Over the years, there has been a revolution in the number of video games that have come up. Since their inception in the late 1950s and 1960s, the demographic of customers have varied. Interestingly, what started as a hobby and a pass-time by children has now become a full-fledged profession whereby adults play all day to make their careers in it.
Majorly, Wii games were pretty popular as much as they were interesting. These games took the world by storm. Wii, pronounced “wee,” from Nintendo, competed against the likes of Microsoft Xbox and the Sony PlayStation. Let us look at some of the best-selling video games that contributed to the stellar performance of this gaming console.
Wii Sports
Among the first games that Wii ever released was Wii Sports way back in 2006. This game featured several sports, such as boxing, baseball, tennis, golf, and bowling, all of which were interactive and involved standing up and moving your body as though you were really playing the sport.
It is essentially a hit because it was among the first sports video games that ever got released, and the market was craving for it. Wii Sports has sold around 82.9 million copies worldwide to date.
The players use the remote to mimic the action performed in real life. This technology was first developed by Nintendo for their Wii games way ahead of time and Microsoft had launched Kinect to compete with Nintendo.
The more interactive gameplay drew fans of video games in immediately, and the console's popularity exploded. It quickly became one of the most coveted pieces of new technology for the home and the most desired Christmas present for kids and adults alike.
How to Play
Nintendo provides a robust gaming experience with the Sports Club offer. You choose to play either of the games like golf, baseball, boxing among others. You can join a community and play with friends or team up against one another.
To begin playing, you will need an internet connection and a SportsPass that gives you a 24-hour trial period.
After that prepare to shell out $2 for a day to play unlimited games under the Wii Sports Club banner. Do not forget to use their MotionPlus technology to practice in the nets before any stand-offs!
Mario Kart Wii
In April 2008, Wii decided to take their gaming up a notch when they introduced Mario Kart Wii. It proved to be a novel idea as the company claims to have sold at least 37.32 million copies worldwide.
What made this game appealing to several gamers at the time was the 32 different race tracks.
As the name of the game says, it had a huge draw also because of the star characters of Mario’s fame. From a single-player option to a quad-screen multiplayer option, the game gave the right jitters right from the driver’s seat.
Fans of Nintendo's original Mario Kart game for N64 found an awesome companion in the Wii version and a super enjoyable pastime.
How to Play
The best part about the game is that you also get to perform crazy bike stunts like wheelies. Also, you will learn to use tricks to out-perform your competitors during the race instinctively. For example, a nitro-boost to speed up abnormally.
Mario Kart Wii has two objectives. One is to get ahead in the race and win and the other, to use any means possible! Simply pick up all items that you see on the track that you can use either to strengthen your position or derail others.
Don’t forget to use the three superpowers that either enlarge you beyond proportion momentarily or deliver a shock to other racers upon bumping them or the one that topples others completely for some seconds.
New Super Mario Bros
This celebrated game earned the attention of fans as Mario travels across eight different worlds. He doesn’t just avoid the items, which are set as obstacles, he has to fight off henchmen along the way. These are Bowser’s henchmen that he has to fight off to rescue Princess Peach along his worldwide journey.
One of the standout features was that four people could play the game together, both in cooperation or in competition. This game managed to sell a total of 30.30 million copies worldwide since it was released.
Most adults today have played Super Mario Bros in some form or another in their life. Did you know that this game is based on a 2D platform and gameplay but the objects along the way that Mario faces are all in 3D? Many have touted the game to be a 2.5D which, in reality, doesn’t exist!
How to Play
The gameplay is simple. Mario is dropped on a path that eventually leads to traversing 80 levels to reach Bowser and rescue the princess.
As a side view of the 2D track, you will come across mushroom-shaped creatures whom you will eliminate. On the way, you must inspect all the walls and coin boxes to collect points.
Next, you will also have to cross obstacles like green pipes or sewage. Some of these pipes will also take you to a secret location where you will get a lot of coins. As you accumulate coins, you will also get complimentary lives, so don’t let them go. Lastly, use your powers to reach each castle presented.
Wii Play
Wii Play, the fifth best-selling Wii video game of all time, is a party game that features up to nine mini-games in it.
You have a fishing game, a duck-hunting game, billiard games, and others. The idea of the game was to show off the Wii remote controller, which turned it into a commercial success.
Wii Play was beloved internationally and played worldwide, selling over 28 million copies in all at the time of this writing.
You can play this game as a single-player mode or a multiplayer mode. On the multiplayer, you can have up to two players playing at the same time on the competition.
How to Play
Since there are up to nine party games packed into one, Wii Play rejuvenated the excitement of playing the games of the olden days, creating a nostalgic effect.
For instance, remember the shooting range game? Well, everything is the same except for the fact that a Wii remote replaces the old wired remote. When using the Wii remote, the character will shadow your movements, giving you a unique playing experience.
In similar stead, you can also play billiards by using the Wii remote as the billiards stick and moving around the table. Similar playing principles apply to other games on the list, including Laser Hockey, Pose Mii, Fishing, Charge, and more.
Wii Sports Resort
When Wii introduced this game, the graphics were quite superior to the previous games. The controls for the game were also different and quite better than the previous games. In this game, you have options from table tennis, archery, among others.
The game is set up in a beach resort on an archipelago. The first time you start the game, you have several instructions that play out, making it easy to maneuver the game. From the game’s release to date, it has sold around 33.71 million copies, making it the third best-selling Wii game.
For those who don’t know, Wii Sports Resort is the sequel to Wii Sports, and the reason it earned critical acclaim and amazing rankings is because of its improved controls and graphics.
How to Play
Before actually playing the game, you find yourself skydiving onto the majestic Wuhu Island, where all the games listed can be played. Here too, you need first to familiarize yourself with the Wii Remote and replicate the moves to play each of the games.
One interesting aspect here is the Nunchuck joystick, which comes into play when you play the archery game. Here, the Wii remote acts as the bow, and you have to pull the nunchuck back to shoot the arrow.
The Wii remote is used similarly to play other games and interact with the interface. In another example, you can play bowling by imitating the same action as you do in an actual bowling alley, only this time, the Wii remote will act as the ball.
Conclusion
Wii games took the video game scene to new heights. As you can clearly see, Nintendo had major success in selling the games internationally and connecting with the audience. Well, success was imminent because the Wii games took on the beginnings of augmented and virtual reality games.
The cost-effectiveness of the games and intuitive controls only contributed to Wii’s popularity. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Wii brought a revolution to how we play and enjoy games while creating the potential for even more advanced gameplay in the future.