The big Wii blog post: Questions, recommendations and a list of games.

By Mike Suskie · March 15, 2009

I did something like this when I got an Xbox 360 at the end of 2007 and came away with some good advice, recommendations, and answers to burning questions. Basically, I just got a Wii and want to make the most of it, and I've got a rough list of games I definitely want versus the ones I'm interested in but won't necessarily buy. I know the Wii doesn't have nearly as big a fanbase as Xbox 360 around here, but it seems that many of you either have one, had one at some point, or have enough experience with it to form a basis for recommendations. Basically, here's my list, in order of preference:

1. Super Mario Galaxy
2. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
3. No More Heroes
4. Okami
5. MadWorld
6. Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
7. Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure
8. Boom Blox
9. Super Paper Mario
10. Super Smash Bros. Brawl

It's a start. Okami in particular is a game I've been wanting to play for a while now but have been unable to since I never owned a PS2. Also, I love the Fire Emblem series and definitely want to hit Radiant Dawn at some point, but I've heard it's basically a carbon copy of the GameCube game -- which is a good thing, but it means I'm not in as much of a rush to get it. As for the games I want to check out but won't necessarily buy:

1. Deadly Creatures
2. Mario Kart Wii
3. de Blob
4. Dokapon Kingdom
5. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
6. Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition
7. Elebits
8. Wario Land: Shake It!
9. Rayman Raving Rabbids
10. Animal Crossing: City Folk

Again, I'm open to suggestions. If there are games I'm missing, games that should be here, or shifts in priority, let me know.

My major question with the Wii is: How do I hook it up to the internet? I'm told it's a much smoother, easier process than it is with Xbox 360 (thank GOD), but I don't see an ethernet port anywhere on the system, and the online instructions don't do a very good job explaining it. A little help here would be appreciated.

Also: What is WiiWare, and is it worth investing in? Thanks in advance to any responses to this lengthy post.

Comments 12

zippdementia Mar 15, 2009

Hooking it up is a simple matter of finding the internet option somewhere in the settings and following the onscreen instructions. The Wii acts as a wireless hub, so you don't need to have it jacked in to a phone jack or cable modem or anything. You DO need to already have a hub that it can bounce a signal off of.

I don't recall what Wii Ware is, tbh, sorry.

You don't seem to be missing anything particularly important from your wii-want list. Red Steel is worth a go, if only to see the wii controller used so much. It's a decent shooter, anyways. Don't expect much out of the story, though.

EmP Staff Mar 15, 2009

If you're going to own a Wii, then No More Heroes is, quite simply, a must.

If you feel like a complete change of pace, look up Sam & Max Season 1.

WiiWare is Nintendo's underdeveloped version of XBLA where very few titles of worth are released on a download basis. It's even more pointless than the Virtual Arcade, thus my Wii has always remained completly offline.

espiga Mar 15, 2009

Alternatively, Gamestop has this little $20 dongle that plugs into the USB port on the back of the Wii that will add an ethernet port. This is the method I use, simply because I have very little faith in wireless networks.

Halon Mar 15, 2009

World of Goo

jiggs Mar 15, 2009

lol, i steal from my neighbor's wireless signal but the downside is connection can be unreliable sometimes. i don't use wi-fi much for anything except purchasing Virtual Console or WiiWare games. online play isn't quite feasible with this method because half the time online matches can get laggy...but i'm not really missing much though. you can buy a wireless lan adapter for 40 or 50(?) bucks and hook it up to you computer usb. not worth it imo unless you reaaally have to go online with your wii and want stable online play..or you can try my method of hooking up. :)

and as far as the other games on your list.

3. No More Heroes(get it! i think ubisoft is going to rerelease this game and bundle it with red steel...but if you can find it used, the game is under $20.)
4. Okami(i think you can get this game for cheap too.)
5. MadWorld(more violent than No More Heroes?)
6. Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn(as you said, same as Path, but i found the game to be much harder and unforgiving in the beginning because once one of your party member dies, the game is over. not quite as lovable and memorable as far as cast of characters is concern. get it if youre a hardcore fire emblem fan)
7. Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure(cute as fuck, but ingenious game nonetheless)
8. Boom Blox (haven't tried)
9. Super Paper Mario(fun. enjoyed it.)
10. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (it's just a more polished version of Melee, not necessarily a must-have but get it after the one's above)

1. Deadly Creatures
2. Mario Kart Wii
3. de Blob
4. Dokapon Kingdom
5. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
6. Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition
7. Elebits
8. Wario World: Shake It!
9. Rayman Raving Rabbids
10. Animal Crossing: City Folk

out of all the games on that list..you should definitely check out Elebits. it's one of those quirky games in the style of Katamari Damacy. you can get it for cheap...and i believe there are somewhere over 100,000 copies so if you can find it get it! oh and add Trauma Center: 2nd Opinion to the list...if you have never played the DS version...but if you have a DS, i'd get the DS version of course.

Genj Mar 15, 2009

No More Heroes is currently $16.99 NEW on Amazon btw. Great deal if you have Prime or just spend another $8+ more for free shipping.

Suskie Blogger Mar 15, 2009

Red Steel looked interesting before launch but I've heard very mixed things about it. I'm sure it's cheap at this point though, so I can probably check it out eventually. Also, if I get World of Goo, it'll be over Steam. I was wondering if WiiWare was worth it otherwise, but apparently not.

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions and answers. Seems like there's no easy way to hook this thing up to the internet, but then again, it's not good for much anyway, so I guess it balances out. (If anything, I'll go for Espiga's plan, because I also have little faith in wireless networks.)

Halon Mar 15, 2009

Steam is probably the way to go for World of Goo because of the achievements but I believe it is cheaper on the Wii (unless you took advantage of the $4.99 weekend deal a few weeks ago).

WilltheGreat Mar 15, 2009

People who have little faith in wireless networks are no different than people who have little faith in airplanes: irrational.

jerec Mar 15, 2009

If you've played Animal Crossing before on GameCube or DS, don't bother with City Folk. It's nothing new. If you haven't, then you might have a bit of fun with it.

honestgamer Staff Mar 15, 2009

Animal Crossing on Wii is definitely an improvement over the GameCube version from what I've seen so far, but not a massive improvement. The visual style is better because you don't go from screen to screen; it's all one connected town. I haven't done much in the city because I'm still distracted with all of the stuff to do around the main town.

Dokapon Kingdom should be higher on your list, but otherwise you nailed most of the games that I would recommend to a general audience. Order Up! is also a great game. Look it up here on the site. I posted two videos of it. So much fun, and cheap now (as I recall).

No More Heroes for $16 sounds like a good deal. I'll try to keep that in mind if I stumble across a money tree anytime soon.

Suskie Blogger Mar 15, 2009

Yeah, City Folk is a game I'm slightly interested in, but from what I've heard (especially from Jerec's review) it's nothing new, which is why it's dead last. Also, Dokapon Kingdom looks like a lot of fun to me but it seems like the kind of game that's best played with friends and I'm not sure I know anyone else who'd be interested in it. (My friends all play shooters and Smash Bros. and whatnot.)