Feature | Nintendo's Wii U is Out! What About Wii, Though? Page 1

Last Christmas Cubed3 took a look at some of the best games available on Wii, with the team coming together to create an ultimate Top 20 list of titles that should not be missed out on. With Wii U now on the market, many may think that the original Wii should be cast aside. However, with the backwards compatibility of Wii U and the fact that there are still millions of Wii players around the world, the Cubed3 team has decided to look at some other key releases that are bubbling under the 'Top 20' heading.

Adam Riley, Operations Director

It is always so amazingly tough to make selections of 'best games ever' and there will always be those that fall by the wayside, especially if not released in all regions. One such example has to be Trauma Team, by the same group that brought the world the fantastic Trauma Center surgeon titles on DS and Wii. Atlus this time, though, decided to expand upon the idea of hospital antics to include far more than simple slicing and dicing of inpatients. For those that loved the past entries, there was still the opportunity to remove objects from people that have had accidents or clean wounds that may have become infected, made all the more difficult by having to keep a close eye on patients' vital signs. It was the new elements added in that made for such an intriguing experience on the whole, however.

The most enticing of the extra modes, on a personal note, were Forensics and Diagnosis, which play out rather like the Ace Attorney series. From performing autopsies, going over crime scenes and gathering information from witness testimonials in the Forensics side, to sitting down with patients and squeezing the truth out of them about symptoms they may be hiding in Diagnosis, the 'adventure' feel brought a fantastic sense of extra depth to proceedings. The fact that Trauma Team was never picked up for a European release is truly astonishing and can only be related to how Nintendo wrapped up the rights to the 'Trauma' games with Trauma Center: Under the Knife on DS and Trauma Center: Second Opinion on Wii, both of which sold well, but were followed by an underperforming Trauma Center: New Blood on Wii that led to Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 on DS never getting released, and probably why Trauma Team was kyboshed as well.

Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep was given a glowing review nearly three years ago thanks to it taking what was already a brilliant concept and developing it considerably, bringing more oomph to its serene predecessor. Delving into the depths of the ocean and gently floating around proved to be truly majestic, with hours slipping away as the soundtrack calmed minds and the process of swimming about, capturing details of all the aquatic life, proved so effortless. Adventures of the Deep has six different diving spots to visit around the world, each brimming with new types of marine life to discover, hidden sections to uncover, plenty of missions that need to be completed, plus a seemingly endless supply of buried items to search for. Developer Arika really went to town on packing in as much content as possible to alleviate the concerns gamers had with the first Endless Ocean. As well as identifying new creatures, reading up on the details added to their journals on local areas and species found within, and salvaging new treasure that must be evaluated when back on dry land, players could even take the most interesting photos and store them on an SD card for sharing with friends later. A truly deep adventure that should be found at all costs!

Rudy Lavaux, Retro Editor

I love horror games, and all things considered, the Wii never saw a draught of those, although admittedly not all of them were of top notch quality. One of the most renowned franchises in the genre, Silent Hill, had yet to be seen on a Nintendo home console after the forgettable Play Novel: Silent Hill was released for the Game Boy Advance over a decade ago. Finally, it happened on Wii in 2010 with Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, despite a previous statement from series sound composer Akira Yamaoka hinting that this would never happen.

It's easy to see why this game didn't perform as well as it deserves, considering how it ventured far from the action-oriented gameplay that the series had come to be known for, favouring running from your foes over facing them directly. However, taken on its own, this is still by far the most scary and disturbingly good horror experience you will find on the Wii. This Wii version even goes an extra mile in being a far better visual experience than its PS2 counterpart, despite the common assumption among Wii detractors that the Wii hardware belongs in the previous generation of consoles. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is by far one of the most visually impressive games on the system, especially in the lighting effects and textures departments.

Another example of one not to miss would be Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon. It is neither quite a survival-horror nor an action-RPG. It's rather a hybrid combining elements of both. This means that instead of excelling in just one of its sources of inspiration, it does things right in both, but not perfectly, leading to some harsh opinions on certain aspects of the game, mainly the gameplay -- and yet, failing to look past some of its small flaws prevents its detractors from sampling one of the best artistically accomplished games the Wii has to offer. It was developed jointly by Namco Bandai and tri-Crescendo, the latter of which is best known for playing a big role in developing both Baten Kaitos games and Eternal Sonata -- a token of quality, no doubt.

Fragile Dreams is a masterpiece of visual design. It manages to capture an excellent sense of solitude that fits the post-apocalyptic theme of the game very well. Exploring the world abandoned by its inhabitants, and witnessing the remnants of their past existence by close examining the messages they left behind is a thoroughly satisfying experience. The gameplay has a few flaws, but this in no way diminishes the enjoyment to be had from this lonely and captivating adventure. For its artistic value beyond most other Wii games, Fragile Dreams deserves more recognition than it originally received.

