Wii Retrospective

Thanks to Likewise for sponsoring this video! on.likewise.com/liamtriforce
A casual recollection of my memories with the Wii, and why I believe it both succeeded and failed in the grand scheme of things.
Check out my Skyward Sword video for more thoughts on the Wii (and also because I am very proud of it) • The Emotional Wisdom o...
Lambhoot’s Call of Duty 4 video • Call of Duty 4 Wii Ref...
Lambhoot’s Excite Truck video • Excite Truck - LambHoot
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
3:16 Revolution
7:16 Wii Menu and Channels
18:10 Wii Sports
28:33 The Way Wii Play
44:26 Wii Are Tired of Wii
59:06 Wii Say Farewell
1:15:56 Conclusion
Sources:
Forecast Channel Footage • Wii Forecast Channel (...
New Super Mario Bros. Wii Footage from TheRunawayGuys • New Super Mario Bros. ...
www.wired.com/2009/06/super-m...
www.wired.co.uk/article/ninte...
The Big Ideas Behind Nintendo’s Wii web.archive.org/web/200711211...
• 13 Minutes of Nintendo... Wii commercials
• The Ultimate Reggie Fi... reggie interview xplay
www.denofgeek.com/games/the-w...
• Check Mii Out Channel ... check mii out channel footage
web.archive.org/web/200903150... NMF disappointed over MadWorld
www.joystiq.com/2007/04/02/coo...
arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/0...
/ 192109762689777665
www.destructoid.com/retro-cit...
www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/new...
Wii Blue Light Footage • Wii Blue Light (Illumi...
Everybody Votes Channel Footage • Everybody Votes Channe...
Nintendo Channel Footage • Nintendo Channel (6/26...
Wii Shop Channel Footage • Wii Shop - The Final 5...
Wii Boxing Tutorial • Nintendo Wii Boxing: H...
Pikmin 2 Footage • Pikmin 2 - Episode 2
SoulCalibur Legends Footage from 10min Gameplay • Soulcalibur Legends .....
Project M Footage from CLASH Tournaments • Project M - Kycse (Zar...
Talking Point: Why Skyward Sword Sales Failed to Soar www.nintendolife.com/news/201...
Like my videos a ton? Consider becoming a Patron (or KZbin Member): / liamtriforce
/ @liamtriforce
Follow me on Twitch: / liamtriforce
Check out this post to see which videos are coming next! / big-video-51059902
Be sure to check out Last Life, a community and forum for thoughtful video game discussion! www.last-life.net

[@seralyna_]

I think an important aspect of Bowling's success was the fact that you can play with 4 people with only one controller. It's easy to forget, but a lot of people only had one on the games launch, and it made it so that everyone could have a turn to play regardless of that.

[@AslgamingOffical]

I've always loved playing as all my miis in one game bc of that aspect of the wii

[@MrLoowiz]

You can play Warioware with 12 people and one form baton.

[@AslgamingOffical]

@@MrLoowiz even better

[@elijahB]

there is something special about passing the remote from person to person, and watching as everyone takes their turn. it sort of makes the experience feel more connected; I wish this play style was an option in Switch Sports!

[@thejet4672]

I had a wii back then and never knew that!

[@commander2552]

One of the few times "Widening for a broader audience" was actually successful and not corporate Bs to excuse horrible changes

[@lolazaurus]

Companies often have a hard time telling the difference between "broader audience" and "lowest common denominator".

[@KrisJoshJones]

@@lolazaurus bingo

[@pilotwings65]

Wiidening

[@ElliotKeaton]

And gaming forums everywhere collectively lost their shit over it.

[@RemoWilliams1227]

Lol absolutely

[@sharktobear]

a great testament to wii bowling: I am a recreation coordinator at a retirement community and we have weekly wii bowling tournaments. It's easy enough that a totally tech-illiterate senior can adapt to it, but still has a challenging aspect. It's also not so physically straining that the participants risk any injury (we also play wii tennis but that one is a bit more involved). Bowling is a really popular program for us even in 2022.

