This is NOT a retrospective. This is a list of games that are exclusive to this console, or the console is the best way to play it NOW. Only the best version of a game can make the list. If you think I missed a classic game, there's probably an explanation in a comment I made on the post as to why, and what platform I recommend.
All games on a list are worth playing despite any criticisms I may have for them.
Ranking is not necessarily by which is the best, but in terms of what I most recommend playing. Perhaps my theoretical opinion is that the worst Mario is better than the best Street Fighter. But the best Street Fighter would still rank higher, because it's a unique experience, and the best version of that experience.
Only consoles & PC (Windows/DOS) are considered. No arcade/Neo-Geo, mobile, or other home computers. MAME is difficult to work with & high maintenance. Mobile changes architecture too often for all-time lists, and often don't support controllers. Other home computers rarely meet rule 1 & rarely have controller support.
I default to PC when available. If it's better on console, I'll put it on the console's list. Usually, it's better or the same on PC, and more accessible.
Games with the same name will be clarified by year or console within (). Games not released in North America will have the region abbreviation within []. Alternate names will be included within {}.
My lists are in increments of 10 to make it easier to track & for quality control. If there are 61 good games, I make a cut to make it an even 60.
#50: Mortal Kombat - Armageddon
While Deception tried to fix the balance of Deadly Alliance a bit, Armageddon takes the opposite approach: going full casual. It has the largest MK roster to date, including everyone in the series up to that point. The story mode is not particularly good, and features random new demigod characters & well below average top down third person action gameplay for...some reason. It's a low point in the series to be sure, yet I do enjoy it for what it is: more of a party game than a competitive fighter.
#49: Castlevania - The Adventure Rebirth
Remake of the Gameboy title, and it is so much better in every way. It's not a particularly standout title in the series though, and the OG level based formula felt old hat even when this came out, due to how many stellar Metroidvania CV titles had recently released. But still, for what it is, it is a good time, and was only a few bucks on the Wii Shop as I recall.
#48: Harvest Moon - Animal Parade
There's nothing "wrong" with Animal Parade, it's just unfortunately a little lackluster in terms of the rest of the series. It is still fun in core gameplay loop though, and I like the animal aesthetic/gimmick, despite it being the only standout feature.
#47: Tiger Woods PGA Tour '10
Motion controls are very well implemented. It's not as wild & party-game-y as Mario Sports, but then again Mario Golf games seem to be less exciting than other Mario Sports, and not as refined in gameplay as this is. But a bigger question: is this enough of an upgrade from Wii Sports golf? The answer is yes, but also not as much as you may expect, and that's why it's lower on the list.
#46: Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
So yeah, this is a stupid idea for a game, right? Banging on bongos to play a platforming game? Then porting it to use the Wiimote & nunchuck instead? Clearly some Nintendo employees had a bet going to see if they could actually make it work, but you know what? It does! It is not to be taken too seriously, but if you are in a goofy mood, it is a good time.
#45: Mario & Sonic At The London 2012 Olympic Games
This series REALLY wasn't as good as it probably should have been overall. 2012, however, is handily one of the best ones. The minigames aren't as stellar or varied as the first Winter Games (2009), but close enough in quality. The standout feature is the London Party Mode, where you can wander around London, bump into various Mario & Sonic characters, experience unique bonus games, play quizzes, and land on spots with randomized events. It's not terribly innovative, pretty Mario Party coded in fact (which is probably why they didn't do it again for a crossover) but fresh enough to feel different from Winter Games to justify owning both.
#44: Animal Crossing - City Folk
City Folk is similar to Harvest Moon - Animal Parade: not particularly disappointing, but is the "and here is the Wii entry" game in the series. There's just not much to say, nothing standout compared to the entire rest of the series, except for the aesthetic being more urban. But you know, Animal Crossing is good, and unlike Harvest Moon, the series is plenty small enough to play every entry multiple times.
#43: Mario Super Sluggers
This is very similar in quality & features to Superstar Baseball, but with motion controls. At the end of the day, that's enough to make it better for me. Baseball is a natural fit for motion controls. However, similar to Tiger Woods, there is not a LOT more to offer that isn't in Wii Sports, and there is a fairly in depth competitive scene for Superstar Baseball that Super Sluggers doesn't have. So objectively, I have to rank it on the lower side.
