Many people love playing games on the Nintendo Wii. It was a console that brought together both the hardcore gamers and the casual players with its library of fun titles. With the clever use of motion controls and a colorful presentation for different games, the Wii was a massive commercial success. The number of games developed for the console was staggering, most of which took advantage of the capabilities of the console, leading to a number of interesting and innovative releases.
But which games were some of the most innovative to come out for the Nintendo Wii? Although the console had a wide selection of games, not all of them were big successes that people love to remember. However, certain games on the Wii managed to resonate with players in a very big way. With over 100 million units that were sold worldwide, there are some big reasons why people love playing games on Nintendo’s motion-controlled console. Let’s revisit 4 of the most innovative games to come out for the Nintendo Wii.
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4 Kirby’s Epic Yarn
Seeing things differently
Source: Nintendo
If there’s one thing that can be said about the Kirby series, it’s that they’re incredibly cute-looking games. There’s just something very wholesome and borderline innocent about Kirby, and his games reflect that in a very big way. But how do you make an already lovable character even more so? You make his entire world made out of yarn, which is exactly as it sounds when playing Kirby’s Epic Yarn on the Nintendo Wii. Anybody who has played the game before will tell you that there’s a calm yet fun feeling about everything in it, but also how unique it looks compared to other platformers for the console.
But what makes Kirby’s Epic Yarn so interesting is how it plays with ideas within its level design and fully commits to its presentation. Objects and characters are made of yarn and look as if they could be handstitched together in real life. It was the first platformer in the Wii library to truly try something very different with an established character, despite games like New Super Mario Bros. Wii that were already a big hit on the Wii. Kirby’s Epic Yarn was not only fun to control and play through, either alone or with a friend, but it offered a very different look at all the characters of the series that still resonates with fans to this day. The game was successful enough to inspire another Nintendo character, Yoshi, to get his own yarn-based adventure with Yoshi’s Wooly World for the Nintendo Wii U and 3DS.
3 The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Motioning with power
One of the most prolific series in Nintendo’s legacy is The Legend of Zelda, and its many releases over the years. Each new entry in the series has offered something unique and different to the action-adventure genre, and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was no exception to this on the Wii. Utilizing the motion controls on the Wii remote, players can control Link and interact with the world of Hyrule by motioning different ways throughout the adventure. Everything from solving puzzles to combat with enemies used swings of the Wii remote, which let players feel like they were wielding the power of the Master Sword themselves.
The accuracy of the motion controls was a big part of the experience in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, so much so that Nintendo tried to capitalize on it with additional accessories. Around the same time as the game’s release, Nintendo offered players the Wii Motion Plus attachment, which improved the accuracy and complexity of movements for the Wii remote motion controls when attached. A special gold version of the Wii remote was also released alongside the game that had the attachment built into it already, which was called the Wii Remote Plus. While the primary gimmick of the Nintendo Wii was motion controls through the use of the Wii remote, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was among the first major games to take advantage of it in a very big way, which showcased how good the motion controls could be.
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2 Super Mario Galaxy
An entire galaxy to play in
One of the best games in the Nintendo Wii library is Super Mario Galaxy. The game isn’t just hailed as one of the best entries in the Super Mario series, but also viewed as one of the best games of all-time. To many players, Super Mario Galaxy pushed the limits of what was possible with 3D platformers, both in terms of gameplay design and visual presentation. Super Mario Galaxy takes the core elements of a Mario game and twists things up by switching up things like gravity, perspective, and more. At the same time, the game uses the Wii remote and nunchuck attachment for various features in-game, not just for controlling Mario himself. Players can shoot star bits at different targets to help get around obstacles or assist Mario in different ways throughout the adventure. It was a new way to experience a Mario game that was built upon the already established best parts of the series to that point.
However, Super Mario Galaxy gets a lot of attention for the locations that you visit throughout. Mario can traverse spherical-shaped planets that are places to collect items and progress to new areas. The areas are dynamic and colorful, and even more complex than some of his previous games, like Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. In addition, Super Mario Galaxy also has some light multiplayer features that allow a second player to help Mario using another Wii remote to shoot star bits and stagger enemies. The game was so beloved that it led to the release of a sequel for the Nintendo Wii, Super Mario Galaxy 2. While most of the sequel is exactly the same as the original, it was more of what players loved about it and was a commercial success.
1 Wii Sports
Simply fun and easy
Source: Nintendo
If Super Mario Galaxy was one of the best games for the Wii, then Wii Sports was arguably the biggest game for the console. This game was a packed-in title with the console in all regions, making it one of the first sports titles to launch with a new Nintendo console since the Virtual Boy. What made Wii Sports such a big release was how easy it was to play and how much it relied on the Nintendo Wii’s motion controls as a major feature. All the sports included with Wii Sports require moving the Wii remote in different ways to play, including movements that are not done often with other motion-controlled games. There are five different sports in the game, all of which are simplified and a lot of fun to get into with other people.
Many of the movements for each sport are intuitive and easy to pick up, even for those who don’t play video games often. Sports like bowling have players move the Wii remote like they’re rolling a ball, while other sports like baseball and tennis will have them swinging the remote as if they’re holding a bat or racket. The game can be casual or competitive among those who play, but it was simple and quick to get into, which made the game very appealing to a lot of people. Wii Sports was such a massive success that it became the third best-selling video game of all-time.
Everyone can play in this era
The launch of the Nintendo Wii was a big shift in the gaming landscape. It wasn’t just because of how fun the games were to play, but how much the console brought in audiences from all walks of life to the table. Many of the games available on the Wii showcased things like motion controls and beautiful visuals, but they were also easy to play and quick to get into deeply. The catchphrase of the marketing for the console was “Wii would like to play”, which was very fitting for what the console was doing for everyone. Some of the most innovative games for the Nintendo Wii remain popular titles that have become classics in the eyes of many people, and are still incredibly fun to play even today.
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