[@joshua-we9xr]

A 76 year old couple just won a large Wii Sports bowling championship. ❤ Google it for good feels.

[@Dionaea_floridensis]

Omg I used to work in an assisted living facility and we had Wii sports tournaments too! As late as 2021, I assume they're still doing it

[@ZeranZeran]

This is so cool to me. I think I'm going to buy a Wii and a copy of Wii Sports for my grandma and teach her how to turn it on and play. I have so many good memories of playing her in Tennis and bowling and she was tough! (She HATES losing) lol. This comment really warmed my heart. Thank you so much for what you do, and for the people you help ♥

[@LoveSickWorld]

I’m a bit upset that my family never had WiFi while the Wii was in its hay day, I feel like there’s such a huge portion of the Wii that I didn’t get to experience

[@palermoVmusic]

I agree. I feel like that 2006-2009 timeframe where the Wii was huge, wifi wasn’t commonplace, at least in the smaller rural community where I lived. I remember hooking up our wii to hotel wifi around 2012 and experiencing mariokart wii online for the first time. Truly epic.

[@rabbitman8535]

I was extremely lucky that the one thing my parents had was WiFi, I remember playing Mario kart with other ppl around the world and it was so fun

[@gaymer618]

I come from a family of techies, had 4 generations playing Wii sports. I miss my great nan, had childhood life so good.

[@LoveSickWorld]

@@palermoVmusic same thing for me lived in a small Arkansas town and never had WiFi until like 2015 or something. I remember as a kid I always had a love for the older things like the original Zelda and Super Metroid, and I so desperately wanted to get into the store and get some of that old virtual console stuff. Little did I know these days the WII is still one of the only reliable ways that ever came out to play old titles lol

[@Albionnn]

I had a wii mini which didn’t even have a WiFi function 😭😭😭

[@mariovsluigi9000]

This was also when the DS was at its prime. It was a great time for gaming.

[@paulgilbert5278]

Yep

[@maldium8625]

Life was more simple and we had a lot of fun these lovely days

[@muffinfighter3680]

@@maldium8625 man :(

[@N.i.E.M.O]

@Dominick Arcona Wii Mini sucked when it came out - and it sucks even more now. I'm sorry :(

[@officialthomasjames]

So much fun man

[@jackpurvis576]

I feel genuinely bad for kids who didn’t grow up with a wii. One of the most legendary consoles of all time.

[@andrew7955]

I was one of those kids sadly. I never got a Nintendo console until I bought myself a 2ds and then a switch

[@rabbitman8535]

I know alot of kids born in the 2000s that got it but not late 2000s, no one my brother knows owned a wii, he did cause of me wanting one I still own it 13/4 years later

[@almightyauu]

I used to be mad I had a wii instead of an xbox but damn im glad I had the wii

[@barkley8285]

Wii was so shit. I took my ps2 and ps3 over that shit every time.

[@rabbitman8535]

@@barkley8285 matter of opinion

[@radioactivechimp]

After 15 years of owning a Wii, I just learned about the blue glow around the disk drive being a notification today.

[@pinkberry50]

...how?

[@tijmenteering9877]

@@pinkberry50 yeah what lol, plenty of games would send you "messages". Either this guy always unplugg8the power or he only played wii sports.

[@ryankasch5561]

@@tijmenteering9877 Easily, it didn't tell you what it was and I never specifically went to check the messages so I never learned that. I don't really remember it ever being blue.

[@mikehunt545]

Did you know it also plays dvds? Easy to mod system.

[@mafiapingu]

I did not know either, I've also had my wii for around 13 years and still use it nowadays.

[@Low_Standards_Gaming_YT]

I have to admit that as an adult, I actually really wish things like weather and news would be integrated into menus again. I can remember as a college student looking at the supplemental pages almost daily.

