The Wii is one of Nintendo’s best-selling home consoles, behind only the recently released and extremely successful Switch. If you were around at the time, you likely remember the long lines outside of Toys R Us, Walmart, Gamestop, and other retailers for the midnight release of the console.
And the hype was well worth it, considering the heavy hitters that were released on the system such as Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros Brawl, and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. However, there are a ton of Wii games that don’t get the recognition they deserve… until now.
These are the 10 most underrated games on the Nintendo Wii.
10) Pandora’s Tower
One area the Wii lacked is in the number of quality RPGs released on the console, especially on this side of the world. However, after enough cries and petitions from fans, Nintendo finally released Pandora’s Tower in the west. The story centers around our hero, Aeron. He’s on a mission to save the love of his, Elena, who’s been afflicted with an evil curse. While the controls leave a lot to be desired, this is one of the few RPGs on the Wii and it’s definitely worth a play.
9) Scarface: The World Is Yours
The Wii never got a GTA release, but it did get Scarface: The World Is Yours– which is pretty close. It follows the movie where you take on the role of the drug lord, Tony Montana. It expertly captures the spirit and vibe of ‘80s Miami as you work on building your drug empire, while taking out rival games and dope dealing in the process. It’s a GTA clone for sure, but it’s a good GTA clone that offers hours of fun. It was also released on the Xbox and PS2, but the Wii takes the crown as the definitive edition.
8) The Last Story
Another JRPG fans had to beg Nintendo to localize for the west, The Last Story was created by the same mind that brought us Final Fantasy, Hironobu Sakaguchi. He even teamed up with Nobuo Uematsu to compose music for the title. It gives you everything you’d expect from a high-quality RPG: a beautiful storyline, amazing music, tight combat, a wonderful cast of playable characters, and a sprawling world. Definitely pick this one up if you’re hankering for a good, classic RPG to sink your teeth into.
7) Klonoa
The 2.5D platformer Klonoa originally appeared on the PS1 in 1998. The titular character was cute and fun, as was the gameplay where players could blow up enemies to use as weapons or help them jump to higher platforms. The gameplay and style remained the same when it was remade for the Wii. The main differences are the improved graphics and enhanced cutscenes to fit the times. Although it’s a solid title, the sales of Klonoa weren’t enough for them to bring the sequel to the Wii and we haven’t heard anything about the franchise since.
6) Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands was released on multiple consoles in 2010. Unlike most of the poorly-ported Wii games of the era, Ubisoft did a 180 and built a version for the Wii from the ground up. It even had its own unique storyline and controls to boot. They even added co-op so you and a friend can bend time and solve puzzles together. So if you’ve played The Forgotten Sands on the PS3 or Xbox 360 and loved it, you should definitely pick up the Wii version to see the changes for yourself.
5) Sin & Punishment: Star Successor
We never got the first Sin & Punishment which was a Japan exclusive for the N64. However, Nintendo did bless us with its sequel, Sin & Punishment: Star Successor, on the Wii in 2009. This rail-shooter game has a heavy anime influence where you battle giant bosses through action-packed environments. If you enjoy bullet hell, don’t overlook Star Successor like so many others.
4) Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars
A good friend and I spent hours battling it out in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars. Sure, we didn’t know the Tatsunoko characters but they quickly became favorites– like Ken the Eagle. And they have the classics from Capcom such as Ryu, Megaman, Batsu, and Chun-Li. If you’re a fan of any of the vs. Capcom games, you will have a blast with this one. Capcom had to get creative with their move sets to match the insanity of what Tatsunoko had to offer.
3) Red Steel 2
You likely remember the failed launch title, Red Steel. So we forgive you for not giving the sequel a chance. However, Red Steel 2 manages to succeed in the promises made by its bad predecessor. It combines swordplay and first-person shooter into a smooth package, which was enhanced thanks to the Wii Motion Plus peripheral. Check this one out if you want to be a sword-slinging, gun-toting badass.
2) Dead Space: Extraction
After the critically-acclaimed Dead Space series was released on Xbox and Playstation, Nintendo fans were left in the dust. However, Visceral did us solid and gave us our very own Dead Space title with Extraction– albeit, it was an on-rail shooter that could be played co-op. It worked surprisingly well with the Wii Remote, but there’s no denying that everyone wanted a traditional, third-person survival horror. Unfortunately, the game didn’t sell well so that killed any hopes of getting a port of the original trilogy.
1) The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
I hear you asking, “Why is Zelda on an ‘underrated’ list?” Because Skyward Sword is arguably the most underrated game in the entire franchise– so much so that Nintendo completely changed the formula with Breath of the Wild. It’s long, very linear, and the Motion Controls leave a lot to be desired. And then there’s Fi, your companion throughout can be annoying rehashing tips and plot points you’ve already heard. Despite this, there’s a beautiful story that tells the origins of our hero, the princess, and the big bad. If you hated Skyward Sword on release, give it another chance!
