15 overlooked Wii Games to play on Wii U
30th Nov 2012 | 09:57
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Arguably one of the finest JRPGs of this generation, Xenoblade Chronicles lets players explore all corners of its huge open-world as they please, save anywhere(!) and has an obscene amount of quests ranging from the exciting, story-driven, main missions to rewarding side-quests. It also happens to be very pretty.
Developed in conjunction with award-winning director, screenwriter, producer, and entrepreneur Steven Spielberg, Boom Blox is a game about knocking over blocks. Alright, we're being a little reductive, it's actually a colourful and mad hybrid of Jenga, Tetris and Lego that uses a realistic physics model to make the crashing of blocks oh-so-satisfying. With the Wiimote players can push, stack, protect or obliterate blocky towers in a single throw; works great in multiplayer too. Take a shot.
Dive-em-up Endless Ocean is perfect for a bit of afternoon therapy. In the serene waters of Endless Ocean there are no threats, aquatic creatures of all shapes and sizes go about their business unperturbed by you sniffing around. Even the sharks are chill. So, jump in and explore, discover and photograph all manner of fishy business. You can customise the soundtrack, but we'd recommend sticking with the calming sounds of the underwater depths.
Zack and Wiki was released very early in the Wii's lifecycle, back when people were wasting away the hours flailing around in the pursuit of simulated sports, as a result it's been relatively overlooked. The understated reception to Capcom's pirate puzzler was a shame, especially since it makes excellent use of the console's unique features. The Wiimote is used in a point-and-click fashion, with players occasionally asked to swipe, jiggling or jostle the controller to solve puzzles and get out of sticky situations. Zack and Wiki is full of charming character and will give your brain a bit of a workout too, show it some love.
Similar to Monkey Ball and Marble Madness, Kororinpa is a devilishly difficulty game where players must tilt the level to guide a ball-like object to the goal. Additional challenge is layered on with environmental features such as magnets, conveyor belts and all manner of other quirky objects. It's a short but sweet game that's hard to put down.
Epic Yarn is delightful platformer starring Kirby, Nintendo's adorable, all-consuming puff ball. This game is worth hunting down and playing based on style. Taking place in a hand-crafted world stitched and sewn together for Kirby to happily hop, skip and jump around. Along the way you'll pop buttons, pull on zips and watch enemies explode into loose threads. The whole thing is sickening really, like eating a barrel of candy floss. Epic Yarn is a stellar co-op game too, so grab a friend and get comfortable.
Something of a departure from the previous (rubbish) title, Red Steel 2 leaned heavily into a Western theme and peppered it with a bit of Eastern flavour. If the sound of cool cowboy samurais in a wild west overrun by Triads and gangsters doesn't sound good, there's something wrong with you. Red Steel uses the Wii Motion Plus, we're going to be a little controversial here and say Ubi's implementation is better than Nintendo's in Zelda: Skyward Sword. If you like a bit of sword-swinging, gun-shooting action this is the one for you.
Known to its ravenous fans as MonHun, Capcom's beast-hunting third-person action game is a veritable sensation in Japan; not so much in the western world though. For the life of us we can't figure out why; it's challenging, astoundingly deep and packed with weapons that are more powerful than the last weapon you had. Monster Hunter Tri is surprisingly welcoming to newcomers, it'll ease you into the mechanics and leave you to figure out and explore its idiosyncrasies.The online multiplayer experience is also surprisingly good - for a Nintendo console.
Do you enjoy colouring in? Answering questionnaires? How about running petrified through the icy wastes, desperately clawing at carpet of thick fog hoping you'll spot a place to seek refuge from terrifying force that may or may not be chasing you. You could do a lot worse than Climax Studios' re-imagining of the Silent Hill's first terrifying installment. Shattered Memories is easily one of the series' best and undoubtedly a Wii game worthy of seeking out.
Admittedly, it's not the most accessible series but for those with the fortitude to stick it out and learn the ways of Fire Emblem, Radiant Dawn will reward you with deep, tactical gameplay that is tough-as-nails. This is one you'll have to really think about before going into, series quirks like perma-death can quickly turn a gaming session into a physical rampage of kicking, screaming and throwing consoles from a height. You have been warned.
You're probably familiar with Capcom, but possibly not with Japanese Animation studio Tatsunoko. Admittedly a lot of their featured characters will probably leave you scratching your head, but that doesn't detract from the barmy gameplay. Those familiar with Marvel Vs. Capcom, or any of Capcom's Marvel fighting games will feel right at home with this game, but simple gameplay systems give rookies a fighting chance too. Everything about TvC is over-the-top; characters jump two-screens high, Hadokens cover the entire screen, there's even a giant robot made entirely of gold. Fast, flashy and super-fun, Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom is a rare treat for Nintendo-loyal fighting game lovers.
"Nintendo only has baby games," says your silly friend. Show this philistine MadWorld and then escort him or her off the premises. MadWorld is excessively violent, its hulking, square-jawed main character, Jack, runs around shoving enemies into walls of spikes, engaging in a round of 'Man Darts', chain-sawing faces and dumping bodies in bins. This is not one for the kids.
Also known as Elebits, this Katamari-alike is best described as a shooter, players move objects freely around an environment using the Wiimote to find and capture the titular Elebits. Energy extracted (bit cruel) from the adorable pillow-like creatures is used in the exploration of the games many environments. Along with the simple hunt-and-capture gameplay, the fun of Elebits is also predicated on charming art, fun story, and intuitive controls.
Treasure's previous outings the epitome of bullet hell, Star Successor refines the bewildering frantic gameplay to make it a little more elegant. That's not to say you won't find your senses utterly overloaded, oh no, it's stil weird and wonderful to be sure. This is not for the faint of heart, it's called a 'bullet hell' for a reason.
Rail shooters are a dime-a-dozen on the Wii. Capcom has released numerous Resident Evil flavoured rail shooters, which are of dubious quality, but take our word for it: Dead Space Extraction is a winner. Unlike the Resi games, Extraction preserves the series' survival horror roots, mixing in sections of all out gunfire with intense periods of calm with enemies skittering into the darkness before you can get your guns on them. Terrifying.
Nintendo Wii WII Nintendo Wii U WiiU