Posted on Wednesday, December 26 @ 11:00:00 Eastern by
Alex_Osborn

10. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Nintendo's hallmark 2D platforming series made a triumphant return to consoles with New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Even after 25 some odd years, the classic gameplay of Nintendo's side-scroller is still a blast to play. With the added ability to play with up to three additional friends at a time, this game quickly became one of the best couch co-op experiences of its time. If you're a glutton for power-up suits there's also plenty of awesome to be found. Soaring through the sky with the propeller suit or sliding across the ice in the penguin getup could very well be the definition of fun.

9. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Retro Studios blew gamers away when they revitalized the Metroid franchise by turning it into a first-person action adventure. After two entries on the GameCube, Retro rounded out the trilogy on the Wii with Corruption, which not only concluded the series in expert fashion but also made wonderful use of the Wiimote's pointer controls. In many ways, Nintendo's motion controller feels designed specifically with Metroid Prime in mind. Here's hoping we get one on the Wii U that takes it one step further with the GamePad.

8. Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Ignition Entertainment's gorgeous 2D side-scroller is an absolute must for owners of a Wii. Heck, the game jaw-dropping hand-drawn art is reason enough to purchase this game. The game was developed by Vanillaware, the same team behind the PS2 cult-classics Odin Sphere and GrimGrimoire. If the Wii's SD visuals have you down on the console, playing Muramasa will make it readily evident to you that artistic beauty can overshadow technical limitations. Oh yeah, and it's pretty fun to play too.

7. Donkey Kong Country Returns
We had to wait several years, but after a 3D collect-a-thon, a quirky rhythm-based adventure and two console generations in between, the classic 2D side-scrolling of Donkey Kong Country made its triumphant return. With Retro Studios at the helm, you don't need me to convince you that this game is supremely polished and an absolute blast to play. If you look back fondly on the days of playing as DK on your SNES, there is absolutely no reason for you not to play Donkey Kong Country Returns. Seriously, you'd be doing your inner child a serious disservice.

6. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
You know what they say, third time's a charm—but what if the first two times were also incredible? After blowing Nintendo fans away on the N64 with the original Super Smash Bros., HAL Laboratory went on to make Melee for the GameCube, which only improved the mashup brawler even more. The third entry continues the trend of astounding improvement with Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the best four-player brawler gaming currently has to offer. Heck, it was so awesome that Sony couldn't help but steal the concept.
Jonathan_Leack
Joined: Jan 2012
Lien
Joined: Feb 2008
I kinda wished the wii had more exceptional third parties like Xenogear. Makes me sad a little to tell the truth. I mean the wii had great technical potential for making immersing games like Mario galaxy. So i'd kinda hope to see Galaxy clones as the years went by, but instead, we had our fill with failed gimmicks games that feels more like casual gaming then anything... The wii u better make it up for it.
wildmario
Joined: Jan 2007
Jonathan_Leack
Joined: Jan 2012
I didn't even own a Wii and have just begun to pick these gems up for my Wii U, but even then I give credit where credit is due.
Heath_Hindman
Joined: May 2011
whytenoiz
Joined: Feb 2011
Alex_Osborn
Joined: Jan 2012
I'm also trusting Heath that Ni No Kuni is going to blow JRPG fans away when it FINALLY comes to North America.
Noritama
Joined: Feb 2012
Alex_Osborn
Joined: Jan 2012
Longo_2_guns
Joined: Jun 2003
Really though, while the Wii controls were still fairly novel when TP came out, they were really nothing super special, and the game itself was rather weak.
Alex_Osborn
Joined: Jan 2012
Mr_Rawky
Joined: Dec 2012
Although, I probably wouldn't have put it at No 2 and Xenoblade would be No 1 for my personal list.
Alex_Osborn
Joined: Jan 2012
Stickyellowsock
Joined: Oct 2009
Alex_Osborn
Joined: Jan 2012
You're missing out. Not the largest lineup of must-play games, but the ones that are worthy of your attention are some of the best gaming experiences of the past several years.
cyruszuo
Joined: Dec 2012
I'd add to the list:
Rhythm Heaven
Rune Factory: Frontier
Lost Winds: Winter of Melodias
World of Goo
Moto Heroz
Tatsunoku vs. Capcom
NBA Jam
Metroid: Other M
(I know it is hated, but personally think if you walk out of the room to get a drink when the cut scenes start and look up how to do the scanning spots you'll find that the gameplay itself is really fantastic)
I like Murasama, but mostly b/c it was beautiful, it honestly doesn't play that well.
And there are a few others I think are over-rated, but there are a lot of WAY under-rated Wii games, so I'll let a little Nintendo fanboyism slide ;).
Heath_Hindman
Joined: May 2011
MattAY
Joined: Mar 2006