So I went and bought a Wii. Actually, I had to buy a TV to go with it too. First game purchased after such an extravagance:
See, I’m a Nintendo fan who’s never actually owned a Nintendo. Or a console of any sort.* Just played on emulators a lot, from NES through to N64. But now I can play the old favourites legally, and also enjoy what’s happening in more recent generations.
Really it’s the core Nintendo lines I’m interested in, ie stuff I can’t already enjoy on PC. Altho if people have any reccomendations, I’m all ears. For now I have Twilight Princess, and after that will be looking into Skyward Sword, and the Metroid Prime series.
The virtual console selection is smaller than I would have guessed – I mean there must have been far more than 60-70 games released for SNES. But that does actually cover plenty of the big names.
Also I got… Wii Fit Plus. No seriously. Stop laughing at the back. I’m actually exercising. (I otherwise jog once a week but that’s it). I don’t need to lose weight, just wish to be in slightly better shape in geneal.
*No home console anyway. I do have a DS, somewhat neglected.
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First, congrats on the Wii. With the Virtual Console and Gamecube support, you should be looking at some solid stuff to play.
I’m assuming nothing you can play on PC means no virtual console titles? Only stuff that isn’t emulated? On a side note, were you to easily softmod that Wii, you’d be able to play quite a few solid emulators on the couch. Ahem.
I think PC N64 emulation is still weak (I could be wrong), so the VC titles I’d recommend there are both Zeldas (Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask). Mario 64 is a good time, as is Paper Mario. Really, most of that N64 collection falls into the category of "if you think you’ll like it, you will."
If you haven’t played the Phoenix Wright games, the first three are available on WiiWare. I highly recommend them. They’re incredibly charming, and pretty good adventures too.
For the Wii itself, make sure to get the Metroid Prime Trilogy. They updated the GameCube controls to motion versions. It was a limited release though, so it may be expensive. Both Mario Galaxies are strong titles. I loved the Trauma Center series and there are three good titles there. It’s not for everyone though, and the DS stylus does precise surgery much better than the free-floating WiiMote. Still, I like em.
Other than that, not a real "killer app" I can think of. Haven’t played Donkey Kong or Kirby, but they got updated Wii versions. House of the Dead Overkill is good, dumb fun if you like lightgun shooters.
Resident Evil 4 also got a great Wii-make if you’re interested.
GameCube… ehm… I’m still discovering that library myself – even after owning one on release. I liked Super Mario Sunshine, though many didn’t. Star Wars Rogue Squadron are fun arcade flight games. Luigi’s Mansion is charming in its own way. Eternal Darkness is generally considered a "must play," though mostly for its unconventional style and mind trickery.
The GameCube is really where Nintendo stumbled though, so the "if you think you’ll like it…" doesn’t always apply. Also its best games (Resident Evil 4, Metroid Prime 1 & 2) got improved Wii-makes.
November 21, 2011 @ 10:15 pm
Oh, EA Sports Active is a mean workout if you’re serious about it. Wii Fit is a little more balance and zen-centric.
November 21, 2011 @ 10:16 pm
To clairfy, by not being so interested in games I can play on PC, I meant *legally* play. So I’m still up for virtual console stuff (altho I have a lot of Sega Megadrive\Genesis stuff already thanks to steam). And will most likely get all the old Zeldas!
November 22, 2011 @ 11:34 am
I second that recommendation for Pheonix Wright (although I played on DS).
And of course, having a Wii means you can join the hallowed group of adults who have plastic guitars and other instruments cluttering up their living room. If you haven’t played a Guitar Hero-style game, I recommend it. I think there’s a Metallica version out there somewhere…
November 22, 2011 @ 2:43 pm
All the old Zeldas (with the exception – maybe – of Zelda II) are worth it. Zelda II isn’t bad, just… different. Static reviewed it over on JGR if you want to know more.
I’m looking at Wikipedia’s list… there’s nothing that I’d grab you by the lapels and scream YOU MUST BUY THIS. Donkey Kong Country was a good platformer, but not brilliant. There’s universal praise for Secret of Mana and Chrono Trigger, but I haven’t played them yet.
I know nothing about the TurboGrafix releases. Nothing about the Neo Geo either really, except that they have tremendous fighting games.
Clearly I need to get back to reviewing some console games.
November 22, 2011 @ 7:40 pm
Zelda 2 is the dark horse of the series, yeah. I actually have very fond memories of it, even tho the dungeons were pretty tough.
November 22, 2011 @ 11:34 pm