[@terry.1428]

I liked the built in multi media features of the Wii and PS3

[@realkingofantarctica]

I type in things like "3DS/PS2/Wii Retrospective" disturbingly frequently on KZbin, repeating the same action over and over again hoping that I would get to maybe see a comforting, detailed love letter to some of my favourite consoles. Liam, you and your channel fill the kind of niche that my emotions are based around, they're the kinds of things I can watch numerous times and never feel like my time is being wasted. Heh, you ever notice how on retrospective-type channels, because of the upload schedule and style of narrating, everyone has to hold their comments just long enough to the point where for each new release they have to just emotionally applaud the channel creator and the topics they come up with instead of addressing something in the actual video? It's funny in a way. Anyway, yeah, I like the Wii.

[@jollygrapefruit786]

I do the same thing. Not just for consoles but for games, movies, and albums in general. I find retro/old things to be incredibly worthwhile in terms of revisiting. Though they surely already made their statements and influence on their respective genres decades ago, they also still hold knowledge that can't be accessed without a deep dive. Games like MegaMan, movies like The Thing, and albums like Dark Side of the Moon will forever be relevant, not just due to their influence upon release, but also due to how they transcended their time period and ascended to being staple examples of how to succeed in their respective fields.

[@richardnash6111]

Yeah I do it mostly with games. Consoles are such a broad topic that to do even one like the wii justice or say the N64 with it's notoriously shallow library it would still take 5+ hours to have any depth. Also yes, the sycophantic commenters on videos actively turn me away from creators. They seem fake or forced and there's no room for discussion of the piece of media being showcased in the video.

[@davida12345]

So Are you like, a freshmen in college majoring in English but get on average like, c+'s? Or like, a beginning manga creator with your, "disturbingly" frequency of a bland ass google search or your "heh, you ever notice" piccolo like side talk to a Gohan that doesn't exist? Are you... Suuuure you like the Wii? You didn't even give any references and the work cited page is missing like usual. This was due like four weeks ago and you wrote 2 long sentences?!? You get a D+ on this comment.

[@platinumdiamond1445]

@@davida12345 if this is a troll well played my man

[@DrakeMystical]

Who asked

[@eunaoseibrother467]

The current 2000's nostalgia wave here in youtube has been a interesting one to watch, even though i lived in this time, i barely touched the internet culture and games from that decade.

[@kittykittybangbang9367]

I only spent the 1st 5 years of my life in the 2000s, so there's a little bit of nostalgia there.

[@retrogamermax8287]

@@kittykittybangbang9367 The nostalgia of the 2000s is strong for me because pretty much my entire childhood was the entirety of the 2000s. I was born in 1996.

[@blakena4907]

I was raised Mormon, and I mildly hate my family for keeping away from all of this stuff.

[@jaytb5815]

I finished Mario Kart december of 2020

[@mattwolf7698]

@@retrogamermax8287 As someone who was also born in 1996, I remember 2003 and forward well though 2000 through 2002 is somewhat fuzzy. These people who can barely remember the 2000's though are like me with the 90's. So many people online rave about the N64 but it was pretty much before my time and I barely remembered seeing them as a kid as they were pretty outdated then.

[@DatBisa]

Somewhat disappointed the "Conclusion" Chapter isn't called "Wii Move On", but otherwise this video was almost two hours of almost straight speaking from my heart being done for me. Good shit!

[@walkerpierce5446]

But "Wii U Moved In"

[@asahi7407]

7:37 hearing that menu intro brought back memories I never even thought I had. That jingle is just pure childhood bliss.

[@trashboat4620]

The wii has so many flaws yet it is still the best console. The amount of memories I have with it is amazing, I really feel bad for those who did not get to grow up with one.

[@deerecoyote2040]

I like the Wii, but the Xbox 360 was the best. Halo 3, MW2, Halo Reach. Can't get any of those on Wii.

