WiiWare may not have lived up to its full potential in the end, but there are a number of excellent downloadable titles that gamers can play with others. This week we return to the essential downloadable games of this generation, shining light on the newest titles that no gamer should miss. Last year we outlined some. A look at the top ten must-play WiiWare games that are easily downloadable. Check out this ranked list. A look at the top ten must-play WiiWare games that are easily downloadable. Check out this ranked list.

Index – Wii Retrospective • • • • • • • • Hello and welcome to another installment of the Wii Retrospective! Throughout this series, I’ve always added the qualifier “retail” to any statements about Wii games, but it is finally time to address the sizable amount of downloadable games available on the Wii. This is specifically for WiiWare; Virtual Console has some great games on it, but you can’t really count them as Wii games.

That still leaves plenty of games, so let’s get started! Retro Revivals The rise of downloadable games on consoles in the seventh generation gave a lot of long dormant series a chance to finally see a new installment and Wii received a good number of them. The best known are Mega Man 9 and 10 — and for good reason. After the Mega Man platformers getting increasingly convoluted in both gameplay and story — remember: this was before people would be relieved to see anything at all from Mega Man — the complete NES feel of Mega Man 9 was just what the series needed.

Mega Man 9 is a solid entry in the series, if not the most inspired in terms of level design. The overlooked Mega Man 10 has much more creative level design, as well as the ability to play as a character with sliding and charging without paying extra. Both games are essential WiiWare purchases.

Konami gave WiiWare several revivals in the Rebirth series. Gradius Rebirth and Contra Rebirth were solid, if shorter than usual, 16-bit style entries in their series. Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth was also a 16-bit style, somewhat short, entry but it deserves special mention for its context. Ever since Castlevania: Symphony of the Night introduced the “Metroidvania” style to the series, the linear, 2D “Classicvania” style had been abandoned.

Castlevania Rebirth is — aside from an unpopular Game Boy game from 1998 — the only Classicvania since Symphony of the Night, which makes it essential for fans of the series who miss its roots. The multiple episodes of Final Fantasy IV: The After Years were the closest thing to a mainline Final Fantasy that any Nintendo console had seen since the SNES days. A direct sequel to Final Fantasy IV, it had a mixed reception, but many people welcomed it as a return to the classic Final Fantasy style; even having some fans is quite an accomplishment for a game that debuted in episodes on cellphones. Bomberman is another series with a rocky recent history that had a well received WiiWare release in the classically styled Bomberman Blast. Tetris Party is another classic multiplayer series that saw a solid Wii release, but the impending death of online play on the Wii makes it hard to recommend over more recent versions. It wasn’t just the big classic series that got revivals on WiiWare.

Star Soldier R took the overhead shooter in a new direction by basing its gameplay entirely around trying for a high score. There was even a warning on the game’s download page that, if you weren’t trying for a high score, the game would be over in a manner of minutes. Firmware Bb 8520 All Language here.