And so, here we are at the pinnacle of our list of the top 5 hardcore Wii franchises. We’ve been to fantasy worlds, we’ve been to hospitals, we’ve been in outer space and we’ve explored dungeons. Now, we’re going to a quiet little town named Raccoon City for a home tour, to take in the local color, and maybe get our head eaten off. Resident Evil is likely as hardcore as franchises get on the Wii. You’re killing zombies, after all. Violently. There are shotguns and chainsaws and axes and RPGs and giant fish, but there’s also fancy jewelry you can wash off for cash reward. See? Something for everyone.

The Legend of Zelda series is the reason we own Nintendo systems. That’s right, I’ve said it. You can keep your Mario. It’s the Zelda games that keep us enthralled for weeks—even months at a time as we work our way through amazing adventures in Hyrule. Without fail, the games in the Zelda franchise have been epic in scope (well, CD-i games not withstanding), which is why we wait with baited breath at every Nintendo press conference for the announcement of a new Zelda game.

From the operating table to the depths of space we go as we continue our quest for Wii franchises that’ll launch new gamers into the realm of hard core. Metroid is one of those rare games that has grown comfortably with the times. Since switching to 3D, the games have always been hampered by somewhat cumbersome controls. Freed from this limitation by the Wiimote/Nunchuck combo, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption suddenly performed the way its protagonist—bounty hunter Samus Aran—is portrayed: quick, fluid, and natural.

If you’re ready to dig deep into some Wii games that offer some depth, some hard core gameplay and somewhere to go after getting one done, you’re in the right place. Yesterday, we looked at the Fire Emblem series. Today, we’re rushing to the Trauma Center…

I picked up my first Fire Emblem game—Radiant Dawn—during one of the WiiGaps soon after the system’s release (WiiGaps being those periods where nothing new of note has been released or will be in the immediate future). I didn’t like it at first, but after going back to it a bit later, I was hooked. Completely enthralled…

Maybe you’re young, and when looking for your first gaming console, the Wii was the cheapest. Maybe you saw grandma and grandpa bowling at the retirement home, and thought, “Hey, this is for me!” Maybe your mom prefers you play fewer games with about killing zombies, nazis, or zombie nazis. No matter what the reason, you’ve got a Wii, you’ve played all the Marios, and you want to graduate to hardcore. So, where do you turn?