Topic: So it turns out the Wii doesn't have that many good games

[wandering]

According to metacritic, six Wii games are "universally acclaimed". That is, they have metascores (weighted averages of critic scores) of 90 or higher.

Universally Acclaimed Wii Games:

1. Super Mario Galaxy - 97
2. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, The - 95
3. Super Smash Bros. Brawl - 94
4. Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition - 91
5. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - 90
6. Okami - 90

You might be thinking "Six games? Great! Now I know what to say if someone claims she can 'count the number of great Wii games on one hand!'" But perhaps you will change your mind after you see the next list.

Universally Acclaimed Xbox 360 Games:

1 Grand Theft Auto IV  - 98
2 BioShock  - 96
3 Orange Box, The - 96
4 Gears of War - 94
5 Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, The - 94
6 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - 94
7 Halo 3 - 94
8 Braid - 93
9 Guitar Hero II - 92
10 Rock Band - 92
11 Mass Effect - 91
12 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter - 90
13 Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 - 90
14 Forza Motorsport 2 - 90

As you can see, the Xbox 360 has more than twice as many universally acclaimed games as the Wii. In addition, only one game on the Wii list isn't a sequel (Okami), while four games on the 360 list are original (six, if you count Rock Band and Portal). Furthermore, only two games on the Wii list are third party, and both are ports of last-gen games.

Now let's take a look at the Wii games that have, according to metacritic, "generally favorable reviews" - they have metascores below 90 and above 74.

Generally Well-Received Wii Games:

7 Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure  - 87
8 Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock -  86
9 Super Paper Mario - 85
10 Boom Blox - 85
11 MLB Power Pros - 83
12 No More Heroes - 83
13 WarioWare: Smooth Moves - 83
14 Bully: Scholarship Edition - 83
15 Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 - 83
16 Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection - 82
17 Mario Kart Wii - 82
18 Madden NFL 09 All-Play - 82
19 Madden NFL 07 - 81
20 Rock Band - 81
21 LostWinds - 81
22 LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga - 80
23 Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King - 80
24 BlastWorks: Build, Trade, Destroy - 80
25 Trauma Center: Second Opinion - 80
26 Geometry Wars: Galaxies - 80
27 Wii Fit - 80
28 Toki Tori - 79
29 MLB Power Pros 2008 - 79
30 Sam & Max Season One - 79
31 Mario Strikers Charged - 79
32 Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn - 78
33 LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures - 78
34 Godfather: Blackhand Edition, The - 77
35 Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon - 77
36 Mercury Meltdown Revolution - 77
37 Rayman Raving Rabbids - 76
38 Madden NFL 08 - 76
39 Trauma Center: New Blood - 76
40 Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 1: Homestar Ruiner - 76
41 We Love Golf! - 76
42 SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1  - 76
43 Wii Sports - 76
44 Order Up! - 76
45 Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles - 75
46 Battalion Wars 2 - 75
47 Elebits - 75

Hmm, that seems like a good amount of good games. Could it be that, while the Xbox 360 has more AAA games, it has less "good not great" games? As it turns out, no. The following list is so long, I'm not going to bother to format it.

Generally Well-Received Xbox 360 games:

