Wii gift guide 2008 – ultimate edition

Wii gamers – and those who shop for Wii gamers – you know that your task this holiday season is daunting. You see, the Wii has some fantastic, amazing games. And it has a hell of a lot more terrible, crappy pieces of shovelware. You have to sift through the gargantuan pile of complete crap to find the gems – but don’t despair. We’ve got a nice, comprehensive list of 2008′s very best Wii titles – and a few older picks for new owners.

If you’re a new Wii owner

Congratulations, you’ve got one! And that means you should experience the best of the best of the console’s first two years. Everyone should check out Super Mario Galaxy, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Metroid Prime 3. All three are fantastic entries in a respected Nintendo franchise – and must-play games. Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure is another 2007 entry – and a fantastic, if challenging, adventure/puzzle title.

If you’re new to this whole games thing
So, don’t freak out if you’re too new to try out the rather complex Twilight Princess. There’s Plenty of non-crap that you might love, like the budget priced Pinball sim Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection offers true-to-life pinball play (on classic 1980s and 1990s machines, no less), or the fun, easy-to-pick-up Cooking Mama World Kitchen. Another great suggestion is the “town simulator” Animal Crossing: City Folk, which is a low-stress title filled with shopping, decorating, and communicating with little animal buddies.

If you like to play with others

The Wii is THE system for casual multiplayer gaming, and if you’re looking for a “gateway drug” to draw in non-gamers, you’ve got plenty of choices. Super Smash Bros. Brawl is a great choice for hardcore and casual gamers, as a fighting game/brawler starring about a million Nintendo characters. Music fans will best be served by the “budget” Rock Band Special Edition (at $99 its still steep, but far less expensive than Rock Band 2) For sportos, Mario Super Sluggers offers up surprisingly deep baseball, and if you can find it, Wii Fit offers a decent workout, while Mario Kart Wii is the consummate cartoon racer. Finally, the highest recommended game for gamers who like to play with others has to be Boom Blox – which holds its own as one of the very best party games ever released. The title combines puzzle solving and action in a deceptively simple, physics-based 3D world.

If you like to play alone:

Boom Blox is also has a fantastic one-player mode (with tons of excellent action-puzzle stages) , making it a great game for just about everyone. Single gamers will also love the high-quality adventure found in Bully: Scholarship Edition, Okami and Sam & Max Season One. de Blob – a colorful platform/puzzler – is another great choice for the slightly more hardcore. Finally, No More Heroes is an awesome, meta, open-world statement on gamers. Good stuff.

So that’s all folks. Be sure to check out our list of Wii disappointments for a few ideas on what NOT to buy, and keep the Wii love strong. Merry Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa!

Read [Disappointing Wii Games] Read [Best non-game stuff for gamers]