November 18th, 2012 has passed and the Wii U is on the market. In a GameSpot interview after the release of the Wii U, Bill Trinen, director of product marketing at Nintendo said that Nintendo doesn’t plan to release any more games for the Wii. Even if some third party companies still release games, the Wii library is essentially complete. Now that it is complete, it is the perfect time to look back at the games that were released for the Wii and see what games really stood out. The following is a list of the five best RPGs ever released for the Wii.
- Final Fantasy IV: The After Years – Available as a download from the Wii store, this game takes up after the events in the SNES classic Final Fantasy IV. The graphics and game play remains true to the original game and the chapter structure allows you to easily play the game a little at a time, rather than being forced to commit to long play sessions. A perfect blend of old school nostalgia and quality makes this one of the best RPGs on the Wii.
- Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn – There are games that are hard and then there are games that redefine the meaning of the word “hard”. This is one of the second. Death is permanent in this tactical RPG and the enemy AI is brutally efficient. One mistake can quickly lead to the death of multiple characters. Despite the punishing difficulty, the game is brilliant for its complex and epically detailed story. Few games truly delve into such a complex tale and none tells it as powerfully.
- The Last Story – The Last Story is a game that tries to do a bit of everything and does most of it pretty well. Game play includes action, strategy, stealth, and even multiplayer elements. In many ways it is the Deus Ex of the fantasy genre. If you are an RPG purist you may be disappointed in some of the game aspects, but if you enjoy a wide variety of games, this game should easily combine many of your video game pleasures.
- Super Paper Mario – At first glance this may look like a simple platform game, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The game features nearly every classic RPG element, including recruiting new party members, gaining levels, and learning new abilities. It is a beautiful blend of platform game and RPG that tells a quirky and enthralling tale. If you aren’t immediately addicted to the game play, you probably aren’t as big a fan of RPGs as you think.
- Xenoblade Chronicles – This critically acclaimed game has been nominated for and is likely to win the Best RPG category in SpikeTV’s Video Game Awards of 2012. The game has a play style similar to Final Fantasy XII and has a story similar in scale to games from that series. In addition to great story and game play, the game features beautiful graphics and features that make the game more convenient for you to play. This game could easily prove to be the best RPG of all 7th generation consoles.
