Support NeoGAF

[Vespa]

Bought a Beovision yesterday and hooked up my wii to test it, wii graphics can be so gorgeous with the right settings on CRT. It's almost unbelievable.

Agreed, a Wii on a PC CRT almost reaches Dreamcast levels of clarity. Almost. 480i RGB looks great too.

I just picked up a Beovision 1 but it had no remote so I can't yet see how good it looks!

 

[-shadow-]

I got Resident Evil from a friend who got it as a deal where two games would be €10 total instead of €30. Calling was €50, so about the same as the cheapest I can find with shipment online, so I thought why not. Can't say Calling is really good from what I've played from it. Feels rather janky and feels very obtuse, but I must admit that I do like the atmosphere of the game and the Wiimote speaker gimmick.

 

[kunonabi]

Won a CVS1 tourney the other day and used the winnings to buy Mercury Meltdown Revolution and Dragon Quest Swords. Looking forward to playing both of them.

I also picked up some old SFC game about running a VCR company.

 

[JDH]

Are there any legit or very close OEM replacement shells for the Wii? I lucked out on an eBay auction for an untested RVL 001 which works flawlessly but the case has deep deep scratches beyond repair. I seen some replacement shells on eBay but really don't want something that looks like generic China crap.

This isn't for resale or collector status, just to bring life back to the Wii.

 

[Glowsquid]

I picked up Contra Rebirth earlier today. Being an huge fan of Contra, I always had a mild interest in the game but it came out at a period where I didn't have my own income and being burned on Gradius Rebirth (which imo, is an outright bad game) didn't help either.

I've been able to extract more enjoyment from this than Gradius R since Contra is a more solid and consistently fun series than Gradius, but Contra R suffers from many of the problems that made me dislike Gradius so much:

-The game is incredibly ugly. I don't know why it's never brought up in threads about bad attempts to update 2D games like the 3D Rocket Knight or Super Street Fighter II HD because it has all of those beat in the ugly factor, handily.

-Ignoring good additions from later entries for no good reasons. You know how Shattered Soldier had this neat thing where you could move in the opposite direction of where you'Re shooting? Or how in Contra 3, you could shoot both of your equiped weapons at the same time? Well fuck that new-fangled Playstation bullshit man. With Rebirth, it's Three Butoons and the Truth

-The game is overly reliant on characters and set pieces from the previous games and what there is that's new is uninspired. Oh hey look, it's Red Falcon again. And he fights exactly like how he did in Contra III..!

Also the explosions effects for every enemies are overdone and obscure things that can kill you.

I'm not impressed at all by M2's original development efforts so far. Not in an hurry to pick up Castlevania the Adventure.

 

[PeterOliver]

Just stumbled across a dozen or so first gen Wii's at the local goodwill. $20 including the power adapter and component cables. Scattered throughout the rest of the aisle were a sensor bar for another $5, 2 1st gen wiimotes for $5 each, and 2 nunchucks for $5 each. Found a copy of Wii Sports Resort and GT Series Pro for $5 each.

GT Series Pro looks terrible but I LOVE the handling of the cars and am having a blast with it.

Just got homebrew and various loaders installed and man this system is robust.

 

[jonno394]

I dug my Wii out of storage a few days back to test GC games, and as I hadn't packed it back up yet, after seeing these two bargains I though "may as well start collecting again". HAven't played either before, but for £2 I couldn't pass them up.

 

[Drago]

-The game is incredibly ugly. I don't know why it's never brought up in threads about bad attempts to update 2D games like the 3D Rocket Knight or Super Street Fighter II HD because it has all of those beat in the ugly factor, handily.

Setting the Wii to 4:3 output removes the filter from the Rebirth games. They look so much better without it.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Just stumbled across a dozen or so first gen Wii's at the local goodwill. $20 including the power adapter and component cables. Scattered throughout the rest of the aisle were a sensor bar for another $5, 2 1st gen wiimotes for $5 each, and 2 nunchucks for $5 each. Found a copy of Wii Sports Resort and GT Series Pro for $5 each.

GT Series Pro looks terrible but I LOVE the handling of the cars and am having a blast with it.

Just got homebrew and various loaders installed and man this system is robust.

Awesome deal.

 

[JDH]

Setting the Wii to 4:3 output removes the filter from the Rebirth games. They look so much better without it.

I can't find any examples of the ugliness. This game is on my list of "to buy" do you mind posting an example? Just curious.

 

[Turrican3]

I dug my Wii out of storage a few days back to test GC games, and as I hadn't packed it back up yet, after seeing these two bargains I though "may as well start collecting again". HAven't played either before, but for £2 I couldn't pass them up.

That's an insanely good price.

Loved Excite Truck like few other racing games, hope you'll enjoy as well... and by the way, use the custom mp3 soundtrack feature, it rocks!

