41. Xenoblade Chronicles – Kane
“The future is ours to decide.” – Shulk
Xenoblade Chronicles is notable to me for one primary reason. It has the most interesting opening hook for a fantasy world I’ve ever seen. Detailed in the opening cutscene, XC1 takes place on the backs of two giant god-like beings known as Titans. Long since dead from having killed each other in single combat, the conflict continues through their progeny living in the vast and varied landscape on their lifeless forms.
For ages past, the descendants of Bionis and Mechonis have fought each other with just as much ferocity as their gods did previously. Starting a year after a key battle in favour of the Homs (humans), you follow the story of Shulk. After a tragic attack on your village, you embark on a story of war, revenge, camaraderie, and ultimately, redemption and rebirth.
In terms of gameplay, Xenoblade Chronicles will remind you of games like Final Fantasy XIII or Dragon Age, with attacks being semi-automatic, and the strategy being in choosing and activating skills at the right time to not die.
42. Sonic and the Black Knight – Riley
By the table, I command my kingdom – I’m the knight of the wind
Easily the better of the two storybook games, Sonic wields a sword to save a medieval land he has found himself thrust into. With Sonic regulars taking on the monikers of the knights of the Round Table, Sonic must platform, slice, and duel his enemies to save the kingdom from the evil king. Sure, the sword talking is pretty off-putting, and the gameplay is not as viscerally fast and high-impact as the usual affairs. But, for a side game with a unique mechanic, it does what it tries really well… especially compared to Secret Rings. The music is great, with ‘Knight of the Wind’, ‘Fight the Knight’, and ‘Save Me’ being notably excellent.
There’s also a pretty involved multiplayer mode in which you can duke it out with up to four players in swordplay. In a series of Mario Party-style minigames, the game allows you to take control of all of the knight characters you fought in the story, and more. While not the best minigames, they are fun distractions that Sonic fans and beyond will get a kick out of in a social setting.
43. Scene It? Bright Lights! Big Screen! – James
Finally, my niche knowledge becomes useful!
Outdated trivia games are always fun, aren’t they? Trying to win at Who Wants To Be A Millionaire on PS1 while Chris Tarrant disappointedly sends you home with nothing after you answer a 1980s Olympic tobogganing question incorrectly is my personal spice of life.
Scene It on Wii is similar, but if you like older movies, it is less likely to leave you up Schitt’s Creek without a paddle. As it’s a party game, you will face off against your friends to see whose movie knowledge or reaction speed is best. Don’t know the actor’s names from 15 years ago? Uh oh. Born within the last 20 years and haven’t watched too many movies? You might struggle.
It’s a fun party game with a few different categories of guessing games where you take stabs at movie frames, actors, movie titles, and quotes. If you’ve got the luck of the gods, you could potentially just guess your way through, as there’s usually just four answers to pick from. Or you can just be old. That’ll help.
44. Just Dance 4 – Melty
It wasn’t a rock… Was a rock lobster!
Yes, there is a large catalogue of Just Dance games. I could’ve picked any one to put on this list, even up until Just Dance 2020, but I picked Just Dance 4. Why? Well, you see, it’s simply because of the inclusion of Rock Lobster by The B-52’s. This absolute gem of a song was first introduced to me via this game.
Though the game was released in 2012, we get bangers from Britney Spears, Europe, and even the man himself, Rick Astley. Yes, this game has the Rock and the Rick. Of course, we still get to dance along to newer songs for the time, including Justin Bieber’s Beauty and a Beat, Carly Rae Jepsen’s Call Me Maybe, and Jessie J’s Domino.
This instalment is also the first to implement Battle Mode, making it a great addition to your party games collection. Just Dance 4 has been considered a favourite amongst fans. Probably due to the height of its popularity being in the Wii era, and its plethora of fun songs and dance routines.
45. The Conduit – Azza
I believe that you Conduit!
Do you want to play as a man whose hand is mangled while wielding an orb to solve puzzles? Would you like to fight a mixture of Aliens and Humans? Perhaps you wanted a campaign shooter that reminds you of Halo: ODST on the Wii? If the answer to all the above is yes, then The Conduit is for you!
The shooting mechanics are solid and it’s pretty fun to clear houses like it’s Time Crisis. But honestly, apart from it being a decent shooter, there isn’t much to talk about. Play it if you like to shoot stuff.
46. Deadly Creatures – Riley
The real deadliest creature is those that attack without reason, fear or anything to gain.
Nature is beautiful and all-encompassing, with unlimited potential for life to thrive. Nature is also horrific and gruelling, with every creature trying its hardest to survive. Deadly Creatures places you in the middle of the food chain. A solitary tarantula and a young scorpion try desperately to survive the hostile environments. From hiding from predators, eating prey, and even fighting other carnivorous creatures, your only objective here is to endure and make it out alive.
Unlocking cool abilities as you go, Deadly Creatures makes use of the unique Wii controls to attack, defend, and devour your prey. The bosses you face will get bigger and more ferocious, eventually leading up to the apex predator… which I won’t spoil for you. This truly is a one-of-a-kind Wii game. It isn’t half bad, either, and is worth adventuring through if you aren’t too squeamish about bugs and spiders.
