What lies below is a listing of my Wii collection along with some history behind the system's purchase. Please note that all of the games listed below are actual DVDs. I'm not into pirating the latest games.
It is time to rewrite the video game history books, because Nintendo’s Wii unexpectedly and stunningly went from an afterthought and an underdog to a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. Ask any hardcore video game fan what they thought about Wii after the Wii Remote was unveiled and the official system name was announced, and I bet they’d suggest that Nintendo was essentially releasing a GameCube + Virtual Boy hybrid, i.e., a big-time flop. Oops. It’s still hard to believe that nobody saw the Wii train coming. It’s even harder to believe that so many people have jumped on the bandwagon that Wii is still consistently sold out and hard-to-find 1.5 years AFTER its original release.
Oh, by the way, let me be the first to admit that I miscalculated this Wii frenzy. Honestly, if it weren’t for the unique control, then I probably would not have purchased the Wii. As a gamer who grew up with Nintendo, I have found that the responsibilities of adulthood and the distractions of today’s always-connected society mean there’s far less time for games. That makes it hard to invest in games with a huge learning curve or complicated controls. Apparently, many other people must have felt this way, too, because my Wii purchasing story is crazy—probably like yours or somebody else you know.
Because GameCube was so underwhelming, I figured Wii wouldn’t be anywhere near as hot of a seller as PlayStation 3. After all, Sony (not Nintendo) was the cool kid on the block. So I figured I would leisurely arrive at my local Target about 7 a.m. (an hour before opening) on Sunday, November 19, 2006. Much to my dismay, the line was well over 200 people long by the time I got there! After seeing that absurdity, I drove 5 minutes down the road to the local Best Buy. Yikes! Another 100+ in line! Now I’m scrambling for ideas. So I run over to a GameStop in a strip plaza, thinking it wasn’t as popular as the stores in the mall. I was right. Only two people were waiting there at 7:30 a.m. The line ended up being small, but that’s because the employees arrived and told us that they only had enough for preorders! Crap. At this point, it’s a little after 9:00 a.m. I have one long-shot idea: Sears. Sears was a big seller of video games in the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s, but then they got out of the business. However, since they were starting to sell games again with the DS, I thought maybe they’d sell Wii. I was about third or fourth in line, and the line eventually grew to well over 50 people by the time the store was scheduled to open at 11 a.m. When the gates opened, the orderly line became chaos as people descended from multiple directions into electronics and found...NOTHING. I struck out.
I figured the next opportunity to find a Wii would be the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and I was right. Moreover, since I was traveling for the holidays, I was in a less populated area. I saw that Toys “R” Us was opening at 5 a.m., so I got up and went to that store around 4 a.m. The line wasn’t too bad, and I estimated that I would be in good shape to get a Wii. Oh, wait, there was one problem: They didn’t have any. So I went over to GameStop and ended up being 13th in line at that point. When that store opened, I found out that they only had 12 Wii systems. Yes, I was 13th in line, and they had 12. If I did not go to Toys “R” Us, then I probably would have scored a Wii. Instead, I purchased two extra Wii Remotes, which ended up being a good thing later on.
Next, after reading some Internet message boards, I heard that Best Buy was saving its Wii allotment for Sunday, November 26. So I got there about two hours before opening, and when I saw 100+ people in line already, I immediately turned around and went home. Now I was mad. I spent a lot of time over the next five days on the Internet message boards, trying to get an accurate estimate about which stores would have them next. I also stopped by a Target near where I worked during the middle of the week, and a helpful associate told me that they would have them on Sunday.
It’s now Sunday, December 3, 2006. At this point, I just HAD to have a Wii. My goal was to get in line at 3 a.m., which was about five hours before the 8 a.m. store openings. Based on my inside tip about Target, I thought I’d go there. I also had read that Toys “R” would have them. When I got to the Target near my house, I didn’t see anybody in line. Curious. Because Toys “R” Us was a few hundred yards away, I thought I should drive over there, too. There was a line there. Hmmm...so I made the decision to get in line at Toys “R” Us. I was 10th in line at 3:15 a.m. Unfortunately, it was cold (upper 20s), so I bundled up, took a camping chair, grabbed a book (The Da Vinci Code), and enjoyed a warm drink. This Toys “R” Us received a shipment of 40 Wii consoles, so I purchased the Wii, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and Rayman Raving Rabbids. Oh, and as it turns out, my local Target had accidentally sold its Wii stock earlier in the week when it was supposed to save them for Sunday. I tell you what: This crazy Wii buying experience is something I’ll never forget.
