Dispelling myths about the Wii

Damien Lee

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I really love the Nintendo Wii. It's a great little system that has a great library of games. On top of that, there's the Virtual Console with tons of excellent retro titles. Quite a few that are exorbitantly expensive for most gamers. Try pick up Musha Aleste for the Sega Genesis, and you'll see what I mean.

Many people often dismiss the Wii as nothing more than a kid's system with waggle controls. They miss the fact that the Wii has many excellent hardcore games that are often not available on other systems. Titles such as MadWorld, No More Heroes 1 & 2 (the PS3/Xbox 360 received an enhanced version of NMH1), Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, Tenchu: Shadow Assassins, Sin & Punishment: Star Successor and Donkey Kong Country Returns are on the short list.

Then there are Nintendo's own games which are of a standard of their own. The Wii has so many great exclusives that many gamers haven't bothered to try out. I try telling this to people who got sucked in by the Xbox 360 & PS3 with little to differentiate between the two. The Wii truly stood out and was unique in every way. Offering a far more compelling experience than the rival consoles.
 
As much as I'm a fan of the Wii, it just doesn't feel like a hardcore console to me. The games you've mentioned are fun and definitely aimed at the less casual gamer, but it's just a drop in the bucket. For every amazing hardcore game like No More Heroes, you have a hundred shovelware casual games. Add the fact that it's not in HD, and there's not much point in playing the Wii version of games if there's another version on the PC or Xbox/PlayStation.

Personally, I own a PC, an Xbox 360 and a Wii, and at most I'll play the Wii for an hour or so before getting tired of it. The biggest appeal for me is the Virtual Console, to be honest.
 
As much as I'm a fan of the Wii, it just doesn't feel like a hardcore console to me. The games you've mentioned are fun and definitely aimed at the less casual gamer, but it's just a drop in the bucket. For every amazing hardcore game like No More Heroes, you have a hundred shovelware casual games. Add the fact that it's not in HD, and there's not much point in playing the Wii version of games if there's another version on the PC or Xbox/PlayStation.

Personally, I own a PC, an Xbox 360 and a Wii, and at most I'll play the Wii for an hour or so before getting tired of it. The biggest appeal for me is the Virtual Console, to be honest.

This. I appreciate the Wii from a nostalgic view point nowadays (I was 12 when I first got it) but when I got an Xbox 360 in 2008 that became my primary system and I only used the Wii for exclusives.
 
Yeah, the Wii was a good system. There was a lot of casual games though, but nonetheless, it was a good system. And casual games are okay. I hate how some people act like if a game is "casual", then it's no good. Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Kart Wii, Harvest Moon: Animal Parade, Punch Out!! Wii, and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess are just some of the good games on the Wii for me.
 
In my particular case, I have a very deep dislike of the motion controls, so that meant the Wii (and Sony and Microsoft's imitations on that area) held little interest for me.
I always saw it as the console I'd pick up eventually one day to play SSB Brawl with the GameCube controllers and maybe one of the Nintendo IPs (especially Zelda) if I was daring enough... maybe a shooter or two knowing they'd be something casual, as I'd get tired of actually aiming within the hour or so.
But the real problem is that here in Mexico it's still expensive as hell. In 2012 we got one as a gift, so I immediately went to scope out Mario Galaxy, Twilight Princess, Brawl, etc... and damn, Brawl is a game from 2008, just like Metal Gear Solid 4, GTA IV, Resident Evil 5 or Fallout 3. All those games by 2012 were the equivalent on that year's rate to $20-30 USD, or even less (versus $70 on release date), Brawl on the hand cost like $50-60. That kept me from exploring the Wii and maybe finding a taste for it.

Today I'm very much intrigued by many of the games listed on this thread, but the prohibitive costs coupled with my doubt for the motion controls, and as far as I know, lack of backwards compatibility on the Wii U, means my Wii is still just the platform I play GameCube games on instead of that console.

Maybe on my next trip to the US, whenever that may be...
 
CemeteryGates23 It's interesting to hear about the situation in Mexico. Nintendo consoles were also prohibitively expensive down here in South Africa, particularly the N64. I had to rely on grey importers to get hold of my systems and games before the age of online shopping.

Surprisingly, the Wii was the first Nintendo console to appeal to the mainstream, locally. It did so well, that the market was flooded with systems and games. I can pick up a used Wii or game very cheaply these days. Around $ 50 for a system in decent condition and most games go for between $ 5 - $ 20. Used PS2 (yes, it still sells here), PS3 & Xbox 360 games can be had for about the same.

But I did notice people getting tired of their Wii's pretty quickly. Even the PS2 remains a more popular choice which is very disheartening. I think the waggle controls were too gimmicky for most people's tastes.
 
@Damien Lee I think you're spot on with that last comment; it is in large part my situation as well, I suppose. I was very encouraged by some game's ability to use GameCube controllers (or at the very least Brawl, from what I know) and that still drives my interest.
I must also confess, a friend of mine let me borrow a few games a couple years ago, namely Mario Galaxy, the Wii Paper Mario (forgot the title), and Twilight Princess. I played them very briefly, however, since I'd just recently experienced paternity! Perhaps now that my life is a bit more settled I should ask him to let me borrow them again. :p
 

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