 

[Glowsquid]

Setting the Wii to 4:3 output removes the filter from the Rebirth games. They look so much better without it.

Well, that's good to know.

I can't find any examples of the ugliness. This game is on my list of "to buy" do you mind posting an example? Just curious.

As it happens my Wii is hooked up using an AV recorder so I took some shots of Contra Rebirth with and without the filter.

Mind you, even with phat pixels, I heavily dislike the sprite art employed in M2's Rebirth games. I'm not an intelligent person or one well versed in the arts so I can't really elaboratem uch on why I find it bad. I just... dislike it.

 

[PeterOliver]

Awesome deal.

I've since picked up a new generic orange Gamecube controller for it, which is a controller I haven't used much. It's been ridiculously fun playing the first Nintendo games with dual control stick schemes. Never played that console as a kid.

I was surprised to realize that the Wii was the end of analog triggers for Nintendo. Apparently the first Wii Classic Controller had analog shoulder buttons but the updated Classic Controller Pro turned them into digital triggers. Doesn't this strike anyone else as extremely odd?

The Wii is such a strange but capable system.

 

[jonno394]

I think I bought too many games, but Wii back catalogue is full of games that I want to play or at least own

 

[PassiveObserver]

I'm not impressed at all by M2's original development efforts so far. Not in an hurry to pick up Castlevania the Adventure.

Castlevania is the most successful of the three Rebirth games. I'll recommend it as a decent Classicvania romp. The art style doesn't compare to the older CVs, but it looks a whole lot better than Contra's butt-ugly cartoony take.

 

[-shadow-]

I think I bought too many games, but Wii back catalogue is full of games that I want to play or at least own

Second Opinion was released in Europe? I always thought that one was cancelled here because Atlus... Guess I need to pick that one up if I ever run into it.

 

[TheMoon]

I think I bought too many games, but Wii back catalogue is full of games that I want to play or at least own

now that's a nice haul!

Second Opinion was released in Europe? I always thought that one was cancelled here because Atlus... Guess I need to pick that one up if I ever run into it.

Trauma Team. You're thinking of that.

Nintendo published the Trauma Center series here anyway (and other ATLUS games like the first Etrian Odyssey)

 

[-shadow-]

Trauma Team. You're thinking of that.

Nintendo published the Trauma Center series here anyway (and other ATLUS games like the first Etrian Odyssey)

Ah, well that explains that. And they're Atlus games, so hence why I might have confused. Those always were (and still are) a mess...

 

[Daniel Thomas MacInnes]

I wasn't sure which Nintendo Wii thread to visit for posts, so I decided I'll use this one as the "official" collectors' thread, waggle or no waggle.

The Wii is one of my favorite videogame systems. I think it's NIntendo's best console since the NES, and if we were to include Virtual Console, then we could argue that it is the best. The software library is immense and nearly endless, with minor classics and hidden gems that never seem to run out. The best part is that prices are almost laughably cheap. This is the best "classic" game system for collectors right now, and I would highly recommend visiting your nearest Gamestop to stock up on titles before they finally clear out their inventories.

Since the Winter Olympics are playing right now, I thought it would be a good time to show off my winter sports games for Wii. As you can see by the photos, I bought all of these for five dollars or less. All four can be had for the price of a good sandwich. Shaun White Snowboarding is quite excellent, very much in the classic style of Tony Hawk Pro Skater, and offering very easy Wii Remote controls. I had a lot of fun with Road Trip, and the title became a surprise hit at the time, overshadowing its PS360 bigger brothers. The sequel, World Tour, offers more polished graphics and higher frame rate, and changes the level structure a bit. It's a much easier videogame, at least until you reach the final competitions, but the gameplay is still rock solid and the multiplayer is terrific.

SSX Blur got a lot of love on NeoGAF years ago. I'm not sure where its reputation lies today, whether it is revered by SSX fans or dismissed as a glorified PS2 rehash. I haven't played nearly enough, but I did greatly enjoy the time I had with it. The controls are innovative and require a bit of a learning curve, but I appreciate the EA put in the effort to experiment with motion controls. Everything looks great, sounds great. Was it worth $50 when it was released? Debatable. Is it worth three lousy bucks? Absolutely. You can't even get decent junk food for that price. Hmm, I really wish I had a "snow day" so I could stay home and play.

NHL Slapshot didn't appear to receive any attention when it was released. Perhaps gamers were too jaded on the Wii by then to notice or care. Whatever. I love the hell out of this game, and I was shocked that the basic release could be found for five bucks. The deluxe package with the hockey stick attachment...well, that's already reached Sega Saturn levels of absurdity. So you should probably grab this one while you still can.

This game is basically a throwback to the classic Genesis NHL Hockey titles. The controls are fairly simple, and the motion controls are limited to making shots on goal and crashing into other players. It's highly satisfying, in that same way that slamming down dunks in NBA Jam is satisfying. When developers used motion controls correctly, the results are sublime. And you get to play pee-wee leagues as kids with big heads. That's a hoot.

