As we continue progressing onward with our ‘Remembering The…‘ series of articles, we move from one Nintendo home console to the next by covering the Wii this week! Everyone remembers the Wii, and has surely played it at some point or other. It was a phenomenal hit for Nintendo, and revolutionized motion controllers in gaming (a bit fitting, given the codename for this console before it was officially unveiled was ‘Revolution‘).
Let’s get into it!
The Console
An iconic console design that I’m sure almost anyone would be familiar with on-sight.
And yet, there’s a surprising amount included here, despite the unassuming package. Because the controller connects wirelessly, Nintendo smartly used the extra space given to them to pack in some real goodies, while still maintaining a sleek design. I like the stand that the console rests on, and the fact that the top pops off to reveal FOUR GameCube controller ports, and TWO GameCube memory card slots! That’s crazy, and yet another reason why the mere existence of the Wii effectively invalidates needing the original GameCube console (sorry to the three people out there who liked using the GameCube GBA adaptor).
Power wise, this is the era of gaming in which Nintendo finally started to lag behind their competitors, and they’ve never caught up sense (power, of course, isn’t everything, but it is nice to have). The Wii is only marginally stronger than the GameCube. Of course, individual games can still leverage the almighty power of art style to trump pure power, as games like Super Mario Galaxy still look stunning to this day, despite being…oh gosh, almost twenty years old, yikes! The Wii could also manage all sorts of fun apps from a dedicated home menu, from useful ones like Netflix, to silly gimmicks like the Everyone Votes Channel (where people could vote on goofy polls and would-you-rather questions).
The Controller
Even more iconic than the console would be our good old friends, the inimitable Wiimote and Nunchuck!
Nowhere has Nintendo’s bonkers design philosophy been flexed more than here. Who would ever think to design a video game controller after a television remote? And yet, the gamble paid off, because not only does the simple design make it effortless for anyone to pick up and play (genuinely, for as much as gamers take standard controllers for granted, teaching those motor skills to a complete newbie is tough stuff), but the television remote analogy made the Wii a popular pick for non-gamers too, further bolstering the success.
And for as few buttons as it may seem like it has, there’s a lot you can do with the Wiimote when it’s placed into the hands of talented and creative developers. Some games used the Wiimote alone, some added in the Nunchuck (that little doohickey with the analog stick and two additional buttons), and some used the Wiimote but on its side (a popular pick for platforming games). Add in the ever-present motion controllers, and there’s a rather staggeringly huge number of creative things you can do with this controller, making it far from the handicap people can try to write it off as.
Cultural Impact
I mean, come on. It’s the Wii. Everyone knows what the Wii is, and almost everyone has surely played with one at some point, even if it was just swinging a tennis racket or rolling a bowling ball in Wii Sports. Motion controls had been half-heartedly attempted before in the world of gaming, but never had they truly become something attainable until Nintendo strolled in an unveiled the Wii. Sure, one could theoretically bemoan the tidal wave of knockoff motion-controlled peripherals that followed (like Xbox’s Kinect, or PlayStation’s Move, among others), but it’s hard to deny the novel charm that the Wii brought in oh-so-many creative ways.
On top of this, the Wii managed to still be a dedicated console for more traditional gamers, motion-controls aside. So while a huge swathe of people picked up Wiis of their own for motion-controlled shenanigans, Nintendo just kept pumping out some seriously all-time-classic games. Two mainline entries in the Zelda series, two 3D Mario titles that still stand as the plumber’s best outings, the first new platforming entry in the Donkey Kong series in years, the grand return of Rayman, a modern revival of Kirby that set a game design pattern still followed to this day…and of course a certain humble little JRPG that has ballooned into one of Nintendo’s most celebrated series. Not to mention more Mario Kart, more Smash Bros, and Nintendo’s first true dip into the nostalgia pool with the Virtual Console (a submenu in the Wii Shop Channel populated with hundreds of old retro games on the cheap). Yeah, the Wii was killer.
Favorite Games
If any console represented my middle years of gaming, it would be the Wii. It was my console of choice for years and years, pushing me firmly into Nintendo Fanboy status. There are loads of games I love from this console era.
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
My all-time favorite game in the Zelda franchise, the pinnacle of the series if you ask me. It has everything that I would ever want in a Zelda game. It’s got a gripping, more mature story and characters. It has sprawling, mind-bending puzzles. It’s got all sorts of fun items to play around with, like the Double Clawshots and the Spinner. It’s got a fantastic soundtrack, and really excellent visual presentation. And it’s got a phenomenal final climax, with one of the series’ best dungeons leading right into the epic four-phase final boss battle.
Sure, some elements aren’t perfect. It’s got a long intro that works wonderfully on a first playthrough, but can drag on subsequent runs. I’ve always detested the sumo wrestling minigame you’re forced to play twice. Hyrule Field is stuffed with goodies, but can at times feel just a touch empty. And the mission to recover Ilia’s memories is definitely too long (though still not as bad as the Triforce hunt from Wind Waker). Still, Twilight Princess is amazing, and these little moments hardly affect the overall masterful experience.
