Today’s quite a sad day. The Nintendo Wii U is out tomorrow (because I’m a lucky git I got mine today and it’s updating as I type) and it’s now only a matter of minutes before we bury Nintendo’s former console, the Wii, in the ground for good. But before all that, can we just take a minute to remember the amazingness of the Nintendo Wii.
8th December, 2006. The day the Wii came out here in the UK along with Twilight Princess. That was back in the time when I was poor, had no money and had to wait until Christmas for such pleasure as ‘video game consoles’. So, Christmas day rolled round in 2006, and with it bought the Wii, Wii Sports, Wii Play, Twilight Princess and Rayman Raving Rabbids. I remember creating my Mii character, and challenging family members to games on Tennis, rounds of golf and boxing matches. That was possibly one of my favourite Christmas days ever.
Between then and now, we’ve had some brilliant Wii games. Everyone always points to Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2, Wii Sports, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Metroid and Donkey Kong Country Returns. And they’re so right. All fantastic games, but the Wii has a brilliant library of titles that I’ve loved playing over the past 6 years. Battalion Wars 2, Zack & Wiki, Okami, Super Paper Mario, Mario Strikers Charged, Excitetruck, Excitebots, Kirby’s Epic Yarn, the Rock Band/ Guitar Hero series, the LEGO games, Rayman Origins, A Boy & his Blob, New Super Mario Bros Wii, and even Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit all stand out to me as amazing Wii titles.
Some of my favourite moments in gaming come thanks to the Wii. 10th March 2008, running home from school at lunch with my best friend at play SSBB for the first time (Thanks to the freeloader). Or spending a week with barely no social contact to play Skyward Sword. How about standing outside Gamestation at 5AM in the morning with a bunch of bananas in the snow to get a free copy of Donkey Kong Country Returns. So much love.
It’s a pity that this last year hasn’t been so hot for the Wii. Since I completed Rayman Origins at the end of last year my Wii has barely been on this year. I think the only time it has was when I played LEGO Batman back in July. Aside from that I’ve sent all my gaming love to the 3DS XL and my iPad. That’s a real shame, I’d have loved one last big Wii game to close the system off, but I guess that game really was Skyward Sword. It’s only fitting, I guess. The first major title for the Wii was Twilight Princess, the last Skyward Sword. Beautiful.
I loved the Wii. I’ve loved the hours I’ve spent on it. By myself playing a Zelda game. With my friends, sat on my bed singing Living on a Prayer at the top of our voices while we hit buttons on a plastic guitar. Or with my family, lining up a bowling bowl for a strike, or swinging the Wii remote to hit a home run. And that’s what the Wii was. A total home run for Nintendo.