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Since I never got into P2 or Xbox, I didn’t get to enjoy Guitar Hero until Wii. Wow. This is one of the best games I’ve played in years. I’m in love with it. It is the marriage of two of people’s favorite things: music and games. Guitar Hero III strikes the perfect balance between being easy-to-learn and hard-to-master, and this makes the game unbelievably addictive. The high level of interaction makes it loved by all ages and genders. A must have. |
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2. Wii Sports When I think about Wii Sports from my video game critic perspective, I see a game that exemplifies the vision of the Wii, with its ability to let people play using natural instincts. But I also think about how it looks simple and contains little depth. You know what? Who cares. Wii Sports shows that you do not need awesome graphics or endless options to have fun. Wii Sports has revolutionized a whole generation of gaming, just like Super Mario Bros. did back in the 1980s. Boo-yah, Grandma! |
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The analogy is clear: If Super Mario Bros. 3 represents the pinnacle of 2D games after the revolution of Super Mario Bros., then Super Mario Galaxy symbolizes the climax of 3D games that was started by Super Mario 64. For anyone who has ever been disoriented and frustrated by 3D worlds, Super Mario Galaxy succeeds where all others fail. A masterful design of ingenuity, idealization, and Wii “waggle"—and a highly intelligent camera. |
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4. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess As has been the case with many other Nintendo games in the Wii/DS generation, Nintendo has really recaptured the magic of its games from yesteryear. The first Wii incarnation of Zelda polishes and expands the 3D Zelda universe first introduced with Ocarina of Time. Additionally, it also makes smart use of the Wii Remote for sword slashing and bow shooting, setting a new precedent for future Zelda console games. Time will tell if this edition is able to distinguish itself as an all-time great. |
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The way I’d describe my opinion of Rayman Raving Rabbids is that it’s a guilty pleasure. The game is absolutely hilarious (it makes me chuckle thinking about it), and it is strangely compelling because of its original uses of the Wii Remote and Nunchuck. Aside from Wii Sports, if you had to pick another early Wii release that embodied playing Wii, then this is it. It sets the benchmark of mini-game compilations for years to come. |
Honorable Mention: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
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For a hardcore gamer such as myself, Nintendo’s “Virtual Console” download service is nearly as appealing as Wii’s innovative controller. Because I always have been a Nintendo die-hard, the idea that I could purchase and download classic games from Nintendo’s 8-bit and 16-bit competitors (e.g., Sega Genesis, TurboGrafx-16, and Neo Geo) is beyond awesome.
Due to the fact that I have a large physical collection of Nintendo systems and games, I am mostly intending to download the “best of the best” from the Sega Genesis, TurboGrafx-16, and Neo Geo. As you can see, however, I do have a couple of Nintendo-specific games in my virtual collection as well.
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The main reason I downloaded this game is to revisit some of that multi-player Bomberman mayhem on my current system, with the ability to use wireless controllers. I’m still debating if I think Bomberman ’93 is better than Super Bomberman, but I cannot deny that this old series of games is still tremendous fun. Even people never exposed to it before like it. |
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2. Devil's Crush (TurboGrafx-16) If you look through my entire collection of video games, there is one glaring hole: pinball. Back in the day, I remember hearing about the Alien Crush and Devil’s Crush series of games on TurboGrafx-16. The “devil” theme appeals to me more than the “alien” theme, so that’s why I purchased this one. It’s my favorite download because of the variety and secrets. |
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I’ve barely scratched the surface on this previously Japan-only Super Mario Bros. game, although I guess I played the “dumbed down” version a few times on Super Mario All-Stars. But you know that I had to make it part of my permanent collection. The question is, should Nintendo have released this game in the U.S. instead of the Super Mario Bros. 2 we got? |
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4. Gunstar Heroes (Genesis) When examining the history of video games, there is always a prominent footnote about a group of guys who left Konami—after working on Castlevania and Contra games—to start their own company, Treasure. Gunstar Heroes put Treasure on the map and was always promoted by pro-Genesis gamers. Now, with Wii, I finally can understand the original fuss. |
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For as popular as the 2D space shooters were back in the 1980s and 1990s (look at how many you can download on Wii), I never got into them as much as others. That’s also because these types of games were better on Genesis and TurboGrafx-16. To add to my collection, I figured I should add Gate of Thunder, which is one of the best ever—and originally a CD game to boot! |
Honorable Mention: Blades of Steel
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The following bulleted points are some random notes and thoughts about the Wii. In the list, you will find information about the system and games that I could not place anywhere else.
Currently, I own 10 games for the Wii, and I also downloaded 9 games for Virtual Console.
I want to make these games part of my permanent collection: Ghost Squad, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Manhunt 2, Medal of Honor Heroes 2, Mercury Meltdown: Revolution, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, No More Heroes, Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, Sonic and the Secret Rings, Tomb Raider: Anniversary, and Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure.
1. Guitar Hero III
3. Super Mario Galaxy
5. Rayman Raving Rabbids
1. Bomberman '93 (TurboGrafx-16)
3. Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
(NES)
5. Gate of Thunder (TurboGrafx-16)