What Are The Best Wii Bargin Bin Games?

Brownjohn

Brownjohn

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Hey all. I'm picking up a Wii this weekend and just wanted to get your opinions on the best Wii games under $30. I'm hoping to pick up something for myself, and something that I can enjoy with my fiance, who really enjoys Little Big Planet

I have a couple games in mind already. I'm thinking of picking up Dead Space Extraction, No More Heroes, and Okami, but anything else you can recommend would be great.
 
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Excitebots: Trick Racing (still 50 bucks, but can be found on clearance or used)
de Blob
the house of the dead: overkill
boom blox bash party
no more heroes
Klonoa (VERY short, maybe 3 hours long)
Madworld (has its faults, but can be had for 13 bucks new on Amazon)
A boy and his blob
Warioland Shake It

I kind of want to suggest Dead Space Extraction ... but I would personally wait for it to get even cheaper (15-20 bucks)
 
I always see Blast Works getting some love and I've been tempted to pick it up when I see it cheap... but I've never bitten. One of these days...
 
[quote name='Kaoz']Excitebots: Trick Racing (still 50 bucks, but can be found on clearance or used)
de Blob
the house of the dead: overkill
boom blox bash party
no more heroes
Klonoa (VERY short, maybe 3 hours long)
Madworld (has its faults, but can be had for 13 bucks new on Amazon)
A boy and his blob
Warioland Shake It

I kind of want to suggest Dead Space Extraction ... but I would personally wait for it to get even cheaper (15-20 bucks)[/QUOTE]

Excitebots is $15 at Best Buy without the Wii Wheel
de Blob is on clearance at TRU for $5 if you can find a copy
Klonoa is $14.99 at Fry's Electronics
 
De Blob
Klonoa
The House of the Dead - Overkill
No More Heroes (Not 2)
MadWorld (I guess...)
Wario Land Shake It (If you can find it)
Resident Evil 4
Zack & Wiki

Just an FYI, I wouldn't recommend Excitebots because of Excitebike on WiiWare. BTW, Mega Man 10 comes out on Monday, so buy that.
 
[quote name='KingBroly']

Just an FYI, I wouldn't recommend Excitebots because of Excitebike on WiiWare. BTW, Mega Man 10 comes out on Monday, so buy that.[/QUOTE]

I would suggest both, they are different enough. I do like Excitebike more though.
 
Totally agree with:
Dead Space Extraction
No More Heroes
Okami
de Blob
Excitebots
House of the Dead: Overkill
Boom Blox Bash Party
Madworld
Resident Evil 4
Zack & Wiki

But I'll try to add some great budget games not already mentioned, along with the prices I've seen them at recently in Canada. These games won't appeal to everyone so read a review or two before deciding. If any are in a genre you enjoy then they are probably worth consideration!

Dawn of Discovery ($10-20)-- If you like Civilization-style building games, this is a no-brainer. Very well made, although the lengthy tutorial (aka: "story mode") is a bit slow paced. Free play is where it's at!

Little King's Story ($20-25) -- Great quality, and very funny. Look past the "kiddie" graphics and you'll find a lot to love. One of last years most overlooked gaming gems, it's now totally affordable too.

Pinball Hall of Fame: Williams Collection ($10-$20) -- Pinball is obviously a niche attraction, but this game offers tremendous value and is very well made. (The PS3/360 versions are probably a better choice if you have that option.)

Samba de Amigo ($5-$10) -- The controls aren't good, but not as bad as some people say. They don't work well enough to master advanced levels, but are enough to enjoy the lower levels. Fun party game, and for $5 used at EB Games you can't argue the price.

Sam & Max: Season 1 ($5-$15) -- Classic point-and-click adventure, with a good sense of humor. The second season is supposed to be released soon.

Geometry Wars Galaxies ($10-20) -- The base game is a very simple arcade experience, but dozens of unique levels expand on that concept and continually add new challenges. Perfect for high-score challenges, if that appeals to you.

Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga ($20-$25) -- Very simple gameplay, but good co-operative action with TONS of content and a popular theme. Good choice if your fiance is into Star Wars. (Note: Batman and Indiana Jones versions are also good choices if those themes appeal more.)

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon ($20-25) -- Extremely cute rogue-like RPG with a lot more depth than you would expect from first appearances. Not for everyone, but great value if this is your type of game.

