Back during the days when the NES was ruling the world of video games with an iron fist, every developer was making the best games they could solely for Nintendo’s console. Actually, the thing was so popular and Nintendo so absolutely powerful, that developers were only allowed to release a set number of games per year and have said games manufactured and of course edited/censored by the almighty Nintendo. What’s more, developers weren’t allowed to make games for other consoles.

Then, happily, the 16-bit era came and Nintendo’s dictatorial methods and monopoly took a hit. And then another during the PlayStation era. And then another. And another, till everyone felt certain that quality third party support was something the company had lost forever.

Finally the Wii with its incredible popularity came along and despite the initial lack of third-party interest, the subsequent onslaught of shoddy ports and mini-game collections, it’s now more than obvious that quality non-Nintendo software for Nintendo consoles is on the rise. What follows is a two part feature on what I consider to be the best 10 such games released so far.

Resident Evil 4

RE4, though most obviously a GC/PS2 port of the peasant-zombie killing marathon and definitely not the most original of games, was the first non-Nintendo game to be released on the Wii and manage to get some stellar reviews. And rightly so. The game offers everything the excellent GameCube version did, them PS2 extra levels, updated graphics and some fantastic new controls. In a nutshell, that’s survival horror at its best.

Geometry Wars: Galaxies

A sequel to the Xbox 360 cult classic and the most enjoyable thing you can do with the Classic Controller. Not that it doesn’t support a variety of Wii-specific control schemes, mind you, but Geometry Wars: Galaxies was obviously meant to be enjoyed with Nintendo’s ridiculously precise dual analog controller. Oh, and so that you know, this is a vastly improved and greatly enriched version of the same weird Robotron-eque shmup the Xbox crowds loved. Hugely addictive and purely hardcore, though oddly accessible.

No More Heroes

Violence, style, weird humour, odd weapons, a brilliant soundtrack, smart visuals and frantic arcade action, all wrapped up in an excellent little package with a distinct -though discreet- retro feel. If you love yourself, love punk and/or love to be entertained you’ll grab this game, overlook its (very) minor flaws and love every lovably brutal moment it has to offer.

Zack & Wicki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure

The first full-blown point-and-click adventure to hit the Wii and it managed to prove the Wii Remote and the genre were always meant for each other. Quiet a feat that. Happily and despite the uninteresting story and not particularly likable characters, this is both an evolution in adventuring and a highly enjoyable old-fashioned puzzle solving point-and-clicker at the same time. Graphics are nice too.

Mercury Meltdown Revolution

I know, I know, a puzzle game doesn’t always sound that exciting, but if you miss Mercury Meltdown Revolution you’ll be missing one of the best Wii titles available. The game, you see, offers a completely intuitive interface that let’s the players immediately immerse themselves in its 150 plus levels and enjoy them brilliant physics, colourful graphics and incredibly smart puzzles. One of them easy to learn - hard to master games, then, that as an added bonus requires a sublimely balanced mix of dexterity and wits.

On to Part II… 

Posted on February 19th, 2008 by konstantinos