47. Mario and Sonic at The Olympic Games – Riley
It’s a new world record!
Whilst on the surface, this may appear to be a shallow attempt at bringing recognisable IPs to a licensed sports title with waggle controls, it is far more than that. The core game features both Mario and Sonic characters duking it out in Olympic sports… but there is a twist to this. Let’s face it, seeing Dr. Eggman complete great feats of gymnastics is both impressive and hilarious. What’s not to love? And let’s not talk about Sonic in a 100m dash and the absurdity of Luigi beating him. We don’t have time for that in this article.
The biggest draw here is the dream events. These take the normal events and give them a twist. There are races, platforming, table tennis, and fencing, which take the base sports and set them in the Mario or Sonic universe. This comes along with lots of in-universe Easter eggs, power-ups, and enemies. As the series got more entries, these got more and more ambitious, but they have a very good foundation here and are well worth trying if you’ve never experienced them before.
48. Carnival Games – Kane
Round up! Round up! Come play the games your mum never let you play!
Yes, it is a pretty blatant attempt at tapping into the same casual/party game niche that was whipped up into a frenzy by the massive success of Wii Sports, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth taking a look at. Even if it is a complete mess.
Carnival Games is a minigame collection that lets you take part in all the funfair games your parents steered you away from as a child. Every minigame is a recognisable classic you’ll have seen at your local fair or maybe at an arcade.
While Wii Sports is notable for its sheer polish and how well it utilised the Wii Remote, Carnival Games feels like it was bashed together in a week and a half by a college student fueled purely by Red Bull and prayers. It’s frankly a miracle that it works at all, but underneath the hot mess, it’s somehow still enjoyable. However, the jankiness here almost adds to its party game viability. If you lose, was that you being bad at the game or is that the “physics” bugging out again? I’ll leave it to your own opinion. Either way, it’s a hot mess worth checking out for spectacle alone.
49. Spectrobes – Azza
Pokémon with Lightsabers
When you look at Spectrobes, a couple of things come to mind. First, who was watching Time Team and Pokémon at the same time and thought that combining the pair would be a good idea? Second, how did they get Disney involved?
Well, all I know is that it works in one of those ways, that’s odd and confusing. It reminds me of orzo; it works, but nobody knows why. Anywho, if you like the idea of excavation, capturing creatures, and then fighting the many creatures of the land, then Spectrobes has all that in droves. And yes, for the Chao Garden manics that Sonic Adventure spat out, there is a nurturing ground, too.
50. Pokémon Battle Revolution – Riley
The Colosseum is heating up as the spectators wait for the battle to begin.
Pokémon Stadium was a revolution in the 90s, bringing your little limited sprites into the big world of 3D. Being able to take your hard-raised monsters onto the TV to battle in what felt like cinematic spectacles is a core memory of many a Pokémon fan. While Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness continued their legacy, they focused more on the single-player RPG than the core battling experience.
With Generation IV in full swing, the next iteration was born with improved visuals, the return of the legendary narrator, and more modes than ever. Whilst we say goodbye to the RPG and mini games of its predecessors, you can now create a trainer, battle friends online, and compete in a handful of endurance testing modes.
Seeing the new Pokémon in 3D was a treat, and they are so animated and cartoony, it makes the newer games in the franchise feel lifeless and still during battles. If I ever want to battle a friend in Generation 4 explicitly, I always pull out the Wii and duke it out in 3D, the way Arceus intended! If you have any DS Pokémon game (that isn’t Black and White), it’s the perfect companion game.
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Just a dude that plays games. Ill write stuff on here once in a blue moon
Sean Hollyman is an avid fan of action figures, videogames and sometimes other things too. When he's not labourously trying to earn platinum trophies for games that he otherwise probably wouldn't care about, Sean can often be found taking photos of his Transformers in embarrassing situations.
Favorite Food: Roast Dinner
Least Favorite Food: ANYTHING with mayonnaise in it
You'll see me everywhere here. Technically I own the place but I don't treat it like that. Mostly I stream and fix things when they break. You might find me writing an odd article or two too. Hope you enjoy the site!
Melltith, or Melty, enjoys cosier or slower paced games and likes to take her time with things.
She's a very crafty person who will throw her all into a multitude of new projects and skills.
Video game completionist and 3D platformer connoisseur, Riley is a fan of the whimsical frenzy of bright and colourful characters that blessed us in the late 90's. Their favourite game's are Spyro, Persona 5 and Super Mario Sunshine.
He/Him
A flamboyant ultra nerd, Dave participates in the Underlevelled Tournament both for the thrill of the fight, and to avenge the orphans lost in the climax of the previous tournament.
Born: London
Height: ???
Weight: ???
Nen Type: Manipulator
Classes: Editor, Dancer,
Hobbies: street dance, collecting manga volumes, reading, editing
Likes: short-to-medium walks on the beach, pointing out how things can and will be misconstrued as racism, fighting games, RPGs, anime, Hades, alternative hip hop, conscious hip hop, Mara Wilson, overly long bios, ice-cream
Dislikes: insincere media, his own uncanny resemblance to Richard Ayoade, mayonnaise