15     Call of Duty 2     2005     89
16    Rez HD    2008    89
17    Castlevania: Symphony of the Night    2007    89
18    Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas    2006    89
19    Burnout Revenge    2006    89
20    Virtua Fighter 5    2007    89
21    Burnout Paradise    2008    88
22    Project Gotham Racing 3    2005    88
23    Ikaruga    2008    88
24    Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords    2007    87
25    GRID    2008    87
26    Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles, The    2007    86
27    Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved    2005    86
28    Fight Night Round 3    2006    86
29    Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2    2007    86
30    skate    2007    86
31    Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine, The    2006    86
32    Project Gotham Racing 4    2007    85
33    NHL 08    2007    85
34    Castle Crashers    2008    85
35    Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09    2008    85
36    Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent    2006    85
37    Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock    2007    85
38    Soulcalibur IV    2008    85
39    Dead or Alive 4    2005    85
40    Bionic Commando Rearmed    2008    85
41    Dead Rising    2006    85
42    Madden NFL 09    2008    85
43    Madden NFL 08    2007    85
44    F.E.A.R.    2006    85
45    Civilization Revolution    2008    85
46    Bomberman Live    2007    84
47    Viva Pinata    2006    84
48    NBA 2K7    2006    84
49    Devil May Cry 4    2008    84
50    Pac-Man Championship Edition    2007    83
51    N+    2008    83
52    DiRT: Colin McRae Off-Road    2007    83
53    Need for Speed Most Wanted    2005    83
54    Crackdown    2007    83
55    NCAA Football 09    2008    83
56    Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix    2007    83
57    Battlefield: Bad Company    2008    83
58    Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2    2008    82
59    Unreal Tournament 3    2008    82
60    Darkness, The    2007    82
61    Test Drive Unlimited    2006    82
62    Marvel: Ultimate Alliance    2006    82
63    Hitman: Blood Money    2006    82
64    Prince of Persia Classic    2007    82
65    Call of Duty 3    2006    82
66    Football Manager 2007    2006    82
67    Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars    2007    82
68    Sonic the Hedgehog 2    2007    82
69    FIFA Soccer 08    2007    82
70    College Hoops 2K7    2006    82
71    Condemned: Criminal Origins    2005    81
72    Tony Hawk's Project 8    2006    81
73    NBA 2K8    2007    81
74    Football Manager 2006    2006    81
75    Assassin's Creed    2007    81
76    Saints Row    2006    81
77    LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy    2006    81
78    NCAA Football 08    2007    81
79    Sensible World of Soccer    2007    81
80    Uno    2006    81
81    Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis    2006    81
82    Ninja Gaiden II    2008    81
83    Condemned 2: Bloodshot    2008    81
84    Poker Smash    2008    81
85    College Hoops 2K8    2007    81
86    Catan    2007    81
87    NBA 2K6    2005    81
88    Perfect Dark Zero    2005    81
89    WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007    2006    81
90    Cloning Clyde    2006    81
91    Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation    2007    80
92    Bully: Scholarship Edition    2008    80
93    Madden NFL 07    2006    80
94    NBA Street Homecourt    2007    80
95    Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07    2006    80
96    Tomb Raider: Legend    2006    80
97    Tales of Vesperia    2008    80
98    Peter Jackson's King Kong    2005    80
99    Moto GP 06    2006    80
100    LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga    2007    80
101    Virtua Tennis 3    2007    80
102    Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08    2007    80
103    UEFA Euro 2008    2008    80
104    Doom    2006    80
105    Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007    2007    80
106    FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage    2007    80
107    Kameo: Elements of Power    2005    79
108    BIGS, The    2007    79
109    NHL 07    2006    79
110    Lost Planet: Extreme Condition    2007    79
111    NCAA Football 07    2006    79
112    Soulcalibur    2008    79
113    Pro Evolution Soccer 6    2006    79
114    Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II, The    2006    79
115    Hexic HD    2005    79
116    Eternal Sonata    2007    79
117    Alien Hominid HD    2007    79
118    Prey    2006    79
119    Mercenaries 2: World in Flames    2008    79
120    Carcassonne    2007    79
121    Assault Heroes    2006    79
122    Major League Baseball 2K7    2007    79
123    Marble Blast Ultra    2006    79
124    Blue Dragon    2007    79
125    Roogoo    2008    78
126    Lost Odyssey    2008    78
127    Astropop    2006    78
128    Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition    2008    78
129    Moto GP 07    2007    78
130    Naruto: Rise of a Ninja    2007    78
131    NHL 2K7    2006    78
132    Far Cry Instincts Predator    2006    78
133    Metal Slug 3    2008    78
134    Switchball    2007    78
135    Every Extend Extra Extreme    2007    78
136    Mutant Storm Reloaded    2005    77
137    Sega Rally Revo    2007    77
138    Eets: Chowdown    2007    77
139    LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures    2008    77
140    Battlefield 2: Modern Combat    2006    77
141    Sonic the Hedgehog Arcade    2007    77
142    Wik: The Fable of Souls    2005    77
143    Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary    2007    77
144    Lumines Live!    2006    77
145    NFL Head Coach 09    2008    77
146    Stranglehold    2007    77
147    Top Spin 3    2008    77
148    Zuma Deluxe    2005    77
149    Outpost Kaloki X    2005    77
150    Mutant Storm Empire    2007    77
151    Galaga Legions    2008    77
152    Need for Speed Carbon    2006    77
153    Godfather, The    2006    77
154    Heavy Weapon: Atomic Tank    2007    77
155    Football Manager 2008    2008    77
156    Pro Evolution Soccer 2008    2008    76
157    Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting    2006    76
158    Chessmaster Live    2008    76
159    Penny Arcade Adventures Epsiode One: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness    2008    76
160    Club, The    2008    76
161    Undertow    2007    76
162    Streets of Rage 2    2007    76
163    Overlord    2007    76
164    Worms    2007    76
165    RoboBlitz    2006    76
166    Top Spin 2    2006    75
167    NHL 2K6    2005    75
168    Stuntman: Ignition    2007    75
169    Tony Hawk's American Wasteland    2005    75
170    Kung Fu Panda    2008    75
171    All-Pro Football 2K8    2007    75
172    Frontlines: Fuel of War    2008    75
173    Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath    2008    75
174    Exit    2007    75
175    Smash TV    2005    75
176    Culdcept Saga    2008    75
177    Assault Heroes 2    2008    75
178    Gun    2005    75