If you're one of those people who still thinks NHL 94 was the greatest thing that ever happened, check out Slapshot. Don't worry about not having the plastic hockey stick, you'll be fine without it.

 

[World SkiFree]

I wasn't sure which Nintendo Wii thread to visit for posts, so I decided I'll use this one as the "official" collectors' thread, waggle or no waggle.

The Wii is one of my favorite videogame systems. I think it's NIntendo's best console since the NES, and if we were to include Virtual Console, then we could argue that it is the best. The software library is immense and nearly endless, with minor classics and hidden gems that never seem to run out. The best part is that prices are almost laughably cheap. This is the best "classic" game system for collectors right now, and I would highly recommend visiting your nearest Gamestop to stock up on titles before they finally clear out their inventories.

Since the Winter Olympics are playing right now, I thought it would be a good time to show off my winter sports games for Wii. As you can see by the photos, I bought all of these for five dollars or less. All four can be had for the price of a good sandwich. Shaun White Snowboarding is quite excellent, very much in the classic style of Tony Hawk Pro Skater, and offering very easy Wii Remote controls. I had a lot of fun with Road Trip, and the title became a surprise hit at the time, overshadowing its PS360 bigger brothers. The sequel, World Tour, offers more polished graphics and higher frame rate, and changes the level structure a bit. It's a much easier videogame, at least until you reach the final competitions, but the gameplay is still rock solid and the multiplayer is terrific.

SSX Blur got a lot of love on NeoGAF years ago. I'm not sure where its reputation lies today, whether it is revered by SSX fans or dismissed as a glorified PS2 rehash. I haven't played nearly enough, but I did greatly enjoy the time I had with it. The controls are innovative and require a bit of a learning curve, but I appreciate the EA put in the effort to experiment with motion controls. Everything looks great, sounds great. Was it worth $50 when it was released? Debatable. Is it worth three lousy bucks? Absolutely. You can't even get decent junk food for that price. Hmm, I really wish I had a "snow day" so I could stay home and play.

NHL Slapshot didn't appear to receive any attention when it was released. Perhaps gamers were too jaded on the Wii by then to notice or care. Whatever. I love the hell out of this game, and I was shocked that the basic release could be found for five bucks. The deluxe package with the hockey stick attachment...well, that's already reached Sega Saturn levels of absurdity. So you should probably grab this one while you still can.

This game is basically a throwback to the classic Genesis NHL Hockey titles. The controls are fairly simple, and the motion controls are limited to making shots on goal and crashing into other players. It's highly satisfying, in that same way that slamming down dunks in NBA Jam is satisfying. When developers used motion controls correctly, the results are sublime. And you get to play pee-wee leagues as kids with big heads. That's a hoot.

If you're one of those people who still thinks NHL 94 was the greatest thing that ever happened, check out Slapshot. Don't worry about not having the plastic hockey stick, you'll be fine without it.

Haven’t played the Shaun White games but SSX Blur and NHL Slapshot are indeed great (and certainly worth the few bucks they cost now).

 

[CloudStrife_ca]

Hey guys, I'd like to know if the Wii versions of Sega's arcade Model 2 Gunblade NY and Model 3 LA Machineguns are solid ports, and worth hunting down on this compilation.

Indeed it is, I mean these games haven't aged very well but still fun to play if you have a friend over.

 

[kunonabi]

Well im almost done with the Wii shop channel. My US collection is topping out at 78 VC games and 18 WiiWare titles. Japanese Wii is probably going to end up 39 VC games and 2 WiiWare titles.

There was obviously more I wanted but that was the best I could do with the deadline.

 

[Daniel Thomas MacInnes]

I'm showing off some photos of my latest Nintendo Wii additions, which were all purchased at Gamestop. Line Rider 2 cost only 99 cents, the other three cost a whopping $2.99. What an enormous steal. I'm honestly surprised that Gamestop hasn't already thrown all their Wii games into the trash bin to make more room, but my neighborhood shops all devote two shelves to Wii games (and another two shelves to Wii U titles). It's a great bargain for me since the prices are so criminally low.

I haven't yet played any of these, so I cannot comment on their quality. I am reasonably confident there is at least three dollars' worth of fun to be had. They were all given good reviews on various Youtube channels, so I'll trust their judgement for now.

Has anybody played these? Any opinions? Love 'em, hate 'em, don't care either way?


(Note: once again, I wasn't sure where to post this, so I'm using this thread until another suitable Nintendo Wii collectors' thread arrives.)

 

[Daniel Thomas MacInnes]

I finally replaced the busted disc drive on my Nintendo Wii this week. Hooray! I would like to thank Nintendo for their decision to use tri-plane screws at random points on their console, which was a major hassle to remove even after I bought the proper screwdriver. Deliberately using an obscure screw type that nobody else even knows about is Peak Nintendo.