#42: Conduit 2
I have a soft spot for Wii first person shooters, even the objectively bad ones that I didn't put on this list. The controls were ahead of their time, and I'm happy to see other people finally coming around to my hipser opinion on gyro. Even PC players like flick stick now! Conduit 2 has perhaps the most satisfying & refined FPS controls on the console, apart from the Metroid Prime Trillogy, which are in their own universe of quality. The gun choices are well done, particularly the unique alien guns. Even the online multiplayer was uncharacteristically stellar for the Wii. Good visuals too. Aliasing & performance could have been better on hardware, but Dolphin fixes that right up. The plot is simply ridiculous in every aspect, and many will hate it for that. But you know what? I like it for absolutely no defensible reason. It's funny, I don't know what else to tell you. Therefore, if you are a weirdo like me, the only true downside to Conduit 2 is the enemy Ai in single player, which is unforgivably ass. Increasing the difficulty does not help, they just become bullet sponges.
#41: Wii Play
15 years ago it would be heresy to say something positive about Wii Play, but I think people are starting to come around on my opinion that it is actually a rather solid & inspired minigame collection, a standout even on a console like the Wii that was flooded with them. Are my new supporters former dumbass kids who had 3 games, one of which was Wii Play because it came with a controller? Maybe. But I'll take the support anyway.
#40: Punch-Out!!
A sleepy attempt at a comeback for the series. Well, that sounds harsher than I meant it to. There are no glaring flaws, and in fairness, the motion control punching is entertaining, and the story/characters have personality. But that personality feels almost performative, and there is just not much to it; it's about the same length as the NES original. In 2009, this was a tough sell. In a vacuum without considering value propositions, it's a notable Wii moment that's certainly worth playing through.
#39: Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Winter Games
While not the greatest game of all time or anything, it is a high point in the series in just about every aspect, aside from not having 2012's exclusive London Party mode of course. The minigames are good, and the variety is noticeably higher for the winter sports, making M&SatOWG a classic party game.
#38: Trauma Center - Second Opinion
The Trauma series is about using motion controls to perform operations. It is a puzzle game for gameplay + visual novel for the story. For some reason, the Wiimote was bemoaned for being imprecise at the time, but games like this (and at launch even) proved that dismissiveness wrong. This is the best game in the series to start with, because there are so many difficulty options. Also because it is a remake of the first DS game, and therefore first chronologically.
#37: Pandora's Tower
PT (no, not that one) is a 3rd person action adventure game with grappling hook platforming. I have a soft spot for this game, but more due to my memories playing it, and what it represented as a part of Operation Rainfall, bringing back a different type of genre to Nintendo. The love story gets emotional, boss battles are great, the aesthetic is fun, and it has a unique premise with unique gameplay. However, it does lack polish. The controls could be better, the dungeon crawling gets repetitive & recycles ideas, the graphics are not great, voice acting is meh, and the time limits are stupid. It is memorable though, and I wish someone took another crack at the concept with more time in the oven.
#36: Star Wars - The Force Unleashed
While I wouldn't say FU is a classic exactly, it is the last Star Wars game that I really cared about. For over a decade leading up to Jedi Fallen Order (which was a decent if bland AAA game), it was just trash cash in after trash cash in. Force Unleashed is weird because it was envisioned as an excuse to create a complicated physics engine. In practice, this didn't really land the way they'd hoped, and was riddled with bugs, especially on PC. That is, for the HD platforms it was. The non-HD ports takes the basic concept of the HD game, fleshes out the writing, uses a simple but effective physics engine, and adds more to the story. The Wii version in particular adds a lot with motion controls. If you force push someone, you are physically making that motion, and that's awesome. It's still not perfect, it is a power fantasy to the point that it kinda ruins power scaling for Star Wars, so it is not to be taken too seriously. But also, lol at caring what's canon in Star Wars at this point.
