Great yet cheap Wii titles?

[allyourbase]

Just got a Wii and I'm really excited to get into it. I'm kind of on a budget now and was wondering what games are worth picking up.
But I was looking to stay away from those $40+ titles for now- unless they're really worth it (bat wars 2, mario strikers charged, mario kart) So any good games in the library that won't cost so much? I'm already picking up RE4 (19.99), and one of the Trauma Centers (19.99 used). I'm looking to stay away from super gimmicky titles, but will try anything as long as it's fun. I've got about $130 to spend and want to get the most out of my money as far as diversity/genre/replayability is concerned. Thanks for the help!
PS- saw Dragon Quest game today (14.99 new) at best buy, anyone know whether it's good or not?

[Tupin]

Dragon Quest: Swords for $14?

It's worth it. I also recommend Zack and Wiki, Speed Racer, and Order Up!, as they all are just plain fun.

[allyourbase]

yeah, DQ: Swords. Is that a crazy price or is that just me? I saw it at walmart down the street from best buy at $39.94.

[RJ]

If you're online lots of WiiWare titles are quite decent despite what you may hear on this site. The ArtStyle games are awesome puzzlers only $6 each. I got 2 $20 Wii cards for Xmas & I bet most of it will be spent on WiiWare titles.

W/ $130 you'd never run out of stuff to play.

[Tupin]

yeah, DQ: Swords. Is that a crazy price or is that just me? I saw it at walmart down the street from best buy at $39.94.
Best Buy gets and sells a lot of games, any games that don't sell well and don't have a preset price to stick to are lowered within two or three months of release around here.

Basically, if it didn't have a huge, drawnout release or wasn't a first party release by Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft, they cut the price.

[darkhades]

Blast Works
Opoona
Zack & Wiki
Blast Works
Blast Works
Pinball Hall of Fame: Williams Collection
Blast Works
Sam & Max Season One

[aclbandit]

Someone else mentioned it, I'm just going to second it: you would be amazed at how unnecessarily fun Speed Racer: The VideoGame is for Wii. From what I hear, the PS2 version isn't good at all, mainly due to the fact that the part that makes this game awesome is the motion controls.

Check it out-- 19.99 tops these days.

[Rob2600]

The best Wii games currently priced at $30 or less, new (in alphabetical order):

BlastWorks
Bully: Scholarship Edition
Dewy's Adventure
Dokapon Kingdom
Elebits (too expensive new, but $18 used at GameStop)
Endless Ocean
Excite Truck
Geometry Wars: Galaxies
Ghost Squad
The Godfather: Blackhand Edition
The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return
The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga
- Kororinpa: Marble Mania (nevermind, it's too expensive now)
Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga
Link's Crossbow Training
Madden NFL 07
Medal of Honor Heroes 2
Mercury Meltdown Revolution
MLB Power Pros
Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution
No More Heroes
Order Up!
Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection
Prince of Persia: Rival Swords
Rayman Raving Rabbids
Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition
Sam & Max: Season One
The Sims 2: Castaway
SNK Arcade Classics Volume 1
SSX Blur
Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz
Tomb Raider Anniversary
Trauma Center: New Blood
Trauma Center: Second Opinion
Zack & Wiki
(34 games)


WiiWare:

Alien Crush Returns
Art Style series
Bomberman Blast
Dr. Mario Online Rx
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
Groovin' Blocks
LostWinds
MaBoShi: The Three Shape Arcade
Mega Man 9
Strong Bad series
Tetris Party
Toki Tori
World of Goo
(at least 13 games)


Don't forget about the great catalog of GameCube games, too!

[bones11]

Mercury Meltdown and No More Heroes come to mind, both are under $20 new at many places, less if you can find used.

[joedick]

Rob2600's list is pretty solid, though you'll be lucky to find Kororinpa: Marble Mania for $20 these days.