[@CiphersVII]

@@deerecoyote2040 bro MW2 was on wii 💀

[@Wooly4]

@@CiphersVII Nah, Mario World 2 was on the SNES, the Super FX chip meant it couldn’t be on Wii. /j

[@CiphersVII]

@@Wooly4 lmfaoooo

[@UNSCPILOT]

I actually dug our old Wii out of the forgotten corner it was in, cleaned it up, and homebrew modded it. It might have a dead disc drive, but it's one of the early units that still has the GameCube ports and card slot, it's actually surprisingly fun to use again, even with a VR capable PC, it's one of those systems that's just much more fun to play on original hardware rather than emulation (along with the 3DS for obvious reasons) For those who still have one, find it, clean it up, KZbin has lots of good tutorials for homebrew modding so even if the disk drive is dead it can still play games!

[@NewV0ice]

The moment the Wii menu theme hit, you took me right back to my family living room, playing with my sisters. Such a nostalgic song

[@paetonlaur3655]

RIP Iwata-San. You will be missed and your legacy will live on.

[@andrewmunro6106]

I remember a quote Iwata said during an e3 call conference about the 3ds. I think it still fits when thinking about the wii- On my business card I am a company director. In my mind I am a game developer. But in my heart I am a gamer. It didn’t feel like he was talking at others but with others. Truly a man of his time that left the world too soon.

[@Jeusosa]

The Wii truly is the greatest console ever made, it had its flaws but I look back on it so fondly, so many memories and so much nostalgia

[@spahr001]

I don't think it's the best ever, but it's my favorite.

[@EnTiempo824]

One of my personal favs as apart of my childhood but I think it had a limited library at times..

[@RemoWilliams1227]

@@EnTiempo824 As far as GOOD games I agree. That said I just did a mod/rom setup and got around 120 Wii games and around 50 GameCube (which really did have a very limited library). If you got all the shovel ware you'd need a lot more than the 500gb drive I used lol.

[@FirebombFritzz]

GREATEST? No. But CHEAPEST PARTS? Yes.

[@bencraig1249]

Did I just accidentally watch a 1hr 20 min retrospective on the console I have most fond memories of? I did. Great video, the flow between talking about different games felt incredibly natural.

[@meee_5155]

did I just do the same thing and it is now 1:45 am? Yes I did.

[@nickwheeler5396]

I'm surprised that the Just Dance series wasn't mentioned at all. It was pretty much the sole series that kept the Wii from phasing out quicker than it did

[@DauntlessBlade___]

Bro, when my whole family did baseball at night it was like a real tournament in the basement, so much hype! And I remember being physically EXHAUSTED after intense boxing matches. It was a true workout no joke.

[@bareq99]

Man.. All these Mr.Iwata comments made me teary He's IMO.. The most underrated and underdappreciated person in the gaming industry With all of his goods and flaws He truly was a great man.. Wish he was still alive spending time with his loved ones :/ Thank you for this video!

[@NintenDub]

We all miss iwatta. The Wii u may have failed under his watch, but the switch was successful because of him. And for his peers to push his last wish kinda like samurai poured into smash ultimate with iwatta on his mind as a reason to keep pushing. Without iwatta, we may have not had earthbound. Without iwatta, it's possible that pokemon doesn't come out for the Gameboy in the us in 97, and instead gets scrapped, or gets totally skipped until the next version, which means pokemon doesn't hit here the same way and that whole wave never happens. It completely changes everything. And iwatta didn't have to figure out their atrocious code.he basically did self appointed overtime to help on the biggest franchise in the history of humans. I wish so badly iwatta was still here. Now that he's gone, Reggie's gone. Nintendo minute is over...there's no faces of Nintendo. They've left it to alot of these predatory KZbinrs that yell n scream and are fake excited for views while pushing energy drinks on kids. It's just sad. There's no faces during directs. Nindies are merely voiced over now. And that's it. And of course we get terrible Hollywood promotion crossover commercials. I don't like where Nintendo's going. They're the one company left in gaming who have seen incredibly high highs, and pathetic lows. And just cuz they're the most successful they've ever been now, doesn't mean they can't,and won't hit another lull. Which I guarantee in the next 15 years,can and will happen. And sadly that's what they're saving their gba,virtual boy,GameCube and DS games for... If they hit a lull,that's when we'll get an n64 or gba classic. And not a moment sooner. I just already miss someone like Reggie showing up In the limo for a game release and talking 3ds, right there on the street.with fans. I don't really care for Xbox,but Ohio Spencer is the current Reggie for all who love Xbox. Anyway rip iwatta. Sorely missed. The industry has never needed someone like him more than right now

[@cubedmelons876]

Yeah, for all his flaws, Iwata was the one big gaming CEO who actually felt like a real human being. Trying to push gaming forward because he was passionate about the medium, cutting his own salary rather than laying people off after the failure of the Wii U, etc.

