2005 was the beginning of the HD generation thanks to the Xbox 360. A year later, the PS3 and Wii were also launched. The Wii is part of this generation even though the console wasn’t HD. It had a more limited online multiplayer experience as well, so, from a technical level, it was behind the Xbox 360 and PS3.
It may have faltered in those two aspects but the Wii had something over its competition: sales. The Wii sold like gangbusters and to a much broader audience. From the young to the old, everyone wanted a Wii for Wii Sports and other multiplayer games like it. It was the family fun console. The Wii also had a good number of co-op games for both the hardcore and the beginners out there.
8 Donkey Kong Country Returns
Donkey Kong Country Returns was a big surprise when it was announced at E3. At that point, it had been almost two decades since the last Donkey Kong Country came out. Its return brought with it a lot of classic 2D gameplay. It was still challenging as ever and maybe even a little too challenging.
The game also brought back the idea of co-op. One of the most unique things about the original game was that the life bar was represented by the two playable characters: Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong. Co-op split this health in half which made it harder in a way but this sequel made things a bit easier in co-op.
7 Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes Of Time
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time is technically couch co-op enabled. This RPG spinoff was released on the Wii and the DS with the Wii version being essentially a DS port. It did not look great on the TV next to the more compact handheld screen.
Still, it was an interesting idea to release the game on two platforms so that players could enjoy the experience in multiple ways. The Wii version alone could only do four-player co-op via the Internet but the DS combination opened up the possibilities to all be in the same room.
6 Ghostbusters: The Video Game
Ghostbusters: The Video Game is the same game as the HD versions, albeit with a few tweaks. For example, the art style was more colorful and it had a feel of the Saturday Morning Cartoon instead. This made sense as the Wii was generally promoted as a family-friendly console.
It’s not like the HD versions were covered in blood or used excessive profanity. It was more the idea that kids would be more interested in a cartoon-like game instead. Whichever platform players pick this game up on, it’s worth it for either single-player or couch co-op as the true first take on the third movie.
5 Kirby’s Return To Dreamland
Kirby’s Return to Dreamland was the first game in the series to receive four-player co-op. Many games in the series leading up to this game had two-player co-op in various ways. For example, Kirby’s Epic Yarn was also a Wii game and it featured co-op.
It was about time Kirby got the same treatment as Mario and his friends. Is it the best game in the franchise? No, but it is still a good co-op game for younger audiences or people that don’t play games very often.
4 Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Both Marvel: Ultimate Alliance games made it onto the Wii. They may not be the first platform players think of regarding this series since it first debuted on the PS2. However, both Wii versions are worth picking up because this series has never been about graphics.
The camera is pulled so far back that it’s hard to tell what looks better even with the HD versions coming into play. What fans loved about the original, and its sequel, was not the graphics but instead the gameplay. Teaming up in four-player co-op with some of the best heroes around was like a dream come true.
3 NBA Jam
NBA Jam was one of those SNES games that transcended genres. Even if people weren’t into sports, this game attracted them to basketball because of how simple and paired down the game was. Anyone could figure out how to play two-on-two basketball.
The original game was good enough that it eventually led to this reboot. It didn’t set the world on fire in the same way that the original did, but it was still a fun arcade basketball game alone or with a friend.
2 New Super Mario Bros. Wii
New Super Mario Bros. Wii was the first main game in the series to feature full co-op. Nintendo hit it out of the park on this one by not only adding co-op, but four player co-op. It sold incredibly well on the system as both a multiplayer game and a throwback to the plumber's 2D past.
Oddly, Nintendo decided to put two Toads in as characters instead of Toad and Princess Peach like in Super Mario Bros. 2. This game was popular at the time but it’s no longer available, seemingly replaced in the memory of fans by its two co-op Wii U sequels that are also now on Switch.
1 Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles is an on-rails light gun shooter. The nice thing about the Wii was that it didn’t require players to buy an additional gun accessory. The controller was good enough to point at the screen to shoot. Of course, that didn’t stop third-party companies from making gun docks.
This first spinoff game followed storylines from Resident Evil 0, the first game, and the third. Its sequel, The Darkside Chronicles, was based on the second game and Code Veronica. Both games feature local couch co-op for zombie slaying action.