We've had enough time now with the Wii to discover some real gems (how many hours have you put into just Wii Sports so far?) ... but like any system, there are also a few duds, particularly within the launch window. If you're looking to expand your collection, or if you're one of the Wii-less trying to figure out how to budget when your day comes, we're here to help you find the best and the worst of the Wii so far.
First up? The five best games according to metareviews of those titles released so far:
1. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Metascore: 95%
Maybe everyone doesn't agree -- and we know some of you aren't terribly enthused by the Wii's premiere launch title -- but reviewers on the whole had nothing but praise for Link's latest epic adventure. And with the sales the title has boasted, unless you have been living firmly under a rock, it should be no surprise that this is tops on many Wii lists.
2. Wario Ware: Smooth Moves
Metascore: 83%
There's nothing like a game that encourages players to use the Wiimote to pick their noses. Wario Ware: Smooth Moves deserves the second slot on this list if only for all the comedic fodder and raised eyebrows it brings to this series of tubes we call home.
3. Madden NFL 07
Metascore: 81%
We've seen such mixed player reviews on this one that we're surprised it pulls in at number three. For football fans, the Wii's Madden NFL 07 seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it proposition, and enough reviewers loved it to make up for those who didn't.
4. Trauma Center: Second Opinion
Metascore: 80%
While we didn't find this particular edition of Trauma Center quite as soul-crushingly difficult as the DS version, we were definitely pleased with the move to the Wii. We're not surprised to see this one here at all, particularly after watching random people encourage others to buy it, sight unseen.
5. Rayman Raving Rabbids
Metascore: 76%
There are a lot of things that bunnies can't do, but we'll tell you what they can do, and that's rock your socks. While Super Monkey Ball has a few gems (though they're in the rough), and Wario Ware is a fun, frenetic challenge, Rayman Raving Rabbids shows us exactly why minigames are just so good on the Wii. This one has it all.
While we can mostly agree with the above as a representation of the best the Wii has to offer right now, we have to say ... as great games go, those scores seem a little low overall. Since the SSX Blur debacle, there have been some rumbling questions about reviews for Wii games in particular. Is the system so different that the old reviewers have trouble adjusting? Do you think the above scores are fair ... and are there other games that you think are better overall?
It's not all about reviews and scores, though. Sometimes, a game just has a certain something that defies all logic and reason, and even we here at Wii Fanboy are not immune. We'll even own up to our guilty pleasures.
Alisha: I can't deny it -- I spent a ridiculous amount of time playing Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam. I didn't even particularly like the game at first, but I'm what you might call a Tony Hawk obsessive devotee, so I had to give it a fair shot, and it quickly grew on me. I found the controls much more engaging than Excite Truck (which is somewhat similar in control style), and it's definitely fun for multiplayer races. 
Dave: Elebits, because I never really grew out of loving to play hide and seek. That and I get evil fun from trashing the neighborhood capturing those poor, defenseless, cute little guys.Frankly, we're shocked. Shocked! That Dave seemed like such a nice fellow.
But what good is a list of the best without a little something to balance it out? While we love the Wii like ice cream, we're not above admitting that not everything has been exactly spectacular. So which three games have racked up the worst reviews so far?
1. Far Cry Vengeance
Metascore: 38%
At first, it seemed like everything was gonna be okay ... and then ... well, the review scores are worth a thousand words. So far, Far Cry Vengeance sports the worst scores of any Wii game, and serves as a good lesson that sometimes, graphics do matter.
2. GT Pro Series
Metascore: 41%
Once we saw the first screens from GT Pro Series, it quickly became the game everyone loved to hate, and for good reason. We've seen better pictures slapped onto refrigerators with a magnet before.
3. Rapala Tournament Fishing!
Metascore: 42%
Fishing may seem like a natural fit for the Wii, but this isn't the game to prove it. Shoddy controls and subpar graphics mean that not many are nibbling at Rapala's hook.
So there you have it -- the top contenders and the bottom of the barrel. With a lot to look forward to in the coming months, we doubt that the top five will remain static until the end of the year. Is it possible that something could take the top spot away from Twilight Princess? 95% is tough to beat, but we'd be willing to bet that Trauma Center and Rayman at least will slip off this list ... and that's a little sad, because those games deserve the attention they've gotten so far.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-08-2007 @ 8:04PM
Zachary Hinchliffe said...
WOOT! SOMEONE besides me likes Downhill Jam!
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3-08-2007 @ 8:22PM
Tom said...
My current favorite is Call of Duty 3. It makes the best use of the Wiimote and Nunchuck in my opinion. If anyone out there is avoiding FPSs because playing Red Steel or Far Cry gave you a bad impression, then fear not! COD3 controls like a dream!
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3-08-2007 @ 9:00PM
Jackson Pritt said...
@Tom
God, I just wish it had multiplayer.
ESPECIALLY considering how the Wii has turned into a "party machine."
WHY DOESN'T IT HAVE MULTIPLAYER?!?
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3-08-2007 @ 9:46PM
Randal Wall said...
I just want to comment that Red Steel is a really good game. As long as you put the patience into the game and understand your control zone the game is a lot of fun. It's actually made me play through a second time. I generally beat a game throw it on the shelf and start the next. But when NFS: Carbon or Splinter Cell make me mad I just resort to Red Steel! And Zelda... Well it exceeded my expectations! It was amazing, beautiful, and just so much fun!
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3-08-2007 @ 9:49PM
Ralph said...
