he gaming console that changed the world, the Nintendo Entertainment System, dropped in 1985 and it was totally awesome, radical and choice. The computer store in my local mall had a demo NES hooked to a TV behind the counter, and they were hip-deep in kids day and night; the staff started charging kids a quarter to play Super Mario 1, to cover the cost of worn-out controllers. Of course, there was also a Sega Master System on hand, but most agreed that Hang on and Safari Hunt kind of sucked—Sega was destined to be Betamax to Nintendo’s VHS. Myself and dozens of other kids coveted the Nintendo system (the word “console” wasn’t in popular parlance yet), and were committed to loitering at CompuCenter until Santa Claus, or our parents, or somebody got us one.

In ’85 video games were “for kids”, so let’s assume most of you were between 4 and 20 years old when the NES was released. Well, that was awhile ago now, and it puts you somewhere between 28 and 44 today. You’re not a kid anymore. Even though you often still act like it. So, this list reflects an honest effort to recommend games, both discs and Wii Shop Channel offerings, of interest to gamers in this age bracket who loved the NES, has been, for better or worse, somewhat into video games for the past 20 years.

Note: an effort was made here to avoid selecting games strictly for reasons of nostalga…such picks would likely miss the mark anyway, as childhood favorites are intensely personal and usually circumstantial; one person’s “my neighbor introduced me to Mega Man and I played it til my fingerprints wore off” is another person’s “I would stare at my babysitter’s chest for hours while she played Mario 1.” So when it comes to getting your retro fix, let your heart guide you.

Nintendo's Perfect Game - so beautiful, owning it will improve your self-esteem.

Super Mario Galaxy

Everyone knows Mario, and most everyone likes him. I think, anyway; hating Mario is sort of like hating Princess Di; things like that just aren’t talked about. It’s not proper. But, whether or not you had an NES in your house while growing up it’s extremely likely you were exposed to Nintendo someplace and are at least casually familiar with Mario Brothers and Donkey Kong; Since DK dropped in 1981, Mario has appeared in a ludicrous total of 77 games, two TV shows, and has adorned magazines, cereal boxes, butt cheeks (in tattoo form), and who knows how many ironic t-shirts. We’re talking legacy here; this is some serious ‘international icon’ action.

That being said, with the release of each Mario game, a contingent of die-hard fans starts spouting rhetoric along the lines of, “you don’t know Nintendo if you haven’t played _____!”. And no doubt, The Nintendo Experience includes a unity, a sense of belonging to a ‘family’, that’s without rival in the world of gaming… and you’re welcome to join the club as long as you do the required reading. Nintendo fandom somehow seems to call for an extra degree of familiarity with all of its core titles… I’ve felt I must play certain games just to say I did, or, metaphorically speaking, just to touch base with my old friend Nintendo… is this a ridiculous situation? From my end, probably. But with a complete monopoly (10 out of 10) on titles in the all-time best selling video games list, Nintendo wouldn’t say so.

But, it’s actually moot because, while fanboys might have helped good front-end sales figures for SMG, it’s provided its own momentum in being an outstanding video game by any measure: Not because it provides fan service, or conjures pleasant memories of your Super Mario pencil case in the second grade, or any of that business. I say the hypothetical player who had never heard of Mario (pfft) would still be totally entranced by this one.

Mario characters do inhabit the world of Galaxy and of course that’s part of the magic, but Galaxy is a self-contained masterpiece from top to bottom. It feels different than any video game before it; it throws down an overall vibe and rhythm, and then establishes ‘rules’ for game physics and aesthetics and puzzle-mechanics for each of its 30-some-odd galaxies, in each instance remaining reliable and consistent within those rules…  the way great games do. It has mini-games and vs. challenges and speed runs and side quests, none of which feel tacked on. It has great music, beautiful artwork, it doesn’t “cheat” to make itself more difficult, it has quicksand (a personal favorite), and it makes anyone with a pulse smile really wide, once every couple of minutes for hours.

It’s not the most difficult Mario game… some gamers have complained it’s a little easy. However, most of them concede what the rest of us are saying—the game is utterly absorbing anyway, and that it truly evolves the 3D platformer in an era when games and bulky consoles square off in graphics power pose-downs, but push for very little actual change.

Samus Aran: then, now, and in the dreams of a sexless japanese boy

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

It took me a couple of years to get around to it (I think I was drunk when it was released) but I played through Metroid Prime: 3 not long ago and I came away wondering how I could have neglected to get into this game sooner… because I can’t imagine a first-person shooter/adventure being more perfectly crafted than Prime 3.

The Wii’s control scheme is used perfectly and sets new standards for control implementation on Wii shooters. It feels perfect. The graphics, while not as photo-realistic or sharp as the best FPS titles for PS3 and Xbox, are done in an art style that are within the Wii’s abilities.

