How to Choose the Best Wii Video Games

The Wii, simply put, is a revolution in gaming. Young or old, gamer or non-gamer, male or female, this console is attracting a wide audience and bringing people who would never consider playing a video game before into the gaming experience. However, not all games for the Wii are created equal. Here are a few tips in how to pick the right game for the newest console on the block.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Wii

1. Get to know the Wii. The Wii, as you’ve probably noticed, doesn’t work like most other video game systems. The controllers aren’t traditional controllers. There aren’t any wires. Moving the controller like a wand rather than pushing buttons is the name of the game here. Realizing this key difference is the first step in picking out the best games.
2. Realize the Wii’s strengths. Since you’re moving the Wii controller through the air like a wand, games that require the characters on screen to move around rather than simply shoot things are going to be better suited to the Wii’s strengths. It stands to reason that the game included for free with most Wii systems is Wii Sports. Bowling, tennis, and golf especially are the sports that seem to work the best on the Wii, with standard movements that most everyone knows. There are many other sports titles out now for the Wii that build on this premise.
3. Realize the Wii’s weaknesses. Yes, as life-changing as the Wii is, it does have weaknesses. Those weaknesses come when you need to use the Wii controller like you would a normal controller. The catch is that the controller isn’t really meant to be used like that. The buttons are somewhat too close together; the trigger button on the bottom of the controller is almost impossible to hit when positioned like a traditional controller. Games that do not require wand movements therefore are not well suited for the Wii.
4. Check out Nintendo titles. Nintendo makes the Wii, and Nintendo also makes tons of video games just for the Wii. It stands to reason therefore that the Nintendo titles that are designed especially for the Wii will use the Wii to its full potential. Mario, Zelda and Metroid are all strong examples of this.
5. Be wary of multi-platform games. Just as Nintendo titles are designed with the Wii in mind, many other games are designed for the PS3 or the Xbox 360. In this latter case, developers attempt to create Wii versions of games that are not designed with the Wii in mind. In many ways, this is like trying to push a square peg into a round hole.