The 7 best Disney games on the Nintendo Wii U/Wii
Arguably the weirdest, shortest chapter in Nintendo’s recent history, the Wii U was in some ways a really ambitious system that had a lot of cool underrated gems on it. But it’s also Nintendo’s least successful system in its storied history coming off the massive success of the Nintendo Wii and nearly all the worthwhile games have been ported to the Nintendo Switch so it’s easy to understand that along with the 3DS, Nintendo is getting ready to for all intents and purposes slowly kill the beleaguered console over the course of the next year.
It doesn’t mean the console is void of value, however. For one as it can also play Wii games, it has access to a pretty huge library between the two platforms and has a few gems of its own as well. Some of these are even Disney games! Some are not even based on popular IPs if you can believe that! So here’s a list of seven pretty good games for the Nintendo Wii U/Wii. Much like the 3DS/DS list some of these aren’t exclusive to the platform but are still perfectly good versions of the game if you have the console and want to check it out:
#7. Thrillville: Off The Rails
Now while it’s certainly let you play games based on its famous theme parks, Disney would definitely never lend their name to a game where you could build a theme park with roller coasters with unfinished tracks, but Lucasarts sure as heck did, and that’s a good chunk of the fun you can get out of Thrillville: Off The Rails.
You certainly can also design complex, amazing rides and manage a theme park trying to keep customers happy and profits flowing and there’s fun to be had in that as well. Like many on this list though, Thrillville: Off the Rails is available on other platforms and has a pretty solid modding community on PC so while a good offering on the Wii hardly the best version.
#6. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga
What can I say, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga is arguably the peak of the licensed Lego games and while again it’s available on many platforms, you don’t really lose out on anything playing the Nintendo Wii version of the game, it’s the complete package, plays great and is just a fun way to experience even some of the lesser movies in the Star Wars franchise. Will Lego games ever reach these heights again (hint: I may have an answer for you in the next blog entry)?
#5. Lego Marvel Superheroes
Granted, I just said Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga might’ve been the peak of Lego licensed games, but there’s probably an argument to be made for Lego Marvel Super Heroes as well, and at least this time I’m going to give it the edge because unlike nearly every other licensed Lego title, Lego Marvel Superheroes is a completely original story so it’s not burdened having to follow a movie plot that may not fit a video game so well. It’s also loaded with characters the MCU couldn’t even use at the time and was easily one of the best Marvel games in ages after years of mostly pretty sub-par efforts.
#4. Marvel Ultimate Alliance
There’s no question about it, Marvel Ultimate Alliance is certainly the peak of the series that began as X-Men Legends. Even though the recent Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is a perfectly worthy successor, it still doesn’t quite recapture the experience of this excellent action-rpg featuring tons of noteworthy characters, deep pulls, and easter eggs. The Nintendo Wii version isn’t the best version of the game but it’s a very good one and well worth your time if you have a Wii or Wii U and want a great Marvel adventure.
#3. Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3 remains a pretty high standard for movie tie-in video games, and that actually has very little to do with the part of the game that actually follows the plot of the film. I mean it’s there, it’s a perfectly enjoyable platformer starring Woody and Buzz and the rest of the Toy Story gang and if that’s all the game was, it would probably still make this list but place much lower.
The real star of Toy Story 3 is the “Toy Box” mode which is a hub where you can do missions and unlock characters, areas, buildings, etc and make your own little toy world really. It’s very well thought out and you can easily spend dozens of hours in this mode if you like. The Wii version is lacking some of the content the Xbox 360 and PS3 have but can still provide dozens of hours of fun.
#2. Ducktales Remastered
The original Ducktales for the Nintendo Entertainment System remains a masterclass in not just licensed games but 2D platformers in general. Would Shovel Knight exist today without Ducktales? Not in the form we know it for sure.
So how do you possibly improve upon such a great game? Add some fantastic animation reminiscent of the hit Disney Afternoon show the game is based on, bring in the original voice actors to include tons of original dialogue, and make that charming 8-bit soundtrack even better. As good as something like The Disney Afternoon Collection is, I really wish most if not all of the 8 & 16-bit Disney classics got this kind of treatment as it really helps breathe new life into the classics. But as is, Ducktales Remastered remains an example of how to bring a retro classic into the modern era without messing too much with what made the original great in the first place.
#1. Guilty Party
Guilty Party gets the top slot partially because it’s the only true Nintendo exclusive on this list, but it’s also an excellent game criminally ignored by the public at large. It’s basically Clue but with really fun characters and sharp writing and it’s just a blast to play.
There’s really no reason Guilty Party couldn't easily be ported to virtually any other platform so it’s a mystery why it hasn’t been beyond Disney not seeing much value in things that aren’t tied to major properties. But if you have a Nintendo Wii or Wii U I strongly urge you to check out Guilty Party you will not be disappointed in this hidden gem.
And that’s the list. I have been playing some of Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga and will definitely have some thoughts on it on Sunday at the latest, may also have one other entry this week so either way, see ya real soon!
