How should I use my 1,000 Wii Points?

[Austruck]

Help me decide... I'm new here and new to owning a Wii. I own the Mario Kart that came with the console, and also Wii Sports and Ocarina of Time. I'm eyeing both Twilight Princess and Animal Crossing in the near future.

NOW... I have 1,000 Wii Points left to spend on a VC or Wiiware game. I'm a 50-yr-old mother of four grown kids and so far I really like Mario Kart and Wii Sports. In the past I've been a PC gamer only, with adventure games (Myst, Syberia, etc.) being my favorites. I don't like FPS games or overly scary things where you're fighting for survival. Blech.

Knowing all this, what suggestions do you guys have for spending that 1,000 points? Should I get two smaller 500-point games that might have lesser graphics or be less Wii-oriented or spring for a bigger/better 1,000-point single game?

[Ads]

[Volcarona]

That's a good question...

Well, there are two types of games I'd recommend. Anything with Mario (because then it's practically a given that you're making a good purchase), and the Phoenix Wright series (great story, easy to learn, difficult to master.)

[Splash_King]

As a general rule, a game that costs more points, won't necessarily mean better. Nintendo decided to make games from a more recent console of theirs more expensive, simply. For example, I could state ten garbage games that would sell for 1,000 Wii points that would be less enjoyable than the classic Super Mario Bros., which sells for a meager 500 points (I would doubt these lousy games would be available for sale though, lol. Nintendo has a reputation to uphold, after all).

I could wholeheartedly recommend Super Mario 64 on the Virtual Console, which is 1,000 points like Ocarina of Time. I still love that game more than a decade after beating it. It's largely famous and regarded as a classic for all the right reasons.

I'd hate to recommend just Mario games, but there's no denying the greatness that is Super Mario Bros. 3. It's 500 points, leaving room for another game with the same price, but it's not budget game in terms of the bang for your buck. It's been the best-selling, non-"bundled" game since 1990 or so, and that obviously just screams "buy me". You really can't deny a game's fun when it has 17.2 million sales. It's essentially the Mario game to play, if you've never played it. Unless you hate side scrolling games like Mario in his early days, it's almost impossible to not love that classic.

Also, if you'd be willing to venture towards a 2D fighting game for 1,000 points, you can't overlook Super Smash Bros. Grab a bunch of Nintendo's most famous mascots and throw them into a cartoony brawl, and you've got this wonderful game. It's not a complex game where you need to memorize crazy 20 button combos, like sort do these days. It's just good ol' beat 'em up fun, whether it's one on one, a team battle, or a frenzied free for all with up to four players, either with the computer or other players. This game's had a place in my heart since it's release. I still play it almost daily, and I feel it's even more of a classic than the above listed games. It just might not be up your alley, though. Smash Bros. is the most fun and gets the most playability when you get a kick out of fighting games. It's also at it's best when you have plenty of other people to play with, just like with Wii Sports, in my opinion.

There are plenty of great Virtual Console games, that's for sure. Definitely more than the three I listed above.

That's a good question...

Well, there are two types of games I'd recommend. Anything with Mario (because then it's practically a given that you're making a good purchase), and the Phoenix Wright series (great story, easy to learn, difficult to master.)

I didn't know Phoenix Wright was on WiiWare... huh. Good to know.

[Austruck]

Thanks, guys! I'd been mulling over the Mario idea, since I have a strange fondness for the original-original Mario Bros. my then-toddler son used to play. (He's 27 now.) I still remember when we got past that first level for the first time, thinking we'd just beaten the game, only to find out that $&*$%^#$ princess was IN ANOTHER CASTLE.

LOL, how naive we were.

Recommendations all good. Will see where I end up. Thanks for taking the time to respond, both of you. It's all great info, since that shopping screen with the list of games in it starts to look generic after a while. Now I have some ammunition to point me in the right direction.

[Austruck]

Used 'em. Bought Play with Birds and also Super Mario Bros. 3, 500 points each.

I'd forgotten just how tricky side scrolling games can be. This ought to be fun!

[Splash_King]

And repeat.

I hope you thoroughly enjoy that Mario Bros. classic. =) And best of luck with Play with birds, as well.

[Austruck]

Ha, yes! That was the screen we saw at the time (we're talking 23 years ago now), and we were stunned... happy but dismayed. LOL

I'm sure I'll get some more Wii points and will look into the Phoenix Wright stuff and the other things mentioned in posts here.... So many games, so little time.

[Splash_King]

So many games, so little time.

Isn't that the truth... One could probably spend literally half their life span attempting to play every single great game out there, not that it's humanly possible.

I can't say I'd want to do that, either.