I’m sure most of us have heard the debate on what is the best gaming system. Playstation or Xbox. The long debates on which ran better or had the best graphics, and with every new version the debate is sparked up again. 

Don’t get me wrong, those are some great gaming systems that have some top-tier games, but nothing will ever compare to the legend that is the Wii. 

According to the Nintendo website, the Wii was first sold on November 19, 2006, and was discontinued in June 2013. This system rose above all others in its range of games. This article will be a deep dive into the best games of the 2000s found on the Wii.

Wii Sports

The game that started it all. According to a Britannica article, Wii Sports came out at the same time as the console with five games to get players used to the Wii remote.

This game is a gateway into the Wii world. Including tennis, baseball, golf, boxing and bowling, a random assortment of games is included to allow anyone to play athletics from the comfort of their own living room.

The game has basic graphics and allows you to implement your own characters, but more on that later. It’s basic and doesn’t take much skill, allowing anyone to play. This is the foundation of what Wii would become, simple games to play with others.

This game was a cultural reset as it allowed for stupid family fun along with the fact that the meme potential is out of this world! 

Wii Sports Resort

The follow-up to Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, expanded on the premise of simple, active games to play in your living room.

According to the Amazon listing, the game consists of swordplay, wakeboarding, frisbee, archery, basketball, table tennis, golf, bowling, power cruising, canoeing, cycling and air sports. All of these activities are set on Wuhu Island for a vacation getaway.

This resort took the original premise and doubled it with more activities and a full map to explore. From ancient ruins, offshore islands, a quaint village, a castle on the hill and inside an active volcano, Wii Sports Resort gave players a place to explore.

Wii Sports Resort’s impact was so large that it received some nominations for gaming awards. 

According to the British Academy of Film and Television website, Wii Sports Resort was nominated in 2010 for best game in sports and best game in family and social, winning the latter. It was also nominated for a Kid’s Choice Award that same year.

This game just took the original Wii Sports and expanded it, leaving the basic graphics and funky characters. This game knows what it’s trying to be and that makes it the best to play for hours of silly fun.

Just Dance

Just Dance is what 80s home workouts wish they were. Using popular music, this Wii exclusive uses the remote to track players dancing along with pros on the screen.

According to Ubisoft, the developer of Just Dance, the first iteration of the game was released to the public in 2009 and included cult classics like “Cotton Eye Joe,” “Womanizer,” “Hot N Cold,” “Pump Up the Jam” and “Eye of the Tiger.”

This game franchise has 15 games in its original series along with counterparts like Just Dance Kids to reach all audiences. 

Recently I have also learned through TikTok that the “coaches” in the games are connected to a deeper lore between the songs, connecting characters and forming relationships. I won’t go too much into it here, but another article could be written on this topic alone.

The game is a workout itself dancing along with coaches showing how to perform certain dances and I’ve had to chug a few Capri Suns after some dances.

Meme Potential

I absolutely can not talk about Wii without mentioning the meme potential of the system. Starting off with the theme song.

This simple and rhythmic theme song has become a staple for modern audiences, reminding audiences of a simpler time. It only takes a few notes for audiences to recognize and immediately get nostalgic for their childhood.

Another meme of the game would be the characters. With their big heads, pin-shaped body and lack of arms and legs in some interactions, the Wii character model is a staple of the system.

The ability to customize a variety of Miis, the name of the Wii character, allows for family and friends to all be represented in a game. This also allows for the creation of famous people or completely random characters to be involved in your games.

The Mii customize station allows for a look at dozens of Miis that a player can create to use as baseball teams in Wii Sports or just create a fashion show with whatever people you can craft in your mind.

So next time you decide to play a video game, take a second to put respect on the icon of a system that is the Wii.

Fisher can be reached at [email protected].