How to Make a Scratched Wii Game Work Again

Few video game consoles stirred upwardly as much buzz as the Nintendo Wii. Before motion-tracking software was considered standard fare and shovelware began popping up left and right to take advantage, Nintendo looked to revolutionize the gaming landscape with the Wii.

The Wiimote and Nunchuck control organisation gave gamers a new way to game and opened the door for a new generation of interactive gaming. From brand-new motility-based political party games similar Wii Sports and Just Dance to groundbreaking installments to classic Nintendo series similar The Fable of Zelda: Twilight Princess and the Super Mario Galaxy, the Wii chop-chop became dwelling house to a stellar lineup of games for all ages.

Many of the all-time Wii games were Nintendo's start-political party titles that even so maintain premium existent estate in entertainment centers. Here is our roundup of the best Nintendo Wii games always.

Further reading:

The best Xbox 360 games of all time
The best PS3 games of all time
The best Wii U games of all time

Wii Sports

When most people think of the Wii console, they think of Wii Sports. A simple pack-in minigame drove, Wii Sports featured uncomplicated, motility-controlled approximations of lawn tennis, golf, bowling, baseball, and boxing. Players utilize their created Miis (linked to your Wii profile) to participate in sporting events using the Wiimote and Nunchuk, either competing against other players or the computer.

The games are simple, simply also are very fun and incredibly intuitive. You lot could put a Wiimote in near anyone's hand, and they could figure out how to play in seconds. At the time, information technology was a perfect showcase for the Wii's potential. In hindsight, information technology may accept beeen the pinnacle of success for the console. For a time, yous could walk into whatever higher dorm room or apartment in America and see a couple of bobbleheaded cartoons battling it out on screen.

Given how ubiquitous the title was, it'due south no surprise that Wii Sports clocks in as the fourth bestselling video game of all time — only One thousand Theft Auto 5, Minecraft, and Tetris take sold more than copies, and all three of those were multiplatform releases.

Wii Sports Resort

Despite the success of Wii Sports, some felt the game was a little scrap barebones, with just five sports to choose from — one of which (ahem, baseball) was directly-upwards awful. Enter Wii Sports Resort, which takes the same idea and cranks information technology upward to 11; or, more accurately, to 12. This Wii game offers 12 different fun vacation-themed activities, including archery, sword fighting, and basketball game, among others. The immensely popular golf game and bowling games from Wii Sports return, as does tennis (but this time, it'southward in ping-pong form). Resort does an excellent job of expanding upon a successful formula, with games that use both the Wiimote and Nunchuk to total effect.

Super Boom Bros. Brawl

The third entry in Nintendo's famous fighting game serial earned disquisitional acclaim for tweaking the popular formula and adding several new features, including crazy-powerful "Final Smash" moves that can swing the momentum of a battle. Brawl also introduced tertiary-political party characters to the Super Smash Bros. series for the outset time, namely Sonic the Hedgehog and Solid Snake from the Metal Gear series.

Other new additions include a Pokémon Trainer character that controls fully evolved versions of the starter Pokémon from Pokémon Red and Bluish. The Wii game featured an expanded suite of unmarried-player activities, including the Subspace Emissary Adventure mode, and offered online multiplayer (via Wi-Fi) for the offset time in the series. Unfortunately, the Super Smash Bros. Wi-Fi access has since shut downwardly, though Wii emulators on PC take kept online multiplayer alive.

Kirby's Epic Yarn

In Kirby'south Epic Yarn, an iconic Nintendo franchise, got a consummate makeover, and it's an absolute nail. The gorgeous "knit" art manner here isn't just for show — with his new abilities, Kirby can interact with the environment itself, unzipping portions of the level and pulling on threads to reveal hidden areas. The creatively designed run a risk game is built for younger and more experienced audiences alike, with a low difficulty threshold and lots of secrets to uncover equally you play.

Clever boss fights and challenges present a expert deal of variance in gameplay, with certain levels transforming Kirby into numerous different vehicles. Y'all can also play co-op, working together to reach lofty ledges or defeat crafty foes, and if y'all don't own a Wii, the game will exist coming to the 3DS as Kirby'southward Actress Epic Yarn.

Xenoblade Chronicles

As one of the Wii's most popular titles, Xenoblade Chronicles earned a cult-similar following and proved that sprawling RPG gameplay could survive — or even thrive — on the panel. With real-time gainsay reminiscent of MMORPG games, players manage cooldowns and swap between basic attacks and more powerful "Arts." The massive open globe takes place on the bodies of two titans, where protagonist Shulk seeks to employ a legendary sword to defend his people confronting the evil Mechon army.

