The Top 15 Games That SHOULD Have Been on Wii

(That's right, we're taking things up a level this time, and going with a top 15.. There are just too many games to choose from!)

While the odd white box from Nintendo is a modern story of gaming success, the Nintendo Wii was notorious for getting snubbed when it came to the support from major third party developers, and always seemed to be stuck with unrealized potential. While the console certainly wasn't lacking in games, it fast became little more than a dumping ground for old ports and cheap, lazy cash-ins. Despite hitting well over 100 million consoles sold worldwide, third parties could never seem to figure this little device out, nor could they discover how to market to its audience, which tended to want something different from the prototypical action/shooter loaded with blood and gore.

Naturally, as Wii gamers got the cold shoulder, the endless thoughts of "what if?" ran rampant through our minds. Games were released for the HD consoles at that time that seemed as if they were designed for Nintendo's motion controlled box. We looked to games on old consoles, almost certain that a remake or a sequel would emerge, but often we waited in vain. Of course, I'm not just picking on third party companies here. Nintendo is also guilty of not fulfilling the true potential of its own machine by skipping out on games that would seemingly be a perfect fit. Whether manifest on other game systems or only in our imaginations, endless thoughts of games we wanted to play while wielding our Wii remotes never came to fruition.

So, let us begin the "what if" and "if only…" as I will attempt to gather what I feel are the 15 most obvious games that us Wii gamers shouted for, and were never answered. We'll also get our imaginations running as we come up with potential new games from existing franchises that never saw the light of day and should have.

# 15. Street Fighter 4

Alright Capcom, exactly why did we not get this game? I'd love to hear your excuse…

I am still baffled. I have pondered this for quite awhile, and there is literally NO plausible reason that crosses my mind as to why we got the short end of the stick here. Resident Evil 5? Ok fine, that game demanded a great deal more horsepower than the Wii could provide… I get it. But this? Just look at it! It's a 2-dimensional cell shaded arcade fighting game! Sure, the Wii couldn't handle it, but IPHONE could!

I also contend that this game suits the Wii audience just as much, if not more so than the audiences of Sony and Microsoft's respective consoles. A major part of the Wii's charm is retro style gaming, and a large chunk of its audience likes these types of games. You have New Super Mario Brothers, Smash Brothers Brawl, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Sonic Colors, NBA Jam, and several other games that adhere strongly to that style of classic gameplay. Street Fighter 4 would have been a great potential Wii game. Too bad Capcom, for whatever reason, didn't seem to agree...

# 14. StarCraft

We got one for the N64, which came complete with a clunky, mess of a controller and mediocre sales… Why not one for Wii, which sports a pointer controller that is practically designed for this type of game? One of the most successful franchises of all time on one of the most successful game consoles of all time seemed like a no-brainer to me. But apparently Blizzard didn't feel this way. I suppose they wanted to remain primarily a PC based company at the time, but it isn't like they haven't ventured into the world of home consoles before. And since they have merged with Activision, they would certainly have the talent and experience with home consoles to put off such a project.

Controlling your forces could be quite simple with the Wii pointer controls. You could simply hold down the A/B button while dragging the pointer to grab all units on screen with a lasso. Controlling the bloodthirsty hordes of Zerg or the relentless Protoss beasts would be no problem with the tactile motion and pointing across the screen that the versatile Wii remote allows for. If any controller could handle the endless multitasking such a game demands, it is certainly the Wiimote. Dawn of Discovery proved RTS games and the Wii are a great match. We never really saw much much in this department, so it's not like a Starcraft game would have much competition. But alas, the potential for a goldmine is passed up, and Blizzard decided to seek their minerals elsewhere.

#13. Wave Race

Here lies the first case among many in which Nintendo passed up on a franchise revisit for its latest console. I suppose they figured two Wave Race games are enough (speaking of course of Wave Race 64 and its successor, Blue Storm on the Gamecube), but the Wii would have been the ideal console for a Wave Race sequel, not the Gamecube… As fun and successful as Mario Kart Wii turned out to be, how Nintendo wouldn't see this as a great idea for the little white box is beyond me.