Number of Wii games with good/great reviews: 47
Number of Xbox 360 games with good/great reviews: 178

Approximate number of THIRD PARTY Wii games with good/great reviews: 36
Approximate number of THIRD PARTY Xbox 360 games with good.great reviews: 172

[Bill Aurion]

I only count 6 on the 360 list as well...

But seriously, this proves what?  That reviewers like 360 games more?  Whoop-de-doo...

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

The Wii doesn't have games, period, only re-packaged waggle minigames.

[NWR_insanolord]

I own 25 Wii games and like all of them but when I went through the GameStop listings I only found 14 360 games I'm interested in, therefore the Wii is way better and my personal opinion is 100% right and MetaCritic is completely wrong, and anyone who argues with me is just fooling themselves.

Seriously, though, who cares how games are ranked on MetaCritic? Play what you like and don't pay attention to that.

[Ian Sane]

Bill's response is pretty much exactly what I expected.

The Wii is polarizing on these boards.  No one seems to think it's decent or okay.  It's either a majorly disappointing console full of shovelware or the greatest console Nintendo's ever made with so many classic games that one can't keep up.

I agree with the critics as "reviews don't mean anything" is typically the defense of people with horrible tastes.  I encounter the same thing from people at work that like the Scooby Doo movies (and also watch American Idol).  Every critic is way off some times but they can't ALL be way off on 90% of the Wii games released.

I figure someone will mention that reviewers aren't part of Nintendo's target demo so it makes sense that the reviews aren't as favourable.  But that same person will then deny that Nintendo has abandoned the hardcore gamers - the gamers who's tastes correspond with the reviewers that are not part of Nintendo's target demographic.

No one complained about reviews until Nintendo released Geist and got mediocre reviews for a mediocre game.  Nintendo games can't get average scores so the review system was thus broken and needed to be fixed.  When Ocarina of Time was getting perfect 10's from everybody reviews were awesome.

[Flames_of_chaos]

If 360 games are so good then why do I own 43 Wii retail games and only 24 retail 360 games and 10 PS3 retail games?? (Before assumptions come up I owned a 360 longer than a Wii) Metacritic and gamerankings which are both ran by cnet prove nothing. Why do you want a review score to dictate a purchase for you?? Sure they can help you if you are on the fence but seriously a REVIEWER'S OPINION IS NOT YOUR OWN OPINION.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Ian said you and Bill have horrible taste.

[GoldenPhoenix]

I'll explain it perfectly, the mainstream media hates casual games, even quality ones. Also what is with all the Xbox Live Arcade and WiiWare on those lists?

[Flames_of_chaos]

Because metacritic counts download able games as a part of the console not as a separate download service most likely to simplify the listings.

[Luigi Dude]

And that's where another problem with this comparison comes from.  If you look at the lists, you'll see that MetaCritic doesn't count Virtual Console games, but it counts all Xbox Live games.  So Sonic 1 and 2 are both counted as good games on the 360 list, but they're not counted on the Wii's list.

If your going to count all Xbox Live games, then you have to count all Virtual Console games as well.  And when you count Virtual Console titles, the Wii list of good games ends up being easily comparable to the Xbox 360 list.

