Although its
gameplay isn’t quite as ambitious as its concepts, there’s certainly something to
be said for conceptual ambition.
Especially when it’s this awesome.
We’re kicking off our list with Epic Mickey, one of the Wii’s most daring third-party
releases.
Disney fans will love the incredibly cool story about guilt, regret and forgotten characters,
and the Mario Sunshine-inspired gameplay is classic 3D platforming.
Four years after debuting as a minigame in a different game, the Geometry Wars universe
expanded at the rate of awesome in Galaxies...the series’ first retail release and the biggest
Geometry Wars to date.
New enemies, fantastic new boards and the introduction of geoms and support drones also
make it the best Geometry Wars to date...provided you own a Classic Controller.
“Hey, you know that beloved franchise we abandoned, like, 15 years ago?
Yeah, we’re going to need you to make a new one.
No pressure, guys.
Just, you know, it’d better be a knockout.”
I mean, that’s pretty much what Nintendo asked of Next Level Games.
And to their credit, they delivered.
Punch-Out!!
revived Little Mac’s waning career Rocky 4 style, introducing a whole new generation
to the simple joys of pattern memorization.
For nearly a decade, most American gamers only knew Sin and Punishment as that awesome
Nintendo 64 game they never got to play.
But in 2009, Nintendo atoned for past sins by releasing a Wii sequel.
Star Successor is an unforgiving journey into the depths of bullet hell, a magnificent shooter
that proved that—even for a game this hardcore—the Wii Remote was on point.
Like Epic Mickey, this is another example of good gameplay made great thanks to visionary
aesthetics and daring art.
And all on the weakest system of its generation.
Nintendo’s console forced developers to get creative, and few games show that as proudly—as
violently—as the gorgeous MadWorld.
Impaling a human has never been so stylish.
That does it for part one of our feature, so be sure to come back for part two...where
we’ll reveal our next five picks in the top 25 Wii games of all-time.