It sounds similar your regular, everyday JRPG, but the game's scope, immersive story, gorgeous audio design, and intuitive control scheme makeChronicles worth remembering. A sequel for Nintendo Switch, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, has been released, and there'southward also Xenoblade Chronicles X available on Wii U.

Wii Political party

If you like the idea of Mario Party, but do not want to risk losing lifelong friends over a meaningless video game, consider going back and playing Wii Party. The fast-paced minigame collection features 80 different activities, which you can play a la carte, or equally office of organized game modes like "Board Game Island" and "Globe Trot."
Games similar "Fourth dimension Flop" and "Buddy Quiz" offer fun game-show-type diversions that let yous play casually with friends, though there are as well several more than involved games like "Remainder Boat," which will require your undivided attention. The game makes excellent utilise of the Wii remote's unique control scheme in artistic means, and — best of all — there are no stupid ghosts waiting to steal all your stuff.

MadWorld

PlatinumGames' highly stylized brawlerMadWorld makes brutal murder look good. Players control Jack, who enters an extremely violent game show called DeathWatch and gain to impale his fashion through several levels in creative and gory ways.MadWorld earned the scorn of many reviewers and media members for its graphic content; in fact, Sega declined to release the game in several countries birthday due to subject-matter limitations.

The game is really quite funny, with hilarious commentary provided by John DiMaggio (Futurama) and Greg Proops, and the story — while brusque — is engaging and satisfying. Oh, did we mention Jack has a chainsaw for an arm? 'Crusade he does.

Donkey Kong State Returns

The original Donkey Kong Country is legendary. From its seemingly futuristic graphics (in its time) to the iconic music to the controller-shattering difficulty, the 1994 title provided treasured memories for lots of gamers. Afterward a 13-year hiatus followingDonkey Kong Country 3, the serial made its triumphant return on the Wii with Ass Kong Country Returns.

The side-scrolling, platforming gameplay is as ruthless equally ever, with more than bananas to collect and more than hidden areas than yous can milkshake a stick at. This fourth dimension around, Diddy Kong is equipped with a jetpack to help the primate pair traverse the levels, and a co-op manner lets Player 2 take command of the junior Kong. The Wii version was later ported to Nintendo 3DS, and a sequel also is available on the Wii U and Switch.

Animal Crossing: City Folk

Nintendo's Creature Crossing franchise has become a household name, beloved by fans across the globe for its anthropomorphic animals and quirky life simulation gameplay. Fauna Crossing: Urban center Folk successfully brought that formula to the Wii in 2008, letting players build a life among the woodland critters (no, not those woodland critters); if you liked the Gamecube or Nintendo DS versions ofAnimal Crossing, you'll probably like this, also.

Urban center Folk brings back series mainstays similar the tanuki, or raccoon dog, shop owner Tom Nook, and players go to come across the seasons change in real time, co-ordinate to the Wii's clock. The game utilizes movement controls for things like chopping woods and line-fishing. If zero else, City Folk offers what may be the near exhilarating accomplishment constitute in a video game: Paying off a mortgage — something that is much harder to do in existent life.

Super Mario Milky way

Nintendo — and the Mario franchise in detail — has ever been known for innovation. Super MarioMilky way, 1 of the near beloved video games of all time (on whatsoever platform), is as innovative as information technology gets, blending the tried-and-true formula introduced in Super Mario 64 with incredibly creative level design and unique mechanics centered effectually gravity.

Like near games in the series, Super Mario Milky way begins with Bowser abducting Peach, after which Mario is granted magical powers and then that he tin, uh, fly through space and traverse tiny planetoids to collect Power Stars. It sounds dumb, and it is, merely the feel is sublime.

Super Mario Galaxy two

You knew this was coming! The first iteration ofGalaxy was universally acclaimed, earning most-perfect scores from simply almost every reviewer that touched it. Somehow, Nintendo went out and made information technology significantly better withGalaxy 2, which features more interesting level design, paired with better pacing and tougher challenges than the original.

Here, yous'll find more varied power-ups and some really creative additions, like Lite Yoshi'southward ability to uncover invisible platforms. The second Galaxy improves upon the (very few) issues that fans had with the first — namely, camera control and a half-baked cooperative component — without breaking the wheel.

Metroid Prime number 3: Corruption

When the Metroid series made its way onto GameCube asMetroid Prime, it was showered with praise for successfully offering a first-person take on the franchise. LikePrime andMetroid Prime number 2: Echoes earlier it,Corruption follows bounty hunter Samus Aran in her battle confronting the nefarious Space Pirates (and other foes). Samus' trusty beam cannon and missile launcher return, as does her "Morph Ball" ability, allowing her to roll up in a tiny ball to explore tight spaces.