That said, I'm very happy to have the Wii working once again, and that means going through my very large library of games, the majority of which I never played because I was just buying up $5 budget titles at GameStop.

Today, I picked up these two gems for four dollars each: Geometry Wars Galaxies and Ghost Squad. Both were highly rated by videogame critics and are considered among the best third-party games for the system. I'm especially happy to have these as I'm a great fan of classic arcade games and that's one area where my Wii collection is a bit weak.

A few quick impressions from short play sessions in my library:

The Munchables: Pac-Man meets Katamari or maybe Da Blob. It's terrific fun, looks and plays great. Deserved to be a much bigger hit.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: Sharp graphics, detailed texture work, 60 fps action. I'm really digging this one. Disney was one of the strongest Wii publishers and this one demonstrates that nicely.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer: One of a hundred overhead 3D beat-em-ups, a bit sloppy visually (it has that lazy-PS2-port feel) but still good & highly playable. Probably best for multiplayer mayhem.

4X4 Monster World Circuit: Ubisoft launch title that reminds me a lot of the classic RC Pro-Am, with the short bendy courses & cool powerups. I can't be the only one who noticed this.

Go Vacation: Namco brought this gem to the Switch, where I hope it became a hit. It's a terrific minigame collection with an enormous hub world, tons of collectables, secrets, surprises. Definitely a genre highlight.

 

[Daniel Thomas MacInnes]

Catching up on my Nintendo Wii library, I returned to one of my absolute favorites for the system: NHL Slapshot. Electronic Arts was a very strong supporter of the system and created some of its most memorable titles including Boom Blox, NBA Jam and the My Sims series. Their FIFA and Madden games on Wii were somewhat frustrating and second-tier compared to their bigger PS360 cousins, but this hockey game takes a back seat to no one.

NHL Slapshot features four kinds of league play, from pee-wee to the pros. Action is fast and smooth with an edge towards arcade thrills that remind me of the legendary NHL Hockey games on Sega Genesis. I can smash my players into opponents with brutal checks, skate swiftly and set up those perfect one-timers. It's all about speed, fast scoring and brutal violence and I absolutely love it.

Controls make use of the nunchuck and wiimote, with motion controls used for checks and shots on goal. It's highly satisfying to crash the controller down to smash into players or make those killer slapshots, and I'm reminded greatly of those amazing dunks on NBA Jam. Waggle, Schmaggle. This is great fun.

I haven't played with the plastic hockey stick, but I have noticed that prices are coming down on spare units as well as the complete box edition to more reasonable levels, so I might have to pick up a couple one of these days. I don't think it's necessary, but it's probably best for getting off the couch and roleplaying the action, shoving the stick forward for checks, winding up for shots.

Honestly, this videogame is worth it just for the 3-on-3 pee-wee games, which reminds me of Williams' Wayne Gretzky Hockey series on Nintendo 64 in a lot of ways, all while staying grounded in that classic EA style. It's an arcade game in its bones, and that's what I love about it. Get your mitts on this game by any means necessary.

 

[Daniel Thomas MacInnes]

Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip became a surprise hit on Nintendo Wii, which followed after the classic Tony Hawk formula instead of the free-roaming style of the PS360 version. It's one of the system's very best titles and remains a personal favorite of mine. The following year, Ubisoft released a sequel exclusively on Wii, titled Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage. It was unfortunately met with a very cool reception, including barely any mention from videogame critics, and has become a true hidden gem that can be found for the price of a sandwich.

The play controls are nearly identical to the first edition, offering single Wiimote and Balance Board options and a host of cool tricks that can be performed fairly easily. The game's structure, however, is entirely different. Where Road Trip involves traveling to various mountains across the world and completing various THPS-style goals (break objects, find items), World Stage sends players through the professional tournament circuit. Here, your goals mostly involve winning races or scoring the most points in competitions. The mountain courses involve lots of cool half pipes and rails for grinding and blazing fast tracks to race.

Graphics are improved across the board, featuring higher polygon models and a sharper 60 fps framerate. There are lots of cool details on the ice and nighttime events feature impressive lighting and color effects. The overall style is closer to Sega Dreamcast than PS360, and I honestly don't care if that's considered "childish" or "outdated." I dig it and it works for me.

I don't think anybody even paid this title a second glance. Nintendo Wii sequels were just brutally dismissed, and the reasons for this have never been fully understood. Just Dance and Raving Rabbids seem to be the only franchises to show continued success over the Wii's lifespan. Even today, it remains very obscure (even its GameFAQs page is nearly empty). I bought my copy several years ago at GameStop for a dollar, and you could probably find all three Wii Shaun White titles for five bucks.

