The Top 10 Wii Games of 2012

One of the best role playing games to ever come out of Japan, Xenoblade Chronicles is an epic adventure with a great combat system and a seemingly endless series of side quests complimenting a huge main quest. This was the game that forced JRPG fanatics who had never had any interest in the Wii to go out and buy one.

The second best Wii game of 2012 was, surprisingly, another JRPG on a system that has been consistently RPG-averse. The combat system is tremendously exciting, the characters are likable, and the presentation is terrific, with lovely graphics and a first-rate score (which, like the game direction, was done by a Final Fantasy veteran). If Xenoblade Chronicles wasn’t enough to make a JRPG fan buy the Wii, Xenoblade plus The Last Story was irresistible.

It is perhaps indicative of Nintendo’s current lack of interest in the Wii that their best Wii game is just a port of an old Game Cube game. Still, if you never played it when it came out, this cute and colorful real-time strategy game is even better than the original Pikmin. It’s also a reason to get excited about the Wii U’s upcoming Pikmin 3.

The best board-style party game I’ve ever played, Mario Party 9 is a fast-paced mix of colorful graphics, fun mini-games and lots of good – and bad – luck.

A quirky, challenging rhythm game chock full of Japanese weirdness.

This solid entry in the long-running Lego game series is newsworthy for the addition of voice acting but most notable for the size of its hub world, the entirety of Lego Gotham.

I enjoyed this short but well-made action-adventure game at least as much as I enjoyed the watchable Pixar feature that inspired it. Possibly more.

This solid superhero game offers fun stealth attacks, time slowing and some engaging fights with robotic machinery.

Honestly, I can't settle on a tenth game for my top ten list. I’ve got two possibilities, but because they arrived shortly before my attention was diverted by the Wii U launch, I haven’t played enough of either to know how good they are. I loved the original Skylanders but felt a little bored by Skylanders Giants, but it’s so similar to the first game that I wonder if I’m just not in the mood; reviews have been excellent. As for Mickey, it has a promising start, but the reviews I’ve read suggest it may not live up to the first game’s standards. Not that I trust critics. Eventually I’ll play enough of these to decide and choose one for the final spot, but for now, it’s a tie.