The best FPS games on the Nintendo Wii

The Nintendo Wii is remembered for a lot of things – its revolutionary motion controls, its family appeal and its enormous list of accessories. What doesn't get talked about enough with the Wii is the small but fascinating collection of first-person shooters developed for the system.

In a way, the lack of FPS representation on the Wii is not surprising, as the more usual strategy that Nintendo adopted for the system did not fit the “violent” and “hardcore” nature of this particular genre. However, as this list of games demonstrates, when the Wii's excellent pointer controls have been implemented into a well-designed FPS, the results make you wonder if this isn't one of the big “what ifs?” questions in games.

6

call of duty black ops

Not a bad way to experience this classic

Before we go any further, yes, Call of Duty: Black Ops for Wii is a stripped down version of this classic first-person shooter. As with all CoD games on the Wii, this port lacks some of the HD version's modes and levels, while obviously running at a lower definition.

That said, this beloved Call of Duty game still retains much of the charm and polish that made it such a hit in 2010. The pointer controls work as well as ever and when paired with the nunchuk, Call of Duty: Black Ops. plays like an absolute dream on Wii.

5

Pipeline 2

Even better without the definite article

Conduit 2 follows a pattern of Wii first-person shooter sequels that improved dramatically over the somewhat clunky execution of their original titles (more on that later). While The Conduit was an interesting proof of concept for what a Wii FPS could look like, it wasn't until developer High Voltage Software decided to drop the “The” and add a “2” before this series became true step.

Conduit 2 takes the basic elements of a first-person shooter and combines them with motion controls and all things Sumerian mythology to create a thrilling experience for the Wii. Almost every aspect of the first game has been polished for this sequel – from the art direction to the mechanics. The final product is a complete first-person shooter package that exemplifies why the genre could work on this system.

House of the Necromorph

Harking back to the classic gun-horror shooters of the arcade days, Dead Space: Extraction is a hugely satisfying experience that also acts as a worthy spin-off to the main series. The setting, atmosphere and scares all line up with what you'd expect from a Dead Space game, with the on-rails action fitting the Wii's motion controls like a glove.

You still have to slice and dice the limbs of Necropmorphs with a variety of sci-fi weapons through a story mode that acts as a prequel to the original Dead Space game. Dead Space: Extraction is proof that more mature games had a place on the Wii, while standing up as one of the greatest rail shooters of all time.

3

GoldenEye 007

Back to Bond

GoldenEye 007 for Nintendo 64 is a seminal game that paved the way for first-person shooters to thrive on home consoles. Over twenty years later, a reimagining of this iconic game was released on the Wii, swapping Brosnan for Craig and the crazy Nintendo 64 controller for the Wii Remote and Nunchuk (or a shiny gold Pro Controller, if you prefer).

While the events of the film remain largely the same, the tone, gameplay mechanics, and graphics have all been updated to reflect the state of both the James Bond franchise and first-person shooters in 2010. And while this new version doesn't had the same cultural impact as in 1997, it's still a hugely entertaining ride as a favorite member of Her Majesty's Secret Service.

2

Red steel 2

Sometimes you need a second chance

Who saw this coming? After a competent but rather soulless first game on the Wii, Ubisoft decided to go back to the drawing board with Red Steel to see if they could realize their vision with a sequel. And boy did they accomplish that mission.

Red Steel 2's improvements are evident just by looking at it. Gone are the bland “realistic” graphics that were not favored by the Wii's standard definition, making way for gorgeous, stylized cel-shaded visuals that still pop all these years later. Throw in an interesting western samurai setting and gameplay that utilizes Wii Motion Plus for both gunplay and swordplay, and Red Steel 2 is one of the most idiosyncratic first-person shooters on the system.

1

Metroid Prime: Trilogy

Three of the best

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption showed how effectively the series could work when transposed from the GameCube controller's joysticks and triggers to the Wii's motion controls. If only developer Retro Studios could go back and make these tweaks to the first two games in the series.

Well, you'd look at it: Metroid Prime Trilogy is one of the richest experiences you can find on the Wii. Controlling Samus with the Wii remote and nunchuk makes these already immersive games feel even more tactile, and concrete proof that motion controls can enhance a first-person experience – at least, when implemented as well.