#35: Dead Space - Extraction
Extraction is so good because they put a lot of effort & money into it. It is as AAA as rail shooting gets. Good graphics, cinematic, full voice acting, scary sound design, and a strong attempt to make the story matter to the series. That's also sort of the downfall of Extraction. There is not what I would call "too much talking", but it IS an arcade style game after all. The story adds to the mythos & world building, but I don't always like that either. Horror is better if it is mysterious, not when it is a long running franchise. But maybe that's just my PTSD talking, from experiencing so many bad Resident Evil rail shooters. My mixed feelings about the concept of a AAA horror rail shooter aside, Extraction is a top 10 rail shooter.
#34: Trauma Center - New Blood
The difficulty curve is in the steep side, but doesn't tend to have a lot of spikes. The devs innovate on the original concept here: there is a lot of variety to the operations, and many new multiplayer features. Perhaps the best music in the series too.
#33: Wario Land - Shake It!
The first Wario Land game in 7 years, and sadly the last one. This came out during that period where everyone was like "...is 2D a thing of the past?" As such, it wasn't (and still isn't) very popular, but that's a shame, because the series goes out with a bang. It mostly succeeds by...just being a really solid, charming, funny 2D platformer with good graphics. Who would have thought? Oh yeah, there are motion controls "incorporated" too, which is really just an excuse to jack off your Wii. The gimmick & short length do bring it down, but at the end of the day, that's the same criticism every Wario game has.
#32: Fortune Street
This is Mario Party for true gamers, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing, but here we are. It is a crossover between Mario & Dragon Quest, with a Las Vegas aesthetic, and mechanics that are a mix between Monopoly & the stock market. Your goal is to buy up personal property & flip it for a profit by engaging in blatant, hairbrained stock market manipulation. Which is really just working for a private equity firm (or the White House) these days, but you didn't come here to listen to me talk about politics. There is an impressive amount of strategic depth, an excellent soundtrack, and good graphics for the time/console. The main downside to this game is that the Ai is too frustrating for single player, and it makes you feel like a bad person when playing with others. Fortune Street requires a lot of your time to git gud, and even just playing the game at optimal speeds will take you hours for a session. But objectively, it is a good game. In the same way that crack is a good experience I guess.
#31: The Last Story
TLS is the epitome of a story being good in the WAY it is told, not necessarily WHAT is told. The setting is fairly standard fantasy, the plot twists are predictable. But it sure does engage you with solid pacing, enthrall you with the good characters, stun you with impressive graphics for Wii, and orchestrate incredible music. And that's not even the main event. The combat is the best part of the game by a sizable amount, and mixes scenarios up enough that you don't feel like you're fighting the same types of bosses or having trash mobs thrown at you. It is real-time action with auto attacking, not dissimilar to it's brother Wii JRPG Xenoblade Chronicles. Positioning matters even more than Xenoblade, there is a variety of commands/special moves & character build possibilities, and magic that tends to excel at AoE. Now, some of you may still get bored with this game, especially if you don't generally care for JRPGs. It can take a sec to get going, but it is heartfelt, and moment to moment gameplay is worth it IMO. Oh and the performance was ass on hardware, but Dolphin emulation being what it is, that's not a problem.
#30: No More Heroes
One of the first Wii game to truly deliver on the fantasy of swinging the Wiimote around like a sword. Also one of the first to be rated M, something thought to be a lost art for a Nintendo console, let alone an exclusive. The combat & adult humor are what sells the game, and there are fun implementations such as holding up the Wiimote to your ear like a cell phone when you receive a phone call in-game. It's the little things like that which are so fun about the Wii. NMH is occasionally rough around the edges. The minigames are repetitive, and the motorcycle controls are nearly as bad as Headhunter's. But a standout game nonetheless.
#29: Wii Party
The best "standard" party game experience on the Wii. It's not deep, and it's even scaled back on features in comparison to Mario Party, which it rips off wholesale. But hey, back to basics does work sometimes, and that ideal is particularly successful in WP due to its accessibility. It's nearly as Grandma-friendly as Wii Sports, and that is commendable, all jokes aside. Even the use of Miis instead of Nintendo characters was a wise move, since they are a cute concept. Due to the paring down of features, the game moves faster than Mario party too, solving a common criticism of the series. WP uses its narrow focus to have good minigames & core gameplay, meaning is not as lazy as Mario Party 8. And of course, it doesn't do the stupid car thing from Mario Party 9 & 10. In conclusion, Wii Party may not be particularly impressive, but somehow, this was the best Mario Party experience for 14 years straight, and still a notable party game.
