Wii games fit for a casual gamer but with a great story

November 29, 2010 9:04 PM

I'm looking for Nintendo Wii games that scratch my epic storyline itch but won't frustrate my intermediate skill and very intermittent play opportunities...

I like video games but I'm a merely adequate gamer skill-wise and generally too busy to play very consistently. I really enjoy games with a good storyline with some scope and art but often the best games frustrate me because I can't invest enough time to master the play and get hung up at a difficult point.

By way of example, my favorite Gamecube game was Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. A common complaint of this game was that it was too easy, but it was perfect for me: it had a good story, interesting play dynamics but I could make good progress with the odd hour or two session I found available, and always found it easy to pick up when a week or two had elapsed. By contrast, I never finished Metroid Prime - certainly not an excessively hard game, but I hit a point where there was a long gap between saves and several tough enemies between and I just got frustrated after the third or fifth time I foundered at some challenging point and found myself stuck with no progress after a longish gaming session.

I have standard controllers with nunchucks and a classic controller for virtual console games, I'd rather not invest in any more hardware but I'd consider picking up a Gamecube controller or other peripheral for the right game. No console modding. Help me find alternatives to channel surfing!

posted by nanojath to sports, hobbies, & recreation (24 answers total)

Okami has an epic storyline. And I've seen a few complaints that it's too easy. Trauma center has selectable difficulties, short play times, and episodic narrative. Super Paper Mario is a neat side scroller / RPG with good writing and not too difficult. Really, if you've got an hour of freetime, pretty much everything but maybe Metroid and Zelda should be doable.

Unfortunately, my Wii collection doesn't have much else in the way of "good storyline," but sorta of the opinion that if you want a good story, read a book.
posted by pwnguin at 9:16 PM on November 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

Seconding Paper Mario. I thought the story was super fun and the gameplay was clever.
posted by hansbrough at 9:20 PM on November 29, 2010

The Ace Attorney games on WiiWare are pretty much nothing but stories with the occasional logic puzzle.

I've played them on the DS and think they were pretty great.
posted by zixyer at 9:23 PM on November 29, 2010

I will second Okami.
posted by danb at 9:27 PM on November 29, 2010

Okami is a fun story and beautiful to boot...although I've only played it on the PS2. Definitely doable in 1 hr chunks. One of the few games I replay at least once a year, and I've had it for ... 3-4 years?
posted by smirkette at 9:58 PM on November 29, 2010

Epic Mickey?
posted by Artw at 10:13 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

Nthing Okami, frigging amazing. I am just like you - casual player, wants a narrative, crap at computer games, can't abide anything too hard. Okami was perfect.

An example, if you fall off a cliff, you don't die; they dock one health and pop you back up next to where you fell off. After nearly slitting my wrists in Mario Galaxy, it was a breath of fresh air.
posted by smoke at 10:53 PM on November 29, 2010

Great suggestions so far, Okami an obvious winner, I'll keep watching the thread.
posted by nanojath at 11:20 PM on November 29, 2010

Have you played Resident Evil 4 yet? I really enjoyed the game and the story. One of the best games I've ever played. The Wii Edition is excellent.
posted by visual mechanic at 11:24 PM on November 29, 2010

I've been disappointed in Wii games in general, but Resident Evil 4 is excellent and really works with the Wiimote. It does require a bit of commitment, though.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade sounds like it might be more like you want. It has a decent story and some beautiful art, and it's not too hard on the default difficulty.
posted by A Thousand Baited Hooks at 2:02 AM on November 30, 2010

If you like disney epic mickey comes out today.
posted by majortom1981 at 4:17 AM on November 30, 2010

Beyond Good and Evil is exactly what you're describing.
posted by PSB at 5:51 AM on November 30, 2010

You know, I'm playing Harry Potter Lego on my iPhone, and I've seen it played on the Wii, and I think you might like it. There's Star Wars lego, too, I think? It isn't hard to grasp, I make good progress in the hour or so I play before bed, some of the puzzles or battles are challenging. You don't have to know anything about Harry Potter for it to be fun.
posted by dpx.mfx at 6:39 AM on November 30, 2010

Okami is great, and not too hard overall; I highly recommend it.

But it does have occasional control problems/frustrating minigames that might hold you up, on the wii, though overall I like the use of the wiimote. First thing you need to know: hold down z to make straight lines (it is nearly impossible without this). This isn't very clearly documented in the manual, and is different from the ps2 version I believe. Also, not all the digging minigames are required, and rather than get stuck at the required ones just watch the youtube videos showing you how to do them. Finally, I found the drawing to be much more accurate when you are positioned directly in front of the IR sensor at about 6ft; being at an angle really messed things up.
posted by advil at 6:46 AM on November 30, 2010

Not sure if this will scratch your itch or not, but a friend of mine who sounds like he has similar tastes got Monster Hunter Tri and really loves it.
posted by BZArcher at 6:48 AM on November 30, 2010

Dead Space: Extraction is a fun rails shooter with a cheesy but fairly epic story. It's designed to be played in short chunks (each level is about 10-15 minutes long) and has adjustable difficulty.

I'm going to recommend the LostWinds games as well (available on WiiWare). The platforming is satisfying in a puzzle-like way without being overly tricky. The story's nothing to write home about but the art is amazing.
posted by aparrish at 8:21 AM on November 30, 2010

monster hunter tri isn't exactly easy peasy.

you might like the wiiware game "swords and soldiers" - cute story, short levels
posted by nadawi at 8:35 AM on November 30, 2010

All the Monkey Island games! They are on WiiWare and have a great silly storyline. They take no gamer reflexes at all.
posted by advicepig at 8:50 AM on November 30, 2010 [2 favorites]

Little Kings Story!

You can adjust the difficulty at anytime in the game if a part feels too hard\too easy. I'm more on the "hardcore" gamer side of things than casual but I thought the story was wonderful and there is plenty to do in the game itself.
posted by zephyr_words at 9:00 AM on November 30, 2010

Just a note that Resident Evil 4 was very cool, but probably too hard. I died a ton and never finished.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance was easy to play in short increments. The story was meh, but might be enough to suck you in if you're interested in comics/superheroes.
posted by derivation at 1:58 PM on November 30, 2010

Fyi I found Little King's Story too hard, and a bit too much Sims stuff not enough story stuff.

I've not played it, but want to try Endless Ocean 2. Deadly creatures is also meant to have a relatively good story.
posted by smoke at 2:17 PM on November 30, 2010

How about Zelda: Twilight Princess? I've played through some but not all of the game and there are extensive walkthroughs for this (and other popular games) if you happen to get stuck somewhere.
posted by mmascolino at 3:35 PM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

The new James Bond game is really fun. Each mission can be completed in about 30 - 45 minutes and the online matches typically last 10 - 15 minutes. I don't have great "shooter skills", yet I still have found it to be a really fun game.

I'd second Monkey Island if you like adventure games.

The length of the sections of Resident Evil 4 may be too unpredictable for you. Save points are sporadic. It's an awesomely fun game and I highly recommend it, but it may not fit your needs.

I've enjoyed Okami, but I'm stuck at what I think is the last major section. The game just seems to go on and on. I may not be able to finish it. But I've really enjoyed it up until the end.
posted by reddot at 1:58 PM on December 1, 2010

Thanks again for all the great suggestions. I highlighted the ones I'm most likely to try but all the advice and suggestions are much appreciated.
posted by nanojath at 7:02 PM on December 5, 2010