PC/XBox Gamer Needs Some Wii Advice Please

[Dunamis]

Hello.  With the recent $50 price drop and the extra $25 gift card from Amazon, I’m finally taking the plunge and getting a Wii.  This will mostly be for my two girls 8 and 5 but I’d like to play some of the great Nintendo style and platform games for myself as well. 

For those of you with a Wii and small kids, what can you recommend for games (remember, I have girls ages 8 and 5).  Based on my limited research, I’m looking to get the following games:
-   Mario Kart
-   Littlest Pet Shop (my girls love these things)
-   My Sims (maybe)
-   Animal Crossing (maybe)
-   Mario Galaxy
-   Namco Museum
-   Super Paper Mario

Can you guys recommend anything else for the kids?  Any other advice?

What about for adult gamer?  I’ve got an Xbox 360 and a gaming PC where I play the typical shooters and RPGs.  Recent games I have enjoyed are Sacred 2, Mass Effect, Halo 3, Neverwinter Nights 2, LEGO Star Wars/Indiana Jones/Batman, Far Cry 2, Fable 2, Ninja Gaiden 2, Gears of War 2, Crackdown, Soul Caliber 2, etc.

Thanks for your help!

[Bullwinkle]

My daughter (6) loves Animal Crossing, Mario Party and the Disney Princess game.  We enjoy the Boom Bloxx games a lot.  And she really enjoys Smash Bros and Mario Kart.  Mario Strikers, too.  I tried to get her into Freddie Fish, but it didn't quite click.  Although we don't play it on the Wii, Rock Band can be a great family game.

We also really enjoy Bubble Bobble, Bomberman, and Jungle Speed from Wiiware and the original Mario Kart as well.

I just did a write up for MySims Agents, which I think is pretty great.  Maybe not girly enough, though. 

There are others, but those are the main ones.  I'll let you know if anything else occurs to me.

[Dunamis]

Great suggestions, thank you!

[semiconscious]

i just bought a (pink) ds & a copy of animal crossing for one of my wife's friends. no nintendo console's complete without a copy of animal crossing ...

[El-Producto]

My daughters 8 and 10, have had a Wii since launch.  They love it, and I don't even buy them new games.  They still have the original games I bought them.
Favorites are Smash Brothers Brawl, Super Mario 8 and of course the Wii Sports/Wii Play.  This reminds me I have to pick up Sports Resort.

As far as myself, I'm a HUGE Survival Horror fan, and the Wii has some good games.  The graphics are the only letdown.

[Clay]

Check out Zack & Wiki... the kids will like it and you can help them solve the puzzles. It's one of the largely 'unsung heroes' of the Wii.

[Creepy_Smell]

Besides the ones mentioned, my 5 yr old also likes de Blob and Wario Land. His fav are the lego games but you already mentioned you played them on the xbox.

[sgoldj]

Adult Gaming:

Resident Evil 4
MadWorld (graphic violence and language)
House of the Dead : Overkill  (see above)
Wii Fit
EA Active

I liked Sam & Max

[KC]

Boom Blocks

[kronovan]

+1 to Boom Blox and Zak & Wiki.

The best thing about the Wii is that it's 100% backwards compatible, the not so great thing about it IMO, is that the Gamecube had better games for kids. In particular the GC Zelda game -Wind Waker- was much more appropriate for younger kids. If you can afford, and can find, a GC controller I'd recommend these games as well:

Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
Pikmin 2
Mario Kart Double Dash
Luigis Mansion
Super Monkey Ball
Mario Toadstool Golf
Sega Soccer Slam
Pacman Vs
Rayman 3

[El-Producto]

I'm excited for:

The Grudge
Silent Hill
Fatal Fram 4

Survival Horror goodness!

[Dunamis]

Cool.  I appreciate the great recommendations.

I managed to pick up Boom Blox and My Sims on clearance at the Target secret shelf.  Also, I see TRU is having a sale next week.

I'm going to get Wii Fit and EA Active for the Wife as well.

I'm intrigued by the backward compatibility.  I've seen what I think are gamecube controllers even at Target.  These would be wired, correct?

[Scraper]

Get the Metroid Prime Trilogy set that just came out. You should love it if you are into FPS games. It combines FPS gameplay with the classic metroidvania power up and explore mechanic.

[JCC]

Every Wii owner who didn't own a gamecube is mandated to get Eternal Darkness. I still prefer Eternal Darkness to any game that's come out this generation.

[kronovan]

I'm intrigued by the backward compatibility.  I've seen what I think are gamecube controllers even at Target.  These would be wired, correct?

Yes, the standard controller that came with the system was wired. Nintendo did later introduce a wireless called the wavebird, but they're hard to come by these days. If you can find one I do recommend getting at least 1 as it's an awesome controller in both comfort and quality - doesn't have rumble though. As well, some adults find it more comfortable due to the slightly larger size and heft resulting from the the 2xAA battery housing.

[kronovan]

Every Wii owner who didn't own a gamecube is mandated to get Eternal Darkness. I still prefer Eternal Darkness to any game that's come out this generation.

Agreed, next to RE4 it's the best mature game that was released for the system.

[Eel Snave]

Don't get Super Paper Mario.  It's all right, but there's a ton of reading and your kids might be put off by it.  On the other hand, Super Mario Galaxy is the best game of this decade.

[coopasonic]

DOn the other hand, Super Mario Galaxy is the best game of this decade.

 

[kronovan]

Don't get Super Paper Mario.  It's all right, but there's a ton of reading and your kids might be put off by it.  On the other hand, Super Mario Galaxy is the best game of this decade.

Agreed, although I did like SPM a lot, SMG is superior and a better game for kids. Even more suitable for kids IMO is Super Mario 64, which you can download on VC for $10. The 1 caveat being that it's best played with a GC controller.