It hard to believe that its been 20 years since the Nintendo Wii was released worldwide. The Wii console was Nintendo’s seventh generation game system which succeeded GameCube which was released back in 2001. The Wii console was something that many people considered unique back in the day because of how radically different it felt from older Nintendo consoles. The Wii console provided a more immersive gameplay experience than any other game system that came before it due to the Wii Remote along with the Wii Nunchucks. The accessories that came with the Wii were a large part of why the console stood out more than Nintendo consoles. If players decided to buy Mario Kart Wii from 2008 they could also purchase the Wii steering wheel which enhanced the game’s overall experience. If players purchased The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess from 2006 they could use the Wii Remote and nunchucks to combat enemies while completing certain in-game tasks. The Nintendo Wii ended up being a far more successful game system than GameCube to due the success of new IP’s including Wii Sports, Wii Play and Wii Fit.

Wii Sports which came out in late-2006 ended up becoming the best selling video game on Nintendo’s seventh-generation game system. Since its release Wii Sports managed to sell more than 82 million copies worldwide. Wii Sports sold almost double of what Mario Kart Wii did which ended up being the second best-selling video game on the Wii console. Mario Kart Wii sold more than 37 million copies following its release despite it feeling like a step backwards in terms of gameplay compared to Mario Kart: Double Dash from 2003. While Mario Kart Wii featured online multiplayer gameplay that featured up to 12 players it did not have dual character swapping during races which was disappointing. The Wii Play video game from late-2006 featured a series of child-friendly mini-games which relied heavily on the console’s accessories. Since its release Wii Play managed reach over 28 million copies in sales.

The Nintendo Wii was full of various different high profile video games outside of the Wii sports and fitness games including Super Smash Bros Brawl which Super Mario Galaxy both sold more than 10 million copies worldwide on Nintendo’s seventh generation console. There also other major first-party titles on the Wii console like Donkey Kong Country Returns, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Mario Party 8 and the Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess which were all successful on a commercial level. Donkey Kong Country Returns from 2010 not helped revitalize its own series but it managed to reach over 6.5 million copies in sales. Super Mario Galaxy 2 which came out in 2010 was also a massive commerical success despite selling less than its 2007 prequel. Super Mario Galaxy 2 sold more than 7.4 million copies and was an entry within the Mario series that people have wanted to see get a current generation remake for many years now.

The Nintendo Wii was also featured some third-party IP’s that shined more on Nintendo’s seventh generation console than it would have during the GameCube era. The Nintendo Wii had games like Just Dance trilogy which sold millions along with Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Guitar Heroes III: Legends of Rock along with the Wii version of Resident Evil 4. The Wii console ended up being one of Nintendo’s most successful home console in terms of profit until the Switch console was released back in Spring 2017. The Nintendo Wii may not be as iconic as the NES, SNES or N64 consoles but it was definitely a memorable part of the 2000’s culture in relation to gaming. The Nintendo Wii sold more than triple of what GameCube did reaching more than 101 million units sold worldwide. The GameCube console sold roughly over 21 million and was considered a commercial failure despite being one of the most iconic game systems of the early 00’s. Since its release two decades ago many people have had polarizing opinions about Nintendo Wii. While some people believe the Wii console was great due to its massive commercial success other feel it was overrated since its quality felt inferior compared to the PS3 and Xbox 360. The Wii console surpassing both the PS3 and Xbox 360 was an incredible feat back then but the other two consoles arguable have a higher replay value. The Wii console was cool for what it was following its release during the mid-2000’s but its highly debatable on whether or not its the greatest Nintendo console of all-time.