Best First-Party Wii Games

20. Excitebots: Trick Racing (Wii)

We've got a very soft spot for Excite Truck, and this sequel — which was never made available in PAL regions — upped the ante with a slightly more playful take on 4x4 racing, with animal-themed 'bots adding a bit more personality to proceedings. We Europeans are still sore that we never got Excitebots: Trick Racing, and along with Nintendo's other racing franchises, we hold out hope we'll see it (again) in some form in the future.

19. Animal Crossing: City Folk (Wii)

Animal Crossing: City Folk did add a few new bells and whistles to the experience, but it just didn't feel like enough, especially considering how long the game was in development. The formula is still there, it just felt too much like both of the previous releases, likely creating more of a feeling of déjà vu in fans of the series rather than any kind of cutting-edge Wii experience. The game was still a lot of fun, and the addition of the Wii Remote controls and microphone were nice touches, but ultimately this feels like a game that's been done one time too many and could have honestly offered up a lot more.

18. New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (Wii)

New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat was the third title in Nintendo’s line of enhanced 'Wiimakes' and boy, was it good. Everything there was to love about the original can be found here, including a fistful of extra content. The game excels in practically every department, and while it may only take a couple of hours to complete, it's filled with replay value. The lack of DK Bongo support rankled a little — we love those spectacularly silly peripherals — but this remains a clever, must-play platformer that's worth tracking down in whatever form you can. There's nothing quite like the original Donkey Kong Jungle Beat on GameCube for the authentic experience, though.

Yes, the authentic experience where you control a digital ape with plastic bongos. Video games, eh?

17. Excite Truck (Wii)

Excite Truck is a great game to pick up and play for 15 minutes at a time. There is no great learning curve and it’s fairly accessible for non-gamers, even if it does get a little samey after repeat plays and the AI in the rival trucks is virtually none existent. Still, it is a good solid attempt at creating a fun racer and to that end it is well worth a look.

16. Super Paper Mario (Wii)

Super Paper Mario blends classic platformer with some of the RPG elements of its predecessors and throws in a world-flipping mechanic that gives you a whole new perspective on traditional 2D platforming courses. Originally planned as a GameCube game, it perhaps makes more sense that it diverges from Thousand-Year Door's way of doing things, and it certainly divides series fans. Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum of fandom, the Wii entry is a beautiful game with fiendish puzzles and an intriguing, unique flip mechanic.

15. Wii Fit Plus (Wii)

Whilst the failure to fully address issues from the original Wii Fit was a bit of a disappointment, Wii Fit Plus was still a good exercise program with a large array of fun activities that appealed to a broad range of Wii owners. If you already owned Wii Fit, it was definitely an upgrade worth getting.

14. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)

The first 2D entry to come to a home console since Mario World in the early '90s, 2009's New Super Mario Bros. Wii brought chaotic four-player local multiplayer to the series for the first time and gave old-school fans yearning for a side-on Mushroom Kingdom adventure something to chew on, with plenty of clever nods to the past. Anyone put off by the New series' 'wah's and cuteness missed out on a real platforming treat.

13. WarioWare Smooth Moves (Wii)

A early showcase of the Wii Remote (or the 'Form Baton' as it's known in-game), WarioWare Smooth Moves brought the anarchic micro-gameplay and aesthetic of the handheld series to the Wii in an entry which surely ranks as the most widely played of any WarioWare title. You never quite knew what was coming next, and this ranks up there alongside Wii Sports as an off-the-wall demonstration of the console's potential in those first few months.

12. New Play Control! Pikmin (Wii)

Who says that Switch is the first Nintendo system to plunder its less successful predecessor for choice 'deluxe' re-releases, eh? The 'New Play Control!' series brought back a host of GameCube titles with Wii Remote enhancements and other additions for a new audience, and if you never played Pikmin originally on the lil' purple box, this was the perfect way to catch up.

Thoroughly disappointing box art, though. It's like the Player's Choice boxes — does anyone actually like those? "Hmm, well you weren't cool enough to play it the first time around. No problem, we'll give it to you again, but you get the boring box this time..."

11. Rhythm Heaven Fever (Wii)

Bringing the handheld series to home console, Rhythm Heaven Fever (or Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise as it was known in Europe) showcased the series' infectious beat-based surrealism on the TV for the first time. It's almost as fun to watch as it is to play, and the Wii Remote was a great fit for what remains the series' only home console entry to date.