It’s now 15 years since Wii launched and the world was introduced to the inclusive delights of Wii Sports, waggle gaming, and Wii elbow. That little three-DVD-case-sized box of tricks delivered some real gems over its long life — many of which were tailor-made for the system’s innovative remote-style motion controller and nunchuk and wouldn’t work the same on any other platform.
Well, that’s not quite true, is it? The Joy-Con controllers that slide onto the side of your Nintendo Switch feature all the gyroscopic motion-sensing gubbins needed to control any Wii game in a most authentic manner. In fact, we’ve seen a whole bunch of previously Wii-exclusive games on Switch already, including all-time classics like Super Mario Galaxy, Xenoblade Chronicles, and World of Goo, the first two games in the No More Heroes series, the HD port of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and the sublime Okami HD (okay, we’re cheating with that one as it debuted on PS2, but the Wii port was a fine one).
Still, we gamers are nothing if not eternally dissatisfied and whiny, and there are a whole bunch of brilliant Wii games we’d love to see given another lease of life on Switch. Here is a non-exhaustive list of gems — in no particular order — that Team Nintendo Life would hand pick for a Switch port given the chance. Let us know which ones you’d endorse in the poll at the end…
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo EAD
The exclusion of Super Mario Galaxy 2 from the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection caused no end of questions and general upheaval with Mario fans as the sequel is equally well regarded and our personal favourite between the two changes on a daily basis. Galaxy 2 isn’t simply ‘more of the same’ — it takes the baton from the first game and runs with it into infinity and beyond.
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Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Monster Games
Excite Truck was an underrated gem in the Wii’s early life, with satisfying motion controls that paired beautifully with the wallow-y physics of the arcade monster trucks you raced. This follow-up kept the arcade sensibilities and challenging terrain but switched out the trucks for on-wheel robots. It’s a fantastic game and one which never released in Europe, so we’d jump for joy if this popped up again on Switch.
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo EAD
The game that defined a console thanks to being a pack-in (as well as being very good), Wii Sports‘ inclusive motion-controlled games would be a great match for Switch with its local co-op focus. Elements of this have appeared on Switch in altered forms, with similar Golf and Bowling activities available within Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics. And of course there’s always Mario Tennis Aces and Mario Golf: Super Rush, but they’re not quite as accessible and approachable as Wii Sports super simple approach.
Whether it would be a Deluxe offering with the Wii Sports Resort activities included, or perhaps a piecemeal offering released as another sweetener for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers — potentially including the peripheral online elements from the Wii U port, Wii Sports Club — this is an evergreen game that would surely do well again on Switch.
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Next Level Games
Canadian studio Next Level Games is now totally under the Nintendo umbrella having been acquired by the Kyoto company in 2021, and it was with great games like the Mario Strikers pair, Luigi’s Mansion 2, and Punch-Out!! that they secured Nintendo’s continued backing and hard-earned trust. This is a gorgeous update of the arcade/NES/SNES series with great animation, optional motion controls and a hell of a lot of character.
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Treasure
With the original Japan-only classic now available to play on Switch as part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack, now is the perfect time to bring back Treasure’s excellent sequel, too. Sin and Punishment: Star Successor really lives up to its name, with innovation, stunning set-pieces, and some of the best shmup action to come from a developer with incredible form in that area. We’d love to see it fly again in HD.
Publisher: SEGA / Developer: Headstrong Games
At some point soon we’re supposed to be getting the House of the Dead Remake on Switch, and we’ve got a lot of time for this pulpy spin-off which launched first on Wii back in 2009. The House of the Dead: Overkill has B-movie spirit and exploitation cinema bleeding from every open wound and was a thoroughly gory pleasure when we first shot through it over a decade ago.
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Good-Feel
Kirby’s Epic Yarn got a re-release on 3DS with added extras, but the opportunity to see this exquisite game rendered in high definition would make a triple-dip unavoidable. We adore this game, and seeing it on that Switch OLED screen… oh my.