Wii Best and Worst of 2007

[CantGetAWii]

As it’s now 2008 (happy New Year!), I thought you might like a little trip down memory lane. The Wii first hit store shelves back in November / December 2006 and for Xmas 2006 it was a mad rush to try and get a Wii. Not much changed in 2007 with the console being the hottest Xmas must have gift for the years end.

Since it launched the Wii has had numerous brilliant games released for it, along with a few duds. If you’ve just purchased a Wii, or been lucky enough to get one this Christmas just gone, I hope this article will be of great use to you.


If you’ve had your Wii for ages, this article will hopefully still be of use to you as you relive some great Wii memories after the jump.

The Nintendo Revolution, ahh yes, now there was a name, this console was going to revolutionize gaming, just as the name suggested. The motion sensitive controller was going to rock the very foundation of gaming and things would never be the same again. ‘Revolution’ was an apt name for an awesome machine, then it happened; at the end of April 2006 Nintendo let loose with the name ‘Wii, numerous pee jokes aplenty followed and a lot of gamers scoffed at the ridiculousness of the title. Since then most have come to love the name, we’re over the initial shock, of thinking it was a joke and we do love our Wii.

2007 – The Wii Games

Throughout the year, and indeed since release, the Wii has had some awesome games released for it, a long with a few duds. Let’s take a Wii Centre look at some of the titles you should keep an eye out for or avoid, if in either case you happened to miss them.
The Good!

Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Yes the title that got more than a few gamers excited when it was announced for the Nintendo Gamecube way back in 2005. Eventually Twilight Princess made it to the launch schedule for the Wii console, the first Zelda title to make it to the launch of a Nintendo console. When it was released it was met with some truly stellar reviews and I can add another one to that list, Twilight Princess is a must have title for the Wii and if you didn’t play it in 2007, you should definitely get it and play it in 2008.

Mario Galaxy

Not long out, but an instant classic and one heck of a step up from Mario Sunshine (I can’t have been the only gamer who was so completely let down by that title). Mario Galaxy is not only gorgeous to look at, it is instant playable fun. You can read Mark’s cool Mario Galaxy mini review HERE to truly get a glimpse into this amazing title. If you don’t own it, get to the game store now.

Mario Strikers Charged

What? Another Mario title, well this one you might have missed, so I’m adding it because it was a hoot. I’m not a big soccer fan, I like watching Glasgow Rangers because my family supports them, I think Beckham is a great player, but not so great a guy and I don’t play all those FIFA and Pro Evo titles. So what was it about Mario Strikers Charged that made me want to play a soccer game… fun. This title was a hoot, simple, silly fun. So if you were looking for a football title that’s more Sega Soccer Slam (another old favorite) than soccer sim, this could be one you missed.

MySims

Okay so a lot of you may have overlooked this title as it looks like a little kids game and to some degree that is fairly true, however I have to admit to being well past my youth and adoring the many hours I spent with MySims. I was never a fan of the Sims titles prior to this, but its Animal Crossing style mixed with the task based play definitely meant it was well worth the money. If you’re looking for something a little different for your Wii, MySims was one of the cooler titles of 2007… thanks EA.

Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition

A Resident Evil title on the Nintendo Wii that incorporated the use of the Wiimote and even Wii zapper styled add on. Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition was definitely a must have Wii title for 2007. It featured some of the classiest survival horror graphics, along with a play mechanic that made it all the better. If you haven’t tried Resident Evil on the Wii.. get it.

Wario Ware Smooth Moves

Okay so it lacks depth, it’s silly and repetitive. Yes Wario Ware Smooth Moves is all of those things, but with the right group of friends this is more fun than a lot of other games put together. A silly mini game romp that makes some fun use of the Wiimote, this is definitely one for the party game crowd. Oh and an honorable mention shout out to Rayman Raving Rabbids, another party game favorite that had me and my friends (gaming and non gaming) in absolute stitches.

