The 3rd-Party Games of 2010: Wii Edition

[Nester the Lark]

The 3rd-Party Games of 2010: Wii Edition

It’s been a long time since I’ve engaged in any third-party activism around here, so I decided to do a little roundup of the notable third-party games released this past year.

I picked 12 games so that it would round out to a nice one-per-month ratio. They run a variety of genres and styles, from action to strategy, family to mature, and mainstream to niche, so you’ll likely find some games that appeal to you.

Better yet, many of these games are already available for budget prices! So you have no excuses…

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Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (Konami)



Kicking off the year was Climax Group’s re-imagining of Konami’s original PlayStation survival horror game. Aside from the bold step of removing combat, thus making it a true survival experience, the developers crafted a game that profiles you as you play. In what could be viewed as a precursor to Epic Mickey, the game changes depending on your actions.

Better yet, it’s not a rail shooter.

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle (Ubisoft)



It’s a little amazing that this game exists at all considering that few people bought the original and no one showed up at the launch event. (I mean, come on! They were giving away free toilet paper!) This sequel eschews the open world in favor of a more streamlined experience with 8-bit-style mini-games, and it’s widely considered even better than the original.

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars (Capcom)



The spotlight may be on Marvel vs. Capcom 3 right now, but Capcom and Eighting poured their hearts into this revival of the Versus series. And unlike MvC3, it’s available right now! Even without the Marvel license, it’s got a great cast of characters on both the Tatsunoko and Capcom sides, and yes, even online play.

Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love (NIS America)



Fans have waited since the Saturn days for Sega to localize its hugely popular Sakura Taisen series, but Sega decided that their combination social simulator/mech combat strategy game had no appeal to Western audiences. So, NIS America stepped up to the plate and not only localized the latest released in the series (five years after its PlayStation 2 release), but ported it to the Wii, as well. I think that’s worth taking notice of.

Red Steel 2 (Ubisoft)



This game’s biggest handicap may be its name, as associating it with the poorly regarded original doesn’t do this sequel any favors. But this reinvention provides a much more refined experience with a great graphical style. It also makes full use of the WiiMotion Plus accessory to deliver on the promise of an FPS with one-to-one swordplay. Think of it as Ubisoft’s apology.

Monster Hunter Tri (Capcom)



In this online RPG, you hunt various monsters and either kill or capture them in order to acquire new weapons and armor so that you can take on more quests and hunt more monsters, etc, etc. The game can be played offline, but it really shines in online multiplayer. And because the game has sold really well, its online community is still going strong. Once again, Capcom proves that “online” is not a dirty word in the Wii vocabulary.

Trauma Team (Atlus)



This latest virtual physician game is considered the best installment yet in the “Trauma” series. This time, there are multiple characters, each specializing in different fields, including diagnosis, forensics, surgery, and more. I don’t know about you, but I think performing a colonoscopy is pretty hardcore.

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Ubisoft)



Although this was also released on the PS360, the Wii version is unique with its own level layouts and time manipulation powers built around the Wii Remote. Plus it includes the SNES version of the original Prince of Persia. Ubisoft was really in an apologetic mood this year!

NBA Jam (EA Sports)



Well… it was exclusive for a little while, right?

GoldenEye 007 (Activision)



Essentially, this is a third-party re-imagining of a first-party published second-party developed N64 classic. Activision and Eurocom’s take on the original groundbreaking console FPS manages to be both new and retro at the same time. It includes multiple control options, both traditional and motion based, and has online multiplayer. All this, and Judi Dench.

Sonic Colors (Sega)



It’s taken 12 years, but Sonic Team finally made a Sonic game that doesn’t include werehogs, swords, shooting, hunting, fishing, or character swapping. The game mixes elements of both 2D and 3D gameplay, and the graphics are some of the best seen on the Wii this year. And that’s saying something considering it shares the spotlight with the likes of Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Monster Hunter Tri.

Epic Mickey (Disney Interactive)



For a game as ambitious and experimental as this one, I think it’s only expected that not all elements will turn out completely successfully. Based on the mixed reviews, Epic Mickey is a bit rough around the edges, but sometimes it’s worth forgiving a few faults in order to experience something new and different.