Dokapon Kingdom ($25-30) -- A party game based around an RPG board-game. Sort of like Mario Party, but with more strategy and less mini-games... sort of like Talisman (if you ever played that old board game), but with more hilarious things players can do... This is a hard game to describe, but can be extremely fun with the right group of people.

Trauma Center ($20-30) -- Either Second Opinion or New Blood are worth getting. New Blood is ridiculously hard at times, but has 2-player co-op. Mixing an anime-style ER drama with some of the best use of the Wii remote I've seen, these games are definitely unique. There is another sequel called Trauma Team coming soon that looks even better though.




Edit: Two other games that might be worth considering include Ghost Squad and Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles. You will need to decide how many on-rails shooters you want though... with House of the Dead: Overkill and Dead Space Extraction already in the list, these two might not be worth grabbing at the same time.
 
[quote name='ejamer']

Dawn of Discovery ($10-20)-- If you like Civilization-style building games, this is a no-brainer. Very well made, although the lengthy tutorial (aka: "story mode") is a bit slow paced. Free play is where it's at!


[/QUOTE]


Is this really a Civilization type game (I know you build, but I always thought civ was more about the conquering rival nations and such)

If so I will have to go get it as I am fond of Civ. I thought it was just a city builder like SimCity.
 
I'll second Lego Star Wars Complete Saga, it is fun in single player and even better in multiplayer. Plus there are a lot of things to try to collect, some of which can be challenging.
 
I'm going to add this, because you can now get it for under $15 at different places:

Cursed Mountain-not a multiplayer game, but a survival horror game. You're a pissed off mountain climber searching for his lost brother on a Himalayan mountain that is haunted by Buddhist monk ghosts.
 
Animal Crossing: City Folk maybe. I'm sure you can find it cheaper than $30. I thought I'd recomend it since you have a fiancee. From my experience it's a game chicks gernarally enjoy.
 
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Seconding/thirding/whatevering the recs for:

- de Blob (the best third-party game on the Wii, out of those that I've played so far)
- Klonoa
- Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon
- Dokapon Kingdom
- Zack & Wiki

And adding:

- Elebits - Plays a lot like Katamari and de Blob in that, in each stage, you have a set goal and a set environment to tear around in in a certain amount of time. The story's pretty saccharine, but that's my only complaint, and it's a minor one. Very fun game.

- Rune Factory Frontier - This (as well as the DS Rune Factory games) can be an acquired taste, but it's very good (and very addictive) if you're already a fan of Harvest Moon and/or dungeon crawlers.
 
[quote name='Rodimus']Animal Crossing: City Folk maybe. I'm sure you can find it cheaper than $30. I thought I'd recomend it since you have a fiancee. From my experience it's a game chicks gernarally enjoy.[/QUOTE]

Yes! $20 on Amazon right now.

And lol yes! A girl-friendly game. Several CAGs have been playing it online recently. All guys so far though.
 
[quote name='Lone_Prodigy']Tenchu Shadow Assassins and Deadly Creatures.[/QUOTE]

I would pass on both of these personally, the controls of tenchu were pretty clunky. Worse than a Resident Evil game. Deadly Creatures was okay, but the scorpion levels were more of a chore to me. Didn't enjoy them, and that is half of the game.


- de Blob (the best third-party game on the Wii, out of those that I've played so far)
Click to expand...

I agree, this is the only Wii game I have played multiple times. (I was going for 100% completion, but my first file got corrupted so I just played the whole game again)
 
[quote name='Kaoz']Is this really a Civilization type game (I know you build, but I always thought civ was more about the conquering rival nations and such)

If so I will have to go get it as I am fond of Civ. I thought it was just a city builder like SimCity.[/QUOTE]

This game probably sits half-way between Civ and Sim City. (edit: maybe more like 2/3 Sim City, since resource management is really the heart of the game - and you can't go on conquests without a solid economic backing)

Building and managing your islands is more important than increasing tech levels and fighting others (especially in the "story mode" tutorial), but there are rival nations to compete with and conquer if that is your MO. Military buildings determine who owns an island, and aggressive play is both possible and potentially rewarding. The comment about viewing story mode as a glorified tutorial and free play mode - where you configure game settings - as the real game is doubly true here though.