Metroid Prime three: Corruption makes fantabulous apply of the Wii's motion controls, combining lock-on targeting with free aiming for a smoothen, responsive feel. The difficulty is toned down a bit fromEchoes, where boss fights frequently required several attempts, but Corruptionis still a satisfying experience. A fourth Prime number game is in development for Nintendo Switch, then you still have time to catch upward, since it's still early in development.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess takes on a decidedly darker tone than virtually Zelda games. This time effectually, Link is enlisted to save Hyrule from beingness engulfed by a parallel dimension known equally the Twilight Realm and imbued with some transformative new powers. While those new abilities provide a welcome change of pace, the game is arguably one of the most bourgeois entries in the Legend of Zelda franchise. It'south true, the game's motion controls are hit-or-miss, but swinging Link's sword is a lot of fun, and it makes combat more than engaging. For one of the earliest Wii titles, it holds up incredibly well. An HD remaster with a handful of differences was later released for Wii U.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Serving as the origin story for the unabridged Zelda serial, The Fable of Zelda: Skyward Sword tells the offset version of the now-iconic legend of three ancient Goddesses capable of manifesting the greatest power imaginable — the Triforce. Due to chivalrous forces, the Goddess of Hylia eradicated the threat to the Triforce, sending a large cake of land to the sky, and consequently making the globe uninhabitable. Many years later, that rock is dwelling to a minor gild, who tell legends of a earth down below. When Zelda is taken to the unknown below past the winds of a tornado, young Link has to go find her.

Skyward Sword is a great 3D Zelda take chances in the tradition of Ocarina of Time. Its greatness, however, is mired by its motion controls. As one of the only titles requiring the Wii Move Plus add-on, Skyward Sword'southward requirement of precision, when precision wasn't quite possible with the technology, made the experience frustrating for some. If you can go by the controls, you're in for a existent treat.

Mario Kart Wii

Allow'southward be real — Mario Kart Wii doesn't change the game like Mario Kart 64 orDouble Nuance, merely the Wii version of this time-honored Nintendo tradition was still love in its own right. It felt similar a slicker, meliorate-looking version of Mario Kart 64,and that'southward not a bad affair. The most novel aspect of Mario Kart Wii, like many Wii games, was its motility controls.

Nintendo even bundled in the plastic bike zipper with each copy of the game. With 32 tracks — 16 new, 16 from previous games — and boxing fashion, the Wii entry of the iconic racer delivered a relatively robust package that really hit its step when playing on the couch alongside friends. Considering motion controls accept been a part of each console Mario Kart experience since (Mario Kart 8 for Wii U and the palatial version for Switch), Mario Kart Wii'south impact is however establish in the series today. Even though it wasn't quite what we wanted, Mario Kart is bully no thing what. You would exist difficult-pressed to find a better racing game for Wii.

Muramasa: The Demon Bract

A sleeper jewel from Vanillaware, Muramasa: The Demon Blade combined onetime-school beat-'em-upward mechanics with RPG leveling and boodle systems to create a surprisingly deep and stylish activity-hazard. The game's story riffs off Japanese mythology and folklore, with the main goal of thwarting the Demon Blades' corruptive powers. Throughout the second side-scroller, yous play as two unlike protagonists, with each department telling a different tale.

The story was interesting plenty and the dialogue was competent, but the game truly shined for its gameplay. Although the gainsay boiled down to fast inputs, the RPG accent gave the mechanics a tactical layer that simply became more enriching as your characters gained new abilities and techniques. For fans of classic 2D shell-'em-ups but long for more than depth, Muramasa was an intoxicating affiliation. It was also later remastered for PS Vita under the championship Muramasa Rebirth.

No More than Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle

From the always-interesting mind of game maker Suda51, No More Heroes 2: Drastic Struggle expanded on the promise of the original Wii game to become 1 of the standout third-political party hits on the panel. No More Heroes ii once over again put players in control of axle-katana-wielding Travis Touchdown as he returns to Santa Destroy after a three-yr absence. With fun and zany boss fights — for instance, a mech formed by combining a football star and cheerleaders — and fluid action-packed combat, No More Heroes ii did everything the original did merely amend.

From the head-scratching (yet funny) writing to the removal of the pesky overworld to the 8-bit minigames that allow you take a sabbatical from slaying foes, Suda51's No More than Heroes 2 established itself as an intriguing reason to own the Wii exterior of Mario and Zelda games.