Overall, I think this is an excellent snowboarding game, one that leans a bit on the repetitive side. The difficulty is also very low until you reach the final championship, at which point the difficulty jacks up considerably. The game's real charm lies in its replay value and multiplayer modes. World Stage is just different enough to distinguish itself from Road Trip, which was a very bold move for Ubisoft. Pity nobody bothered to notice at the time, but whatever. It's your gain.

 

[Porcile]

Those Shaun White screens are classic Ubisoft Wii-era bullshottery. Anyone remember those first Red Steel screens? lmao

 

[Daniel Thomas MacInnes]

Once again, I attempt to revive this Nintendo Wii appreciation thread. Today, I visited a retro videogame store in one of the Chicago suburbs and came away with 18 new games, nearly all of which were in the $4-$7 range. Since Gamestop finally cleared out their used stock of Wii games, prices have been rising steadily. All Nintendo systems become highly valued and expensive as time goes on, and now it's finally happening here, so if you're looking to build a software library, you had better move fast before the prices get jacked to the moon.

Here is a photo of what I picked up. I could easily go back and buy another 20 without missing a beat. The store didn't have any of the big-name franchise titles, but they do have a lot of lesser-known games and potential hidden gems. Of course, there were also a lot of cheesy minigame collections, but I'm beginning to wonder if there are some surprises to be found in that much-maligned genre. Maybe they weren't all just cheap cash-ins by lazy software publishers who would rather work on PS360? Ehh, probably not. But who can say?

I haven't played any of these games, but I've been wanting to pick up Bust-A-Move, Aragorn's Quest, Surf's Up and Lego Star Wars for a long time. I'm hoping the sports games are good, or at least passable and not just lazy GameCube/PS2 ports. Ditto for the movie tie-ins. NASCAR is one that I'm really curious about. It appears to be more like a Need For Speed or Burnout game than the sim-oriented style the series is known for. Maybe it's good? At least it's colorful, and I'm a fan of any arcade-style racing game.

 

[Alexios]

That Shaun White game looks pretty cool. Both actually. Never heard of either. Looks like all such games back when were going for some Fortnite character style edgy presentation? Might have felt off putting for stuff like that and Need for Speed Nitro even if the games underneath were solid.

Also, wtf, it had 6 NFS games and I'd only seen Nitro.

 

[Daniel Thomas MacInnes]

I thought I'd go through

That Shaun White game looks pretty cool. Both actually. Never heard of either. Looks like all such games back when were going for some Fortnite character style edgy presentation? Might have felt off putting for stuff like that and Need for Speed Nitro even if the games underneath were solid.

The first Shaun White (Road Trip) is very much like Tony Hawk Pro Skater, with multiple goals like collecting items and scoring points, and the gameplay is very quick and arcade-like. The PS360 version was much more like a simulation where you had to physically haul yourself up the side of a giant mountain. The Wii version was the biggest seller and became a surprise hit, selling a million copies. It's terrific, I love it and would compare it very favorably to both Tony Hawk and the hallowed Steep Slope Sliders.

The sequel, World Stage, was a Wii exclusive, and the gameplay is very different. This time, you're on the pro tournament circuit where you have to compete for medal positions to advance. It's a bit more repetitive as you're doing the same three things over and over, and it never really gets tough until you reach the very final tournament, where it then gets pretty hard. The graphics are improved a lot, sporting a faster frame rate and sharper images, and there is support for the Wii Motion Plus where you can "create" your own special moves. I don't think anybody ever noticed it. Sequels were notorious for not selling on the Wii (Just Dance proved to be exception) and gaming websites by that time basically quit having anything to do with Wii (they didn't want to get their "hardcore" fingers smudged with the "baby toy"), and so there was virtually no exposure at all. It just vanished.

Ubisoft did follow up with Shaun White Skateboarding, which was once again very different from the PS360 version that received all the attention. Once again, it's almost impossible to find any contemporary articles or reviews from websites or magazines, and so it all but disappeared. I haven't played it very much, only long enough to realize it was just different enough from Tony Hawk. I really ought to go back and spend some time on it the next time my daughter takes a long afternoon nap.

 

[Alexios]

Guess the Fortnite character stuff I said were were Ubisoft being Ubisoft then, heh. Those games and Nitro I mentioned was from them and I believe there was also some street soccer game from them doing the same, probably more too.

Bad rep aside over crap like the imaginez stuff I guess they were real winners on Wii in general with stuff like that and Red Steel 2 after all.

 

[Victor Omega]

I love the Wii. I actually own more games for it than any other console. Here's my collection:

Also, my pride and joy:

Don't care what no one say, I played all 3 of those games In Japanese and still say that The Last Story and Pandora's Towers were the better games. This is coming from someone who has more hours in Xenoblade because of how easy and ambitious it was at the time.

