411 Games Top 5 02.03.12: Top 5 Wii Games

Posted by Sean Garmer on 02.03.2012

From Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword to Super Mario Galaxy, Donkey Kong Returns, Mario Kart and more, the 411 staff breaks down their top 5 Nintendo Wii games of all-time!






Nintendo has a long and wonderful history in the world of video games. They brought home consoles into the mainstream with the Nintendo Famicom and paved the way for motion control addiction with the Nintendo Wii. The company famous for Super Mario Bros, Legend of Zelda, and Pokemon have decided very recently that it is time for a new console to come out during the holidays this year. Other than maybe Xenoblade Chronicles, (which Nintendo had to be persuaded to release in the United States,) I do not expect there to be another huge batch of great games to come out for the Wii. Nintendo has pretty much shifted their focus to the Wii U for the foreseeable future. In honor of the Wii, the 411 Games staffers have compiled their lists of the best games to ever come out for the Nintendo Wii.

Adam Larck (Games Zone Editor)

Honorable Mentions:

Zack and Wiki - This was a smaller title, but this puzzle game proved to be a lot of fun for me.

5. Mario Kart Wii - Look for this list to be populated with a lot of first-party titles, starting with Mario Kart. The game was a great racer, which offered a good variety of levels to go through. In addition, it made for a great party game to relax with. It's something everyone could pick up and have a good time with.





4. Super Smash Bros Brawl - While the cast of characters kept getting bigger, the fighting was still entertaining. What's not to like about Mario taking on Sonic, or Solid Snake kicking some ass. Plus, the story mode was one of the most entertaining in the series. Now, we only need an entry on the 3DS to take the fighting on the go.

3. Super Mario Galaxy - This game seemed to be a risk, but paid off huge for Nintendo. Running around small worlds was very entertaining, and some of the worlds were worth seeing just for the design. The second game added even more to the first game, including an appearance by a little green dinosaur.

2. Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - I haven't had a huge amount of time with this game, but from what I've played this is a great note for the Wii to go out on. The controls are a lot better than Twilight Princess, and the items really make good use of the Wii Remote. Even if no other big titles come out for the Wii, Skyward Sword will easily be remembered as the last top game for the system.

1.New Super Mario Bros. Wii - Between this and the DS version, I've become a big fan of the New SMB series. The 2D gameplay is as great as it was from the NES days, and the levels were great and varied. The best thing, though, is the multiplayer gameplay. Playing with friends is a great risk/reward to see who will be the first to betray someone and throw them into the lava.

Zachary Brown (Formerly of the Triple Threat Column)

Honorable Mentions:


The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - This game probably would have made my list, and could have very well taken my number one spot. But the fact is, I haven't played it. I'm a huge Zelda fan, and I will get around to playing it eventually. What can I say? I've been Skyrimming.


5. Warioware Smooth Moves - I have been a fan of all of the Warioware games. The original one on GBA was classic, Warioware Twisted was fantastic, Touched was a little subpar compared to the others, and Warioware Smooth Moves reinvigorated the formula. While the microgames in this version weren't as classic and fast as the handheld versions, the party style nature makes it a Wii classic. Steer clear of Wii Sports, this is the casual party game to beat on the Wii. I firmly believe that this is one of the best and most inventive uses of the Wii's motion control of all time. Whether you are doing the Mortar and Pestle, the Elephant, or the Mohawk, each pose is a smart use of the controls and works well with each game. It's hilarious, frantic, and if you have 3 friends, you're sure to have a fun night.





4. Super Paper Mario - While this series started out as a spiritual successor to the excellent and underrated Super Mario RPG, this series came into it's own and is a constantly entertaining and challenging RPG. For the Wii version, Nintendo ditched the turn based system and gave us what was more of a traditional platformer with great RPG elements. The story is always delightful (as long as you don't mind reading), each level has different creative things to discover, and the game is surprisingly challenging. And something I cant say enough about Super Paper Mario is that it is legitimately funny from beginning to end; something that not many games actually achieve. Nowadays, I do feel this game is a little overlooked when looking at the Wii catalog as a whole, so please give it a try if you haven't already. You'll be glad you did.

3. Donkey Kong Country Returns - This game should be regarded as an instant classic. Forget the bland and uninspired New Super Mario Bros Wii. When it comes to great level design, fantastic side scrolling gameplay, colorful art design, and a surprising level of difficulty, DK beats Mario hands down. If you were at all a fan of the original trilogy on Super Nintendo, this game is a must play.





2. Super Smash Bros. Brawl - While I made the statement earlier that Warioware Smooth Moves was the casual party game to beat, this is the ultimate party game for serious gamers. What can be said about Brawl that hasn't already been said in crowded dorm rooms around the country? This game is awesome. The fighting system is creative, deep, and full of characters that people go nuts for. After Melee, I didn't think Nintendo could improve on the near-perfect formula. Boy was I wrong. Brawl brought the noise with great new characters and an actually entertaining single player storyline with The Subspace Emissary. Sonic was a great addition to the franchise, as was Meta Knight and Pit, however cheap they could sometimes be. And I loved that each character had an ultimate move that they could pull off if they got the powerup. Nothing makes every player in the room freak out and scramble like when that power orb enters the screen. Oh and lastly, Solid Snake. Freaking awesome.

1. Super Mario Galaxy - It's the game so nice, Nintendo made it twice! If anyone thought that the 3D Mario platformers lost their lustre after Super Mario Sunshine, this game definitely silenced all the haters. Running around on mini-planets never got old in this game, blasting to new planets was always fun and exciting, most of the suits were fantastic, and the bosses were a lot of fun. The level design is stellar in this game. Most planets had a fun and challenging theme like lava levels, or planets with a black hole in the center. And if you were obsessed with getting every Star in Super Mario 64, this game takes that obsession to a whole new level. The main thing that draws me in with this game is the basics. Tight controls, and great mechanics. It's a simple formula to run around getting stars while trying not to die. But when Nintendo throws in new mind bending additions like shifting your view under and around a planet, as well as constantly playing with gravity, it's just too good to put down. While the sequel improved the formula greatly with a bunch of fun new additions, (Yoshi) it wasn't as big of a leap forward as the first game. Super Mario Galaxy is easily the best game on Wii that I have played, and a must own for anyone with a Wii.

Dan Watson (Writer of the Average Gamer)

Dan Watson

5. Mario Kart This was a cool game especially when it game out and was one of the few Wii games that I played for longer than a week. The game was one of few that I didn't hate and wasn't just a mini game over and over again. 

4. Smash Bros Brawl Another sequel (guess what most of my list is sequels). This was the perfect platform for the game though as there were only a few buttons and it worked out very well. This could have easily been number one but a few others were just a bit better. 





3. Metroid: Other M When this game came out, there was quite a buzz about it. I am not sure how many of the others are going to have this on the list but I really enjoyed this series and the way this game brought it all together. 





2. Super Mario Galaxy Mario has always been awesome. The company always finds a way to reinvent Mario and change the game a bit. This was no where near as amazing or game changing as Mario 64 but was a really good game none the less. 

1. Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword This game really made the Wii at least somewhat memorable. The first Legend of Zelda game on the Wii was very good as well, I just didn't want to include two Zelda games on such a small list.