This might be a hot take, but I don’t think time has been kind to the overall perception of the Nintendo Wii. Despite its massive success and unrivaled ability to get people who wouldn’t traditionally call themselves gamers off the sofa to play virtual tennis, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are the consoles more fondly remembered by Capital G Gamers.

I see this as a shame. For all the Wii Remote waggling and Just Dance silliness (which was excellent) there were some genuinely brilliant 10/10 video games released for the console. Walk with me, then, as we take a merry amble down memory lane and look at some of the Nintendo Wii games that remain, to this day, 10/10 masterpieces.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

If you can look past the unreasonably long opening segment that tricks you into thinking you’re playing some kind of ranching simulator, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is an epic Zelda adventure, and was the perfect launch title to accompany Wii Sports. At Christmas, grandma could chuckle while she pretended to bowl, and you could spend the rest of the break swinging the Wii Remote around while you spilled Moblin guts. Everybody won.

Twilight Princess combines a massive overworld with some of the best bosses and dungeons in the series’ history. The icing on the cake is getting to use motion controls to swing your sword or aim with the bow and arrow. Back before this was a tired gimmick, it was the kind of thing we all dreamed of being able to do, and the novelty never quite wore off.

Xenoblade Chronicles

Did you know the Nintendo Wii is home to one of the biggest and best open-world JRPGs of all time? Well, you probably do now. These days, Xenoblade is a major franchise for Nintendo, but back in 2010, this was the very definition of a cult classic. Players could explore a huge open world, which just so happens to be the colossal, frozen bodies of two giant warring titans. Isn’t that just the most metal thing you’ve ever heard?

The game excels in its writing and huge cast of characters, but also has some of the best real-time combat in any JRPG you’ll ever play. By the end of the 60-hour story, you’ll be ready for a bit of a break… before immediately diving into Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

Resident Evil 4

The most recent remake be damned, I maintain the Nintendo Wii port of Resident Evil 4 remains the absolute best way to play the Capcom survival horror classic. You already know what makes this game such a hit: pitch-perfect pacing, a fantastic blend of action and genuine scares, and a game-changing over-the-shoulder camera that pulled you into the world of Resident Evil like never before.

So why is the Nintendo Wii version the definitive one? Motion controls. Being able to point with Wii Remote and aim is responsive, rewarding, and fun without taking away any of the challenge or scares. While it might make you slightly more of a force to be reckoned with, you still have to conserve ammo and approach encounters carefully, so you can’t go full John Wick all the time. When you can cut loose though, this is easily the most fun way to blow off a villager’s head with a shotgun.

Super Mario Galaxy & Super Mario Galaxy 2

I’m putting Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel together because I have a genuinely hard time deciding which I like better. Super Mario Galaxy has a better story, a wonderful hub area to explore, and a sense of magic that comes with being the first of the two games. Meanwhile, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is pretty much full-on platforming heaven, throwing out new idea after new idea at alarming speed. Also Yoshi. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter which one is better, because they’re both perfect. These games represent Nintendo at its very best: combining tight, incredibly fun gameplay with heaps of inventive ideas all designed to put a big, dumb grin on your face.

For me, this is where 3D Super Mario games peaked. And as much as I adore Super Mario Odyssey, I’m really hoping the next game in the series takes its cues from the Galaxy games and goes cosmic again.

Brand

Nintendo

Original Release Date

November 19, 2006

Original MSRP (USD)

$249.99

Operating System

Proprietary

Storage

512 GB NAND flash memory

VR Support

No