Whenever a game gets stuck on a particular console, it’s always bad for the consumer later down the road. However, the console with the most understandable excuse for why many of its games haven’t been ported over is theWii. This was the console that popularized motion controls, an aspect of gaming that’s mostly gone today.
Yes, the Switch has motion controls, but it’s a completely different technology that lacks features of the Wii, like the pointer. Much of the Wii library was created with motion controls in mind, so many of these titles, sadly, can’t be ported over.
Many of these games were later made available on the Wii U eShop, but they’re the exact same Wii game, just played through the Wii U’s backward compatibility.
Probably the most well-known action game developer today is PlatinumGames, developer of Bayonetta, Metal Gear Rising, and Astral Chain. The studio’s first game back in 2009 was MadWorld, avery solid M-rated action title on the Wiiwith a distinct Sin City noir look.
The gameplay was a lot of fun, yet challenging at times, with you needing to get the most creative kills possible for maximum points. Frankly, this game could be ported like No More Heroes 1 because the motion controls aren’t integral to the experience. A modern port remains unlikely, however, as the game sold poorly on the Wii.
The latest instalment in thePunch-Out!!series happens to be stuck on the Wii, and it’s a real shame. Punch-Out!! Wii has to be the greatest title in the IP,with the most replay valueand the best gameplay, retaining the high-skill ceiling while improving elements like the star punch.
This game remains the only mainline entry unavailable on Switch, and it could easily be ported over. Besides the pointer functionality in the menus, the entire game can be played NES-style with the Wii Remote sideways. No motion controls are needed, so there’s no excuse to not have this game on Switch.
Both the Wii and Wii U were region-locked,making imported games from other countriesmuch harder to play. Fatal Frame 4 was a Japanese exclusive, but the Wii remake ofFatal Frame 2came out everywhere except the US. It’s a solid remake, updating the gameplay quite a bit, though it’s not as good as the original.
Unlike most other titles trapped on the Wii, the Fatal Frame 2 remake very well could be remastered, as Koei Tecmo has been doing a lot with the franchise. They remastered Fatal Frame 4 and 5, and since the fourth instalment was a Wii exclusive, the next step could be a remaster of the Fatal Frame 2 Wii remake.
Every mainline 3D Mario game on consoles is available on Nintendo Switch, but like Punch-Out!!, there’s one missing game:Super Mario Galaxy 2. The highest-rated game of 2010, Super Mario Galaxy 2 remains a top-five 3D platformer. In terms of gameplay and level design, Galaxy 2 is superior to the original, though you could argue Galaxy 1 did other elements better.
In the infamous Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection, you received the original 3D Mario trilogy but no Galaxy 2. Many people at the time probably thought the sequel would be added on later, but nope. Galaxy 2 does introduce a new motion control mechanic with the flying bird, so it wouldn’t be an easy game to port, but it must happen.
With Metroid Prime 4 releasing in 2025, it’s a no-brainer to have the original Prime trilogy on Switch so people can catch up to speed before playing the fourth game. However, only Prime 1 is currently available. Prime 2 was first released on GameCube, so motion controls aren’t a problem there, but Prime 3 was made for the Wii.
There’s light motion controls in the title, but it’s nothing too expansive, and it could be reworked for Switch, similar to how Nintendo reworked other Wii games for the platform. While Metroid Prime 3 will likely be ported at some point, the same cannot be said for the other Metroid Wii exclusive.
It’s safe to say that Metroid: Other M is one of the worst Nintendo games of all time. The problems started right away as Nintendo’s Yoshio Sakamoto wanted Team Ninja to co-develop since they were impressed by the Ninja Gaiden reboot. Little did they know that most of the core dev team that made Ninja Gaiden 1 and 2 had already left the studio due to a bonus pay dispute, so they didn’t really get what they bargained for.
The gameplay’s okay, but the story is what’s infamous about Other M and why it won’t ever see a rerelease. It took the most legendary female video game protagonist, a character that inspired generations of female gamers, and turned her into an obeying weakling.
Konami put a decent amount of support for the Wii, with many digital-only exclusives, like Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth and Contra ReBirth. Another Wii exclusive wasCastlevania Judgment. A fighting game featuring ahuge amount of characters throughout the whole series, it’s one of the oddest Castlevania games to date.
As an actual fighting game, it’s not very good with poor controls, but the all-star series cast makes this one to check out, at least for series fans. Konami has a better chance of rereleasing the N64 Castlevania titles over this game, so it’s safe to say Judgment will remain stuck on the Wii.
One of the best Wii exclusives that isn’t talked about a lot is Zack & Wiki. Developed by Capcom, it’s a fantastic point-and-click adventure game that has good characters, challenging gameplay, and incredible use of the Wii motion controls. In fact, they made the controls too good to the point where it’s practically impossible to port the game off the Wii.
There’s so many parts where you do a small minigame with the motion controls, and they’re quite specific. It’s never a simple waggle like how you spin in Mario Galaxy. This ensures Zack & Wiki remains stuck on the Wii, and it’s sad because it’s one of thebest point-and-click adventure titles of the era.
2006
Nintendo SPD, Intelligent Systems
Nintendo
Another game that will likely never get ported isWarioWare: Smooth Moves, a fantastic entry in the series. Nearly all the minigames use the Wii motion controls, and it’s a lot of fun, especially with a group of friends and when drinking.
However, the minigames are specifically designed with the original Wii’s motion controls since this was a 2006 game, so porting over all this stuff to the Switch is likely too much of a hassle for Nintendo to even both with. It’s a shame, but games like this are why people still own a Wii in the first place.
You can’t think about the Wii and not think of Wii Sports. The original pack-in game for the console and one of the highest-selling games of all time, Wii Sports was a title everybody could play, even non-gamers, and is the primary reason the Wii sold like hotcakes back in the day.
Primarily a tech demo for the console that was released to the masses, this is the main reason why you won’t ever see it ported over. Even the remake on the Wii U was developed with Wii Motion Plus technology instead of the original tech, which completely changed the feel of Wii Sports. Even if this game was ported over, it would never feel like the original 2006 title.
