The 50 Best Nintendo Wii Games - #50-41

In celebration of my 50th review, I've decided to do a list of the top 50 games available for Wii. I see this list as a constantly updated review that will be ever-changing (especially as new games keep coming out). These rankings are purely what I think - please feel free to agree or disagree (and if you disagree, post a comment! It makes things more interesting). I've also included the ratings from IGN, Gamespot, Nintendo Power, and Test Freaks, just to give you an idea of how others are viewing the games too. That being said:

The 50 Best Games Available for Wii
Numbers 50 to 41

50. Wii Play
Release Date: 2/12/2007 | Players: 1-4 | ESRB: E (Everyone) | Genre: Sports
Ratings: IGN: 5.5 | Gamespot: 5.4 | Nintendo Power: 7 | Test Freaks: 5.9
Kicking it off at #50 is Wii Play, a game designed to introduce you to the WiiMote in a similar fashion to Wii Sports. When you purchase Wii Play, you get a WiiMote for free, or since it runs around $50, you get the WiiMote for $40 and Wii Play for $10. The game consists of nine mini-games - Shooting Range, Find Mii, Table Tennis, Pose Mii, Laser Hockey, Billiards, Fishing, Charge!, and Tanks! - three of which are fun, three of which are okay, and three of which are terrible (want to know which is which - Click Here!). Overall, you get a WiiMote!

49. Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary
Release Date: 11/13/2007 | Players: 1 | ESRB: T (Teen) | Genre: Action Adventure
Ratings: IGN: 7 | Gamespot: 7 | Nintendo Power: 6.5 | Test Freaks: 8.7
The Tomb Raider series has been on the shelves for over ten years now (and also gone into film), and like remakes of old movies, Eidos has decided to release the original game with a facelift. The levels are similar to the original ones, but they now have better graphics and are bigger with more tasks. The game also is the first really interactive version, utilizing both the Nunchuk and WiiMote. The controls are a little difficult to master (which is why it falls so low), but once you get the hang of it, it really is a lot of fun.

48. Mario Party 8
Release Date: 5/29/2007 | Players: 1-4 | ESRB: E (Everyone) | Genre: Party Game
Ratings: IGN: 5.2 | Gamespot: 6.5 | Nintendo Power: 7.5 | Test Freaks: 7.4
The eighth game in the Mario Party series, Mario Party 8 features tons of mini-games that take advantage of the Wii's motion-sensing technology (which is what makes the Wii special and unique, no?). If you have not played any of the other Mario Party games, then this one is great! If you have, you won't find it overly different, but it is still a lot of fun - especially if you have young kids playing Wii or want games that do not have a steep learning curve.

47. Madden NFL 08
Release Date: 8/14/2008 | Players: 1-4 | ESRB: E (Everyone) | Genre: Sports
Ratings: IGN: 8.5 | Gamespot: 8 | Nintendo Power: 8 | Test Freaks: 9
The second installment of the Madden football for the Wii, everyone had very high hopes for Madden 08 after the very successful release of its predecessor Madden 07 a year earlier. Unfortunately, EA Sports really dropped the ball on this one - we're talking Patriots in Super Bown XLII bad - by having more problems than Madden 07 and taking out some of the most popular features, including Create A Player and Create A Statium. Normally it goes hands down that even if there's not a lot of improvement from the previous game, it will fall ahead of it on the list because the graphics will be better or something small like that. Not the case with Madden 08...

46. Ghost Squad
Release Date: 11/20/2007 | Players: 1-4 | ESRB: T (Teen) | Genre: Shooter
Ratings: IGN: 7.5 | Gamespot: 6.5 | Nintendo Power: 7 | Test Freaks: 8.4
As Sega's revamped arcade game, Ghost Squad is one of the first games to utilize the WiiMote technology like a light gun (similar to Shooting Range in Wii Play) over the course of three missions, where you can choose different paths to go down when you play the levels multiple times. As you complete the levels, you acquire additional guns and can play them in a different way (sniping instead of rushing in, for example). The downside of Ghost Squad is the replayability - there are only so many times I can play the same level while taking a different path. At a certain point, it just gets old.

45. Call of Duty 3
Release Date: 11/14/2006 | Players: 1 | ESRB: T (Teen) | Genre: Shooter
Ratings: IGN: 7.7 | Gamespot: 7.2 | Nintendo Power: 6.5 | Test Freaks: 7.9
The fourth game in the Call of Duty series (I know, 3 doesn't make it sound that way...), COD3 is the first version for the interactive Wii. If the haven't played any of the COD games, the premise is that you are the Allies during WWII fighting against the Nazi's (you play as all sorts of different nations), doing everything from close quarters combat to long-distance sniping. COD3 allows you to make your own decisions (smoke 'em out or guns blazing!), drive vehicles (a new feature that is very cool!), and aim by pointing the WiiMote at the screen. The only thing that hurts COD3 is the lack of multiplayer (it's there for other platforms...), but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying what single player has to offer (or for looking forward to the next installment - Call of Duty: World at War!).