[swlovinist]

Great thread! To me the Wii is all about getting the $20 and good budget title. There are a ton of stinkers on the system, but there are some great games on a budget. I had to mention Alien Syndrome as a very decent adventure/item hunt game. Sure it looks like crap, but you can score it for like under $10 at game crazy used. Also would like to mention Medal of Honor Heroes 2 is dang fun, and is a must buy. My fellow DP members are recommending some great budget gems :)

[Cobra Commander]

I don't how cheap it is or even if you can still find it, but I've really enjoyed Metal Slug Anthology.

[Rob2600]

Rob2600's list is pretty solid, though you'll be lucky to find Kororinpa: Marble Mania for $20 these days.

Wow, you're right! I just checked Amazon and people are selling Marble Mania for $59. I bought it from Konami's web site a while ago for $20.

Elebits is on Amazon for $59 as well. What the heck?

[swlovinist]

Amazon is crap sometimes for prices of "old new games".

[Rob2600]

Amazon is crap sometimes for prices of "old new games".

True. Elebits is $20 on Walmart.com, but it's out of stock...I imagine permanently.

EDIT: Elebits is $18 used on GameStop.com (http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=64094).

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Sam & Max Season 1 is out?!?!?

When in the hell did that happen and how did I miss it?

[Rob2600]

Sam & Max Season 1 is out?!?!?

When in the hell did that happen and how did I miss it?

The Wii version was released on October 14, 2008. It's received pretty good reviews...7.4 overall.

Currently, Amazon and Walmart.com are selling it for $30. GameStop.com (http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=72515) is selling it for $20, new.

[jb143]

Great thread. I was wondering this myself. I was just ushered into the modern gaming world when my dad sent me a Wii for Christmas. Someone mentioned Game Cube games. Which of those would be worth it that can be gotten for close to dirt cheap?

[j_factor]

You may be able to get Okami for $20 with a little digging; that's what I paid for it a while back. Castle of Shikigami III is a solid, old-school shooter. I still think Red Steel is well worth a play, and it's probably dirt cheap now. I also have to say that I actually like Line Rider 2. There's not that much to it, but it succeeds at what it sets out to do. Simple fun.

Beyond that pretty much everything's been mentioned, but I'd like to second/third a few:

Blast Works
Geometry Wars Galaxies
Ghost Squad
House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return
Medal of Honor Heroes 2
Mercury Meltdown Revolution
No More Heroes
Order Up!
Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection
Rayman Raving Rabbids (the first is actually the best one for single player)
RE Umbrella Chronicles ($20 at TRU)
Sam & Max: Season One
Tomb Raider Anniversary (very well-done remake and translates to the Wii very well)
Zack & Wiki (still my #1 recommendation for the system)

[Rob2600]

Someone mentioned Game Cube games. Which of those would be worth it that can be gotten for close to dirt cheap?

It depends on what you mean by "dirt cheap." $20 each? $10 each?

[j_factor]

Great thread. I was wondering this myself. I was just ushered into the modern gaming world when my dad sent me a Wii for Christmas. Someone mentioned Game Cube games. Which of those would be worth it that can be gotten for close to dirt cheap?

Super Monkey Ball, Viewtiful Joe, Beach Spikers (really), Alien Hominid, Tales of Symphonia, Spartan: Total Warrior, Geist, Skies of Arcadia Legends, Go! Go! Hypergrind, and Killer 7, to name a few. I would say Metroid Prime and Pikmin but both are supposed to get re-released with Wii controls in 2009 (at a budget price).

[Rob2600]

Super Monkey Ball, Viewtiful Joe, Beach Spikers

I second these GameCube games and also recommend:

Burnout 2: Point of Impact ($4 used on Amazon)
Eternal Darkness ($18 used on GameStop.com)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ($3 used on Amazon)
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker ($17 used on Amazon)
Odama ($18 new on Amazon, with microphone)
Pikmin ($17 used on Amazon, also being re-released/updated for the Wii in March 2009 for $30)
Super Mario Sunshine ($18 used on Amazon)
Time Splitters 2 ($8 used on Amazon)
Wave Race: Blue Storm ($2.50 used on Amazon)


I haven't played the other games you listed, but I'm sure they're great, too.

