Top 5 Nintendo Wii Game Port Ideas

The word “port” can be a very risky thing to say around gamers. There’s always this thought in the back of the mind, “Oh no, Oh no, Oh no”. There are definitely games out there that get ported over that become successful. Probably one of the greatest examples is Resident Evil 4 for the Nintendo Wii. This game had absolutely everything you wanted from a port. It looked as good if not better than the original, it had great additional content, and wonderfully fresh motion controls.

In a semi-rant on Capcom’s community site a user had this to say, “Capcom, I’m really pissed right now. I want to play these games, but you give us Wii owners the shaft. No RE5 Wii, possibly no Dead Rising 2, no Lost Planet, no Flock, no Age of Booty, No Street Fighter 4, no Devil May Cry, no Dark Void.”

This followed with Capcom’s Christian Svensson making this statement, “We are contemplating versions of one or two of the CEI titles you’ve mentioned on the Wii (not saying which), but we’d like to see how they do on their initial target systems before doubling down on additional SKUs.”

Of course this has led to speculation on which titles it could be. So, all of this news has led us to today’s Top 5 List Of Games that should be ported to the Nintendo Wii.

5. Time Crisis (any version) - I’m not sure what this means sub-consciously, but when the Wii Balance Board was first announced, Time Crisis was the first game to pop in my head. If you truly think about it, the Wii Zapper and Wii Balance Board were pretty much both made for Time Crisis.

The Two Things you need in Time Crisis:

A Gun - Wii Zapper (check)

A Paddle - Wii Balance Board (check)

This seems like such a natural fit that I’m not sure why Namco hasn’t released it or announced it already. In order to keep the game affordable you wouldn’t have to release any extra accessories. You could make the Wii Balance Board option-only for people who haven’t invested in it yet. Then you could bundle the first three games in a trilogy format for let’s say $29.99.

After reading that paragraph I hope you are all on board with this idea. Because, as Robert Downey Jr. will be saying when he takes on the role of Sherlock Holmes, “It’s elementary my dear Watson”.

Tony Stark Robert Downey Jr. As Sherlock Holmes…Good Choice?

4. Burnout Paradise - EA’s Burnout Paradise is probably one of the most fun driving games I’ve ever played. Driving simulator enthusiasts (Gran Turismo fans *cough*) scoff at the game, but to me Burnout is how a driving game should feel.

Burnout Paradise probably wouldn’t be the best decision as a port on the technological aspect of things. So let’s just imagine for a second that Criterion Games could release Burnout Paradise with less graphic quality, but still keep the overall scope of the game. Much like what Capcom is doing with Dead Rising. There are so many different aspects of Burnout Paradise that would be a joy for Nintendo Wii owners.

First, Burnout Paradise is a great example of bringing hardcore and casual gamers together. You can have as much fun with Burnout Paradise with a 15-20 minute sitting as you can if you played for an entire afternoon. Then you have the fact that the Nintendo Wii is lacking a good sandbox, open ended title, and Burnout Paradise could remedy that. What’s the best marriage of ideas though is how Burnout’s control scheme would fit with the Wii Remote Control and Wii Wheel. Burnout Paradise isn’t a complicated game, and you pretty much use three buttons during the course of playing. Just imagine the speed of Burnout Paradise, with the motion controls while utilizing the Wii Wheel. That kind of thought puts a smile on my face.

3. Mercenaries - If there’s one thing I’ve learned during my stint of owning a Nintendo Wii, it’s that usually the more simple the motion controls are; the better the game is. There are definite exceptions (SSX Blur, Sonic and the Secret Rings), but for the most part simple control schemes have been the way to go. I think Mercenaries is the kind of game that could be made better than it was with some responsive and slick Nintendo Wii Remote motion controls.

I think it’s safe to say at this point that point-and-click aiming is a much better control option than dual analog. If executed correctly. Mercenaries is a game in which simplicity was one of the big draws while I was playing it. You pretty much ran around shooting at people, blowing stuff up, and can drive around vehicles in an open ended environment. There was a story line, but none of that really mattered all that much whilst playing.

When you think of porting a game to the Nintendo Wii, you have to think, “Is this move going to make the game more fun to play?”. I think the answer for Pandemic’s Mercenaries would definitely be, yes. Nearly every aspect of Mercenaries could fit into Nintendo Wii’s motion controls. Shooting your gun, throwing grenades, and driving could all be more of an experience if you could pull all these motions off your self.

2. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - If you giggled at the thought of Burnout Paradise coming to the Wii because of graphical/technical reasons; then you’re probably laughing maniacally at Elder Scrolls IV: Wii Edition. As I said with Burnout Paradise, just imagine a perfect world where Bethesda could minimally lessen the quality of graphics but still keep the scope and size of Cyrodiil. I know it’s a stretch, but hey it’s a wish list and it’s what I’d really like to see.

Imagine Torching That Zombie With Motion Controls

Ok, so if you’ve gotten past the laughter on technical issues then I think you probably agree Oblivion would make a damn fine Nintendo Wii game. Of course I’d definitely want Bethesda to wait until the Wii Remote MotionPlus released before starting on an Elder Scrolls Wii game. Just imagine sword fighting with 1:1 controls, and being able to block and swing your broad sword all with motion controls. If Nintendo can pull it off like they showed at E3 with Wii Sports Resort, I don’t see why Bethesda couldn’t do it with Elder Scrolls. Also just imagine how much more fun and accurate casting spells & firing arrows would be with point-and-click controls. Not to mention how much better menu navigation is when using the Nintendo Wii Remote (just play the different versions of Madden if you don’t believe me).

1. Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 - Whenever I have the “Favorite Games Of All Time” discussion, I always have a hard time choosing. Of course one game that always gets mentioned is Kingdom Hearts. Before the game released I would have bet you any amount of money that I wouldn’t have played it, let alone love it. Square Enix & Disney?!?!; if there was ever a time to utilize WTF in a spoken sentence that was it. Of course Square Enix proved me wrong, and once I started playing Kingdom Hearts I couldn’t stop. My first play through I beat the game in four sittings. You might be saying ‘What does this have to do with bringing the game to the Nintendo Wii?’

Kingdom Hearts has one of the most simple control layouts in the history of RPGs. It’s so simple in fact that it’s in the Action/RPG sub genre. You pretty much get to run around in an open field, and swing your keyblade whilst casting a spell once and awhile. This might sound dull, but the action gameplay of Kingdom Hearts keeps everything fresh. There’s so much keyblade action in fact that I wouldn’t want motion controls for the keyblade (after 20 minutes the wrist would probably lock up). But you could use point-and-click aiming for spells (I’ve been using point-and-click alot in this list, and parentheses).

Like Burnout Paradise, Kingdom Hearts is a perfect mesh of bringing casual gamers and hardcore gamers together. The simplistic control scheme, and action play style is perfect for the short play time for the casual gamer. Yet, there’s alot to discover and a good sized/epic story for people who really like to get into RPGs. The fact that the Nintendo Wii is pretty barren for the RPG genre would be reason enough to bring the Kingdom Hearts games to the Wii console. Put a bundle of Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 together for $29.99, or $39.99 (more realistic) and I’d say you’d have a good deal on your hands.

So what do you think of today’s Top 5 List? Do you think ported games are a good idea at all? Did I lose all credibility as a gamer for even mentioning game ports? Feel free to leave your thoughts and death threats down below.