Digital Spy's Top Wii Games of 2008

In the third part of our 2008 preview looking at games coming up in the next 12 months, we find out what is in store for Nintendo Wii owners.

After a hugely successful 2007 for the motion-sensing console, the year ahead looks ready to take gamers to the next level with mouth-watering titles such as Mario Kart Wii and Super Smash Bros Brawl.

And Wii owners can also look forward to a good dose of originality this year, as developers plan to expand its horizons. While Mushroom Men will take gamers underground into a fictional world filled with sentient fungi, Wii Fit aims to give console owners a reason to exercise and lose weight.

See also: Xbox 360 / PS3

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Here is Digital Spy’s Top 10 Nintendo Wii games for 2008:

10. Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sonic Team
Release Date: February 22
Wii Exclusive: No

Although the original game in this series performed well in the charts, it received a mixed reception by the critics. But this sequel is expected to take things further, with Sonic the Hedgehog taking on motion controls. New tracks aim to offer edge-of-the-seat racing with walls, drops and hairpin turns, while the promised updated play mechanics could see this game race to the top.

9. NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Release Date: January 18
Wii Exclusive: Yes

A follow-up to the best-selling NiGHTS, this high-speed game will deliver just what Wii owners wanted. A fast-paced, motion-sensing adventure where players can glide, spiral and loop through the air without of the limitations found in ground-based platformers. Fly, collect orbs and blast through rings in this game that features real-time weather and mouth-watering prospects.

8. Mushroom Men
Publisher: Gamecock
Developer: Red Fly Studios
Release Date: Autumn
Wii Exclusive: No

Also released for Nintendo DS, this highly original game looks ready to take on the gaming giants in the charts. Promising to utilise the control systems of Wii and DS, you enter a microcosm war beneath human feet, where weapons can be created from everyday items. Use the Wii Remote as a bazooka to eliminate household pests that threaten your very existence. Created by an award-winning team of developers, this title could be the surprise hit of 2008.


7. Nitrobike
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Left Field Productions
Release Date: February 8
Wii Exclusive: Yes

Featuring six-person online multiplay, players will ride rocket-propelled motocycles in this arcade-style racer against the clock or opponents. There’s 20 levels, 42 events and motion-sensing controls, as well as speed that Wii players have, claims Ubisoft: “only dreamed of seeing until now”. With a career mode and fully customisable bikes, great things are expected from this.

6. Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix
Release Date: April 1
Wii Exlusive: Yes

Despite its name, this title is not actually a sequel in the well known Dragon Quest RPG franchise. Instead, it’s a spin-off featuring motion-controlled sword fights and action-orientated play. Using far more accessible gameplay, this title is likely to be favoured by younger fans as they become a hero in a bid to battle hordes of monsters, while its graphical style retains the charming visual flair synonymous with the Dragon Quest series.

5. Okami
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Ready at Dawn Studios
Release Date: Spring
Wii Exclusive: No

The PS2 version of Okami picked up numerous 2006 ‘Game of the Year’ awards and this Wii conversion is destined for success. With a “re-imagined control scheme built around the intuitive Wii Remote”, the game mixes Japanese folklore with acclaimed visual art. Telling the story of a mythical sun god, this good versus evil action adventure game has cult status written all over it.

4. Wii Fit
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Release Date: Autumn 2008
Wii Exclusive: Yes

As the new trend in ‘casual gaming’ continues, this highly original Wii release aims to attract non-traditional gamers to the Nintendo console. Bundled with the pressure-sensitive Balance Board, this title turns a daily exercise regime into a game. After the success of its Brain Training games on DS, this package should prove a massive success with the ladies, and men. And it will be essential for parents to get their stay-at-home kids on the move.

3. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Publisher: LucasArts
Developer: Krome Studios
Release Date: Spring
Wii Exclusive: No

Although this title is being released on other formats, it’s on the Nintendo Wii where the game should prove most popular. The reason is that LucasArts has turned the Wii Remote into a virtual lightsaber and for Star Wars fans there’s nothing more enticing than that. Playing the part of Darth Vader’s ‘secret apprentice,’ players will attempt to rid the universe of Jedi. And with an expansive storyline and new Star Wars revelations, its hit status is guaranteed.

2. Super Smash Bros Brawl
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Release Date: February
Wii Exclusive: Yes

A multitude of the most popular gaming mascots are to all converge in this epic fighting game. Solid Snake, Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, Donkey Kong, Wario and more will all be playable as gamers compete in online multiplayer battles for up to four players. Stages will include Yoshi’s Island and Sky World, while a new adventure mode will see players embark on a quest to conquer bosses from the Nintendo universe.

1. Mario Kart Wii
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer:Nintendo
Release Date: Spring
Wii Exclusive: Yes

This is the game that millions of Wii owners have been crying out for. The massively popular Mario Kart is coming to Wii, complete with a steering wheel attachment for the Wii Remote to allow for some unique gameplay. A new array of karts, characters and tracks will be joined by online play and motorcycles. Mario Kart Wii is widely tipped to be a Wii phenomenon and the top-selling Wii game of 2008.