The soundtrack is sparse and ambient, the storyline is economical (and what do you know, it actually serves the action—game objectives are directly and logically linked to cinematics) and I don’t know exactly how to describe it—there is a certain peaceful, atmospheric, echoey zen to playing through Metroid Prime 3 that I think will really appeal to older players. I hadn’t been that drawn-in to a game in years. And, of course the mission objectives are varied and interesting, and the boss battles are terrific fun.

Get this game. because you’ll be glad you did, not because Nintendo die-hards will look at you with disgust if you don’t.

Be like these guys, for just $179.99.

Guitar Hero : World Tour

Simply put, you need a guitar game in your collection. Everyone loves them. Youngsters, geezers, celebrated musicians, tone-deaf nobodies, dumpy guys, cute girls, competitive gamers, drunk partygoers, and Heidi Klum. Everybody.

There are four major guitar/rhythm games for the Wii but it quickly narrowed to two: Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock and Guitar Hero: World Tour. For the offering of good 80s cheese in Rock Band 1 is nearly nonexistent (Iron Maiden was basically it) and to my mind a guitar video game without 80s cheese is just unacceptable. And Rock Band 2 had so many tracks in common with World Tour, that it only made sense that a comparison of each title’s peripherals be used to break that tie. And simply put, I like the GH guitar and drum peripherals better than the Rock Band stuff. Rock Band franchise, thanks for coming out. It was an all-GH final.

Acknowledging that World Tour already had a head-start with its full band capabilities, underdog GH3 (guitar-only) has nonetheless recently been made attractive once again via a substantial price drop. And, of course, it features Slash from Guns ‘N Roses, top hat and all, as a playable character… so maybe it wasn’t so cut and dry after all… GH III’s track list was carefully scrutinized.  (*muffled* prepare to qualify!) …

…And GH3′s Rock You Like A Hurricane made it interesting… for about 5 seconds. On one hand we’ve got the Scorpions… and on the other, better hand, we’ve got a World Tour lineup which includes Beat it, Rebel Yell, and EYE OF THE TIGER.

This was as one-sided as Arnold vs. The Gooch—Guitar Hero World Tour is the definitive choice for rhythm game on the Wii console. You want this one in your collection. Everyone will love it. And by extention, you.

Totally.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

If you played any Street Fighter 2 or Mortal Kombat as a kid, this game speaks in a language you understand. And a case can make a case for ‘Brawl ‘being the best fighting game in history.  It has 35 playable characters, and it’s tactically and strategically deep while utilizing simple controls, and probably has the best soundtrack in any Nintendo game to date, with contributions from the industry’s most well-known composers.  It features lots of unlockables, including tons of amusing 80s homage (Excitebike, Super Mario Bros. and even Game & Watch Man make cameos), it’s completely lag-free, even in 4-player mode, and boasts a bustling online community so you can always find someone to pummel, day or night. The game is very basic in concept and is almost easy to overlook ( I remember being unconvinced I’d like it) but it’s an incredibly well-built gem and has staying power too; according to stats published on the Nintendo Channel, it’s been around a year now and it’s still the most-played Wii game.

To put it another way - if she came over and discovered you didn't have Super Smash Bros., she'd leave.

The variety in strengths and weaknesses for each character have obviously been lovingly tested and tweaked by designers, because the combatants (characters from the Nintendo universe) are remarkably well-balanced in ability. Subtle touches, like the way the camera moves in and out fluidly, enhance suspense and give a 3rd dimension to the 2D gameplay mechanics. Every character motion, whether integral to gameplay or just an amusing flourish, is well-animated.

Anyone, regardless of skill, can jump in and start mashing buttons and have a good time, and anyone with old-school fighting game experience will find the simple controls natural, familiar and perfectly adequate for stringing together satisfying combos.

Every so often there appears an offbeat game or franchise which turns into a smashing success (ha!) and helps to define a console and, sometimes, an era of gaming. While I don’t feel this game defines the Wii (I think the motion controls do that, and this game doesn’t need them) I think it’s definitely one of the most complete Nintendo experiences ever put together.

And if you’ve read this far and haven’t opened another browser window and started buying this game online, I’ll make it simpler for you. If you don’t have this one in your collection, you are an incomplete person.

In the 80s Oliver Stone made us cynical and introspective about war, but thankfully video games have made it fun again.

Call of Duty – World at War

In short, COD is the best bang for your buck the Wii-sphere has to offer.  The graphics aren’t as good as you’ll find in first-person shooters for the PS3 or the Xbox, but the use of the Wiimote’s infra-red capabilities (the pointer/sensor bar combination) might offer the best control setup for console-based FPS games today. The Wiimote isn’t quite a mouse, but it allows for a heck of lot quicker and more accurate aiming than dual-analogue sticks.

Call of Duty can keep a gamer busy for weeks; in my mind, the real game begins when you’re finished with the campaign and delve into the online multiplayer. COD WaW is seeing more and more playtime on the consoles of those who own it, thanks to a growing multiplayer contingent (Activision just had a “double XP points weekend”, which saw the servers packed to capacity) and is becoming more and more relevant in the Wii-sphere every month.