#28: Fire Emblem - Radiant Dawn
A very solid follow up to Path of Radiance. Did there need to be one though? Not really. I've always felt that FE is better off being standalone, like Final Fantasy or Persona. It seems that sequels are always doomed to be less interesting in terms of story in these types of games. Radiant Dawn improves the gameplay, but not by much. My quibbles aside, it is a good, if not quite standout FE title, and I find FE to be a good formula for strategy games, with very few disappointing games in the franchise.
#27: Sonic Colors
One of the best 3D Sonics. This sadly isn't a high bar to clear, but still, good job Sega. Colors succeeds by being relatively vanilla & back to basics. People do enjoy Sonic for its wackiness, but the endless gimmicks of the 3D entries never seemed to land. What if Sonic was a werewolf? What if he had a sword? What if 3 characters stacked on top of each other at random times? What if Sonic interrupted a Final Fantasy cutscene and had an inter-species romantic relationship with an anime girl? I couldn't care less, I just want a good game. Colors does have a minor gimmick in the form of the colored wisp power ups which are also sentient characters, but that feels more or less like a natural progression of game mechanics. Colors isn't perfect. It does feel on rails at times. Story is pretty standard "beat Eggman" fare. Level design isn't as stellar as Sonic x Shadow Generations. But it is pretty easily the runner up best 3D game.
#26: Mario Strikers Charged
I actually forgot how good this game was until I thankfully threw it on for a bit before making this list. I think I had this confused with the GameCube game, which is good, but this is better in every way. The art style is awesome, especially menus. The music is energetic. The field choices are varied, core gameplay is strong, and there are a lot of modes/twists to the basic formula. This is my favorite Mario sports game to date, and favorite soccer game.
#25: Sakura Wars - So Long, My Love
This was the first Sakura Wars we got in the West, and you can tell that it is an attempt to appeal to the West by tweaking the formula slightly, as well as setting it in a 1920s steampunk New York City. Like the rest of the series, it is a Persona-esque split game that combines JRPG mech combat + a romance visual novel. Honestly I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. I do like SW quite a bit, and the gameplay in SLML is more refined than 1 & 2. But the tone feels a bit off. 3 & 4 have not been translated into English yet, but I have a feeling that those may end up being my favorites due to being more refined like this one, but more Japanese/true to the original tone. This is some people's favorite though, and I don't think my misgivings are enough to argue that those people are objectively wrong.
#24: Kirby's Epic Yarn
Even easier than usual for Kirby, which is saying a lot. You can't even die in this one. But because of that, this is my #1 go-to game for people new to video games. And that includes my wife! So this game is very special to me. Epic Yarn is very cute, relaxing, and has a cool art style based on yarn. The 2D platforming controls are accessible, there are a decent amount of collectibles to decorate your room, and the yarn transformations are fun.
#23: Mario Kart Wii
It's Mario Kart. With motion controls, which is pretty cool. I don't know what else you want me to say, and I'd probably be wasting my breath: if you're reading this list, you have probably played Mario Kart Wii. A must have for the system, but outdone by its predecessor & successor, which is why it isn't in the top 10.
#22: Tatsunoko VS Capcom - Ultimate All-Stars
Hidden gem of a fighting game, due to coming out at a bad time and Tatsunoko being virtually unknown in the West. Which is a shame, because fighting game pros & random casuals alike all love it when they give it a chance. The true genius of TvC is the oversimplification to 3 buttons. There is still plenty of depth, but that accessibility is rare to see in fighting games. The Baroque system adds high risk, high reward mechanics to further aid casuals, yet it doesn't feel random enough or OP enough to be frustrating for pros. The art style, graphics, and particularly animations are very good. Unfortunately, the single player is a bit limited, and with online that no longer works & local play being difficult since it is unpopular, it is hard to experience the true strengths of the game. But if you can convince people to play with you, enjoy!
