The Nintendo Wii was a significant aspect in my childhood play, especially when it came to parties and sleepovers with friends. Now with the release of the Nintendo Switch, Wii games are completely obsolete. Recently, I tried to start up my Wii and replay a few of my favorite games to relive my childhood. Unfortunately, my Wii’s optical drive had broken, and I wasn’t able to indulge in the nostalgia of my favorite tween games. Instead, I decided to write this article so we can all remember these iconic Nintendo Wii games together. Sorry Nintendo, but the Switch just won’t provide what the Wii once did. *Insert Wii Theme Music Here*
- Wii Sports
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Perhaps the most classic of any Wii game since it came with the console, Wii Sports was an iconic part of my childhood, and I am sure many others’. The hours I spent grinding to become a pro at tennis were immense. Not to mention the days prior to my sleepover that I spent bowling to ensure I became pro and got the swirly bowling bowl to show off to my friends. Nothing will ever be as memorable as the thousands of new television screens that broke from not wearing a safety strap while bowling or the amount of people pretending like they really understood golf from having their Mii swing around a golf club. Honestly, such a classic through and through.
- Mario Kart Wii
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Oh my gosh, where to begin. First of all, the luxury of owning the steering wheels to insert the Wii remote in was a true sign of the Upper Middle Class. There was nothing more lavish than gripping your hands around that wheel and taking a spin with your favorite character. Mario Kart Wii really brought out the competitive sides of all of us and probably caused quite a few feuds between family and friends. Mario Kart Wii offered so many cool karts and characters, and I’m not sure I’ll ever feel the same joy as I did when I beat a Grand Prix and unlocked a new character. I know that the Switch has come out with another amazing version of Mario Kart, but nothing will ever be the same. Playing as Koopa Troopa as I reign victorious in Coconut Mall is truly my claim to fame.
- Just Dance
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Just Dance hit the world by storm as it quickly became the middle-school party game hit and truly brought out the party person in all of us. This game really brought everyone together as we danced together. I cannot deny it though, this game was still pretty competitive. As a dancer, there was always pressure for me to win, but in all honesty, I wasn’t very good at all the dances and wouldn’t always score the highest. I mean, at the end of the day, it was really just about moving your right hand around at the correct times. Still, dancing to “It’s Raining Men” and “Girlfriend” will always be a great memory. Might be about time to hit up YouTube, search up the dances, close my blinds, and relive the experience all over again.
- WarioWare Smooth Moves
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This game may be the least common on the list, but I know for sure it was well loved by me and many others. WarioWare Smooth Moves was a game composed of many minigames by which you had to complete in around five seconds to advance. Looking back, I’m not even sure what the point of the game was or what you were trying to achieve. I can, however, remember a very traumatic Boss Level that I do not believe 12-year-old Julia was ever able to achieve. If anyone has a Wii and this game, please let me know as I have revenge to seek. The unique, fun feature about this game was how all creative the mini games were. There were few things more stressful than having to aggressively change the orientation of how you were holding the Wii remote for the next minigame since a key feature of this game was how the minigames were based on Wii remote orientations.
- Mario Party 8
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By far the most popular party game from my middle school crew, there was nothing like starting a crisp new Mario Party 8 game at the start of a party. I use the term “party” here very loosely because these were often the first events that parents let boys and girls both be invited to and we spent hours agonizing how we could entertain the boys. Nothing says classic entertainment for all genders like Mario Party 8 does though, and this game fulfilled my awkward male-encounters while trying to put off some quirky-but-cute role to my friends. There is nothing like the sweet victory of winning against the boys’ team, even though so much of this game was about luck and rolling good numbers and very little about the minigames themselves. The nostalgic love for this game still remains in me today, even with the memories of the awkwardness gone away (thank goodness).