GameRevolution's Top 25 Wii Games

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

5. Xenoblade Chronicles

It's hard to believe this epic JRPG almost didn't make it to North America. This is easily the best role-playing experience you'll find on the Wii and among the best of the last decade. In an industry where most games are around 10 hours long, Xenoblade Chronicles is so large, it will take you far longer to complete. That means a larger story, deeper characters and a whole lot more gameplay—which just so happens to be fast, fluid and fun. RPG lovers can't afford to miss this one.

4. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Ever since Nintendo first touted the accuracy of Wii Motion Plus, it was readily obvious that Skyward Sword would be the showpiece for the tech. Swinging the Wiimote and watching Link swipe his blade in the same fashion for the first time was nothing short of astounding. Let's also not discount the fact that this is a Zelda game, which means plenty of geniously-crafted dungeons, loads of cool gadgets and an epic quest. The watercolor art style was also a brilliant move that hides the Wii's technical limitations.

3. Super Mario Galaxy 2

Mario's planet-hopping franchise is easily one of the best series on the Wii. The plumber is out to save the princess again and this time he's got his pal Yoshi. Despite the fact that this is an SD title, thanks to some beautiful art direction and some serious developing magic, Super Mario Galaxy 2 can hold its own against many of the high-def titles on the market. If you're a lover of 3D Mario platforming (and how could you not be?) this one's an absolute must play.

2. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Fans of Ocarina of Time will find in Twilight Princess the greatest love letter Nintendo has ever crafted. Not only does the game take quite a few pages out of the N64 classic's book, it also provides a number of exciting new twists that give the experience its own identity. It's easily one of the darkest Zelda games Nintendo has ever crafted and it features some of the franchise's most memorable characters—how could you ever forget Midna? It's the mature take on the series that fans had been crying out for ever since the launch of the GameCube, and it turned out to be an absolute masterpiece. Now if only we could get another of its ilk on the Wii U...

1. Super Mario Galaxy

What can I say? Mario is easily Nintendo's most prized franchise, and rightly so. The fearless plumber's first outing on the Wii was absolutely astounding. Super Mario Sunshine proved to be a polarizing 3D platformer on the GameCube, but you won't find too many people who don't like Galaxy. It's got super tight controls, addictive gameplay and ingenious level design that takes platforming to new levels of awesome. Mario 64 used to hold the title as the greatest 3D platformer of all time, but its safe to say that Mario Galaxy now holds that torch, proudly.

What do you think of our picks? Agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comments below.

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Tags: Nintendo, Wii, Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Donkey Kong, Super Smash Bros., Retro Studios, Top 25 Games, Best of GR

Comments

Jonathan_Leack
Joined: Jan 2012

Posted: Dec 26th, 2012 at 11:49 am
I've gotta say, out of the three last-gen consoles the Wii had the best top 5 list.

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Lien
Joined: Feb 2008

Posted: Dec 26th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Ya being sarcastic? Every top list with the wii system is almost like Nintendo showing off their merchandising. We got Mario game, zelda game, mario game, zelda game, mario game, zelda game, mario game... oh and also fire emblem. Remember how the Snes and the gamecube top 10 list actually had something not nintendo brand in it?

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.

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wildmario
Joined: Jan 2007

Posted: Dec 26th, 2012 at 12:46 pm
Yeah if only 3rd parties put in more effort in their nintendo games instead of making quick cash ins to fund other non nintendo projects.

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Jonathan_Leack
Joined: Jan 2012

Posted: Dec 26th, 2012 at 1:33 pm
Oh come on let's be realistic here. Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the highest-rated game of all-time. Skyward Sword was the best action RPG of the generation. Xenoblade Chronicles was the best JRPG of the generation.

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.

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Heath_Hindman
Joined: May 2011

Posted: Dec 26th, 2012 at 5:10 pm
I can swing to your jive, though my two favorite JRPGs of this generation have been Ni no Kuni and Valkyria Chronicles. So THIRD best in the Book of Heath! ^_^ That's just me though.

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whytenoiz
Joined: Feb 2011

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 5:51 am
I'm inclined to agree with Jonathan, as soon as you get over the fact that Mario is a pop culture icon and has bombarded our videogame screens for almost 30 years you can see that Mario galaxy is one of the most solid titles. I never owned a Wii but since picking it up on Wii U I wonder why I haven't. There truly is something for everyone and it is impossible to deny that Nintendo's time and energy paid off in spades for this game.

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Alex_Osborn
Joined: Jan 2012

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 11:09 am
The Mario Galaxy games are astounding, but it wouldn't go so far as to say Skyward Sword is the greatest action-RPG of the generation. Glad you love it though, Jonathan.

I'm also trusting Heath that Ni No Kuni is going to blow JRPG fans away when it FINALLY comes to North America.

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Noritama
Joined: Feb 2012

Posted: Dec 26th, 2012 at 3:44 pm
I agree up till skyward sword and Twilight Princess. I believe those roles should be switched.

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Alex_Osborn
Joined: Jan 2012

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 11:06 am
I'm sure a lot of people feel that way. A couple of us on staff just loved Ocarina of Time nostalgia factor that was packed into Twilight Princess. Plus, the excessive padding in Skyward Sword was a major letdown, personally.

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Longo_2_guns
Joined: Jun 2003

Posted: Dec 26th, 2012 at 5:11 pm
If Twilight Princess is the second best Wii game, something something disappointing lineup.

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.

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Alex_Osborn
Joined: Jan 2012

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 11:11 am
I'd agree that the motion controls were nothing special, but I have to disagree with your thoughts that it was rather weak. Loved the darker tone. Plus, the dungeons were quite spectacular.

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Mr_Rawky
Joined: Dec 2012

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 4:10 am
You have no idea how happy I am to see Twilight Princess beat Skyward Sword, I even created an account so I can make this comment and show my appreciation to you fella's and fella'ettes.

Although, I probably wouldn't have put it at No 2 and Xenoblade would be No 1 for my personal list.

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Alex_Osborn
Joined: Jan 2012

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 11:12 am
Thanks for checking out the list! You should stick around and comment on our articles more often. We love a good discussion and always appreciate another perspective.

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Stickyellowsock
Joined: Oct 2009

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 5:11 am
Still to this day have not picked up and played a wii even once...sort of proud of that fact/

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Alex_Osborn
Joined: Jan 2012

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 11:14 am
:(

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.

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cyruszuo
Joined: Dec 2012

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 1:21 pm
Good list, and the Wii had some GREAT games.

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 ;).

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Heath_Hindman
Joined: May 2011

Posted: Dec 28th, 2012 at 3:05 am
See I liked Muramasa's tight controls. At first I wasn't a fan (as with all Wii games) but I grew into them quickly. ^_^

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MattAY
Joined: Mar 2006

Posted: Dec 28th, 2012 at 6:09 am
I completely forgot about Zack & Wiki. What a great game that was! Proof that third party games can be sublime. Shame a second wasnt made.

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