44. Sonic and the Secret Rings
Release Date: 2/20/2007 | Players: 1-4 | ESRB: E (Everyone) | Genre: Platformer
Ratings: IGN: 6.9 | Gamespot: 7.6 | Nintendo Power: 8.5 | Test Freaks: 8
Unfortunately for Sega, they really struck out with this one... Sonic and the Secret Rings barely utilized the Wii technology, so the gameplay score takes a huge hit. It almost seems like Sega is stuck in the past with the controls, since you turn the WiiMote sideways and jump and stop by pressing the 1 and 2 buttons. The only way that you use the Wii motion-sensing technology is by tilting the controller either left or right. After the huge gameplay blow, it's hard to recover, but Sonic and the Secret Rings has decent replay value with 100 missions and 40 "party games" (some of which you have to unlock) - but once you go through them a few times (the party games, that is), they quickly lose their appeal...

43. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
Release Date: 11/13/2007 | Players: 1-2 | ESRB: M (Mature) | Genre: Shooter
Ratings: IGN: 7.9 | Gamespot: 7 | Nintendo Power: 8 | Test Freaks: 8.4
The goal of the Resident Evil series is to scare your pants off while you freely move around creepy old houses with zombies bursting through walls and creatures with way too many teeth attacking you from the ceiling. Unfortunately, during Umbrella Chronicles you do not have the ability to freely move, which, in my mind, takes away from the game. You can look around using the Nunchuk, but you cannot move yourself around. This game was designed to be a light gun game, which if that is what you are looking for, then this is a great game for you! Multiplayer offers a lot of good replay value, too, as you and your buddy can go through the levels shooting zombies together. As far as light gun games go, Umbrella Chronicles is pretty good - if you're looking for the typical Resident Evil game, though, stick with Resident Evil 4.

42. Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Release Date: 5/29/2007 | Players: 1-4 | ESRB: M (Mature) | Genre: Fighting
Ratings: IGN: 7.8 | Gamespot: 7.5 | Nintendo Power: 8 | Test Freaks: 8.7
The Mortal Kombat series has been around for over 15 years, and the latest installment, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon has the largest roster of them all and great new features - such as the ability to create your own fighter (and create your own fatality!). The controls, like every Wii game that is a new addition to a series, are great once you get the hang of them, but different and a little frustrating at first (once you go through training mode, though, it's all gravy). As games have evolved too, their ability to do more has as well - for example, the introduction of online play has been great for a lot of games. Unfortunately, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon lacks online capability. Overall, if you are looking for a great, new addition to the Mortal Kombat series, than this is a great game for you. If you have little kids around (or just aren't into ripping-off-heads gore), than maybe you should pass, or just give it a try at a friend's house.

41. Rock Band Track Pack: Vol. 1
Release Date: 7/15/2008 | Players: 1-4 | ESRB: T (Teen) | Genre: Rhythm/Music
Ratings: IGN: N/A | Gamespot: N/A | Nintendo Power: 6.5 | Test Freaks: N/A
Rock Band was a huge success on the PS3 and XBOX 360, so it's only expected that it would come to the Wii as well. Unfortunately for us Wii owners, Rock Band for Wii does not take advantage of any of the Wii's unique technology, nor does it have any online capability. This is where Rock Band Track Pack: Vol. 1 comes in. With the XBOX 360 and PS3 versions, new songs are released on a weekly basis and can be downloaded. With the lack of a sufficient hard drive in the Wii, songs cannot be downloaded and saved - thus it is not an option - so new songs are released through "track packs." These are standalone games - so if you want to play Rock Band Track Pack: Vol. 1 without owning the original Rock Band, you can do that (you just need to have the instruments). The only reason that you would want to do that is if you like the songs on Track Pack: Vol. 1 better than the songs on the original Rock Band - so here they are: 30 Seconds to Mars: The Kill - All-American Rejects: Move Along - Blink-182: All the Small Things - Boston: More Than a Feeling - David Bowie: Moonage Daydream - Faith No More: We Care a Lot - Grateful Dead: Truckin' - Hives: Die, All Right! - Kiss: Calling Dr. Love - Lynyrd Skynyrd: Gimme Three Steps - Nine Inch Nails: March of the Pigs - Oasis: Live Forever - Paramore: Crushcrushcrush - The Police: Synchronicity II - Queens of the Stone Age: Little Sister - The Ramones: Teenage Lobotomy - Smashing Pumpkins: Siva - Stone Temple Pilots: Interstate Love Song - Weezer: Buddy Holly - Wolfmother: Joker & The Thief

So that's it for numbers 50 through 41. Keep a lookout for the next installment, 40 to 31!

50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1