They threw a bite-sized version at us in Wii Sports Resort, but that was little more than a tease of what could have been.. I mean, if a jet-ski mini game with Miis could be so fun, imagine a fully-fleshed out, true Wave Race sequel, complete with online multiplayer and a plethora of new tracks and racers. Like the act of jet skiing itself, such a game would have been EXTREME indeed!

#12. TimeSplitters

Another example of a genre underutilized for a console that would seemingly be a great fit. When the odd looking remote-like controller was revealed, the first two genres that popped in my head were RTS and FPS games.. Yet strangely these are two of the most underrepresented genres on the console. Not only were first person shooters lacking on the latest Nintendo console, but quality FPS games were even less abundant. A Time Splitters game for Wii would have easily filled both of these deficits, and would likely have set itself up nicely for at least decent success. I mean come on, zapping monkeys on screen with the Wiimote, how fun would that have been?

Also, what better place to put your prime franchise than the home that helped birth your success in the first place? Free Radical, now known as Crytek, was a mutant offspring of a large chunk of Goleneye's development team for Rareware back on the N64. I think the Nintendo fans are owed some sort of return from their contribution, as they helped to lay the foundations, not only in part of the success of Free Radical/Crytek, but of console FPS games in general. Maybe we'll see our old friends make a welcome return for the Wii U some day. One can hope...

#11. Katamari

One look at this game, and you immediately think Wii. The style of this classic seems to represent the quirky character of Nintendo's machine and its game. Yet, ironically, Wii is one of the few consoles of late that you will NOT find this highly charming and insane PS2 franchise. The concept is simple; roll a giant ball around and gather up everything that can possibly stick to it, until you've got a giant monstrosity engulfing everything in its path.

While we did receive a somewhat similar game in De Blob, which is a solid game in its own right, it felt more like a substitute, and we never got the real deal. Being a wacky, pick up and play game, with a child-friendly exterior, Katamari would clearly be a perfect match for the Wii. Yet this was the perfect marriage never realized, as these two lovebirds tragically never linked up.

#10. Eternal Darkness

Back in the Gamecube era, Nintendo and Silicon Knights partnered up to create an epic mature game, filling a much needed void for Nintendo's cutesy purple lunchbox that had since been stamped with the "kiddie" stigma long before. Filled with mind-twisting and creepy occurrences at every desolate turn, this "psychological thriller" was anything but kiddie, Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem even gave the M-rated monopoly over at Sony and Microsoft a run for their money by creating a unique game, which incorporated a "sanity system" that literally messed with your mind, essentially fooling the player by means of messing with the visuals and the gameplay itself. You might find your character falling through the floor, or suddenly being prompted with an error message, making you think your game was defective.

Considering this game also comes with a very in-depth magic system, it seems to me that this sequel-that-never-was would have been an absolute blast to play on the Wii, as you could have used the 3D motion controls to move your arms about as if you were casting a spell. A new an improved group of insanity "effects" could also have used the unique controller to its advantage, as the game could have fooled you into thinking your controller was acting up by moving your pointer around or blasting the speakers for a brief time. And just like the Gamecube, Wii was in need of this type of game, especially considering it had a much larger adult audience than did the Cube. To me, passing up on what could have been an amazing Eternal Darkness sequel was nothing sort of insane.

#9. Portal

While Portal developer, Valve has been notorious for heavily favoring PC for the most part, and a Wii version of Portal was never really seen as a realistic possibility, that didn't stop me from yearning for a variation of this mind-twisting and space-bending puzzle game for the Wii nonetheless. As with many of the aforementioned titles in this list, the wii remote's 3D pointer technology would have been a natural fit for this first person game in which movement and surveying your surroundings are such vital components to the game.

It isn't just the mechanics of this game that would have fit nicely with Nintendo's glossy white console, but its style and character as well. After all, Nintendo (especially in recent days) has been known as a company that favors puzzle games, or at the very least, of having puzzle elements within certain games. Just look at games like Tetris, Dr. Mario, Zack and Wiki, and even parts of modern Zelda titles. Another major characteristic of Nintendo is the emphasis of their family-friendly games, many of which come with a unique and quirky flavor. Portal possesses all of these qualities. Oh well, perhaps in some parallel dimension this game got to grace Nintendo's console...