 

[Daniel Thomas MacInnes]

A couple days ago, I wanted to do a quick "Nintendo Wii Top 20" based purely on what's in my software library and what I've actually played. Because I went on a buying binge a couple years ago while my disc drive was busted (I finally replaced it early last year), I have a stack of Wii games that I haven't actually played yet. Ya know, stuff like Goldeneye, Metroid Prime 3 and Resident Evil 4, which is just unbelievably crazy.

So please note that this is based only on what I own and have played. I still don't have Galaxy 2, Super Paper Mario or Zelda Skyward Sword, don't have any of the main RPGs (which are no doubt becoming crazy expensive) and am still missing at least a hundred hidden gems.

That said, here's my Wii Top 20 for May 2021, no particular order:

New Super Mario Bros Wii: Absolutely fantastic return to Mario's 2D roots. The multiplayer is glorified chaos that quickly turns into Three Stooges slapstick, but isn't that part of the fun? I think NSMB U might be a little better, but this is still a classic.

Super Mario Galaxy: Probably most hardcore gamers' favorite Wii game, and for good reason. It plays a lot like Super Mario Bros 3 with its short, obstacle course-oriented stage designs, and it's a bit tougher than you'd expect. The spherical theme is played to the hilt and everything is so brilliant. Galaxy 2 probably beats it, but it's a close call.

Mario Kart Wii: Sometimes, I think this is the best Mario Kart, although MK8 on Switch probably deserves the crown. There's just an extra layer of danger and excitement in these course designs, where you can fall off the edges or miss crucial ramps. Love the bikes, the half-pipes and especially the winter and autumn tree stages.

Excitebots: I hated the idea of racing bug cars when this was released, but it's really a fantastic racer and much improved over Excite Truck in every way. It feels like a Sega Dreamcast videogame, which is the highest praise I can offer. If Nintendo is looking for more back catalog titles to bring to Switch, they need to look here.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold: Way Forward's excellent 2D throwback looks like a side-scrolling platformer and plays like a beat-em-up and it's terrific. There are loads of characters, animations and voice clips, lots of powerful attacks and enemies to fight and it all comes together so nicely. I miss the fun, cartoony Batman, don't you? This is the best brawler on the Wii, hands down.

Wii Party: Made by the same crew responsible for Mario Party, this game has a feel and groove all its own and there's more than enough content to keep you happy. I'm not a big fan of board games or minigame collections, but there's so much here to offer that you can't go wrong. And did you notice that Nintendo totally clipped Steely Dan's "Peg" in the soundtrack?

Wii Sports Resort: Probably my favorite Wii game, absolutely packed with great sporting events like sword fighting (how I wish Lucasarts could have given us a real lightsaber game like this), waterboarding, basketball and table tennis. Bowling feels more precise here, but I do kinda prefer the wobblier controls on the original Wii Sports (probably because I'm lousy at bowling).

Wii Fit: I managed to lose 25-30 pounds this past year thanks largely to Wii Fit, even if I'm using it mostly for the scale and the occasional exercise routine. So that means I have to put it in here. I still haven't looked at Wii Fit Plus to see what's different, should probably do that one of these days.

Wii Music: Easily the most controversial title in my list, this game was hated, despised, tarred and feathered upon release. Personally, I think it's because 1) hardcore gamers just wanted to beat up on Nintendo and 2) they were expecting a Guitar Hero clone. Instead, it's a music tool similar to the "construction set" computer games of the 1980s, and if you understand it's all about teaching improvisation and group dynamics, it will click with you. Not perfect, definitely needs a sequel, definitely needs a ton of jazz songs.

Wii Sports: Obviously, we've all played Wii Sports Bowling to death, and that alone is one of the all-time greatest videogames. Tennis is also fantastic, and I was surprised by how little I missed controlling player movements, as well as how much fun doubles matches could be. Baseball and Golf should have been spun off into their own full games. Boxing has aged a bit, but it's still good waggle-mashing fun.

Guilty Party: A real surprise from Disney, this game is like a cross between the board game Clue and a minigame collection, except that the minigames are actually good and fit the theme nicely. The character designs are terrific and you can see that Disney was hoping this game would become a hit, so they could spin this into a TV cartoon series. They still ought to do that. I'd watch in a heartbeat. Just put it on right after Ducktales and Buzz Lightyear.

Muramasa: Vanillaware's brilliant anime hack-and-slash that helped bring 2D videogames back to the limelight after a decade of 3D polygon obsessions. And Thank God for that! Tell me you still don't love the art design to pieces. This is another obvious candidate for a Switch remake.

Geometry Wars Galaxies: Classic Robotron-inspired arcade shooting with 60fps and crisp visuals. There's glorious explosions everywhere, chaotic enemies that surround you at all times, a richly complex scoring system that rewards strategy and planning, a gazillion stages to play and enjoy. Heck, it's a must-own just for the shiny cover design. This is another videogame that gives me strong Dreamcast vibes.