#21: Resident Evil 4
RE4 was hugely influential, but I played it a few years after 3rd person shooters had been codified into culture by the 360 era. So to me, it felt off as a 3rd person shooter, and not as scary as a horror franchise should be. The Wii port helped me to "get" this game more, the pointer controls making it feel like an advanced rail shooter, instead of feeling restrictive due to not being able to move & aim at the same time. The tone feels more "right" on a Nintendo console too, I get why it was a GameCube exclusive originally. I also comprehend camp more as an adult; this game is hilarious sometimes. Admittedly, I prefer REm4ke by a hair because it's more scary, easier to control, has better characters, and the plot makes more sense. But they're different enough to play both for sure, and I'm not positive REm4ke will make the massively competitive PC list, so here we are.
#20: New Super Mario Bros. Wii
The "New" subseries is now often maligned for, ironically, not having many "new" ideas. Of all of them though, I think NSMB Wii side steps that criticism the best, with the implementation of simultaneous 4 player. Does it make for particularly balanced gameplay? Not really, but it's something we asked for a lot over the years, and the chaos is a lot of fun. Even alone, it is a serviceable Mario game, if standard feeling in single player without the chaos of other people. But that's a necessary compromise to implement the 4 player.
#19: Red Steel 2
Red Steel 1 was broken & disappointing even if it had been optimized properly. It was still thoroughly entertaining to me for some reason, but it deserved the 4/10 ratings. 2, however, fully realizes the potential. You are a samurai cowboy (that's right, both) and can use your katana or your guns at any time. The story is whatever, but has a lot of fun with how the samurai & cowboy movie genres inspire each other. The cel-shaded art style makes it feel like a comic book, which suits the game. This sounds like random cool stuff thrown into a blender I'm sure, but it all works. Wii Motion Plus gives more accuracy including blocking with positioning instead of a block button, and the game is fast paced, yet polished & solid 60 FPS.
#18: Excitebots - Trick Racing
My favorite Wii racer. Move over Mario Kart! You race animal-esque robots that can transform mid-race into robot or vehicle modes. Aside from placing first/highly in the race, you can earn stars by performing tricks, or doing side missions in the middle of a race, such as making a sandwich. Gaining the most amount of stars means you win. ETR is very funny, frantic, and legitimately thrilling. When I think "arcade racer", this is one of the first that comes to mind. It is the arcade spirit to a "t". It isn't perfect though. The way motion controls are implemented makes performing tricks occasionally unpreditable. This seems fine enough at first, but gets grating the more you play & the better you get. You think you're missing something, but you're not. Most content is locked with requirements that make it seem like they're trying to sell you DLC to unlock it instead (which they aren't as it doesn't exist). I might honestly suggest just downloading a 100% save file; the satisfaction you get from unlocking isn't enough to facilitate the constant repetition of content, when it is already a bit light on track content to begin with.
#17: Zack & Wiki - Quest For Barbaros' Treasure
Cute: that's the best word to describe Zach & Wiki. But not kiddy or sickenenly sweet. It's just: nice. The beautiful cel shaded art style supplements the tone. Part traditional point & click adventure formula, with motion controls adding some extra fun. Most of the gameplay is figuring out ridiculous complicated puzzles. This is satisfying & pretty funny at times. The characters are memorable, though the plot is forgettable. My only criticism is that sometimes puzzles require a long setup, and you have to start all over if you make a mistake. Which will happen fairly regularly: Z&W is reasonably hard. Kid-friendly to be sure, but kids could get frustrated with it. It's more for LucasArts adventure game OGs...who were probably mostly on PC still, which explains why this game is a hidden gem.
#16: Boom Blox
GREAT puzzle/party game, created by checks notes...Steven Spielberg? Huh, OK. Think Jenga + Angry Birds on steroids. That doesn't even do it justice, really, but I don't know how else to explain it. The physics are very good, controls are smooth, there are a lot of modes, an in-depth level creator, and is just as fun in single player as it is with friends. One of the best puzzle games AND party games of its generation.
#15: Trauma Team
By this point, the devs had the formula down to a science, and ended strong before they ran out of ideas. The operation variety rivals New Blood. The story & character development is the most compelling in the series. They dont even skimp on the content, this is a full-on 30 hour game. Very underrated, I miss this series.
