.