Just Dance 1 & 2: Easily the most successful third-party franchise on the Wii, this series fulfills all the promises of the Nintendo Wii, giving us something novel and new, something that appeals to women, fitness freaks and people of all ages. I'll choose the first two games in the series because they have all the best songs. I have JD2021 on Switch and it's...okay? The songs aren't all that good. But that's probably because I'm 48 years old and would rather jump around to Surfin' Bird, MC Hammer and Viva Las Vegas.

NHL Slapshot: The hockey stick add-on screamed, "gimmick," and probably scared everybody away, but this is actually a fantastic hockey game that plays like an updated NHL 94. I'm serious. If you want NHL 94--the greatest sports videogame ever made or ever will be made--for a "modern" home console, this is the one to get. Bonus points for the fantastic pee-wee league mode, a 3-on3 match with no refs and a million hard hits. Get this. Play this. Love this.

NBA Jam: Performing dunks by slamming down the Wiimote is one of the great joys in life. You have no idea how satisfying it is until you've played a couple quarters. Is this the best Jam ever? It certainly feels that way, or to be more precise, it feels like a proper modern-era remake of the original classic. This does for basketball what NHL Slapshot does for hockey. Pity EA kneecapped this game the way they did. What was the deal about that, anyway?

Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip: Terrific snowboarding game that reminds you of Tony Hawk Pro Skater and Steep Slope Sliders in all the right ways. The Wiimote controls are very simple, yet very effective and I never felt like I was struggling to do what I wanted to do. Bonus points for the soundtrack, which skews a bit left-field for a sports game--seriously, they use the Harry Nilsson song that was used in Goodfellas.

De Blob: Is Nintendo Wii the true heir to Sega Dreamcast? De Blob feels like just the sort of thing you'd find on Sega's final system--bright and crisp visuals, clean art design, clever and original gameplay, cheerful atmosphere. I'm reminded of the multiplayer mode in Tony Hawk where you tag areas, which is probably why I love it so. That, and killing enemies by swatting down the Wiimote like they're bugs (something that was cruelly taken away in the sequel and Switch remake). The only problem, of course, is the lack of proper save points. If you're going to play, just set aside a couple hours to get through the massive city stages.

Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom: Easily the best fighting game on Wii and arguably the best of Generation Seven. You're never going to see this one again, thanks to the licensing, so enjoy the chance to play with all these wild and obscure Japanese superheroes. The sideways-Wiimote control option is excellent and really opens the game up for those who don't have joysticks (just like Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter on Sega Saturn).

 

[Daniel Thomas MacInnes]

Picked up a bunch of Nintendo Wii games again. I took this screenshot to show everything I bought in the past week or so. Not a bad haul and nearly everything was under $10, some as little as $3. Of course, none of these are the marquee franchise titles, so that's to be expected, but it's good to see that prices are still relatively low, albeit a little higher than when Gamestop was still selling used Wii games.

Better start collecting before everything gets monstrously expensive, kids.

I also finally picked up Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Zelda Skyward Sword on Ebay, and they'll arrive within a week or so. Those were two of the biggest holes in my software library and it's nice to finally get those added. I saw Galaxy 2 was selling for $50 at The Exchange in Chicago, and God Only Knows what's going to happen to Zelda after the HD Skyward Sword arrives on the Switch.

This brings my Wii software collection to 152 games, which is a really nice number but still feels a bit short. There are still so many good games to pick up, including all those Japanese RPGs that I've completely missed so far.

 

[Havoc2049]

You always have to be ahead of the curve with retro gaming. Some of the retro gaming prices these days are just crazy.

 

[Alexios]

I wish I could find Wii controllers as easy as you find the games. They're not available in any store here while a million different knock offs are. I just wanted an original Wii (or U) Remote Plus and Nunchuck. Some many months ago they were still in stores but at ludicrous pricing, now nothing.

I stored my stuff improperly, the connectors got rusted and there are issues playing, I wanted to get some new stuff for use with Dolphin but haven't been able to the last couple of years (I wasn't gonna pay 100+ or something like it with shipping). Where did they all go, they made gazillions

Even whole Wiis are going for like 200-600, you'd think people would treat a system that is pretty much everywhere according to that, not like some rarity ripe for the scalping. I don't know what it's going on and who is responsible but I sure don't like it. It seems like 100% artificial price gouging.

 

[Daniel Thomas MacInnes]

I wish I could find Wii controllers as easy as you find the games. They're not available in any store here while a million different knock offs are. I just wanted an original Wii (or U) Remote Plus and Nunchuck. Some many months ago they were still in stores but at ludicrous pricing, now nothing.

I stored my stuff improperly, the connectors got rusted and there are issues playing, I wanted to get some new stuff for use with Dolphin but haven't been able to the last couple of years (I wasn't gonna pay 100+ or something like it with shipping). Where did they all go, they made gazillions

Even whole Wiis are going for like 200-600, you'd think people would treat a system that is pretty much everywhere according to that, not like some rarity ripe for the scalping. I don't know what it's going on and who is responsible but I sure don't like it. It seems like 100% artificial price gouging.