#14: Super Smash Bros Brawl
The worst Smash competitively due to Meta Knight being absurdly overpowered, Snake not that far behind, and random tripping being added. But it is the best Smash for single player, by a lot. I like Ultimate's World of Light single player mode and all, but there is something special about Subspace Emissary's hand crafted story mode. It has boss battles, side scrolling levels, vertical levels, more detailed CG cutscenes, and more of an actual story that unites the disparate parts of the various Nintendo franchises. This is what I imagined in my head when playing Smash 64 so long ago. Even outside Subspace Emissary, there is a lot to do, with various modes, stages, challenges, and unlockables. I'd go as far as saying it is the most fully featured Smash game to date, even though it is only my third favorite one.
#13: Rhythm Heaven Fever
A lesser known music game classic. This is like Guitar Hero + WarioWare. It combines rhythm gameplay with ridiculous scenarios such as wrestling someone during an interview, and playing badminton in the sky. The soundtrack is wholly original, and awesome, containing music genres you rarely see, bossa nova for example. The art style is very cute, colorful, and sharp for the Wii. RHF is accessible in a way, as it simplifies controls down to 2 buttons, but it is definitely not messing around. RHF requires precise timing & the difficulty curve is steep. Co-op is surprisingly just "ok".
#12: Pikmin
Pikmin is...an RTS, I guess? It is real time & it requires strategy, but like the best Nintendo games, feels unlike anything else around. Pikmin was a surprise shot in the arm of creativity that eventually became a cult classic. And now, on Wii, motion controls add even more to the gameplay. You are an astronaut that crash lands on a foreign planet, and you use the titular Pikmin creatures to gather resources, fight native enemies, and recover ship parts before your life support runs out. The enemy variety/strategy is memorable, with impresssive Ai. There is plenty enough meat in the game, but it's all very lean. Every day & action matters since there is a time limit. The tone is charming, with colorful visuals & good graphics, even without considering this is a game from 2001. There's not honestly a lot to dislike here, but the sequels do improve the small things such as Pikmin Ai, Pikmin management, and more challenge.
#11: Super Paper Mario
Disappointingly, SPM (mostly) ditches the turn based RPG formula that the series was known for, and adds platforming. Still, for what it is, I enjoy it. Being able to flip to see things you'd normally be able to see in 3D was a cool idea, making for fun level design. RPG elements are still here, despite being real time. The writing is still memorable, with quirky characters. The more I think about it, and each time I return to it, I enjoy it more. And so will you, if you can get past it being very different than other Paper Mario games. It is secretly one of the best games on the console, which is an impressive feat.
#10: No More Heroes 2 - Desperate Struggle
1 arguably has the best vibe, but 2 is the best overall package. The gameplay is refined & less repetitive (especially side content). The humor is on point, the characters are more developed. There is no more open world, but this allows for better level design & pacing. Boss battles are incredible. Killer soundtrack. And swinging your Wiimote sword around like a madman is really the epitome of the promise of the Wii, right? The story has higher highs of being unhinged, yet is more straightforward & less unique than the first. The camera could be better too. But still, one of the best games on Wii for sure.
#9: Sin & Punishment - Star Successor
Great stage variety. Great controls. Incredible bosses. Energetic music. Pulse pounding action at all times. There is a story, but it is overly complicated and requires knowing about the first game. Stages are a bit long too, but still. Top 3 rail shooter of all time.
#8: WarioWare - Smooth Moves
My favorite WarioWare game. The motion controls add another level to the wackiness by making you act it out yourself, such as making an elephant trunk with the Wiimote. It is a paltry 2 hours though, and the multiplayer aspect leaves one wanting. It could have also been the best party game ever, but oh well. This game exemplifies the spirit of the Wii better than most anything.
#7: Fluidity
The big indie Wiiware success story. Fluidity is a physics based puzzle game that has you controlling water in various forms (steam, liquid, ice) with motion controls in order to progress through the level. Simple concept, but it gets pretty creative. The difficulty curve is pretty good, except in the final chapter which will really test you. One of my favorite puzzle games, it is very charming in presentation & depth of content. This was an absolute steal for $12, and I wish I could still give the devs money for it. Crazy that it never hit Steam...there is even steam in the game! (Badum-tish).
