The Wii was Nintendo’s bold experiment with motion controls. The Wii remote/nunchuck combination made for some interesting experiences that could not be found on other systems. Unfortunately, the console also had its drawbacks, particularly the fact that it was not as powerful as its rival consoles: the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.
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This made development for multiplatform releases a little tricky. Some developers opted to skip bringing their games to the platform altogether. Publishers were also known to commission separate developers from the mainline version of the game to develop the Wii edition. The end results across the board were certainly interesting.
7Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
UbiSoft releasedPrince of Persia: The Forgotten Sandsto coincide with the distribution of the Jake Gyllenhaal-starring film, released in May 2010. The game takes place between the first two entries of Ubisoft’sPrince of Persiatrilogy. The Wii also got its own version ofPrince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, thanks to the team at UbiSoft Quebec.
This game should have been a complete disaster, but the reality exceeds expectations. It tells an interesting story that takes place in an ancient kingdom overrun by a malevolent force. The gameplay and controls were tailor-made for the Wii, providing some amazing platforming challenges. Also, the Prince has some entertaining banter with a genie that accompanies him along the way.
6Transformers: Cybertron Adventures
High Moon Studios took on theTransformersfranchise with a pair of games that tells the story of the War on Cybertron betweenthe AutoBots and Decepticons. The first of these titles isTransformers: War for Cybertron, a third-person shooter where players can choose to fight alongside Optimus Prime or Megatron.
The Wii did not getWar for Cybertron. Instead, it gotTransformers:Cybertron Adventuresfrom developer Next Level Games. Players can still fight for Optimus or Megatron, but rather than a third-person shooter, the game is a lightgun arcade shooter, a genre that experienced a renaissance on the Wii hardware, thanks to its pointer controls. Players automatically move through game environments while stopping to take cover and target baddies. Unfortunately, transforming at will is not an option, but vehicle segments do diversify the action.
This game earns its place on the list simply because of how bizarre it is.DeadRisingpremiered on the Xbox 360 in 2006 as a technical showcase for the then-next-gen hardware, boasting hordes of zombies on-screen at one time. Photojournalist Frank West enters a shopping mall that acts as a playground to engage in all kinds of hilarious zombie carnage.
Dead Risingwould eventually shamble its way onto the Wii in 2009 in the form ofDead Rising: Chop ‘Til You Drop. The decision to port the game to the underpowered, waggle-centric Wii was a perplexing one. Capcom and Tose certainly deserve credit for taking on the task, building upon the engine for the Wii version ofResident Evil 4,another horror gameported to the Wii hardware. Of course, some compromises were made to the final product, like limiting how much room players had to move around and fewer zombies on-screen at a time. It also hascrazy cover art.
4Virtua Tennis 4
Virtua Tenniswas one of the big juggernaut franchises from Sega, having debuted withthe firstVirtua Tennisgamein 1999. Future installments would appear on multiple consoles, including the Wii.
What makesVirtua Tennis 4on the Wii stand out from the other titles on this list are its motion controls, no doubtinspired byWii Sports. Apart from needing regular recalibration, swinging the Wii remote from a first-person perspective is an exhilarating experience. Hitting the ball gives a satisfying pop, and the game’s roster of professional players features some of the greats.
3Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Star Wars: The Force Unleashedby Lucas Arts provides the ultimate Sith power fantasy. The game follows Vader’s secret apprentice, codenamed Starkiller, as he slices and dices Jedi, Rebels, and Imperials alike with overpowered abilities. The game also tells the story of the rise of the Rebel Alliance, a concept being revisited inAndoron Disney+.
Duties for the Wii version of the game would be handed over to the late Krome Studios in Australia. For the most part, they succeeded. Swinging the Wii Remote swings the lightsaber, and flicking the nunchuck Force pushes foes. Flinging enemies around is a thrill, and blocking laser blasts by tilting the Wii remote makes one feel invincible.
2Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince
EA’sHarry Pottergames take players through a loose interpretation of the events of the movies. The sixth entry unravels the story of Harry’s rival, Draco Malfoy, as he attempts his initiation into Voldemort’s Death Eaters. It also follows Harry as he and Dumbledore attempt to find a way to defeat Voldemort.
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The Wii version ofHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Princeisan “open-school” gamewhere Harry can walk from one end of Hogwarts Castle to another in real-time with no loading screens. The fact that the Wii can handle this kind of technical feat is impressive on its own. The Wii-exclusive motion controls also add a touch of magic to the experience, allowing the use of gestures to cast spells and brew potions.
1Call Of Duty Modern Warfare: Reflex Edition
One of Activision-Blizzard’s big juggernauts isthe FPS seriesCall of Duty. The series experienced a shakeup in 2007 withCall of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, which changed the setting to a modern-day conflict in the Middle East.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfarewould later come to the Wii in the form ofCall of Duty Modern Warfare: Reflex Edition, which is a miracle on its own. Of course, the weaker hardware required that the graphics be scaled back, but other than that, it works fairly well with the pointer controls, just as long as the sensor bar is picking up the Wii remote.
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