I'm wondering what's going on with the prices on Wii hardware. The neighborhood game store is selling them for $140, which is ludicrous for a console that sold 100 million units. These babies should be literally everywhere. We might have to rely on Ebay or Craigslist for the time being. As for Wii Remotes, I still need to upgrade to the "unified" Wiimote Plus so that I won't have to use those stupid attachments anymore, but they're hard to find. I really should have bought them during the Wii U era.

The vintage videogame scene is a massive price bubble and everything is just too damned expensive. But as long as there are enough kids out there willing to pay a premium price for something that should sell for half, the situation will continue. Heck, the same local gaming store sold a copy of Panzer Saga for $750. If anyone out there is crazy enough to spend that kind of money, hey, good for the sellers.

 

[Daniel Thomas MacInnes]

I finally got around to playing EA's Grand Slam Tennis for Wii. I've had this in my collection for at least two years, but never actually played it, probably out of worry that it would be terrible or low-grade shovelware. Thankfully, that isn't the case here--this is a really great videogame.

You can play with basic Wiimote, Wii Remote Plus or nunchuck, each option offering greater precision and control. I played with the Wiimote Plus alone and was very, very impressed. The controls are very accurate and the ball goes exactly where you want it to go. Movements are very natural and don't require any real thought. Just swing like you would with a tennis racket, twist the controller to add spin, making sure you angle your shots correctly. Compared to Wii Sports Tennis, you have far more control which allows for more realistic volleys. I believe I was also able to make the player move more quickly by aiming the Wiimote, desperately catching up to that far corner at the last second, but I might just be fooling myself. I'll need to play and experiment more to be sure.

Graphics are a little cartoony, and I will admit that this turned me off when this game was released. Wii was pegged as the "kiddie console," and so everything had to have simple cartoon graphics with the exact same caricatures: spindly arms and legs, giant hands and feet, bulbous head. That is the case here, but it's not too extreme and the colors are smooth and balanced with minimal details and textures. It's not as garish as the hyper-cartoon look of Madden 10 & 11, closer to the more balanced look of Madden 12 & 13 (assuming anybody here played Madden on the Wii...probably nobody, heh). In any case, everything looks very good, color design is very solid and the motion capture animations are superb.

Virtua Tennis on Sega Dreamcast remains my gold standard for the genre, and Grand Slam Tennis compares very favorably. Indeed, it might play better. I haven't yet played Sega's Virtua Tennis games on Wii, nor have I played 2K's Top Spin series, but EA Sports' effort is widely considered the best. At this point, I would have to agree. It's just as good as NHL Slapshot and NBA Jam, two of my absolute favorite sports games for the Wii.

I bought this game from Gamestop for five dollars, which was an absolute steal. Its going price on Ebay now is ten dollars, still pretty cheap, but expect those numbers to rise.

While EA is today widely regarded as the Sith Lords of the videogame realm--and there certainly is good reason for that--it should be noted that they did an excellent job with Nintendo Wii. They really did put in an effort to exploit the new motion controls and appeal to the expanding mainstream audience. They are one of the most dependable third parties on the system and it really does feel like a golden age for them, or at least a silver age for those of us who remember the 1980s home computer and 1990s Sega Genesis days.

My only question at this point: Why hasn't EA brought Grand Slam Tennis to the Nintendo Switch? That console is starving for sports games, and the only EA Sports title available is FIFA. What gives?! You'd think 2K Sports would leap at the chance to bring back NFL2K, albeit without official licenses--but when did that ever stop the first four Madden games on Genesis? Ugh, what a crooked mess. Thanks for nothing, Sith Lords.

 

[Daniel Thomas MacInnes]

I finally got around to picking up three essential Nintendo Wii games that everybody loves: Super Mario Galaxy 2, Super Paper Mario and Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. My software library now stands at 164 titles, which still seems very small. That tells you something about the strength of the Wii.

I haven't played these very much, as I'm busy as a father to a ten-month-old baby, which keeps me busy. Additionally, you aren't supposed to expose your child to any screens, and especially television screens, before age two, so that means any videogame time is severely cut down to almost nothing. That said, I've played a little of all three and they're all terrific.

A quick note on pricing: I was able to score Galaxy 2 and Skyward Sword for around $20 each, so if your local game store is trying to jack the prices to $50 or more, step back and see what's available on Ebay. Super Paper Mario cost me $30 and that's a pretty fair price, I think. Obviously, the time to buy these was when they were selling for $20 as part of the Nintendo Selects series. But that's true for most videogames in general. At some point, if you see something that's heavily discounted, you should just buy it immediately and assume that you'll be playing it sometime in the next decade.