Best Games for the Nintendo Wii

The wonderful thing about the Nintendo Wii is that it attracts both people who love games and people who never play them. This makes it a great party system; when you have people over, it's easy to get a game of something going even if most of the guests aren't into video games. At the same time, there's quite a bit for hard core gamers to enjoy.

This hub collects some of my favorite Wii games.

This probably isn't what you'd expect to find at the top of the list...and to be honest, you wouldn't if I hadn't started off alphabetically! Big Brain Academy has kind of an odd theme for a video game; players compete to complete basic mental tasks including memorization and mathematical challenges. For example, typical mini-games involve popping numbered balloons from highest to lowest (or vice versa) and counting whether more red or blue balls are thrown into a basket.

For maximum fun, play this in teams; it can be very hilarious, particularly when the professor starts insulting people! "Jared, were you putting in your best effort? I wonder if your teammates wish you'd tried a little harder..."

One of the greatest bargain available in Wii games, for $20 retail (less on Amazon) you get a great game and a plastic gun to snap your controller into. A number of levels are divided into three types: target shooting (where targets pop up for you to shoot), defender (where you stay in one place and enemies come at your) and ranger (where you move around using the nunchuck while shooting things). In each case, every time you make a successful shot, the points for hitting that target are multiplied by the number of shots you've made without missing, so accuracy is extremely important!

The latest game in the canonical Mario series, New Super Mario Bros takes players back to Mario's roots. The gameplay is straight out of Super Mario Bros 3 (with updated graphics, of course) and the designers seem to have used the game as an excuse to show off all the fan favorites from old Super Mario games. As usual, Bowser has kidnapped the princess (on her birthday, no less!) and it's up to Mario to rescue her.

Advertised as the toughest Mario game yet, the game includes a cheat for novice players: after failing a level eight times in a row, an option appears to have Luigi play through it for you (without collecting any of the special items, of course). Experienced players can ignore the option, while newer players avoid getting frustrated when they can't pass a particular level.

This game allows up to four players at a time (playing as Mario, Luigi, and two Toads) and players can come and go as they please. Of course, it's easy to accidentally (or not so accidentally) knock your neighbor into a pit!

The latest game in the long-running Mario Kart series, this iteration comes packaged with a steering wheel (called, creatively enough, the Wii wheel). Up to twelve characters (including a few hidden ones) race karts and bikes around a number of courses.

The game includes favorite courses from past versions of Mario Kart, some of which pull in elements from other recent games; for example, Rainbow Road now has a background taken from Super Mario Galaxy.

There are actually three Trauma Center games for the Wii so far, though I've only played the first two. The games play like a medical thriller; you have five minutes to perform each operation, and the storyline keeps you engaged so you easily spend several hours going through surgery after surgery. The first two games, Second Opinion and New Blood, have identical controls; the only real difference is that New Blood is a cooperative game, while Second Opinion only allows one player. In each case, you use the nunchuck to select a medical instrument and the Wiimote to operate it.

Perfect for any fan of medical shows!

It comes with every Wii, but Wii Sports (and its sequel, Wii Sports Resort) do a good job of introducing the capabilities of the Wii, as well as wearing you out if you play them too much. My favorite game is the Wii Tennis; I had a sore arm for a week after getting my system!

Wii Sports gives you baseball, tennis, bowling, boxing, and golf (although personally I only cared for the first two); Wii Sports Resort adds another 10 games including archery and swordplay. Wii Sports Resort also comes with the MotionPlus sensor to improve the accuracy of your Wiimotes.

I call these some of the best video games available. What are your favorites?