To those of you who are resurrecting the Nintendo Wii: this is what you can do without leaving home

The COVID-19 coronavirus has drastically changed everyone’s routine, to the point of almost wholly paralyzing it to contain this pandemic and minimize the number of deaths as much as possible. And with the isolation imposed by the Government, when decreeing the state of alarm, one of the solutions to manage better staying at home is to play video games.

Not only is there a considerable upturn in the number of people playing online, where we take the opportunity to recommend 50 games to play these weeks, but we are also seeing more and more people dusting off their old Nintendo Wii to exercise because it is hard to forget that this Big N console was a total success selling over 100 million units and revolutionizing this industry thanks to the Wiimote.

Wii essentials for the whole family

Wii was much more than that accessory, of course. Nintendo did not miss the opportunity to expand its most legendary sagas, to the point of creating timeless works such as Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2, two of the best platform games of all history. In this genre cannot be absent Donkey Kong Country Returns and New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

In the case of the two 3D adventures of Mario, they managed to solve the tremendous role to overcome the historic Super Mario 64 of Nintendo 64. At the same time, in the other (in 2D), it was a continuation of the success of DS. What about the gorilla? It was the resurgence of the saga after its superb trilogy on Super Nintendo of the nineties.

Those who seek adventure in the broadest sense of the word have two works that cannot be missing from their catalog: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which is still exclusive to Wii (not counting the eShop version on Wii U, of course ), and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, which came out at the same time as GameCube in 2006. There is only one slight drawback to these two Link stories: playing them using the controller Wiimote is mandatory.

Without neglecting the Nintendo catalog, the company that cares more about offering video games for the whole family, it is interesting to remember that, as much as we prefer the option Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Nintendo Switch, on Wii, there is the option Mario Kart Wii, which without being revolutionary (beyond the optional use of the sensor Wiimote ), is a remarkable product with a split-screen for four.

And since we mentioned playing with more people, Super Smash Bros. Brawl is a great hit from 2008 that presented us in its universe of virtual dolls to Sonic and Solid Snake themselves and Captain Olimar, among others total cast of characters of 39. The Switch has doubled that figure with its DLC; be careful.

On the other hand, if we are looking for something festive but calmer, there is the option of Mario Party 9, which, without being the eighth wonder, came out better than the previous installment (also on Wii). Among its figures, it overwhelms more than 80 new minigames .

The games with which you will do a lot of exercises

For anyone who prefers to move their skeleton and training with their Wii, they have multiple options to choose from, being commendable the dedication of Ubisoft shown with the Just Dance saga (which emerged on Wii, precisely), whose latest installment for Wii came out precisely at the end of 2019 with Just Dance 2020.

When it comes to “dancing inside a video game,” it is the first title that comes out. And for a good reason: more than a decade since its debut in 2009 to the beat of the Wiimote.

The other option is the most obvious: Wii Sports. Coming standard with the console, everyone enjoyed this sports medley to experiment with the Wiimote, especially tennis. Although if you have to stay with a game, it is better to opt for Wii Sports Resort, as it surpasses its predecessor in everything. Go Vacation, in turn, offers you more variety of tests but of lower quality.

Not that you will sweat a lot, but you will have a good laugh in (attentive) the 200 minigames included in WarioWare: Smooth Moves, a classic of the mustachioed antagonist of the Nintendo plumber in its most badass version.

And although it has not reached the quality of Konami’s Track & Field, there it is (for example) that Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games SEGA, with some tests where you will exercise beautifully with your Wiimote.

Hidden gems on Wii and vindicable

As much as Nintendo focused on its Wii as a more familiar console and with the incentive of the movement through the Wiimote, there was support from certain third parties that did not opt ​​for games for all audiences. And here, the same title comes to mind: the bloodthirsty MadWorld from PlatinumGames.

Capcom, without going any further, is one of those that contributed the most, being very vindicable that Zack & Wiki: In Search of Barbaros’ Treasure that conquered us instantly due to its mixture of graphic adventure and puzzles in between. Not forgetting that he released two temporarily exclusively in Resident Evil Chronicles, a style shooter rails-, like SEGA’s The House of the Dead. We can’t forget that The House of the Dead: Overkill was also a temporary Wii exclusive.

And what about RPGs? Here we could not miss the mention of The Last Story, a project by the creator of Final Fantasy, Hironobu Sakaguchi, which has ended up reaching the status of a cult game. Because on Wii, everyone knows the tremendous Xenoblade Chronicles from Monolith Soft, a JRPG with a considerable duration.

Other titles to consider that are good options, each one of its kind:

• Kirby’s Epic Yarn | Good old Kirby showed his sweetest side in joint work between HAL Laboratory and Good-Feel with unique graphics and original mechanics for this good-natured Nintendo character
• Mario Strikers Charged | Taking advantage of the hiatus of all sports (including “almighty” football), it is a great idea to resume football games with Mario and yours in this sequel to Mario Smash Football on GameCube
• Metroid Prime: Trilogy | What’s better than having a bundle with the sensational Metroid Prime from GameCube? Keep it up! Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, another high-quality first-person adventure
• Muramasa: The Demon Blade | Action with slight touches of RPG and Vanillaware seal, which also means an excellent aesthetic section
• Pandora’s Tower | A rarity from the creators of the Jump Super Stars. A game that mixes action, platforms, role-playing, and exploration, without shining in any particular field, but which is worth giving another try
• Super Paper Mario | Announced in the first instance for the GameCube, finally this exclusive Wii installment of the mythical saga Paper Mario opted for more emphasis on platforms, without neglecting slight touches of role-playing

And what about the WiiWare classics and indies?

Unfortunately, WiiWare disappeared in February 2019, so its entire catalog (including the Virtual Console classics) is inaccessible for purchase. Only those that are part of our library can be enjoyed. Hence we trust that (at the time) you have spent money to get games like Mega Man 9, Cave Story, or World of Goo, among others.

WiiWare featured several exclusives, such as Konami’s Rebirths (Castlevania, Contra, and Gradius) or remake of the legendary Alien Crush TurboGrafx-16’s. You are not counting, of course, the entire Virtual Console catalog, with classics from the NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, Mega Drive, or even Neo Geo, among other systems. The good? That Wii is still backward compatible with GameCube … unless you have the Wii Mini model. Wii U, meanwhile, was never backward compatible with that Nintendo console, but the Wii ones do work. Your data could even be transferred.

And you, have you taken the opportunity to dust off the Wii these days?

What other games would you recommend? ¿ Okami? ¿ Rayman Origins? Tell us!