Wii is a series of simulation games published by Nintendo for the game console of the same name, as well as its successor, the Wii U. After a seven-year hiatus, the game Nintendo Switch Sports, described officially as "a new iteration of the Wii Sports series," was announced, the first game to drop the "Wii" from its title.[1] These games feature a common design theme, with recurring elements including casual-oriented gameplay, casts consisting mostly or entirely of Miis, and control schemes that simulate real-life activities.
| Wii | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre(s) | Simulation Party Sports Fitness |
| Developer(s) | Nintendo EAD NDcube Ganbarion TOSE Eighting |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Platform(s) | Wii Wii U Nintendo Switch |
| First release | Wii Sports November 19, 2006 |
| Latest release | Nintendo Switch Sports April 29, 2022 |
The Wii series was conceived by Nintendo executive Shigeru Miyamoto to package and sell similar Wii Remote prototype games in a single package.[2]
Gameplay
editThe Wii uses motion sensors in its Wii Remote to allow gameplay that incorporates physical movements by the player to control action within the game. For example, in the Baseball game included in Wii Sports, the player holds the controller like a baseball bat and swings it in order to hit the ball in the game.[3] However, in Wii Chess, on the menus and in actual gameplay, the control scheme makes use of the D-pad on the Wii Remote instead of the Wii Remote Pointer.
Games
editWii has become one of the best-selling video game franchises, with each Wii game selling millions of copies. Wii Sports in particular is regarded as the fourth best-selling video game of all time, as well as the best-selling single console game of all time.[4] By June 2009, Wii Fit had helped the health game genre to generate collective revenues of $2 billion, most of which was grossed by the game's 18.22 million sales at the time.[5] The largest subset of the franchise is Wii Sports.[6]
Wii Sports
edit| Game | Console | Release date | Description | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wii Sports | Wii | The first game in the series and a launch game for the Wii console. The game was bundled with the console in all regions except Japan and South Korea. Wii Sports is known for starting a new development direction for Nintendo involving simple gameplay, simple graphics, and motion control. It is one of the best-selling video games of all time, as well as the best-selling single console game of all time. | 82.85 million[7] | |
| Wii Sports Resort | Successor to Wii Sports. It is one of the first titles to require the Wii MotionPlus accessory, which was bundled with the game. Though the game was initially sold separately, it was later bundled with the Wii console. It features ten brand new sports while only two sports reappear from its predecessor, Wii Sports, which was bowling and golf, making it a total of twelve sports games overall. | 33.08 million[7] | ||
| Wii Sports Club | Wii U | Tennis & Bowling Golf
Retail |
A remake of the original Wii Sports game, requiring the Wii MotionPlus accessory. Each sport was originally sold individually, with a retail release with all five sports has also been released. | |
| Nintendo Switch Sports | Nintendo Switch |
|
A new entry utilizing the Switch's Joy-Cons in order to play. It added 3 new sports, while 3 sports returned at launch from previous entries, bowling, tennis and swordplay, renamed to "Chambara", making it a total of 6 sports at launch, and 8 sports as of Golf's and Basketball's inclusion. | 12.48 million[8] |
Wii Play
edit| Game | Console | Release date | Description | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wii Play | Wii | A launch game for the Wii in Japan, Europe and Australia, it features nine minigames used to teach the user how to use the Wii Remote, including Shooting Range (inspired by Nintendo’s Duck Hunt) and Table Tennis. Wii Play was bundled with an extra Wii Remote and is one of the best selling video games of all time.[9] | 28.02 million[7] | |
| Wii Play: Motion | Includes twelve minigames and is bundled with the Wii Remote Plus, which is required to play. The minigames were created by various developers, including Good-Feel, Skip Ltd., and Arzest Corporation. | 1.26 million[10] |
Wii Fit