[NWR_pap64]

Really, I don't see the point of this thread, except to keeping fanning the Nintendo angst that is popular nowadays. In other words, trolling.

This has been done to DEATH and the results are always the same; love or hate the Wii you end up looking like a jackass.

This is why I don't post on NWR that much anymore. Its no longer about discussing our favorite games, why we loved them or even why we hated certain games. No, its now about how "The Wii is polarizing these boards", trying to make a statement about either Nintendo's ingenuity or failure to grasp the gamer market. You can't discuss a game without saying "Oh, this isn't a triple A game", or "this doesn't have good graphics". Its no longer about playing a game for the hell of it, no. Its now an ongoing debacle about which system's extends your penis longer or which one gives you street cred. Those that hate the Wii MUST somehow convince the masses that their enjoyment is unjustified and that Nintendo is "DESTROYING GAMING!".

Really, the angst needs to STOP. Nintendo did not rape anyone, Nintendo did not kill anyone, Nintendo did not create a weapon of mass destruction and Nintendo did not step on kittens. Nintendo hasn't done anything that warrants this much hate, even within those that call themselves "Nintendo fans".

With this I am done.

[Pale]

How'd the PS3 do?

[DAaaMan64]

Ask Silks, he's our PS3 advocate.

[GoldenPhoenix]

How'd the PS3 do?

Probably comparable to Xbox 360 since its big games are mostly multiplatform.

[Deguello]

This is why I don't post on NWR that much anymore.

Hear Hear.  Just imagine when it's our staffers that do it.  Certainly doesn't help for community reinforcement.

And Ian's post is so full of LOL.  He speaks of Nintendo fans in the third person like he's not one anymore (and everybody's known that since 2002) and pulls Geist up out of nowhere.  He's literally grasping at straws to seem relevant and all it does is make him look totally foolish and he'll do it again tomorrow because this is his only joy in life.

That and telling people they have "horrible tastes" like he's some kind of connoisseur, even though the links in his signature are to the worst movies I've ever seen and PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING.  Stop the pretense.

[Bill Aurion]

Bill's response is pretty much exactly what I expected.

The Wii is polarizing on these boards.  No one seems to think it's decent or okay.  It's either a majorly disappointing console full of shovelware or the greatest console Nintendo's ever made with so many classic games that one can't keep up.

I agree with the critics as "reviews don't mean anything" is typically the defense of people with horrible tastes. 

Oh hey Ian, I pretty much expected this sort of response from you as well!  Let's be best friends forever!

Note I never said that the Wii is the best system ever (that title belongs to the SNES, and will soon be transferred to the DS)...Note that I never said that every Wii game is amazing or even decent...Let's stop shoving words in other people's mouths, okay? =)

In the end it all boils down to your own personal taste, and not a reviewer's, and if liking more Wii games than 360 games somehow makes me one that has bad taste, then so be it...Then again, I'd rather have enthusiasm in my "bad taste" for games than be a grumpy stick-in-the-mud that doesn't like ANY game made in the past 10 years and refuses to actually participate in wholesome discussion about an upcoming game...

This is why I don't post on NWR that much anymore. Its no longer about discussing our favorite games, why we loved them or even why we hated certain games.

YES!  It's bloody depressing when a topic about a new and interesting game is posted, for it to be completely ignored in favor of some whiny-ass bitchfest "staff blog" or anything similar...

[Ian Sane]

even though the links in his signature are to the worst movies I've ever seen

You've actually watched them?  That's funny!  I don't know why but it seems funny to me that you would actually check them out.  To be fair most of those I would agree are absolute sh!t as they were made by my brothers in high school.  They're on there because one brother is too easily confused by the internets to create his own account and the other is too damn lazy.  I will however defend the Fatal Bullet films.

As for the wrestling, f*ck, people get it or they don't.   I learned long ago that you can argue this or that about it but then that week the WWE will do something embarrassing and stupid that kills your argument because people assume if you like SOME wrestling then you must like ALL of it.  I haven't watched current wrestling in years because of that.  The product shifted in a direction where I found I liked none of it.  And even when I liked it was like you watched a show that's 80% horrible crap for 20% of awesome.

