Topic: Games people didn't get

So today, after playing Wii Sports Resort last weekend, my sister and her husband decided to get a Wii. I found this out when I got a call from my sister at about 11AM asking me what "under $60 game" she should get in this crazy store bundle she decided to purchase her Wii with. So I opened up metacritic, put on my "think like my sister" hat and listened intently to what games my sister threw my way:

• Marble Saga: Kororinpa (ok I guess, that's an alright option)
• Carnival Games (NEXT!)
• Big Brain Academy (could do a lot worse)
• New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis (could go down well but will probably fall short of Wii Sports)
• Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (under $60! insane! not sure if its a good "non-gamer" game but)
• My Word Coach (they made this game for the Wii? PASS)
• New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (an option)
• WarioWare: Smooth Moves (ahh, here we go... this is the jackpot I think. would be HEAPS of fun)

So I make my suggestion saying that WarioWare is the #1 option, offer help setting it up if they need it and then say "have fun" and end the conversation there. Now later my parents ring her and she says that this "Wario game" I recommended was a pile of rubbish and a game that was clearly designed for 12 year olds. Now WarioWare was one of those games that I had an interest in but skipped for whatever reason so I may be wrong because I have never played it.... but I was under the impression that it being a "stupid game" was the whole point. Maybe my sister is just messing around and/or this is just another case of Chinese Whispers... whatever the case I have two questions:

Firstly, given the options was WarioWare a good suggestion to make?
and secondly, what other games have you seen go right over peoples heads?

I haven't played it, but that's what I would have chosen when presented that store bundle (I shopped around and got my wii at best buy where Mario Kart was a bundle option, probly a bit more expensive, but still cheaper than buying everything separately and came with a game I wanted). The only other game I would have considered was Donkey Kong.

I wouldn't have recommended buying WarioWare: Smooth Moves since it's a very short game (I had the story mode done in a bit over an hour) and it's my least favorite WarioWare game
I would have recommended Super Mario Galaxy or Super Mario Kart, which are about €50 here and that should mean it's about $50 in America (the transition goes directly most of the times)

I would have honestly recommended Mario Kart Wii or Mario Galaxy.

Warioware is good game but the weakest in the series. But I still think its loads fun though. Donkey Kong would've been a good option too.

what type of gamer is she by the way?
did she play any games before?

These are Australian prices so Mario Kart and Galaxy weren't options. If you find a Wii game like Super Mario Galaxy in the shops for less than $80 you are doing well because most of the big stores will sell AAA Wii games at $99.95 (€59, $84US using google) until the demand goes down..... which is never for Kart and Galaxy. Basically under $60 here gets you New Play Control and cheaper

As for my sister's gaming experience and what type of gamer she is. She is 30 year old high school teacher who barely ever plays games and likes to make jokes that aren't particularly funny and laugh at them. I have only ever seen her play games a few times, the first time was about 10 years ago when she hijacked my copy of Super Mario Kart for a while and since then.... Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, Wii Play and Mario Kart Wii. Amongst about a gazillion card games and UNO.....

@skywake: Good grief!!! That makes things a lot harder to pick a game for your sister.

I've decided not to bother with Metroid, since I can't seem to develop much of an interest in the series.
I didn't get WarioWare either. I'd rather get WarioLand Shake It.
Once you have Mario Party 8, you don't need many other minigame compilations.

Zack and Wiki would have been the way to go.

tell her to get SSBB or is that too much?

From now on, let your sister pick her own games and make her own mistakes. I've bought my nephew three Wii games I own and really like and he's hated them all (a painful experience for us both). Furthermore, he's hated other games I've brought over for us to play together. I'm finished with buying or recommending games for him. The games he picks for himself and likes are games I wouldn't touch with a 3.048 meter pole (like dreadful licensed games from the steaming pits of Hades).

I probably would have recommended Wario Ware, too. Too bad she didn't like it. it's tough to pick out games for non-gamers. I tried getting my mom to play with me in Mario Party 7, but it was too complicated for her to figure out.

I would recommend Mario Kart. It's the most fun local multiplayer title next to Wii Sports.

Nobody has Excitebots: Trick Racing. Makes me wonder why online community is active.

Hey a fellow Aussie
I get a bit bummed when I see other countries talking about game prices we definitely seem to be at the arse end of the gaming world here.
I saw Zack and Wiki mentioned but if Warioware came across as childish then they would probably miss the beauty of that game too.
Smartypants isn't too bad for quiz games BUT as with all games like this they are written with EU pal type questions and little mention of Australia.
Big Brain Academy - okay but pretty short lived.
Carnival Games has been really well played here at home which surprised me somewhat theres a good age range here from 5 to 40.
I'd have to say though THRILLVILLE is pretty good and I'm sure I paid about 50 or 60 dollars for it at EB Games (Perhaps because it's the game I'm most enjoying at the moment). You get a blend of park management and minigames with resonable controls throughout most of the game.

Given the description of your sis, I would have told her to get Big Brain Academy.

Super Mario and Super Smash Bros. Brawl are must-haves

Cheers guys, I am still hoping that she will give WarioWare another go and realise that it being a stupid game is the entire point. I am relatively good at picking out games for people but it makes it hard when you don't know what sort of games they like.

For instance I know I am personally a sucker for 2D platformers but I will play through almost anything that lets me pour hours into it without losing interest. My Niece doesn't like games that aren't easy to pick up and like most young kids has an odd fascination with collecting and farming games. My Dad doesn't like to sit still for too long, doesn't like to play long rounds and doesn't like to lose. My sister in law likes Point and Click adventures, horror games and almost anything that has a slightly sadistic sense of humour.

But my Teacher of a Sister...... I have nothing to base my recommendations on. I did point out that Big Brain Academy was a good option before she brought up WarioWare but she didn't like that it seemed to be aimed at kids. Perhaps that was my queue to recommend Marble Saga

I think that Wario Ware is like Mario Party 8. Great for parties, but not so much for single-player. So, if her and her husband like playing together, co-cooperatively or competitive, get games like Mario Kart, Brawl. Have they got Wii Sports Resort?