I do recommend trying the game. Given the low price (easily found under $20), the consistently good reviews, and the fact that Wii simply doesn't offer anything else in this genre, Dawn of Discovery is hard to beat.
 
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[quote name='Spacepest']I'm going to add this, because you can now get it for under $15 at different places:

Cursed Mountain-not a multiplayer game, but a survival horror game. You're a pissed off mountain climber searching for his lost brother on a Himalayan mountain that is haunted by Buddhist monk ghosts.[/QUOTE]

$10 in Canada not long ago. Kind of old-school, and a little bit flawed... but still a good choice for anyone who likes survival horror that relies on tension and atmosphere instead of action.

[quote name='parKer']Yes! $20 on Amazon right now.

And lol yes! A girl-friendly game. Several CAGs have been playing it online recently. All guys so far though.[/QUOTE]

(This quote is talking about Animal Crossing.) My wife spent literally hundreds of hours on the DS version, then repeated that with the Wii game despite being essentially the same thing. The game isn't great... but it's just so easy to play for hours at a time.

[quote name='Lone_Prodigy']Tenchu Shadow Assassins and Deadly Creatures.[/QUOTE]

I rather like both of these games, but wouldn't recommend either to someone starting out unless they were under $5.

Both games have a few too many issues when compared to better choices at similar price points. (Deadly Creatures in particular is a title that I'm glad to keep in my collection though.)



And one last reaction to Elebits: great suggestion. Although the gameplay might be a bit too simple for some people, it works well and is fun (especially with a couple of people). The level editor is just icing on an already saccarine cake. While Elebits wouldn't be one of my top picks, it's definitely an overlooked bargain.
 
WOW! Thanks so much for all the input. I've seen animal crossing before, and it always seemed like something my fiance would like, so I'll definitely pick that up.

Thanks a bunch for all the recommendations. You've given me a lot of jumping off points, and now i just have to do a little more research on all these games.

Please feel free to keep adding to thread with more recommendations if you think of any.
 
No More Heroes is easily my favorite Wii game and it can be picked up for under $20. And Resident Evil 4 is my favorite game ever. I haven't played the Wii version, but I can't imagine they did anything wrong with it. If you like shooters, Castle of Shikigami 3 and Geometry Wars. Mushroom Men is a pretty good platformer. RE: Umbrella Chronicles, and House of the Dead 2&3 and Overkill are good rail shooters. They are all pretty different since RE is definitely a flashback for the older Resident Evil fans, HotD23 are for the arcade nuts, and Overkill is more for anyone loving those old b-movies. Tales of Symphonia 2 is one of the only RPG games out. Zack and Wiki, Wario Land, Dokapon Kingdom, and the the Trauma Centers have already been mentioned. And also, Let's Tap is... interesting. It doesn't offer much, but it's the only game of it's type and because it this, there really is no advantages when playing with people of different gaming skill levels.
 
I say excite Truck. Its better than excite bots in my opinion.

Also Rayman Raving Rabbids the first one is really great intro to the Wii. I really enjoyed that game when we got it at release, it provides lots of laughs and is unlike previus rayman games. Since then I have tried Rayman Rabbids TV party, but the first one is better. I have yet to try the second one.

Again excite trucks is really a great racer. The idea is to get the speed boost through the whole level. Once you get the hang of that, think burnout with close calls to tress, and other trucks/buggies, as well as launching and landing correctly. All of those things fill the boost meter, and eventually you can boost and keep gaining more boost and the whole level is an edge of your seat race. Really really fun. Its not the best multiplayer game (as two people have no AI trucks to race against), but I have literally passed the controller around the living room with 3 other people and been entertained for 2-3 hours.

Also madwolrd is a love or hate game, so be warned there.

Sam and Max is ok I prefer it on the PC, but love adventure games.

Zack and wiki is pretty good actually. I have yet to beat it, but its a good game. The fiance would probably like it as well.

Dokapon Kingdom was not for me, but you have to give it credit if you can take the time to learn the mechanics of the game.

Super Mario galaxy is an excellent title. I dont think you could find it for $30 unless you used the upcoming Gamestop buy 2 get 1 sale. (Mid March).

A boy and his blob has some people really liking it. Others didnt like it, but its worth looking into.

I have to second dawn of discovery.

Rune factory I bought for a friend as it really looks like it could be good. I have not played it myself yet however.