[@bareq99]

@@NintenDub totally with you except on the Reggie point.. I lost a HUGE amount of respect towards him after the recent contractors abuse stories that's been coming out.. Weather he's responsible or not, it's kinda hard for me to trust him now :/ As for Nintendo failing again.. I kinda disagree there They are going mainstream, I think they will return to the power race against Sony and Xbox in the near future, because it is what's getting them the most money as you can see.. I doubt they want another risk again Rip Iwata indeed.. I don't even care if he wasn't at Nintendo anymore.. I just wish he was alive enjoying his time with his friends ans family because he truly deserved it.. And that's saying A LOT considering we're talking about a damn executive! The people that are hated the most by everyone on earth next to landlords lol

[@bareq99]

@@cubedmelons876 he's really one of a kind.. I don't think I've ever heard of another gaming CEO who climbed the corporate latter by.. Actually doing his job lmao! Only a game developer deserves to be a gaming CEO.. And it's so weird it only happened ones!!

[@sausrelics4838]

i didnt know who he was when he died but he is my favorite video game developer and always will be. im not doing him justice typing this on a youtube comment section but he made me the person i am today and thats just

[@koniginator]

This is as much a Wii U thing as Wii, but I loved the Wii transfer channel that allowed you to bring your Wii channels and saves to the Wii U. The Pikmin carefully transporting all of your data to their ship and blasting off to a new civilization was adorable but bittersweet in a way.

[@torugolago]

Man, I loved the Wii so much, I went trough my pre-teens and early teenage years with it. It was my first console where I really experimented with different genres of games, and it was where i played Zelda Twilight Princess which until to this day is one of the best games i ever played.

[@ThisChannelIsAbandoned300]

The Wii brought me SO many Memories from playing games like Wii Party, Wii Sports, and Wii Sports Resort.

[@Dragular]

"We can't change the future, but we can influence it." That was beautiful.

[@RealRoboKnight]

*Wii

[@tyleracuna2567]

Even 16 years later I still find myself coming back to this awesome console every once in a while. It was my first console and it is my favorite console of all time

[@macaroniandcheddar]

I don’t wanna be that guy but the Wii was released 15 and a half years ago not 16

[@benballier9580]

Yep. To this day I still go back and play games on both the Wii and DS every few months. I don’t do that with any other gaming console, like my 2DS or PS2…there’s just something so awesome about that generation of Nintendo consoles.

[@leaslame]

for some reason i put this on to watch while eating dinner thinking it was only 40 minutes. now im sitting at my desk in the dark getting emotional over my memories of the wii

[@carsongiberson6923]

as a kid who grew up alongside the Wii, the nostalgia in this video gave me goosebumps.

[@michaelyochim6016]

I’m surprised he didn’t mention how motion controls elevated Resident Evil 4. To this day, the wii edition may well be one of the best ports of that particular game. It certainly blew the prior GameCube and PS2 versions out of the water.

[@venweasel]

It absolutely is the best version. It's so hard to explain to people that it is cause of the Wii's negative reputation. They don't understand what they're missing.

[@ddd7038]

Is there any benefit of playing the Wii version of RE4 nowadays when i can play the game on much more newer systems that can make it run better (and probably more easier to obtain?)

[@venweasel]

@@ddd7038The Wii port has all of the extras of but It mainly comes down to the motion controls. It's just satisfying, especially while aiming. You might be able to replicate that sensation by playing the PC version with the mouse and keyboard. Idk though, haven't played the PC version.