#8. Space Channel 5

The lack of this game's charming presence always left me scratching my head. During the heyday of the Wii era, all I could think was, why? Why are we so far into the Wii's life and this zany rhythm game is nowhere to be found on Nintendo's motion system?? Let's go over the details here - Simplistic gameplay concept? Check. Involves pointing a particular direction on screen and rhythmic gameplay? Check. Cartoony appearance? Check. Cheap to develop and sell? Check and check. So what am I missing here? Why was it justified to put this game on a console with a 10 million userbase in the Dreamcast, but not one that now holds 10 times that amount?

I mean ok, so maybe the fact that the game stars a somewhat scantily dressed chick busting out some borderline raunchy dance moves deterred Sega from putting this on a game console where children and soccer moms make up a large part of the audience, but honestly, it's not like this would have been a big investment. The game can be beaten in 3 hours, and that's a conservative figure! Guess we'll have to dig our Dreamcasts out of the closet if we want to continue playing this addictive piece of gaming fun.

#7. Pilot Wings

The fact that the game now exists on the 3DS does not take away any of my bitterness from the fact that this classic franchise found no place on the Wii… If anything it just makes me crave a home console version even more. Going back to Wii Sports Resort again, you had a mini game that was similar to pilot wings where you fly around (and might I add, accomplish little else). But just like the Jet-ski mini game, all this teaser achieved was make us desire the real deal even more, as we got a taste of what such an awesome experience would be like with motion controls.

The Wiimote and Pilot Wings would have been like bread and butter… Turn it on its side and steer it, push up/down to control the throttle, or hold it long-ways like a pencil and fly it around like a paper airplane. Yet another dream squashed, and another idea that never took flight. And herein lies the main problem with how Nintendo handled the Wii; great controller, and lots of potential, but it was never quite realized, and our hopes came crashing down faster than Pilot Wing's own Hawk after plowing into the side of a rock.

#6. Terraria

Similar to portal, this quirky 2D action/adventure/sandbox hit seemed to fit the mold of the Wii's philosophy, yet, was absent on the console. Granted, it released on PC during the twilight years of the Wii's life, but that's perhaps all the more reason for developer Re-Logic to crank out a port for the console, as its userbase was at its peak, and most Nintendo fans were starved for a new game by 2011. And given the fact that the game was already made, and was quite light on the graphical horsepower and depth, it would have been relatively quick and easy to throw together.

While Terraria admittedly wouldn't have found much used for a remote-shaped motion controller, it would have nonetheless made sense for this indie title to test the waters on the Wii, considering both the game and console didn't require much horsepower. They also both seemed to possess a sort of retro and a family-friendly style that would have been a great marriage. Besides, if you could play this game with a keyboard and mouse, why not a Wii remote and nunchuck, which would have simplified the already basic control scheme even further?

#5. F-Zero

If you've played and enjoyed F-Zero gx on Gamecube, one thought might race to your head: how epic would this already intense experience be online, with dozens of actual players zipping about? When the initial announcement came that Sega was handling the F-Zero iteration for the Cube, I was doubtful. But the game turned out to be solid, and even rivaling Nintendo itself. After all, Sega has a reputation of quality (or at least they still did during this time), and they are not foreign to speedy games either, which anybody who has played a Sonic title knows. If you can get passed the insane difficulty, F-Zero is one of the Cube's greatest games, up there with the Nintendo-made classics on the console.

And so again, I waited eagerly for Sega and/or Nintendo to crank out another installment of its crack-induced futuristic racer. But again, I was left in limbo, playing Mario Kart Wii for the 100th time. Now don't get me wrong, Mario Kart Wii is a quality experience in its own right, but it doesn't quite fulfill the need for an all out adrenaline pumping racer. Unfortunately, Captain Falcon had to make due with his solitary Wii appearance on Smash Brothers Brawl…

#4. Minecraft

The Nintendo and Minecraft marriage seems to be perfect, yet it remains perhaps one of the biggest missed opportunities by both entities in recent gaming history. It truely is a mystery as to why Nintendo and Notch-led Mojang never crossed paths and joined up, especially considering Minecraft seemed to be a perfect fit for Nintendo in nearly every aspect imaginable. The game is obviously not graphic intensive and would have been no problem for Nintendo's relatively under-powered machine, and like many others mentioned in this list, it doesn't rely on blood, gore, and other "mature" themes to appeal to the gaming populace.