[ThePerm]

They should have called Wii the Meh,

 l pretty much usually agree with Ian. However,i would like to make another claim. I'm not into gaming as much anymore. Its just not as much fun as it used to be. Theres a certain sort of variety Nintendo doesn't have that they had in say 1998. I played Mario kart wii yesterday, and I have to say i didn't care for it. Nintendo is just so behind on everything. I hate being the type that isn't in control of the industry. I know that if i were everything would be better than it is now. Same with the movie industry, however the movie industry gets points ahead because they are more close to what I desire, and sometimes they surprise me. The video game industry is predictable, with little room for innovation. Publishers are too safe, and don't take risks, and theres little expansion. Even though Nintendo is trying to correct this, they are still missing the boat.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Nintendo released like 1 game in 1998.

Face it, you don't like Mario Kart anymore cuz the karts don't have that wonderful "zippy" engine sound they used to.

[Deguello]

even though the links in his signature are to the worst movies I've ever seen

You've actually watched them?  That's funny!  I don't know why but it seems funny to me that you would actually check them out.  To be fair most of those I would agree are absolute sh!t as they were made by my brothers in high school.  They're on there because one brother is too easily confused by the internets to create his own account and the other is too damn lazy.  I will however defend the Fatal Bullet films.

As for the wrestling, f*ck, people get it or they don't.   I learned long ago that you can argue this or that about it but then that week the WWE will do something embarrassing and stupid that kills your argument because people assume if you like SOME wrestling then you must like ALL of it.  I haven't watched current wrestling in years because of that.  The product shifted in a direction where I found I liked none of it.  And even when I liked it was like you watched a show that's 80% horrible crap for 20% of awesome.

I didn't ask for self-depreciating tripe about why what's in your links is god-awful, I just want your agreement that your tastes are awful because you've given it valuable disk space over a three minute Youtube of a chicken doing nothing.

And Professional Wrestling, no matter how it changed over how many years, has and always will be the pathetic entertainment associated with classless hicks, and the majority of reviewers of any medium think so.  In order for you to lay claim that, because the majority of reviewers hate Wii games, then they are crappy, then you MUST agree that Professional Wrestling has never been enjoyed by anybody but inbred hillbillies and Northerners that strangely want to be them.

[GoldenPhoenix]

I think Deg is pathetic for degrading those of us who like Pro Wrestling.

[Morari]

Too bad for the Xbox that all of its games are also available (and much better) on the PC.

[redgiemental]

Countering one person's prejudice with your own baseless and borderline offensive prejudice............interesting Deguello

[Luigi Dude]

The main flaw in this topic is the amount of games a console has that are highly rated doesn't mean sh!t.  If your someone who doesn't like First Person Shooters, then a lot of the games on the 360's list are worthless.  If your not a fan of any Mario games then a lot of Wii games can be worthless as well.

What it comes down to in the end is people buy what interest them and what they want.  The 360 could have a million games with an average review of over 75% and it wouldn't matter.  If none of those games interest somebody, they're not going to care.  Just like how if the Wii doesn't have any games that interest anybody they're not going to care.

So if somebody is interested in only 15 of those 47 Wii games and only 15 of those 178 Xbox 360 games, can you really consider one system better then the other?

[Armak88]

I think it comes down to what kind of games you enjoy as well. I like Action/Adventure, platformers, puzzle games and RPG's. I only really like the odd fighter, I hate sports games, and I never really enjoyed FPS's. So tell me what is there for me in this list of universally acclaimed games on the XBOX360? I buy Nintendo's new systems because Zelda games are the best of my favourite kind of game. Now these genres are more scarce than they used to be and Nintendo is the only place I know that my appetite will be filled in these area's. The only genre that is lacking is RPG's, but I haven't really liked the direction that they have been going in for the last little while anyways.

Now before I'm burned at the stake, let me say that I do not disregard games entirely based on the genre of the game. I played GOW co-op at my friends place and loved it. I only like fighters when there is someone else to play against who can be competitive, most the time I'll get good, start kicking ass and nobody will play me anymore. My point is simply this, I know what I want and where to get it, this list is irrelevant to anyone who is in the same boat. However, seeing a list of "Universally Acclaimed" games for each system would be helpful if you didn't know what kind of atmosphere each system had to offer and were looking into getting one.

PS. If you didn't read this just read luigi dude's comment, same difference.