Monster Hunter Tri

Originally planned for PlayStation iii, Monster Hunter Tri is an instance of how the Wii'due south less powerful hardware could be a boon for developers. High development costs shifted development of the third console game in the long-running franchise to Wii. The result was one of the largest, near ambitious titles to arrive on the console.

Like all games in the franchise, Monster Hunter Tri tasked players with fighting huge creatures, capturing monsters Pokémon-style, all the while constantly upgrading your grapheme's gear. If you lot enjoyed the gameplay loop and the abiding grind, Monster Hunter Tri was a time sink that compelled y'all to go on going frontward. The game was later remastered for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS as Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.

Mario Strikers: Charged

Super Mario Strikers was a surprisingly fun GameCube championship, taking classic franchise characters to the soccer pitch for activity-packed matches, merely information technology got stale later on a while — especially if you didn't have friends to play with.Charged brings that fun to the Wii — with many features that worked in the original game and adding pocket-size improvements beyond the board. Movement controls are implemented sparingly, but to great effect — y'all can gesture to knock opponents off the brawl or into the contend. Plus,Charged added a solid online multiplayer option, though it is no longer playable, due to servers existence shut downward.

The Conduit

The Conduit marries schlocky B-movie writing with a unique control scheme designed specifically for the Wii, and it's actually pretty fun. Aliens known as "The Grubber" invade Washington, D.C., using a series of "Conduits" (aka portals), and the player takes control of government agent Michael Ford to gainsay the villains. A cool gadget chosen the "All-Seeing Center" (we told you lot it was schlocky) allows players to solve various puzzles throughout the game, while Ford wields a multifariousness of guns against both human and inhuman foes.

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn

The sequel to 2005'due south Path of Radiance, Radiant Dawnpresents one of the nigh challenging experiences that y'all'll find on the Wii. The sprawling, four-function campaign sees players accept command of several different characters and factions spread across the war-torn land of Tellius, engaging in tactical, turn-based combat that requires a off-white flake of thought and planning.

Developing your units properly is paramount to success, as battles become less and less forgiving throughout the game. In contrast to nigh Fire Emblem games, the story hither feels a fleck trite and undercooked, but the fantastic musical score and overall sense of weight behind the fighting provide a memorable temper.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

In 2006, Nintendo rebooted the Super Mario franchise withNew Super Mario Bros. for Nintendo DS. The follow-up for Wii stands as one of the most well-received games on the console, giving the series a fresh glaze of paint for a new generation without deviating from the elements that made information technology popular in the kickoff identify. The archetype "World Map" layout and linear level progression aid make the game feel like Mario titles of old, but information technology brings some cool new tricks, including new items like the Propeller Mushroom, which give players a reason to use the Wii's motility controls.

Super Paper Mario

Tired of all these Mario games? Neither are we, because they're great.Super Paper Mario blends traditional Mario platforming with RPG and puzzle-solving elements, creating an extremely enjoyable packet. Players accept control of Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Bowser, flipping back and forth betwixt 2D and 3D perspectives to progress. The story navigates eight chapters, each set in a different themed "Dimension," each full of unique challenges. Like well-nigh games in the franchise, Super Paper Mario has some personality, with lots of humorous moments throughout.

Dial-Out!!

After a xv-year hiatus, Punch-Out!! returned with a bang as one of the only story-driven boxing games around. Players one time once again step into the boots of Little Mac as he works his mode through the professional battle circuits, battling against several colorful characters to become the World Video Boxing Champion. Players maneuver effortlessly through boxing matches past utilizing Wii'due south remote command, whose technological sophistication is unparalleled. The remote control's format allows players the ability to coordinate their punches accurately so that they may earn "stars" that will afford them more dominant moves.

"Championship Defense" mode jacks up the difficulty, calculation new counter moves for the reckoner-controlled opponents to use, and the included multiplayer is a ton of fun, where players build power before transforming into a hulking behemoth to bargain massive damage.

WarioWare: Smooth Moves

If there was whatever doubt near the Wii's place when it comes to party consoles, the multiplayer extravaganza that is WarioWare: Smooth Moves leaves no question virtually it. Players compete in various brusque "microgames" that have less than ten seconds. These games, all loosely roped together past story and hysterical introductions, involve activities like frying food and shaving mustaches.

Even non-gamers will beloved Smooth Moves . It's easy to get the hang of and its overall absurdity makes information technology addictive.

Speed is of the utmost importance in this game, and some of the game'south foreign objectives volition accept you manipulating your Wiimote at strange angles. As a fun bonus, some microgames toss out entertaining references to other Nintendo games.

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