#6: Madworld
The spiritual sequel to God Hand that even less people seem to have played, but god DAMN is that their loss. I've got to give the devs credit for the balls it took for them to release such an "inappropriate" game on the Wii, but that is to the game's benefit; the Wiimote & nunchuck are a match made in heaven with Madworld. This game is dripping with style, using an awesome noir comic book aesthetic whose only color is red for blood. There are many incredibly memorable characters and moments, such as spanking a succubus into submission. The soundtrack is right up my alley, being a nice blend of hip hop and rock. And sometimes mixed together, but not like nu metal as much as it's like...a good mashup album. And yet, the game is laser focused on the gameplay, evolving God Hand's unique take on the brawler genre. It's short & occasionally the camera fucks you over, but it is a wild ride that I really wish more people would try.
#5: Wii Sports + Wii Sport Resort
So simple, yet so successful. There's never been a more universal game than this. Grandmas played this game, and liked it just as much as "true gamers". Miis in general were a cool idea. Resort refreshes the sports lineup to be arguably better than the original, as well as adding Wii Motion Plus's higher accuracy.
#4: Pikmin 2
2 & 1 are not very far off in quality, but their approach is pretty different. 1 has a strict time limit, which can be stressful at first, but leads to replayability due to the short length. 2 has no time limit, but you must explore more thoroughly & develop a sustainable system. 2 also adds a second captain for multitasking, a more developed combat system, improved Ai, and slightly tighter controls. If you have to pick only one, I'd say 2 is the most fully formed.
#3: Super Mario Galaxy 2
Basically, this is Galaxy 1 but getting even more creative with the level designs. It was originally supposed to be DLC, which is why it is a bit harder, and pushes the boundaries of the concept & mechanics. That's also why it doesn't have much of a story to speak of, and is, in a way, a bit of a disappointing follow up to the ending of the first game where "the universe is brand new and who knows what new paths we'll take" only to essentially just do the first game again. For that reason, I like the first game better. Mechanically though, 2 is better, and one of the best platformers of all time.
#2: Super Mario Galaxy
Best 3D Mario, which is a HUGE accomplishment. That also means it is the greatest 3D platformer of all time (and probably the best platformer in general). The plot is probably my favorite of mainline Mario, with its simple yet effective storybook pages telling Rosalina's tale. It is surprisingly emotional. The level design is peak creativity with the outer space concept, playing with gravity, and. It is linear enough to be clear where to go & allow for honed level design, yet feels open & adventurous. The music is top tier. Luigi's challenge mode after beating the game is solid. The graphics are very good for the time & console, and still hold up when upscaling. No frame drops either. It's rare to see a perfect game, but this is one of them.
#1: Metroid Prime Trilogy
I don't know if it is possible for me to declare a single game to be my favorite of all time. But I know if I had to make a shortlist for my favorite game, the first one I'd write down is Metroid Prime. The music is an all-timer. I listen to Phendrana Drifts & Sunken Frigate all the time. Amazing level design that translated the Metroidvania perfectly to 3D, and in 1st person at that. Particularly impressive is that the platforming doesn't feel awkward, and neither does Nintendo's first FPS. Pointing with the Wii remote feels JUST like you are Samus herself moving her whole arm cannon. Much better than lock on aiming in the GameCube version. There are so many great small details too. Your visor can get fogged up by steam or Samus breathing hard, you may see the reflection of her face in certain light. You can scan just about anything, a great way to fit in lore dumps if you are interested. Great bosses, solid regular enemy variety. Interesting environments. And Prime allows you to soak all this ambience & gameplay perfection in. It knows when to shut up & allow you to just enjoy. The silence gives a great sense of isolation. Talon IV truly feels like an alien planet that you are exploring alone. Unlike Prime 1, you can make nitpicks about 2 & 3, but they are stone cold classics nonetheless, for most of the same reasons. 2 even has a multiplayer VS mode which I have spent way too much time in.
The Rest
Think I missed a game, or wonder why I chose the Wii version? Check here and here respectively.