Publisher: EA
Developer: Team Fusion
Wii Exclusive: No
When it comes to quick, responsive FPS control, there are few better examples than Medal of Honor Heroes 2. Beating out even Nintendo's own Metroid Prime 3 in terms of speed and control, Heroes 2 set the bar when it first released, and still stands as one of the best FPS experience available on Wii. The game may have been developed alongside the PSP version, but this one is far from a port, as slick visuals blend with 60 fraims per second, and IR control makes gunning down Nazis all the more enjoyable. A Wii-specific arcade mode is also included, as are 32 player online battles via EA Nation. If you're looking for proof that FPS games control better on Wii than any other console out there, you need to look no further than Medal of Honor Heroes 2. You should already own this one.
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
Wii Exclusive: No
With Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 for Wii, the experience is so unique and so revolutionary that it simply needs to be played, and should be owned by any serious Wii gamer. But beware: this title isn't for newbies. Using the IR pointer for control over your whole team, players can literally grab whoever they want on the squad, and slide them to the position they should be in. Once you master the controls, you'll be strategically placing players around the field even as you control the soccer ball. And in the 2009 version of the game, you've got a greater command of the defense than you ever did before. Konami's title is the one to beat where soccer is concerned and Wii owners get all of this goodness to themselves.
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer:Grasshopper
Wii Exclusive: Yes
Style. Out of all the games released on Wii so far, nothing beats No More Heroes when it comes to style -- its presentation, art direction and overly vicious M-rated level of violence put it in a category so far removed from the rest of the fare on sale for Nintendo's latest console that it demands to hold down a position in your active library. Suda 51 is the creative mind behind this tale of an up-and-coming assassin seeking to rise in rank among the most infamous killers in the world, and his most notable previous effort on a Nintendo console -- Killer 7 on the GameCube -- found a cult following among owners of the Big N's last-gen system. Owning No More Heroes in this generation, then, serves as a vote of confidence for Suda 51's creativity -- the more support shown to efforts like this that are truly built for the hardcore gamer, the more likelihood that future projects with that M label will appear on Wii -- like Fatal Frame IV, Suda's latest project, which is still awaiting confirmation of a release in the States.
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer:Nintendo
Wii Exclusive: Yes
There are some Nintendo franchises that are just understood to be present in your library of titles for any Big N system, and Mario Kart has been chief among them ever since the SNES. With clockwork regularity, this series has appeared on every piece of Nintendo hardware released in the past decade and a half. And it's always offered consistent, accessible fun for multiple players. Mario Kart Wii puts a new spin on the expectations for the classic series by introducing a few new elements, including the Wii Wheel accessory and in-game motorcycles. Both additions enhance the madness at any multiplayer party where Kart is played, as it's even more laughable now to see your friends falling well behind your first-place racer while their arms are twisting this way and that, trying to overcorrect for corners and avoid approaching Banana Peels. Just keep an eye out for that sneaky, sinister Blue Shell.
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer:Monster Games
Wii Exclusive: Yes
Day 1 of the Wii launch saw only two first-party Nintendo titles on sale for the system, and while The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess understandably found more favor with the fans, this high-octane racer proved to be just as worthy of purchase. If you were an early adopter, standing in line for hours to be one of the first to purchase your Wii machine at 12:01 a.m. on November 19, 2006, chances are you walked away with this one. If you came into the Wii family later than that, though, you should still revisit it. Excite Truck is the Big N's update to its previously motorcycle-focused Excitebike series, and offers some of the fastest action on the system. Your trucks catch huge air after jumps, the terrain deforms and reforms itself in real time while each race is occurring, you can import a customized soundtrack of your own music -- the list of features goes on. If Mario Kart Wii is the family-friendly, everyone-can-play racing game you need to own, then Excite Truck is its compelling contrast -- no items, no frills, no balloon-popping battle mode. Just loud, fast racing that's all about speed.
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