Hardcore gaming certainly wasn’t the focus of this years Nintendo’s E3 press conference. In fact, after watching the recent Nintendo presentation, it would be easy to assume that Wii owners have very few honest-to-goodness games to look forward to in the coming months. Thankfully for us grown-ups, nothing could be further from the truth. Although there are still plenty of kid friendly casual mini-games en-route for the Wii in 2007, what Nintendo neglected to mention was that they have more exclusive games coming out this year than anyone else, and incredibly, many of them are actual games with deep narratives and intriguing game play! Join us as we explore some of the soon-to-be-released Wii games that should satisfy Nintendo’s hardcore fan base. Guaranteed 100% mini-game free! 

Super Mario Galaxy

Although fans of Nintendo’s mascot were disappointed that the Wii launched without a Mario game, all indications suggest that Super Mario Galaxy is going to be well worth the year-long wait. In a game spanning 40 galaxies (each consisting of numerous planetoids,) Mario will fly between worlds and run along spherical levels each with their own degree of gravitational pull. Look for this must-buy title this November.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

One of Nintendo’s biggest franchises gets a new-gen sequel this December with Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The series has always been easy to pick up and play, but now players will be able to choose between playing with a Wiimote, the Classic Controller, or Gamecube controller. Probably most exciting of all, the new Smash brothers beefs up it’s roster of playable characters by adding Ike (from the Fire Emblem series,) Meta Knight (from the Kirby games,) Pit (the angelic protagonist from Nintendo classic Kid Icarus,) Wario, and Solid Snake (!) to the mix.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

The 10th title in the Metroid series is finally going to be released this August, and although online play has been scrapped in favor of a strong single player experience, hands-on accounts suggest that the Corruption team has finally perfected the control scheme which presented some problems earlier in the game’s development cycle. In addition, for the first time in a Metroid game, all NPC dialogue will support full speech, suggesting that Nintendo paid attention to criticisms regarding the mountains of text-based-dialogue in Twilight Princess.

MySims

The latest Sims iteration looks to capitalize on the endearing nature of Nintendo’s Miis by blending together colorful Japanese aesthetics with tried and true Sims game play. Players will interact with over 80 NPCs as they manage the environment and complete a variety of tasks using the Wiimote in creative ways.

Manhunt 2

Despite the fact that Manhunt 2 was slapped with an AO rating prohibiting the game’s July release, don’t think that Rockstar isn’t cleaning up the content and controls to ensure that gamers will get their hands on this highly controversial title later this year. The story follows scientist Daniel Lamb in his efforts to escape from an insane asylum, and game play promises to be just as brutal as the first installment in the series. Although it’s presently unknown if Manhunt is going to retain the brutality that had the Wii hardcore clamoring to play one of the only mature titles on the platform, one thing is certain: with all the hype surrounding the controversial AO rating, Manhunt 2 is going to attract a lot of attention when it eventually sees the light of day.