Wii Sports

Yes this little beauty comes bundled with the Wii and despite not being a graphical powerhouse Wii Sports reminded gamers of what gaming should truly be about.. fun.. fun.. FUN. Even non gamers didn’t mind taking up a Wiimote for some tennis and bowling and it was sheer genius of Nintendo to box the title with the Wii console. Absolutely brilliant for the entire family.

Ones to avoid

Okay so we all have our own tastes and perhaps some of you would disagree with my ‘Wii games to avoid’ listing, if so, don’t berate me for my stupidity, I’m always open to reason and intelligent discussion, so make the most of our comments here at Wii Centre and let us know why you disagree / agree with those games appearing on these lists. Now to those Wii stinkers….

Boogie

Okay so quite a few of my gaming friends really loved Boogie, I just wasn’t feeling the Boogie love, I thought it was utter garbage with a voice recognition system that wouldn’t know the difference between Arnold Schwarzenegger and a pussy cat. I thought it was going to be a fun karaoke and dancing title, instead I thought it was a waggle the Wiimote and hum, yell, smack the Wiimote title.

Happy Feet

Oh the gaming God’s truly punished me with this one. This is what happens when you see something you think is so cute it couldn’t possibly be bad. This is the game from hell. Sure perhaps a 5 year old might actually enjoy it, for me though it was money flushed down the toilet, I still kick myself to this day for my impulse buy stupidity.

SSX Blur

Man was I ever looking forward to playing this title. SSX Tricky remains to this day one of my all time favorite titles. Ripping down the slopes with the addition of the Wiimote could only make the experience better… surely? Err no, it made the whole thing clunky, frustrating and a huge let down. If you want an SSX title to blow your mind, it pains me to say it, but in my opinion get SSX Tricky, a title released way back in 1991 is a much better version than SSX Blur on the Wii. Some games should just not be ported to the Wii.

What 2008 holds…

Three words for me.. Animal Crossing Wii. I hope beyond words this title actually sees a release this year and that it betters the previous two outings (which I LOVED). Sure there are some other great games to look forward to in 2008, House of the Dead 2 & 3 (just so I can relive the Dreamcast fun), Mario Kart Wii.. need I say more!, Samba de Amigo (YES!!), Sega Bass Fishing, SSBB and Wii Fit (okay so I’m not sure about this, but I’ll give it a go if it saves a trip to the gym).

The Wii really needs more titles made specifically for it and less ports. Here’s hoping it goes from strength to strength in 2008.

Source:
http://www.wiicentre.com/best-and-worst-of-wii-for-2007-344/

Not much there we don't already know, but good for pointing out some things to get and to avoid on the Wii at least.

 

[zap'em up]

hmm so thats another sign that i should try out super mario strikers charged....i guess i'll have to rent it nd see what all the fuss is about

 

[Wiimoto]

hmm so thats another sign that i should try out super mario strikers charged....i guess i'll have to rent it nd see what all the fuss is about

Same, is it that good?

 

[LeWaffles]

ssx sucks for sure. Tricky was amazing though. how about soul calibur legends? i've never played it but the reviews kept me away plus i'd rather have the original fighting game, so too me that was a huge letdown as well.

 

[smyth]

Same, is it that good?

it isn't a great game but it is a whole lot of fun. and the online play is a more fun than a barrell of monkeys... with friend codes...



kyle

 

[Dzapper]

ssx sucks for sure. Tricky was amazing though. how about soul calibur legends? i've never played it but the reviews kept me away plus i'd rather have the original fighting game, so too me that was a huge letdown as well.

OMG! Are you SERIOUS!!!!!!! SSX BLUR has slowly but surely become one of my favorite Wii Games. It just has a long learning curve. If you can't tough that out then you don't deserve to enjoy the game then.

Sure I was the same way at first. When I first played the game I was frustrated and kept thinking about how much money I had just wasted. But once I got the controls down the game was awesome. Easily the best sports game available for Wii. And it should definitely not be avoided!!!!

 

[LeWaffles]

it's kind of a dull game.
@dzrapper: do you like common?