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Too much emphasis can be placed on a game knocking your socks off with its sexy graphics, impressive frame rate and true to life physics. We sometimes forget looks aren't everything. Experiences like Uncharted, while incredibly beautiful, aren't necessarily bettered by the fact they gleam like a crystal.

Nintendo is a great example of success without the technological upper hand, always shining despite the relatively low-spec nature of their hardware.

Compared to Xbox 360 and PS3, the Wii is a massive underdog, even lacking the ability to output in HD. You might think that'd be a massive drawback, especially when we have games as gob-smackingly gorgeous as Uncharted, Mass Effect and Crysis, but that hasn't stopped the Wii from being a monumental success.

So is the upcoming Wii U, which developers have said isn't as powerful as the Xbox 360 and PS3, is power an issue? Some might find it disappointing to discover the next generation Nintendo hardware might be similar to what we play now on our Microsoft and Sony branded boxes, but we think the Wii U can still deliver.

To illustrate our point we've put together a list of games that prove that even games on underpowered systems can be effing brilliant. Drop your own examples into the comments below...

SUPER MARIO GALAXY (Wii)

Nintendo's two Super Mario Galaxy games give bragging rights to anyone who owns a Wii.

There's a false preconception with Wii games that the Wii-mote instantly makes things complicated, clunky and clumsy. Both Super Mario Galaxy games flip those accusations the bird and deliver a control scheme that instantly feels comfortable. It's a rare example where the nunchuck feels like the superior way to play, apart from getting your head around the upside down bits, Galaxy is easy to get on with, it welcomes you with open arms.

It's also bloody gorgeous. It doesn't need any of that HD malarkey and certainly none of that fandangled realism. You'd never even guess it was running on so called 'underpowered' hardware. It's colourful, varied and - most importantly - fun, it beams the player through space, bouncing around imaginatively created planets, collecting stars and bashing monsters on the head. Even years after their respective releases both games are an unrivalled joy.

GOD OF WAR (PS2/PSP)

Do you even remember the PS2? Can you even recall what it was like to hold a PSP in your hands? Now the Vita has hit shelves it's hard to recommend the obsolete Sony handheld to anyone, but it had its day and some of the games on it are still worth seeking out. As for the PS2, it's over a decade since the revolutionary console's release but still boasts the what we'd argue is the strongest library of games ever.

Sony's God of War franchise takes a prominent place in that catalogue, it's a series known for its stunning sheen and near-flawless gameplay. God of War 3 is an artistic marvel, but things weren't always as impressive as the tech hidden under the hood of a PS3.

You need only take one glance at either Chains of Olympus or Ghost of Sparta running on a dusty old PSP, or God of War 2 running on the end-of-its-lifespan PS2 to realise what an incredible achievement these games are. No other games on the PSP matched the two GoW spin offs. They weren't just pretty, they were fully functioning, uncomprimisingly rich God of War experiences. Even the lack of a second analog stick didn't hold either of them back from being amazing.

Proof that hardware doesn't have to be all-powerful to produce good games if you ever needed it.

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: WIND WAKER (GAMECUBE)

Wind Waker is timeless. Retaining the marvellous simplicity that makes pretty much every Legend of Zelda phenomenal, Wind Waker introduced cel-shaded graphics to the world of Link.

Needless to say, it caused some controversy; "This isn't Zelda" they cried, we - along with many others - completely disagree with the haters. To us Wind Waker delivers everything a traditional Zelda experience should and creates an unforgetable, unique identity too. The dungeons, the exploration and everything in between are all perfectly intact and at the same time it's a gorgeous example of style being used to give a game life. Even returning to now, up scaled on a HDTV, it still looks exactly how we remember it back in 2003.

You don't get that same freeze-frame-of-your-life effect with other games, which usually look dated after a year or more on the shelves. Try it yourself, go back to play Twilight Princess - a Zelda game released after Wind Waker which used more 'realistic' graphics - and see who brings home the victory cigar.

Hopefully, with a bit of luck, Skyward Sword will have the same eternal lifespan.

GTA: CHINATOWN WARS (DS/PSP/iOS)

Just like Wii, the DS was proof that you don't always need powerful hardware to receive excellent games. GTA Chinatown Wars was one such example; a perfect franchise spin-off expertly executed to fit snugly into your DS handheld without any complications. Who said games on a Nintendo branded console have to be childish?

With the use of a cartoony style and text dialogue instead of full voice acting, Rockstar Leeds managed to bypass technical hindrances and deliver an open-world that felt bustling and alive; a feat not repeated on the system.

The massive single player campaign and dozens of extra activities meant Chinatown Wars was, and still is, one of the most content-packed games on the DS. No corners were cut, and the implementation of the stylus and dual screen controls mean you never felt like you were missing something you might get playing on another device.

That said, it made a PSP appearance not a year and a half later, only slightly shinier but equally as brilliant. The only downside was the fact Rockstar decided to keep the majority of the DS features when they ported it, and there's nothing quite as frustrating as replicating the use of a stylus on a thumbstick.

Still though, a fully-featured GTA experience on a DS, who'd've thunk it?

RESIDENT EVIL: REVELATIONS (3DS)

The Nintendo 3DS might not have the largest library but it has a lot of excellent games on it.

Resident Evil: Revelations is one of the rare examples of handheld horror done very right. It's classic franchise stuff, snubbing the not-very-classic Resi 5 and returning to the root of what makes it scary to walk around a corner and be met by a blood gargling zombie.

Set on a cruise ship astray in the Mediterranean, Revelations packs you into the kind of confined spaces you'd only expect to find in a place where you're going to find trouble nibbling at your neck. Everything reeks of the proper Resi atmosphere you're used to, and horrible stinks are what you want from a game about mutated fish men.

It's impressive stuff, clocking in at a lengthy 10 hours and successfully shushing anyone who might be about to utter the words 'well you can't have a proper Resi game on an underpowered handheld can ya".

Even better, the controls have moved on from just being frustrating in order to raise tension, this time feeling natural without making things too easy. In short, Resident Evil: Revelations is the game to own if you have a 3DS, and more proof that power isn't everything.