[@lindblumpickles3407]

I think the Oculus version trumps the Wii version now. But prior to that, yes.

[@KrazzeeKane]

@@venweasel I would say it USED to be the best version absolutely (though it could be beaten by running it via Dolphin EMU and using a PC Wii-bar to utilize the wii-mote on the PC with all the upgraded graphics of an emulator). But now by far the greatest version of RE4 is the Oculus Quest 2 version. It is an amazing port of the game and completely changes how you play RE4 since you are right in the action, pushing and slashing and shooting and panicking and running, its so fun I can't explain it properly. Any RE4 fan owes it to themselves to play the Oculus Quest version at some point if you ever get the chance.

[@baconlabs]

you're already making me weep for the overall aesthetics of the Wii's user interface. The menu feels so vibrant as you fill it up with your favorite apps, VC retro games, and WiiWare indie games. To say nothing of the music, and I don't think there's a single Nintendo fan alive that doesn't mourn the loss of the Wii Shop music. Edit: Oh no, you made the same mistake I did with Wii Music! I expected something to support my budding interest in music composition, and all I got was a shiny noisemaker.

[@mattblom3990]

I actually loved the tranquil ambience of the Wii Weather channel and just surfing late at night to see it was 40 degrees in Riyadh or 12 and raining in Berlin. The music made it feel like a dream.

[@Game_Hero]

The fun of Wii Music is in goofing around with friends playing music and improving your musical ear with the quiz games, perhaps a marketing difference could have prevented this.

[@Nani.101]

This comment just made me hard realize that Nintendo could have done so much more with the Nintendo Switch home screen

[@brycelavender2255]

I think getting one at 7 years old on Christmas is one of my fondest memories

[@starmis8307]

I wish I grew up with a internet connection with the Wii. I'm glad Wiimmfi exists because this console is really special.

[@LordTechnopants]

I have owned (& enjoyed) many gaming systems from 1979 onwards (consoles, home computers to PCs). One of the systems I had with the lowest attachment rate of games was the Wii, but..... I remember Christmas Day 2007 when we opened the Wii we had bought ourselves (my partner and I), having not been able to get one in the UK Christmas 06. We were home alone that Yule with no other family commitments (for once) and dinner was several hours late as we just couldn't drag ourselves away from Wii Tennis to actually cook ourselves the most important meal of the year, despite our empty stomachs. No other system managed such a feat and I thank the Wii for that memory. Happy days.

[@godsendmusic5911]

That’s beautiful mate

[@Bobthepetferret]

This is a great retrospective, but I do wanna clarify something about Operation Rainfall, because it's not entirely true that Nintendo didn't want to release the three games "in the West". It was only Nintendo of America that weren't interested, Nintendo of Europe were all for it. They even had a Xenoblade trailer in English ready to go for E3 2011, but NoA blocked it. The head of Nintendo France even seemed confused by this decision in an interview at the time. Here in the UK, we got the game two months after that, while you guys had to wait an extra year. I'd even argue that if NoE hadn't handled localisation duties, Rainfall might not have succeeded as NoA could have just brushed it off with "localisation is expensive and we don't feel we'd make the money back" which is harder to argue when your European arm already did that work for you. Which, if you're wondering, IS why Xenoblade is so aggressively British. A minor point, probably, but I just wanted to add this extra context

[@midflight_art]

that gives me a lot more appreciation for the European accents in the Xenoblade universe. thanks for this context :)

[@benevans7564]

I'm in Australia and Pandoras tower/xenoblade chronicles weren't that rare or expensive pre pandemic. Supply has dried up a lot now.

[@RemoWilliams1227]

@@benevans7564 yeah prices have gotten silly for retro games and systems. Which is why I no longer feel bad about emulating.

[@Fox_Mccloud11]

Great clarification!

[@Fox_Mccloud11]

@@RemoWilliams1227 'silly' is quite subjective. High prices show high demand, largely because of the quality of the games

[@scribblenaughttv]

I could write large essay on the wii and the experiences it gave to me. It was the first console I bought with my own money, in 7th grade. From making my own stories in brawl, to running down the street with all my rockband gear inbound to my best friends house. It truly was something amazing

[@kayakat1869]

Omg, the taking Rockband guitars to your friends house is such a good memory.