Also I liked Red Steel. I am not sure what type of games you like, but keep in mind its a shooter, and a release title. It is pretty fun though if you dont hold it to as high of a standard.


Deadly creatures is really a pretty good game. I eneded up getting it and playing through to the end. Its a good time. There are a few collection parts, but they dont last overly long.

There are actually others I will come back and update as I think of them.
 
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[quote name='pochaccoheaven']puzzle quest 1 [what happened to part 2 for the wii?][/QUOTE]

While I agree with the first two he listed, Puzzle Quest isn't high on my list of Wii titles to get. It's actually a great game... but better on any system other than Wii (including PC) because the graphics looked terrible for some reason in the Wii port and it was hard to read on-screen text.

[quote name='Chronis']Mushroom Men is a pretty good platformer.[/QUOTE]

This is another game I kicked around mentioning. It's got great graphical and audio style, and a really neat premise too. Unfortunately the camera has issues and the gamep is short and definitely rooted in old-school 3D platforming traditions... so even though I really enjoy Mushroom Men (only paid $10) there are probably better games to pick up first.

[quote name='Snake2715']A boy and his blob has some people really liking it. Others didnt like it, but its worth looking into.[/QUOTE]

I love the art style, but haven't played enough of the game to know if it's worth recommending. Would love to hear more opinions about this one!
 
Ghost Squad is pretty fun, although now that Dead Space, House of the Dead, and the various Resident Evil games are out, it has a lot more light gun competition than it used to.
 
I highly recommend:
excite bots or excite truck
zack and wiki
boom blox

I was not thrilled with de blob. It started out great but felt like work at the end. The best thing about it is that my daughter likes to go through in free paint mode now.
 
what's crazy is that the wii has a bunch of cheap, terrible games. But it also has a bunch of cheap, but really well made and fun games. $100 is going to get you a year full of awesome games if you are gaming 5-10 hours a week.
the trouble is that Nintendo doesn't have any way to tell new wii owners (or any wii owners) which are the good cheap games. No demo disc, nothing on the man menu. The wii outer box doesn't even have pictures of 20 or so solid games to buy like systems past advertised. So unless you hit up the internet, there is no way of knowing if a $10 or $20 game is good (and in most stores, games at that pricepoint are usually garbage).

It's no wonder Mario and 1st party are what sells, there is no way of telling if anything 3rd party is good or not.
 
Has anyone ever played Blast Works? That has always looked interesting to me, and it's very easy to find for $5-10
 
@eastshort4:

I've poured more hours into Blast Works than is healthy. Probably my third or fouth most played game only behind staples like Animal Crossing.
:D

The gameplay is odd - it's definitely not a traditional shmup, but the way you can "build" your ship using the remains of defeated enemies makes it feel interesting and different every time.

The Kenta Cho bonus games (including Tumiki Fighters - the original game that Blast Works gameplay is based on) are really neat and worth the effort to unlock and play. You can download these for free on PC if interested.

User-generated content covers the full range from terrible to awesome. There are a small handful of users that have posted some incredible content... and then a lot of junk. Having the full editor available still gives the game endless replay value though (assuming you have the skill and time to piece together your own levels).

In the end, it's not a game for everyone... but at $5-10 it's well worth trying and an absolute steal for anyone who does get sucked in. Shame the game didn't find a more receptive audience when it was first released.
 
Another game that I don't think was mentioned is Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars.

This is an old point-and-click adventure that might be worth experiencing on Wii if you haven't played it previously. (If you have played it already, this "director's cut" apparently fixes some possible bugs from other versions AND adds new scenes that weren't in the earlier versions of the game.)

The animation and voice acting have held up pretty well, and the puzzles are pretty solid without being terribly obscure. As long as you have a fine eye for details you'll be fine (and there is a robust "hint" system if you ever do get stuck). $10 at HMV in Canada.


Another game that is cheap now is Ghostbusters. Slightly different on Wii than other systems, but in this case "different" isn't being used as a euphemism for "worse". Still not an amazing game... but worth checking out if you are a fan of the movies.

Although the simple gameplay and low difficulty of Lego _____ games doesn't really appeal to me, they are good co-op fare and have great themes. You also get a ton of gameplay for your money - especially with Star Wars having all six episodes.
 
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