How can you guys be crazy about CoD3? Admittedly FreeLook was a bit better handled compared to Red Steel, but the way the game implements the motion controls just make me vomit. The way you planted the plastic explosives at target sites was incredibly painful. And driving your jeep by holding your wiimote and nunchuk like you were holding the steering wheel? Hah. Topping off the vomit induced _joyride_ that was CoD3 was also the xbox-like in-game graphics and cutscenes that seem like they were rendered straight out of a xbox360. Oh, and the story? Ho ho.
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3-08-2007 @ 10:20PM
Raycer said...
Thumbs up: Wii Sports and Zelda
everything else is eh at best
Wii, like the PS3 needs real games; And not mini game collections either
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3-08-2007 @ 11:02PM
Alisha Karabinus said...
@Randall -- I actually really, really like the multiplayer in Red Steel and desperately hope they put it online in the sequel. The game itself I think was too flawed in some ways, but I did find that I enjoyed the controls and gameplay a lot.
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3-08-2007 @ 11:48PM
Drew said...
The most disappointing and terrible game i've played is rayman raving rabbids. it was fun for about an hour, beat it, and never bothered to pick it up again. and yes, i've played with friends, i have 4 controllers, and its still very lack luster. the game has no structure, and even a n64 mario party has better minigames.
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3-09-2007 @ 1:04AM
dlynch said...
I have yet to play Madden due to the mixed reviews. But the top 3 listed here is spot on. . .but where is wii sports? I would put that in the 3rd spot.
______________
http://sternclips.blogspot.com/2007/02/free-wii-points-via-amazon.html
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3-09-2007 @ 1:25AM
Morris Levy said...
I own Zelda, WarioWare, and Excite Truck. Best choices I know of so far. ^^,
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3-09-2007 @ 1:44AM
Alisha Karabinus said...
Wii Sports is #6 on that list, one point behind Rayman -- but it's interesting to look at the reviews and see how many reviewers spit on it as nothing more than a "demo."
And yet, it's one hell of a demo if it's moving all those systems, amirite?
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3-09-2007 @ 1:58AM
Naruhodou said...
I didn't think Call of Duty 3 controlled that well, either. It's easily the worst out of the few Wii games I've played (I have avoided Red Steel and Ubisoft.)
I do wish Metal Slug Anthology got more love. Sure, all the control options suck, there are unforgivable loading times, and it's glitches all around, but they're (mostly) fun!
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3-09-2007 @ 3:14AM
f4rrest said...
We've actually spent more time making Mii's than playing Madden, Sports, or Rabbids...
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3-09-2007 @ 3:36AM
Ryan P. said...
Disapointments:
Exite Truck controls where IMPOSIBLE! i never felt like i was in control. But i wished they did work 'cause i loved playing it while i managed to keep everything in check. I don't care if a bad game has bad controls, its when a possible gem gets ruined by bad controls.
Truama Centre: felt way too 2-D, and the gameplay segments
where obviously hand-held shalow. Just not a console experience. And all that text? Nintendo games need to get more animation instead of static cartoons, and voice acting!
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3-09-2007 @ 4:30AM
fah-q said...
That Madden screenshot is a joke. I like the control scheme, but thats a seriously horrible looking football game. Its depressing even to play it, the graphics are so bad.
Graphics dont matter though. We all totally believe that.
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3-09-2007 @ 4:36AM
rudi said...
Worst game that I bought for the Wii was "Cars". A complete waste of money and time.
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3-09-2007 @ 4:37AM
senator said...
Hmmm, found a site selling them - http://www.unetglobal.com/website/Wholesale/
It is bulk but hey, price is right... whatdya think (no i dont own the site - pretty sparse but sane pricing
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3-09-2007 @ 4:44AM
Ihar `Philips` Filipau said...
I'm finishing Zelda this week-end. And I all I can think of ... "WHERE IS PROMISED METRIOD???????"
This is huge disappointment. I bought Wii expecting to buy it along with Metroid (I'm keyboard+mouse FPS guy). Back then it was planned on March. Now it is March, I'm finishing Zelda ... and Metroid is delayed into summer. Sh*t.
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3-09-2007 @ 6:29AM
ManekiNeko said...
Maybe it's not the best game on the Wii, but Elebits is in my eyes the game that makes the best use OF the Wii. It's the only title I've seen so far with gameplay that's totally reliant on the Wii remote... I just couldn't imagine playing it with anything else!
JR
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3-09-2007 @ 8:37PM
Cheswick said...
@14 I personally think Excite Truck controls extremely well. After about 5 or ten mintues withteh game i got the handle of it and is ne of the funner games i own.
I think COD3 controls are mixed. When youre just shooting it works fine. When they try getting you to do other things it falls flat. Half the time i coldnt figure out what they wanted me to do. There was one part you had to take control of a craine for the life of me i couldnt get it to work. After doing the same thing like 50 tiems once it just worked. So weird.
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3-09-2007 @ 9:32PM
Steve 3.2 said...
From my limited play time with a friend's Wii, I'd rank Rayman a little higher. It may not be what many people expect/want (i.e. a great platformer), but I found the humor and control to be great in the mini games. The dancing and shooting stages are great and nothing is more satisfying that tossing a cow all the way into the hills. :)
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3-10-2007 @ 5:10AM
Jet said...
Rampage is a crap game for the wii. i loved it as an arcade game but it just dosn't translate well to console
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5-22-2007 @ 5:31AM
hitler's preserved brain said...
I own wii sports, Wii Play and Zelda. I borrowed Wario Ware off a friend and thoguht "wow, i'm glad i didn't pay for this game." Zelda is awesome, and from reading these reviews, i don't think anything will live up to my expectations now.
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