[@JohnSegerclucka]

I bought my first Wii in June of last year and I play it everyday. "House of the dead Overkill," "Excite Bots," Mario Kart Wii," so many fantastic games

[@i8dacookies890]

Wii can't predict the future, but Wii can influence it.

[@Game_Hero]

Hot take : I find Wii Music to be fun, especially with friends to goof around and remix music. I can thank this game for my love of music. I loved the atmosphere and design of the game even if the gameplay itself was a bit too simple. Also I wouldn't exactly call John Lennon "public domain", lol.

[@leeartlee915]

That is a hot take… one I don’t think many would share. But good for you for getting out there with your opinion.

[@acegamergoldie1008]

I found it fun as well, a simple but enjoyable family game (still not as good as wii sports or wii play).

[@leeartlee915]

@@acegamergoldie1008 Really? Wii Music? I’m truly interested to know what you found fun about that game.

[@timon_of_athens]

@@leeartlee915 Wii Music introduced many to some of the greatest composers ever like yb and plaboi carti

[@leeartlee915]

@@timon_of_athens Lol, you can’t be serious. How is Wii music people’s first exposure to those public domain songs.

[@BugsyFoga]

I’ll always appreciate the wii for being one of the first home consoles I had growing up.

[@jaywenzel3528]

My brother had a severe hand injury in 2008 and my mom got him the wii as a gift for all the surgeries he went thru. It really means alot to me to have been able to play games with him like wii sports and boom blox while he was recovering.

[@Parker-nm9cg]

BOOM BLOX! i was starting to wonder if it was a figment of my imagination 😭

[@leeartlee915]

It’s so weird. I never was bothered by the “waggle” of the Wii, if it was done okay. It being used in place of a button press wasn’t this huge issue for me as it seems to be for others. DKC Returns was fine, imo, with shake to roll.

[@torugolago]

I get you, but honestly the waggle was actually well implemented in DKC Returns, while other games not so much.

[@leeartlee915]

@@torugolago Well that opinion isn’t a popular one. People love to say “DKC Returns was great, except for that wag to roll thing. Thank God they fixed it on the 3DS release”. I’d actually go one step further and say that the waggle (when done right) was actually kind fun. I loved getting into the rhythm playing Mario Galaxy and suddenly I would shake the Wiimote to get Mario to stabilize. I kinda do that naturally with some games so it felt natural to a certain extant. But yeah, when it was done poorly, it was god awful. But most of the 1st party titles I thought did it justice.

[@azmilog]

the problem was honestly that the wii was just another platform for a lot of games. games that were made for the wii were FUN with the wiimote, and games that had to worry about 2 other platforms were Playable with the wiimote. u could always tell the difference :/

[@leeartlee915]

@@azmilog Did you ever play Boom Blox? That game technically could have been made for any system. But because you had to use that wacky Wiimote, it became like this ultimate version of Jinga and pre-Angry Birds. A lot have games have come and gone but the ones I played on the Wii stick with me *because* of that funky set up.

[@marisstown]

the only issue i had on waggle intensive games was that it strains my wrists, but with someone who has better wrist constitution im sure it wouldn’t be a problem lol

[@cheesemanzombie9151]

Definitely one of the most fun consoles to return to

[@Waifu4Life]

Not sure how the Switch's successor's will manage without Iwata behind it (yes, the Switch was released after his death, but it was in development and conceptualize way before 2015).

[@_NekOz]

I just wish the Switch interface was not so incredibly boring and the store not so incredibly slow and unintuitive to navigate.

[@Waifu4Life]

@@_NekOz True, the Switch sure ain't no Wii or PS3 when it comes to it's UI.

[@_NekOz]

@@Waifu4Life PS3 XMB is one of the simplest UIs I have seen that still has a identity to it. I will give the Switch UI some credit though. It is simple and straight to the point, and those button sounds are very nice. I just wish they had a bit more fun with the design of the UI.