A lot of games on Wii deserve being called "Top" games. In fact, too many for all of them to be mentioned, and some may sometimes fall into genres that are not appreciated by the majority of people. Dead Space: Extraction, for example is one of the best Rail Shooters for the Wii, better than both Resident Evil Chronicles games, in my opinion, and yet it didn't get the attention it deserved because it wasn't a first-person horror game like its predecessor. The House of the Dead: Overkill is another brilliant game in the same genre. Another source of shame, which has always existed, is when games don't even make it to European shores, like Excitebots: Trick Racing, which could be labelled the best racing game on Wii if it wasn't for Mario Kart Wii and its successful online mode. Truly the Wii has had some great titles over the years, and it's nice to be able to look back now and see how far it has come in gathering so many great titles.

Aaron Elias, Previews Editor

Metroid is one of my all-time favourite games series. Having grown up playing the original 2D games and loving the freedom and non-linearity the player was presented with they were unlike anything I'd experienced. After a hiatus, amazingly, Retro Studios successfully managed to recreate the exact same qualities that the series was so famous for in the Metroid Prime trilogy, putting you right inside Samus' Power Suit and truly feeling that sense of isolation on foreign lands. It was with such joy then, when I discovered that Metroid: Other M, the next game in the series and a collaboration between Team Ninja and Nintendo, would merge the 2D and first-person aspects that I equally adore.

Whilst Metroid: Other M might not have been quite to everybody's expectations, it was most definitely true to the Metroid formula. Fixed viewpoints and lots of side-scrolling and platforming made me feel right at home. Controls were implemented wonderfully, with the Wii Remote being held sideways and digital movement on the D-pad gave it that extra old-school kick. At any moment during the game, you could point the Wii Remote at the screen to enter first-person mode, which would let you scan the area for clues and objects of interest, or accurately aim to take out enemies. A simple dodge and counter mechanic allowed us to see the more brutal side of Ms. Aran, with some cool-looking moves showing she's extremely physically capable.

Other M gave a very insightful look at Samus' history, so for someone like myself that is always eager to learn more about one of my favourite characters, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the flashbacks to a younger Samus. Plenty of fan service was also thrown in, including familiar enemies, bosses and power-ups and a vast range of locales ranging from lava-infested areas to snowy regions. As a long-time fan of the series, Metroid: Other M absolutely delivered for me and, with a huge sense of nostalgia, reminded me just why I have such a fondness for the games.

It probably comes as little surprise to learn that the other game I think fully deserves to be recognised even today is Donkey Kong Country Returns. Just like Metroid, I was born at the perfect time to start my video game life playing games that kicked off many great Nintendo series, and Donkey Kong Country on the SNES was one of the first games I owned. For so long I have craved a true Donkey Kong Country 4, so imagine my excitement when I learned that Retro Studios, a developer I had already massive respect for doing the impossible with Metroid, was the one to rejuvenate another of my beloved franchises.

I commend Retro for putting its own spin on things with DKC Returns. Rather than simply copy and pasting much of what Rare had done with the original trilogy, the team tried to breathe new life into the series by introducing new enemies, personal attributes for DK and Diddy and a slightly different control scheme. Gone were the Kremlings and in were the Tiki Tak Tribe, a group of evil tikis that had the same notion of stealing DK's banana horde. Instead of being able to switch between controlling Donkey Kong and Diddy mid-game, Diddy always rode on top of DK's back, putting to use his new moves such as the Rocket Pack for a jump boost. Two-player mode allowed each person to control the Kongs separately, and you could actually feel the difference between the two. DK has always been about brute force and his jumps were noticeably heavier compared to the more flexible Diddy. By shaking the Wii Remote, DK could pound the ground and perform roll attacks to defeat enemies and make longer jumps.

Despite underwater levels being cut since the developers felt they slowed down the pace of the game, there were plenty of terrific stage designs. Perhaps the best examples are the silhouette levels, where a beautiful orangey-red sunset could be seen on the horizon, and the foreground and character models are simply solid black in colour. In terms of graphics overall, this game has to be one of the best renditions of a side-scrolling game utilising 3D graphics. Seamless transition between multiple background planes truly shows how much effort went into making sure DKCR looked and played good. Throw in remixes of fantastic soundtracks from Dave Wise's original DKC works, mine-cart madness levels, tons of collectibles, unlockable levels and a game that is far from easy to beat, and Donkey Kong Country Returns truly is one of the best platformers to grace consoles in a long time.

I thought it was a real shame that Super Paper Mario got criticised by many. By morphing classic platforming and RPG mechanics from past Paper Mario games, a unique feature to switch the world from 2D to 3D for innovative level design, and a hilarious and quite emotional story, Super Paper Mario is a game that should be played by all Wii owners. One other notable mention from me would be Mario Strikers Charged Football. This game proved you didn't need to be a fan of the sport to enjoy it, since it provided some of the best multiplayer fun on the system.