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And there you have it! However, these are not the only worthwhile third-party Wii games that came out this year. This is just the list that I narrowed things down to. Did I leave out a game you think deserves to be mentioned? Then by all means, mention it!

[Da Robot]

Lost in Shadow I think deserves a mention. I think everyone has forgotten about that game. When It was first announced I thought it was a WiiWare title. (I know there is some other title/s on WiiWare that involves the use of shadows in gameplay).


Still it's a good list, probably should also mention the CC Pro bundles with MHT, GE 007 and SC.


The only game on this list I have is NMH2, and thoughts of purchasing GE 007 with CC keep passing through my mind, and then I still not too sure if some of those titles were released down here (such as SW and TT).

[Nester the Lark]

Dec 14, 2010 15:52:27 GMT -5 Da Robot said:

Lost in Shadow I think deserves a mention. I think everyone has forgotten about that game. When It was first announced I thought it was a WiiWare title. (I know there is some other title/s on WiiWare that involves the use of shadows in gameplay).

Actually, that's not a bad mention, but I guess I passed over it because it doesn't get released in North America until January, so I didn't come across it when I was looking for games released in 2010. Incidentally, I was also under the impression it was a WiiWare title.

Speaking of WiiWare, I left downloadable games off the list because they would probably warrant a list unto themselves. Not sure if I'll actually make lists for WiiWare and DS, tho. Making this list reminded me what a thankless job writing the 3PS was.

[Wildcat]

Thankless? Hell, I miss those pieces of yours. I thank you for the time spent!

I have Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom, but I poured more money into DS games this year. Hopefully I have a couple of these waiting for me under the Christmas tree!

[Shadrio]

Of all those games, there are 3-4 games that really catch my eye, excluding Monster Hunter Tri. I've already got over 300 hours invested into that game, and it's probably my most recommended game. It's extremely fun to play with someone else. My cousin also has it, and (even though we haven't played together in months, due to our university classes) we enjoy battling just us two against a monster than normally requires 3 hunters. And then calling everyone else noobs

Of the other games... I guess I'd really like to try GoldenEye 007 (never played the original N64 game), then Sonic Colors (First good Sonic game in a long time? Interesting...) and then Tatsunoko vs. Capcom (the only fighting game I own is Brawl, so maybe this would mix it up a bit)

Holy Fish Grenades! I just remembered I haven't bought Super Mario Galaxy 2... lol, that's for later... That game isn't that high on my priority list...

[Nester the Lark]

Dec 14, 2010 18:28:56 GMT -5 Wildcat said:

Thankless? Hell, I miss those pieces of yours. I thank you for the time spent!

The support is appreciated.

Actually, I know you guys appreciated the 3PS (at least, those of you who were around when I was still writing those things), and there probably wasn't much need for me to compile this list. Most of the games already had their own threads, so you guys were already aware of them.

But what motivated me to make it was that I still occasionally see people on other message boards who make comments like "there are no good games on the Wii" or "I haven't had a reason to dust off my Wii since that one good game came out over a year ago." It's the same thing people were saying about the GameCube, which you know it wasn't true, and it still isn't with the Wii. Many people just aren't paying any attention.

But how do you respond to comments like that? I'm not interested in engaging in time-wasting fanboy wars. And if they simply aren't interested in any Wii games on a personal level (and they have every right not to be), then it bothers me that they make such sweeping, subjective statements as if they were fact.

So, my response was to sing to the choir as a form of self-therapy; preach the word to those who already believe. And I don't mean this to sound like discouragement, but at the end of the day, it doesn't really amount to anything.

But at least that pic of Ken the Eagle yelling at you to play the games is kinda funny, right?

[The Qu]

Whether it was needed or not, threads like this are appreciated. Showing support for less than well known games, or games that sold less than steller, is always great.

I still need NMH2, even though I rented it. To say nothing of TvC and Silent Hill, which I've yet to get around to buying. Colors and Goldeneye look amazing as well- the latter surprises me, since I'm not usually an FPS guy.

[8bitretroshit]

I love your NBA Jam description. Like a disappointed dad trying to give his son a compliment.

It includes multiple control options, both traditional and motion based

This I did not know and immediately put it on my list of games I totally should check out at some point.