Like Terraria, Minecraft would have helped fill out the skimpy Wiiware library and fill a void of sandbox games on the Wii, and in addition, Mojang would have opened there game up to an audience roughly 100 million strong, many of whom I would bet would have rushed to play this type of game. But oddly enough, Nintendo platforms seem to be the sole platform in which you will not find Minecraft. While a spin-off game is coming to Nintendo's current generation console, called U-Craft, somehow I don't think it will quite be the same...

#3. Star Fox

Accelerometers and Star Fox together is simply a match made in heaven. And like Pilot Wings, I suppose Nintendo thought they got off the hook in throwing a Star Fox 64 on the 3DS, which has accelerometers of its own. But a port of a 15 year old game is a weak substitution, especially when said port only exists on a handheld.

For five years I was excited about a brand new Star Fox for the little-console-that-could. I mean, such a game seemed inevitable. I wondered what kind of new characters there might be, what the new Arwings would be like, how awesome an online shoot-em-up mode would be. I thought about flying the galaxy with my wiimote and pulling off epic barrel rolls, dodging enemy fire with a simple twist of the controller. But instead I ended up wondering where my damn game was, and what the hell Nintendo was thinking. Thankfully Nintendo is finally realizing their missed opportunity and are in the process of making a Star Fox title for Wii U, but it would have been nice to give its much more successful predecessor, the Wii, some love as well.

#2. A Pokemon RPG

Do I even need to explain? Wii remote motions that could mimic the throwing of a Pokeball and direct Pokemon in their attacks, superior Wii graphics (well, relative to the Gameboy and DS, anyway) to help bring out the true epic scope of this franchise, an online mode in which you could trade and battle opponents, pointer controls which serve the RPG genre very well - you get the idea.

Pokemon is perhaps Nintendo's largest franchise in the handheld front, but for some reason they never saw fit to bring the Gameboy and DS juggernaut to their much weaker home console market, which could perhaps help give it the major shot in the arm it needs. And no, Pokemon Battle Revolution and Pikachu's Adventure don't count as full-fledged Pokemon games... I have been waiting for a real Pokemon game to make its way to a Nintendo home console since the hit show's Gameboy debut over 15 years ago. Maybe we'll finally see that theoretical "Pokemon Quartz" grace the Wii U - God knows the struggling console could use a nice sales boost.

#1. Star Wars

Ah yes… The pipe dream of every Wii gamer. Remember when the controller and its ability's were revealed back at the Tokyo Game Show of '05? What was one of the first concepts that popped into your mind, if not the very first? That's right - using the Wiimote as a lightsaber in Star Wars! We basked in the excitement we'd have adventuring through the variety of systems of the Galaxy, taking out clone, droids, and sith with out light beams of fury.

While we got somewhat of a decent game in The Force Unleashed, most Wii gamers would agree with me in that this wasn't the experience we we hoping for. We wanted an epic experience that took us countless days to finish, that allowed for 1:1 accurate motion control and a plethora of light saber and force lightning moves, and a massive, epic Star Wars universe to explore. The Star Wars game-that-never-was still exists as the prime example of a wanted Wii experience that was never delivered. Alas, the force was not with us…

The Wii was certainly a groundbreaking console for its time, and from massive hits like Wii Sports and Mario Kart Wii, to more core-focused games like Smash Brothers, Mario Galaxy, and Metroid Prime 3, Nintendo proved that they could think outside the box and help to reinvigorate gaming, much like they had with the NES decades earlier. Unfortunately, unlike the NES, Wii never really seemed to realize its potential, thanks largely to missed opportunities and a lack of understanding the strange console, by both Nintendo and third party developers alike. The games listed above would have, for my money anyway, helped the Wii become the console it was truly designed to be; a gaming revolution.