Wii series
- This article is about the video game series, and should not be confused with the console of the same name.
The Wii series[1] are video game series that had they first video game released initially on the Nintendo console bearing the same name, as well as its its successor, that has the name of their respective console in their name, such as but not limited to : the Wii Sports series, the Wii Play series and the Wii Fit series.
Sequels to various game in the Wii series have released and have since separated those series into their own series, yet still sharing various elements and a single universe. Some of those series continued to receive games as part of their respective series despite sometimes not bearing the "Wii" title, such as the games Pilotwings Resort and Nintendo Switch Sports respectively releasing on the 3DS and the Nintendo Switch as a part of the Wii Sports series, the "Wii" not being a part of the console's name not stopping a game from being counted as a part of a Wii series.
A variety of Wii series has been used multiple times as a way to market all sorts of Wii accessories, such as but not limited to : Wii Remotes, Wii Motion Plus, and Wii Balance Boards.
Series description
Despite every Wii series technically not being the same series, most of the games of can linked together via multiples factors apart of the name having Wii in the title; such as Miis being used as the playable characters, as well as the other NPCs seen in-game, and the artstyle of all series being somewhat simplistic.
In addition to those factor, some of the Wii series were developed during the same time and make references to one another, such as the location Wuhu Island being in both the Wii Sports series and Wii Fit series or Sebastian Tute and Party Phil from the Wii Music game and Wii Party series respectively pretty obviously being part of the same species.
Genre(s)
Due to every Wii series being made of games with multiple genres, such as sports simulations for the Wii Sports series, fitness for the Wii Fit series, rhythm for the game Wii Music, party for the Wii Play and Wii Party series, karaoke for the game Wii Karaoke U by JOYSOUND, and so on; it is impossible to point a precise genre in which the general concept of a Wii series could be placed, instead being a mix of genres.
Gameplay
There is no set gameplay shared by all of the games, as each series is set in vastly different genres.
The main similarities between the games is that the player plays as a Mii, the game mainly consist of other games inside of it, and the game is usually made with the intent to showcase something new.
Artstyle
The artstyle is somewhat simplistic, being made of vivid color and rough bold shapes, being choose to fit well with another factor linking these games together, an almost entirely Mii-based cast, both for the player's avatar and the background characters.
Cast
In almost every game in a Wii series, an almost entirely Mii-based cast is used, with both the player's avatar and NPCs being one, from a list of either player created and premade ones.
List of games
As of February 2024, there exist 4 Wii series and three one-of game also having "Wii" in their title for marketing reason, yet not being part of a series.
With the first and last installment to be place in a Wii Series being games from the Wii Sports series, with Wii Sports released in 2006 and Nintendo Switch Sports released in 2022, Wii Sports is often considered to be the "main" series amongst the Wii series, being the largest series as well.
The 3 other series, being the Wii Party series, the Wii Fit series and the Wii Play series (the latter one not being marketed as a series in Japan despite the two games being part of a series), could however easily stand on their own with 2, 3, and 2 entries respectively.
Along with these series, three one-of game used the "Wii" name in their title for marketing purposes despite not being part of a series, Wii Music, that still has various elements shared by the other Wii series, Wii Karaoke U by JOYSOUND, that utilised Miis yet is not considered to be a Wii series due to its first game not being released as such, and Wii Chess, being exclusive to Europe and only using the name as a marketing use, wiyhout link to the other game that have "Wii" in their title.
Due to the popularity of the various Wii series, as well as simply being the name of their respective console, applications such as Wii no Ma, Wii Panorama U and Wii Street U powered by Google used the Wii title while having very few links to the rest of the game having "Wii" in their name, some not having Miis, some not having the typical artstyle of the Wii series and some not having both, leaving them in a gray area concerning them being "Wii" games.
List of Wii series
Wii Sports
(2006)
Wii Play
(2006)
Wii Fit
(2007)
Wii Party
(2010)
List of "Wii" game
Wii Chess
(2008; Did not featured Miis)
Wii Music
(2008)
(Wii Chess is a chess game developed by Nintendo released exclusively in Europe on January 18, 2008 for the Wii. While this game was exclusive to Europe, Japan later got it as a WiiWare title under the name "通信対局 ワールドチェス", Tsūshin Taikyoku: World Chess", roughly translating to "Communication Game: World Chess" and was not a part of the Wii series in that region. This game is rather odd as it does not feature Miis anywhere, not even as the save file or player's icon.)
Debatable inclusion
Wii no Ma
(2009)
Wii Panorama U
(2013; Did not featured Miis)Wii Street U powered by Google
(2013; Did not featured Miis)
Super Smash Bros. series
The Super Smash Bros. series, being a crossover between various Nintendo franchises, have represented various Wii series in the series.Pilotwings series
A crossover with the Wii Sports series and the Pilotwings series called Pilotwings Resort was released in 2011
Mario Kart series
Wuhu Island from the Wii Sports and the Wii Fit series is used as two race tracks and as a battle course throughout the seriesKaraoke JOYSOUND series
The Karaoke JOYSOUND series is the original series that Wii Karaoke U by JOYSOUND was a part of. Note that Karaoke Joysound Switch also utilize Miis.
Personal Trainer: Walking
Personal Trainer: Walking is closely linked to the Wii Fit series, in various ways. Note that this game also utilize Miis.
Ring Fit Adventure
Ring Fit Adventure could be considered a spiritual successor of the Wii Fit series and has a rhythm mini-game that plays a medley of Wii Fit music.
Reception
Most of the "Wii" games achieved a remarkable commercial success, with almost every single well known game selling millions of copies. Notably, as of 2024, Wii Sports is currently the fourth best-selling video game in history and holds the distinction of being the top-selling video game exclusive to a single gaming console, helped by being a pack-in game at the launch of the Wii.
With the exception of a few games lesser known titles, all titles that are part of a Wii series have been released worldwide, Wii Sports and Wii Play were the first two games of the seventh console generation to surpass 10 million units sold, Wii Sports having sold other 82 million sales, a significant portion of those coming from bundling.
Trivia
- Nintendo Switch Sports is the first main game in the series to:
- Not have Miis as the only playable characters.
- Not have "Wii" in the title.