[tonyvortex]

what happened to Kororinpa: Marble Mania ,i just looked on amazon after what was mentioned in here and see the lowest price is $60.

[Rob2600]

what happened to Kororinpa: Marble Mania ,i just looked on amazon after what was mentioned in here and see the lowest price is $60.

My guess: discontinued game + Christmas = greedy internet sellers.

Look at the price of Wii Fit...$144 on Amazon from independent sellers. It's absurd.

[dao2]

Skies of Arcadia is a fantastic game for the GC (hence wii) which can be had for around 20 bucks. Aint short either ;p

[RASK1904]

I picked up the Wii game Nights at Target this last weekend for 14.99! They might have some left.

Thanx RASK1904:rockets:

[Icarus Moonsight]

Kororinpa is very fun. Speculated to be one of the lowest print run Wii games, at least it was. Good, fun games + rarez (whether only perceived or actually scarce) = teh monies :D I've seen Smooth Moves sell for over MSRP as well.

Good cheapies?

Counter Force, I like it anyway. Nabbed it at blockbuster for $7.

I can't reccomend Castle Shikigami III enough. Other shooters,

Blast Works (real cool)

Geometry Wars is good fun (2 player and campaign nice additions) and GWG connects with the DS version (also $10-$20 most places).

I picked up Heavenly Guardian and Monkey King a few months ago for $10 each at gamestop. Haven't played them yet, but at $10, I'd say it's worth a shot.

Trauma Center (the 2nd - not 2nd opinion) was listed of amazon for $20 and still may be. You can pre-order Ultimate Shooter Collection also. $30 gets you 3 shooters. Chaos Field, Radio Allergy and Karous. Look at it like 3 dreamcast imports for $10 a pop. Helluva good deal. :)

[jb143]

It depends on what you mean by "dirt cheap." $20 each? $10 each?

I know very little of modern game prices so I was going to let you guys interpret that. No more than $10 is where I was thinking though. The dumb thing is that I saw several gamecube games at goodwill a few weeks ago that I thought of getting but decided against. They were all $4 a piece and I'm pretty sure one of them was Metroid Prime.

[Rob2600]

I know very little of modern game prices so I was going to let you guys interpret that. No more than $10 is where I was thinking though.

Look toward the bottom of the first page. Jfactor and I listed a bunch of great $2 - $10 GameCube games...and some slightly more expensive ones, too.

I'd also add:

the Star Wars Rogue Squadron series ($10 each, used on Amazon)
the 007 James Bond series ($2 - $16 each, used on Amazon)
the Prince of Persia series ($10 - $13 each, used on Gamestop.com)
XIII ($4 used on Amazon)
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour ($4 used on Amazon)
F-Zero GX ($6 used on Amazon)
Sega Soccer Slam ($7 used on Amazon)


Keep in mind, I'm not saying you should buy every inexpensive Wii and GameCube game we recommend; we're just giving you a wide variety to choose from. Enjoy! :)

[Dastardly Dylan]

Any stores selling No More Heroes, Okami, RE Umbrella Chronicles and T. Center (1st and 2nd) for a reasonable price?

[Rob2600]

Any stores selling No More Heroes, Okami, RE Umbrella Chronicles and T. Center (1st and 2nd) for a reasonable price?

I think Amazon and Gamestop.com are your best bets...or, since you're close, take a quick trip to the Digital Press store and check out the prices there.

[Princess-Isabela]

cannot believe, nobody mentioned this Dreamcast classic,
Samba De Amigo !!!
$19.99,
you cannot go wrong with it(not as good to control as using maracas but new songs make up for it).

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

cannot believe, nobody mentioned this Dreamcast classic,
Samba De Amigo !!!
$19.99,
you cannot go wrong with it(not as good to control as using maracas but new songs make up for it).