edit| Game | Console | Release date | Description | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wii Fit | Wii | The first game to use the Wii Balance Board peripheral, which it was bundled with. As a fitness-oriented game, it measures a user's weight, telling the user their health based on body mass index, and features minigames for the user to exercise or to improve posture. | 22.67 million[7] | |
| Wii Fit Plus | An enhanced version of Wii Fit. Included a new Training Plus minigame category, My Wii Fit Plus, an area that allows the player to perform workouts that they created, and premade workouts, a Multiplayer mode, and the ability to register babies and dogs/cats. | 21.13 million[7] | ||
| Wii Fit U | Wii U | A new entry expanding on some of the content added in Wii Fit Plus, including a new Dance minigame category, new workout options, Miiverse support as a Gym Community, and the ability to use a Fit Meter, a pedometer specifically made for Wii Fit U that tracks steps and elevation. |
Wii Party
edit| Game | Console | Release date | Description | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wii Party | Wii | Players partake in various party games, similar to the Mario Party series.[11] | 9.32 million[7] | |
| Wii Party U | Wii U | A sequel to Wii Party for the Wii U console, developed by the same team behind the original Wii Party.[12] | 1.35 million[13] |
Other titles
edit| Game | Console | Release date | Description | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wii Chess | Wii WiiWare | A chess game playable in either single player or online mode. The game was released under the name "Tsūshin Taikyoku: World Chess" as WiiWare in Japan, and the physical release was exclusive to the European market. The game was never released outside Europe and Japan. | ||
| Wii Music | Wii | Players use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to simulate playing instruments. | 2.65 million[14][15] | |
| Wii Karaoke U | Wii U | Players can either use a USB microphone or the microphone on the Wii U Gamepad to sing along to the music. |
References
edit- ^ Nintendo Switch Sports - Announcement Trailer - Nintendo Switch. February 9, 2022. Archived from the original on February 14, 2022. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- ^ Kohler, Chris (April 5, 2017). "Q&A: Design lessons learned from a decade at Nintendo's EAD". Gamasutra. UBM TechWeb. Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
- ^ Davis, Ryan. "Wii Sports Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
- ^ Tom Ivan (May 8, 2009). "Wii Sports The Best Selling Game Ever?". Edge. Archived from the original on 2012-08-20. Retrieved 2011-04-29.
- ^ Kris Pigna (2009-06-28). "Health Games Generate $2 Billion in Worldwide Sales". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-28. Retrieved 2011-05-01.
- ^ Kyle Orland (January 28, 2011). "Super Mario Galaxy 2 Sells 6.15M Worldwide, Wii Sports Series Passes 102M". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 2013-11-15. Retrieved 2011-04-29.
- ^ a b c d e f "Nintendo Top Selling Software Sales Units: Wii". Nintendo. 2012-03-31. Archived from the original on 2019-06-15. Retrieved 2018-07-04.
- ^ "Financial Results Explanatory Material 3rd Quarter of Fiscal Year Ending March 2024" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-02-06. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ^ "Financial Results Briefing for the Six-Month Period ended December 2009" (PDF). Nintendo. October 31, 2009. p. 11. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
- ^ "Financial Results Briefing for the Q3 Fiscal Year" (PDF). Nintendo. 2012-04-27. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-02-15. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ^ Harris, Craig (October 3, 2010). "Wii Party Review". p. 1. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
- ^ "Wii U Party Will Get The Family Together This Summer". Nintendo Life. 23 January 2013. Archived from the original on 2018-07-05. Retrieved 2018-07-05.
- ^ "IR Information : Sales Data - Top Selling Software Sales Units - Wii U Software". Nintendo. Archived from the original on 2015-10-28. Retrieved 2016-07-24.
- ^ As of March 2009.
- ^ "Financial Results Briefing for the Fiscal Year Ended March 2009: Supplementary Information" (PDF). Financial Results Briefing for the 69th Fiscal Term Ended March 2009. Nintendo. 2009-05-08. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-05-04. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
