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With the Wii U going through something of a game drought what are you supposed to play until Pikmin 3 arrives? 

We have selected 10 underrated or forgotten games for the original Wii that are worth tracking down to plug the gap.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade

Muramasa

Muramasa: The Demon Blade has recently been re-released for PS Vita, but the original is still highly recommended. Its hand-drawn art style remains impressively beautiful and beneath the visual flair is an extremely solid action RPG executed with verve and swagger.

Little King’s Story

Little King's Story

A common misconception is that the Wii was only good for quick and casual games. That’s rubbish of course, and if you need an example to prove the point, look no further than Little King’s Story. It’s a superficially cutesy game but cut with strategic depth, complexity and consequence. Little King’s Story is a wonderful experience that fosters a genuine sense of connection between the player and its characters.

Wario Ware: Smooth Moves

Wario Ware: Smooth Moves

With Game and Wario for the Wii U receiving mixed reviews, now might be a good time to track down Wario Ware: Smooth Moves. It’s a delightfully chaotic rag-bag of mini-games, many of which use the Wii Remote in enjoyable and surprising ways. Six years on, it remains one of the best games to showcase Nintendo’s Wii controller.

Deadly Creatures

Deadly Creatures

The recent Playstation 3 game Tokyo Jungle is a reminder that playing as nature’s beasties is a lot of fun. Deadly Creatures wraps its spider/scorpion simulation with a human story of deception and treasure hunting. And it stars Billy Bob Thornton and Dennis Hopper. Deadly Creatures is totally bizarre, rough round the edges, but refreshingly different. A reminder of how inventive and quirky video games can be when given the chance.

Another Code: R – A Journey into Lost Memories

Another Code: R

The sequel to the cult Nintendo DS title, Another Code (or Trace Memory in the US), this is a slow-paced, almost lethargic adventure game. Like its predecessor it excels in making novel use of its host platform with a multitude of Wii Remote tricks. It’s somewhat rambling but has a wistful atmosphere that makes it the perfect game for a rainy afternoon.

Boom Blox (and Boom Blox 2)

Boom Blox 2

Spielberg. There he was at the Xbox One reveal, peddling a Halo TV series just as he enthused about the merging of games and television back in 2005. However, Spielberg’s lasting legacy in the game space will surely be this incredible block busting title and its sequel. A bold aesthetic, amazing music and genuinely fun ‘pick up and throw’ game play make this a must have. Angry what?

You, Me and the Cubes

You, Me, and the Cubes

Like Boom Blox this game uses the Wii remote to fling objects at the screen, but in this case you fling little people that you have to land and balance on floating cubes. Described like that you could be forgiven for thinking that this WiiWare title is best missed, but you would be wrong. Despite its odd concept the game has a hypnotic tone that is oddly affecting.

LIT

Lit

LIT arrived in the dying days of the Wii, and on WiiWare… hardly a recipe for success. But don’t let that stop you handing over some Wii points for this an expertly judged spooky puzzle game from WayForward.

Lost in Shadow/A Shadow’s Tale

lost-in-shadow

Lost in Shadow gets points for the games it evokes as much as anything else, feeling like a 2D Ico spin-off.  Aside from its obvious influences it also plays a good game with its light and shadow manipulation mechanics proving challenging and interesting.

Mario Strikers Charged

Mario Strikers Charged

With FIFA not making an appearance on the Wii U this year you could do worse than to dig up this gem from 2007. It’s fast, chaotic, unfair and funny in equal measure. It also has a great character roster that, among other things, makes Birdo something of a superstar.

Of course there are many other great games available for the Wii with a higher profile, the likes of Pandora’s Tower, Sin and Punishment, Xenoblade and Zack & Wiki, but what would you put in the forgotten gems category?

1 comment
  1. Hi! Great idea the rescue of “unknown”, not too popular Wii games.. I own myself more than 170 Wii games and find them all to be what should define videogames allways: fun! I would add to your list : FRAGLE DREAMS, OOPONA, DRAGON’S LAIR TRILOGY, RUBIK’S WORLD, PIRATES, DE BLOB, GUILTY PARTY, BROKEN SWORD, KORORIMPA, CURSED MOUNTAIN, ENDLESS OCEAN, MECURY MELTDOWN, RHYTHM HEAVEN FEVER, BIT TRIP COMPLETE and many more. Its somehow sad that some people won’t give creativity and imagination more room just for the sake of finding fun under the cover skin. Have a nice evening.

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