I beg to differ.

It's a beautiful looking version of Samba with a great song list - but the controls de-value the game to worthless at any price.

A real shame ... it looks like the developers really did everything they could to polish it ... but the hardware just doesn't have a level of sensitivity to work properly on any level above "easy".

I mean ... it could fit on a list of cheap Wii games, but I don't think it belongs on a list of good, much less great ones.

[j_factor]

I picked up the Wii game Nights at Target this last weekend for 14.99! They might have some left.

I didn't mention NiGHTS because a lot of people really ragged on it. I thought it was a rather good follow-up, with only a few major problems. I was going to type out a paragraph, but I've decided I prefer bulleted lists:

- The lack of a great control option. The Wii-mote only controls aren't great, and the analog sticks (whether on the nunchuk, the classic controller, or a Gamecube controller) are all notched. I wish they'd made a special controller or something.
- Speaking of controls, there doesn't seem to be a way to come to a stop (which was done in the original by pressing L+R).
- It doesn't have the dynamic music that the original had (in replay, affected by the A-life/Nightopians).
- There are a few annoying missions.
- The Reala fights are poorly done.
- There's this whole "My Dream" thing, which is kind of like a glorified Chao Garden, and I just don't care for it at all. Fortunately it's optional.
- It has a collect-a-thon aspect with hidden (well-hidden, I might add) "dreamdrops". It's like the graffiti souls in JGR but not fun. You can just ignore it, though.
- The personas are pretty much worthless (but you don't have to use them).
- I was hoping it would have a bunch of time/date related features, but there's only one major bonus on Halloween, and a minor thing for Christmas.
- They gave NiGHTS a voice. Why?

The core gameplay is perfectly sound, though. The vast majority of levels are well-designed and the bosses (except Reala) are great. The graphics and sound are some of the best on Wii.

[CaptainFalcon13]

You probably alreay have an idea of what you want to get now, but here's my opinion. RE4, RE Umbrella Chronicles, DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi 2, and Speed Racer. I would also opt for Metroid Prime 3 Corruption which I saw for 30 and Obviously a must have in my opinion no matter what price is SSB Brawl.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Thanks to this thread (I was totally un-aware that the game was out) I picked up Sam & Max at a local EB games ...

... I asked for it and they had to "go in the back" to get a copy.

I wonder if due to the mature themes of the game (it's rated T) - coupled with the fact that a very high ratio of Wii games are for "kids" AND that Sam & Max look pretty kid-centric that Gamestop corporate asked for stores to keep this game out of the public eye.

I traverse ALL of my local Game Stop stores weekly and I have NEVER seen this "on the shelf" at any of them. Ever.

I could imagine the shock and horror that soccer mom/grandma would experience after getting a game with "such cute characters" for little Johnny and then watching them take part in all manner of debauchery...not to mention how many kids wouldn't be able to handle/tollerate the point & click style of gameplay.

...I'm really confused over this one.

Anybody else see it "out" for sale at a Gamestop?

[slapdash]

I was looking for Sam & Max over the holidays, and could not find it at a Target, nor two Toys R Us stores, nor three Best Buys. I'm starting to think it's an EB exclusive!

[Garry Silljo]

Anybody else see it "out" for sale at a Gamestop?

Yes, at no less than 2 different locations as well.

[Rob2600]

Thanks to this thread (I was totally un-aware that the game was out) I picked up Sam & Max at a local EB games ...

So, have you tried out Sam & Max: Season One yet? If so, how do you like it?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

So, have you tried out Sam & Max: Season One yet? If so, how do you like it?

I had played episode 1 on PC (actually a MAC running Dos Box) and I thought it was great ... just like the original Lucasarts game.

The Wii version is very good!

There are a few bugs here and there (some audio dialog tracks get cut off in the last second of the track) but other than that, the Wiimote controls are a BIT tighter than the StrongBad games that TellTale also developed.

For fans of the genre and the characters, a no-brainer purchase.