Metroid Prime Trilogy
After genuinely not enjoying my time with Metroid Prime on the GameCube, it was honestly a strange decision of mine to pick up this trilogy collection when I chanced upon it at GameStop one day. But, regardless of whatever possessed me to do that, I’m glad it happened, because the trilogy collection on the Wii is incredible! It’s crazy how much better these games get just by letting you control Samus’ aim with the Wiimote motion controls! Suddenly, these sci-fi FPS adventures jump up from ‘cool-but-middling‘ to ‘can’t-miss-classics‘. If you’ve ever wanted to try these games for yourself, please play this version, you won’t regret it!
Without the controls hindering me, I had such a blast playing through this trilogy (even if, full-disclosure, I’ve never technically fully beaten the second or third games, whoops). They are each super fun and engaging, bolstered by what is hands-down the best feature about them, the Scan Visor (an ability that allows you to read lore blurbs and creature bios for basically anything and everything in your environment). Sprinkle in other treats that only come with this version of the trilogy, like a surprisingly enjoyable multiplayer mode and a gaggle of gallery goodies, and you’ve got an elite Metroid package.
Donkey Kong Country Returns
This has hardly been the first time this has come up on this blog, but I obviously love platformers, and often seek out new platforming experiences to try (even the bad ones offer some enjoyment, to me at least). So when our favorite tie-wearing monkey came swinging on in with his first platforming venture in years, how could I resist? Well, if the fact that this game just got rereleased on the Switch last month was any indication to you, Donkey Kong Country Returns is a fantastic and beloved game still cherished by gamers to this day, and my pick for his best outing (the sequel, Tropical Freeze, is certainly very good too).
With rolls, jumps, swings, and ground-pounds, you leap across the island collecting bananas and bashing evil Tikis (though a disturbing late-game revelation calls into question the lore behind whether the Tikis are actually evil). Regardless, this game has excellent level design, memorable bosses, and some amazing vehicle levels, especially with the newly introduced Rocket Barrel stages. It’s a hard game, extremely so, but also pretty forgiving with checkpoints and the like, and a co-op mode makes things more manageable with a buddy. A superb game.
Xenoblade Chronicles
Look, okay, I couldn’t pass up putting this here, alright? Obviously, I adore Xenoblade Chronicles, I can hardly go an hour without praising it! But since this is an article about my favorite Wii games, and the memories inherent therein, I couldn’t not mention Xenoblade. I seriously cannot understate the shift in my gaming life I’ve undergone since playing this game, what with how it opened my mind to the possibilities of JRPGs. I mean, I’d never have gotten into series like Persona, Final Fantasy, Trails, and more without Xenoblade to push me along!
But my personal take aside, this is still the most unfathomable game on the Wii. I seriously can’t begin to understand how the developers crammed this all onto a system less powerful than the Xbox 360 or PS3. Xenoblade has some of the biggest, richest worlds to explore in gaming, and it did it all on the dinky little Wii, while still genuinely looking pretty good too (again, flexing the power of purposeful art style). Now, this game has a remaster on the Switch, so I can’t in good conscience recommend the Wii version over that, but if for some reason you do play this original release, I promise you’ll still love it and be blown away!
Gaming Memories
As I alluded to above, I played the Wii for years, and enjoyed many, many games that it had to offer. I remember carefully crafting a Mii in my visage, and then basically mashing buttons to create hundreds more goofy looking Miis. I remember messing around with some of the side apps, like the Photo Channel, and spending my Nintendo points on the Wii Shop Channel to pick up new games (that’s how I first discovered and fell in love with the Ace Attorney series!). I remember blasting through space in Super Mario Galaxy, and picking up the sequel thanks to a special bargain deal my mom found at Toys R’ Us (it came with the guidebook). I remember saving up for the special edition of Skyward Sword, and listening to that Zelda symphony CD for hours!
I remember crying at a late-game reveal in Super Paper Mario, the first video game to ever emotionally move me with its story. I remember getting perfect bullseyes in Wii Sports Resort (though true fans know to aim for the secret fruit targets). I remember dancing up a storm with my Final Smash as King DeDeDe in Super Smash Bros Brawl. I remember enduring the seemingly infinite final series of boss battles from Kirby’s Return to Dreamland, by myself and alongside my brother. I remember laughing until my stomach hurt trying to beat the chaotic mess that is multiplayer mode in New Super Mario Bros Wii alongside my best friends at a sleepover. Truly, I could go on and on with the Wii.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Wii stands out as one of the all-time greatest video game consoles ever created, even in spite of the issues that sometimes arose from the controller design or the emphasis on motion controls. Because for every ten cash-grab motion-controlled minigame-collection, there were ten other genuinely fantastic games. Add in a plethora of fun apps to spend time on (who could forget spending hours making Miis?), games in every genre and player-count configuration, and full backwards compatibility with the GameCube, and you’ve got a system that genuinely might be the most influential and impactful Nintendo has ever made.
The Contrarian Corner 