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Nintendo has had so much success with its Wii console in the past 3 years or so, and it's mainly on the strength of its family-friendly Wii Sports and Wii Fit games. These games are pretty good and undoubtedly a hit at parties, but they don't go very far in the eyes of more serious gamers who want more than some gimmicky motion controls and balance board antics. It's true that the Wii's library is full of piles of garbage with every developer in the world trying to cash in on its popularity, but among the trash, there are some wonderful overlooked gems. Here are a few good Wii games that went unnoticed by the mainstream.


Muramasa: The Demon Blade

Muramasa is a side-scrolling hack-and-slash game that hearkens back to older greats like Ninja Gaiden and Shinobi. You can play with the amnesiac ninja Kisuke or the possessed princess Momohime, both of which have separate storylines and fight different bosses, so the replay value is fairly high. There is a strong collection element to the game, as there are about 100 swords to forge. As for the gameplay, you do basically just run from left to right cutting enemies in half, but it's pretty satisfying. Muramasa's biggest draw for most people is probably the game's graphics. The detailed, hand-drawn artwork is absolutely gorgeous. From lush forests to raging seas, every minute of Muramasa is a sight to behold. Even if you don't like the gameplay, you'll find it hard to take your eyes off of it.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade is definitely worth your time. It's my favorite game on the system right now.




Trauma Center: Second Opinion

Okay, so most people wouldn't think a game about surgery would be even remotely fun, but you'd be surprised at how satisfying Trauma Center: Second Opinion is. It is an original and inventive title that has you racing the clock in an attempt to save your patients' lives. You use the Wii remote as a scalpel, a drainage hose, sutures, a precision laser, an ultrasound machine, forceps, and more. You essentially cut your patient open, fix whatever problem they have inside of them, and then sew them back up when you're done. If you fail, your game is over. I'm certain that it's not the most accurate surgery simulator, but it's a pretty fun one. The game's story is pretty good, too, as your melodramatic surgeon character has to face self-doubt, conflicts with other doctors, and issues with his patients. It's very challenging, too. It's a good time to be had by all.





Madworld

Finally, I'll end with one of the Wii's few M-Rated titles. Madworld is an impressive beat-em-up full of gratuitous violence and lots of blood. You play as a character named Jack who is a contestant of a TV gameshow called "Death Watch." You basically go through the stages and see how many points you can rack up for killing the guys who come after you. Yeah, you're rewarded for performing all kinds of gruesome acts upon your foes. You get more points for doing the most violent things to one opponent. It sounds pretty brutal, and it is, but you can't take it all that seriously. Really, it's pretty funny, and it's pretty hard to be offended by any of it. The game has a running commentary throughout voiced by Greg Proops and John DiMaggio, which is mostly funny and entertaining. It can get annoying when they start repeating themselves, but overall, it's a good addition to the game. There's also a cool hip-hop soundtrack that fits the action perfectly. My favorite part of the game, though, is the art style. The game is all black-and-white, reminiscent of Sin City and other graphic novels. The only other colors you'll see in the whole game are red and yellow (red for the blood and yellow for the onomatopoeia). The graphics are very striking, but after some time, it does become a little hard to look at, so be sure to take a break every 30 minutes or so. Madworld isn't the most kid- or family-friendly game the Wii has to offer, but for gamers looking for an awesome mature title, it more than does the trick.




Who says the Nintendo Wii doesn't have any good games? Go and play these games and let me know if you love them as much as I do! And guess what? There are a lot of other good games available for the Wii that most people probably didn't pay attention to. I'll show you a few of those at a later date.