Stuart Lawrence, Character Profiles Editor

The Wii has definitely had its gems over the years, and one of those is the awesome fighter Tatsunoko Vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, which is the best fighter on the Wii besides Super Smash Bros. Brawl -- not that there was much competition. That's not to say this isn't a great game though; in some respects it's far better than Nintendo's fighter, especially when it comes to online fights. The Rival Roster in a way made up for not having the ability to have friends online without having a Friend Code; you couldn't talk to anyone online due to the lack of Wii Speak functionality, but it was good enough being able to play with someone you have faced before without having to sort out Friend Codes.

Another good point about this game was its excellent gameplay, which was easy enough to learn if you put a little time into it, but if you truly mastered it you'd become almost unbeatable. Therefore, even though some fights in the single player may have seemed cheap at first -- the last boss constantly spammed the same attack -- if you truly got to grips with the controls it wouldn't be a problem at all. Also, whether playing single player or multiplayer, pulling off insane combos and then launching a universal technique to finish it off was immensely satisfying, but it's not as if that combo couldn't be broken, which gives the game all the more competitive edge. The campaign was pretty nice, with 26 playable characters in total and loads from the Tatsunoko side that none would have even heard of. It actually made me want to watch the animé they came from (which I've already started). The graphics were really nice for the Wii as well, pulling off some impressive colourful visuals that put most games on the system to shame.

Unfortunately, even though quite a few people begged for the game to come to the West, when it came to it, hardly anyone seemed to go out and buy it. It's a shame because this is truly one of the best games on the system, and people's excuse of "Oh, but I don't really know the characters" was really poor. I mean, in what game, unless it's a continuation of a series, do you know the characters from the beginning? This, and Monster Hunter tri, are two of the best reasons to own a Wii, and they both came from Capcom, which was one of the best developers for the consoles outside of Nintendo.

Although it wasn't really a surprise, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex Edition (a mouthful I know) didn't receive as much attention as it should have, despite having arguably the best online for any Wii game besides the other games in the series. It was the full game -- like its HD counterparts working on the Wii, with only the (back then) glossy visuals being toned down to fit the console, and the online multiplayer being up to 10 instead of 12, which wasn't too much of a loss, since going into a normal death match and winning with a score of 30/0 is still immensely satisfying. The gameplay was pretty good as well, with the pointer controls having literally no problem whatsoever when it came to turning, problems that Red Steel couldn't get over due to the size of the bounding box.

Other games that I actually thought would have made more impact at release include House of the Dead: Overkill and Disney Epic Mickey. The former was a brilliant on-rails shooter that had plenty of adult humour; it may be a bit over the top for some people, but that's why I love it. Then there was Epic Mickey, which was a brilliant platforming adventure with a nice art style to it, which was really brought to life through the Forgotten Lands and designs of Disney's past.

Special Guest Contributor

I was disappointed that The House of the Dead: Overkill didn't make it into the original top twenty Wii games list. In my eyes, though it's part of an established genre and franchise, it represented one of the biggest risks taken on the system and it paid off beautifully. Well, perhaps "beautifully" is the wrong word. Overkill is a gruesome game, filled to the very brim with parodic swears, shotguns and grindhouse silliness, and it's a credit to SEGA and Headstrong Games that the title was developed with Wii in mind considering the consumers that the system was marketed towards.

Underneath its genuinely hilarious, controversial shell lay an addictive arcade shooter that more than stood up to the quality of the House of the Dead name, even surpassing much of what came before. Wii's pointer was used to dispatch zombies with pinpoint accuracy, and the variety of freakish foes encountered throughout the game's numerous twisted scenarios, all envisioned as Z-grade horror flicks, was outstanding.

I've always been a huge fan of Capcom's early point-and-click puzzler Zack & Wiki: The Quest for Barbaros' Treasure, too. The visuals are still gorgeous years later, the journey to help pirate Zack and monkey helper Wiki fill their boots with booty often looking like an interactive cartoon. However, this was no case of style over substance; Zack & Wiki grasped the early starting points of WarioWare: Smooth Moves and pulled them together into a full-featured adventure centred around puzzles a-plenty.

Zack & Wiki demonstrated what could be possible with a Wii puzzler/adventure hybrid, but unfortunately it was generally left alone in this regard. Few other games grabbed the torch and ran with it to the same extent that Zack & Wiki did, aside later titles like Another Code R, but unfortunately there was never to be a sequel on the system after undesirable sales. Hopefully the characters can make a comeback in the future, but for now it still remains unlikely.

With Wii U already out of the gates in the US and ready and raring to go across all other territories, what are your plans with Wii? Will you keep it until the Wii U price goes down, or is it time for the upgrade? Either way, are there any Wii releases that you always meant to pick up, but never quite got round to?