A common misconception among the gaming population is that the Wii is home to mini-game collections and family friendly shovelware. While there is a substantial amount of sub-par games, there are many quality games as well.

Another misconception is that there are no Wii RPGs. It’s true that there aren’t very many RPGs in stores, but they are there if you pay attention and look for them. Plus, there are quite a few classic RPGs available on Virtual Console for between 800 and 1000 Wii Points ($8-10).

To get a better idea of what’s available for budget concious gamers, I decided to do a little bargain shopping and research to see what kinds of affordable RPGs are out there for Wii owners. I didn’t look at GameCube RPGs, though there are quite a few like Baten Kaitos that are cheap and easy to find at your local GameStop…

If I had known of Opoona’s existence earlier, it would have been enough to convince me to instantly purchase a Wii.

That wasn’t how I encountered ArtePiazza and Koei’s novel RPG.

Instead, I happened on the game by chance. I was wandering through a local GameStop, checking the Game Days ’09 sale table one last time and searching for a Mothers’ Day present when the strange box caught my eye. I picked up Opoona and was intrigued by a sentence that declared, “Make friends with citizens from other planets to unlock new jobs and adventures.” I hadn’t heard anything about the game. There were no raving quotes from video game publications plastered across the box to proclaim its greatness. There was, however, a $14.99 “New” price tag across the front. I decided to take the plunge.

I never thought that I would be purchasing my new favorite Wii game…

On March 25, 2008, Koei, a company best known for its historical video games, will bring Opoona to North America. Opoona is an life-sim and action RPG for the Wii which will be able to be played using only the nunchuk. The game is created by ArtePiazza, which also created Dragon Quest and .

Interaction in Opoona is two-fold. As the title character, Opoona, you must fight to defend Landroll and find his family. The main weapon for Opoona are bombs, which are hurled at opponents. It isn’t all about war though, there’s peace as well. You must also become a part of the community on the new world, which means finding a job and making friends. If you don’t take the time to develop both parts, you won’t be able to finish the story. In a way, the whole design of the game feels reminiscent of Rune Factory.