Wii Sports
Nintendo
2006

This is the only video game my grandparents have ever played. It is one of the only games created in the 21st century that my mom and dad have ever played, our entire family would stay up for hours upon hours playing repeated matches of tennis and golf. To the designer of the island course, respectfully, you are insane; I hope you stay that way. Both of my parents were on their high school bowling teams and used to play competitively. Even though they don’t bowl much anymore, they bowled with those Wii remotes more then anyone in the entire family. Yes, we did swing the remotes backwards on purpose; to the programmer who made the Miis jump in fear, you are amazing. We also played the bowling challenge modes quite often, including the ones where you have to pick up spares and knock over 91 pins in a single roll.

Super Mario Galaxy 2
2012
Nintendo Wii

Even though Galaxy 2 offers a two player mode, in reality this was my go to solo game. I’ve heard game 1 is more cozy though I found the hub world of 2 to be comforting all the same. At one point I had attempted a level dozens of times without success, the one where you have to slide down a giant tree while avoiding obstacles. This was the only level I ever had Rosalina appear to help, after I paid her to go down the slide for me. It’s not that I ever finished the game but rather abandoned other levels before she ever showed up. My favorite part of the game was spending dozens of hours swimming around the world of the Starshine Beach Galaxy.

Mario Kart Wii
Nintendo
2008

This was the go-to game to play with my friends, it’s the only one we ever went through the trouble of playing online with. We would spend hours racing each other, playing the battle modes and figuring out new tricks together. I didn’t quite understand the purpose of time trials, but they seemed quite invested in them. We also played Double Dash on their GameCube quite often along with Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door.

One of my favorite tracks is Delfino Square because it always reminded my dad of his trips to Italy. My other favorites are DK Mountain, Coconut Mall, and the best version of Rainbow Road in the entire franchise. I played most often as Luigi, Rosalina or Daisy on the Machbike, Offroader or Flame Runner.

Wii Play
Nintendo
2006

After Wii Sports this is the second game my family ever bought, we found it while shopping at Best Buy looking for something to go with our shiny new console. There were a few other games on the shelf, but Wii Play came with a free Wii Remote; To this day, it is the second and only other Wii Remote we’ve ever owned. With non-gamers there were plenty of choices to choose from. Target Practice was a big hit (literally), so was the cow riding one. My sister’s boyfriend really enjoyed the fishing game, though I always disliked the art style. Most games I wasn’t amazing at, but I’m still proud of my gold medal for scoring 100 in table tennis.

For the gamers in the group Tanks was the only game that would suffice. None of my friends or I ever got to the final level, we didn’t even know there was a final level, but we sure did try. We usually lost on round 9 or 10.

Spongebob's Boating Bash
ImPulse Games
2010

This was one of my favorite games to play solo, in fact I don’t remember ever playing it with anyone other then myself. The developers claim there are five game modes, but in practice it feels more like two, racing and demolition. Intense on screen effects and heavy motion blur made the races feel very fast. All of the demolition modes were great, and the voice acting from characters added a nice touch. One of the biggest flaws with demolition rounds is that they never finished until all other players were completely destroyed. Especially on bigger maps, this could take a while.

Shrek's Carnival Craze
Ivolgamus
2008

This game is jank, seriously, the controls for most of the games are awful. When people complain about the Wii’s motion controls Shrek’s Carnival Craze is a prime example. One of this games saving graces is it’s aesthetics. Places like The Poision Apple or Fiona’s Funhouse I found endearing, and the slight twist on most games to make them Shrek themed I found delightful.

My most played game is the Windmill Whirl in Gingyland. Each player runs around and around a spiraling tower while jumping and ducking to avoid obstacles. The higher you climb the faster it gets, with no end in sight. I played this minigame endlessly in a race to beat my previous score.

Mario Party 8
Nintendo
2007

Every year on New Year’s Eve my friend Alistar and his family hosted a party for all our neighbors. Adults stayed upstairs, kids all went down to the basement to play games. There was always several things going on, but amidst the chaos there was always at least one game of Mario Party 8. Most years I watched with envy as others got to play without me. One year I finally got my turn and it was everything I wanted it to be. We played Koopa’s Tycoon Town, still one of my favorite Mario Party Boards ever, and even though I lost I had a ton of fun! My favorite minigame was the one where you’re riding on skateboards avoiding traps set by an opposing player.

Epic Mickey
Junction Point Studios
2010

December 2010, this was my biggest Christmas gift of the year. In middle school my number of friends was zero, in high school it was one. Being a bit of a loner at that age, Wii games were a way for me to fill a void in my life. The characters in Epic Mickey were forgotten celebrities; in past lives they used to be successful and famous. By the time Mickey arrives society has left them behind. Then and now I too feel left behind by society, I know many others that feel the same. The citizens of Mean Street and OsTown found a different kind of life, watering flowers, selling newspapers, running an ice cream shop. Their lives are peaceful and quiet. On replays I purposely delay ending the game, allowing me to spend more time relaxing on Mean Street. The life these characters have is the same kind I want for myself.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Nintendo
2011

When my sister was still dating her then to be husband, this is a game he brought over constantly. With a big age gap between siblings, it was sometimes difficult to find games for everyone to enjoy. Kirby’s Return To Dreamland is one of the rare cases that appealed to almost all of us. Despite it’s low level of difficulty, the amazing powerups and beautiful worlds were enough to keep all of us captivated. As a team we all replayed the tree boss in world one multiple times because we thought he was cute.

Need For Speed Nitro
Electronic Arts
2009

Consistently ranked one of the worst entries in the entire franchise, Need For Speed Nitro is one of my favorites. My dad and I got it while browsing the store closing sale of a local Blockbuster. Knowing nothing about it other than the cool cover art, we brought it home and tried it out. The soundtrack is awesome, and the gameplay relies heavily on drifting, reminding me a lot about Mario Kart Wii in that respect. In fact, I think one of the primary reasons I enjoyed the game so much is because of the drifting.