[@Torax3Rox]

The Wii will always have a special place in my heart I will miss those times

[@dondavid6514]

Finally someone who sees the diverse library of the Wii I was happy this wasn't another "oh wii games be like wii sports mario bros galaxy Zelda shovelware" I was soooo happy to hear red steel 2,madworld, sin and punishment, muramasa, klonoa and NO MORE HEROES!!!! Good one to you sir I hope you check out some other wii games

[@scottjohnson4452]

one of the greatest moments of my entire life was beating every one of my uncles and cousins in wii sports boxing when i was like 5 years old, and i will never forget it

[@Bboy_OatsnRice]

Lovely video, and huge props to giving games like Red Steel 2, Sin & Punishment, and others that don't nearly get remembered as fondly as the bigger titles. Perfect video about the wii, and I can't believe how much a similar fate befell the wii u.

[@Nathanator]

Awesome retrospective! I’m 15 and my older brother and I grew up with a Wii in our household. We’ve had it since 2009; the Wii had a huge impact on my childhood and I genuinely feel like the Wii helped shape my creativity, personality, and who I am today. I’ve spent thousands of hours on this beautiful console and I still play Mario Kart Wii regularly. Many of my fondest memories from early childhood involve the Wii, either through playing games alone, with friends, online, using the different WiiConnect24 powered channels, or having its masterpiece of a soundtrack playing in the background. I’ve always been looking for detailed retrospectives on the Wii, and you absolutely nailed it with this one! Massive respect for including captions for the entire video too! :)

[@joshua9832]

The Wii is my personal favorite Nintendo console ever made. The switch, snes, and GameCube are close though. The presentation, innovation, creativity, excellent VC library, great First party library, and pretty good third party library.

[@SuperBodoque]

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Wii version is still one of the best video games experiences I've ever had

[@TheIncredabad69]

That game on wii was awesome

[@bertinernie31]

Played it on everything but the Wii. Sounds like it's time for a revisit

[@SuperBodoque]

@@bertinernie31 Definitely give it a try. The game is designed to make the Wii remote operate like a lightsaber which makes it super immersive even despite the terrible resolution. Plus the difference between the Wii and other platforms' version is crazy. On the first level it's literally night and day lol

[@winlover37]

I absolutely loved the Wii, and I still do. I may have been the butt end of jokes at the middle school lunch table, but I didn't care. Such a unique system that we won't ever get again.

[@rawsick]

I’m almost 30 and I have been really wanting to relive my childhood, and I didn’t go to the n64, or gameboys, i went straight for the Wii. This really was the greatest casual gameplay I ever loved

[@docbaker3333]

"Wii would like to play" words that defined my elementary School years I loved it I got a lot of goods games on it Brawl, Galaxy, Shake it Twilight princess I loved it to death and I still play it a bit to this day. Hell my parents rushed to hell and back finding a Wii for christmas since most stores where sold out until they found on in a Sears much to their relief.

[@jollygrapefruit786]

The Wii was such a great console.

[@its_eli]

I waited for 18 hours for Wii and Twiligh Princess. It ignited my passion for gaming and now I'm enjoying the Switch. Long live Nintendo. Great documentary, it brought back so many memories.

[@henryd98]

My grandma bought my brother and I a Wii for christmas in 2011, listening to that music again, seeing the menu. It brought my to tears man, thank you for bringing those memories back to me.

[@flameguy21]

I'll never forget how my sister really wanted to play Super Mario Galaxy when we got our Wii and then never did while I played it like 6 times lol. Some of the motion controls in some games haven't aged well but it overall had some real bangers.

[@Training_Wheels]

I picked up galaxy 2. I didn't like it .. I never played the 1st one. I got Mario odysee. I played until new donk city or whatever it's called... got bored with it.. I guess I just don't like Mario anymore...

[@nashwaf9]

@Mike Fitzgerald galaxy doesn't have 242 stars, rather only 120

[@traviscunningham7062]

242 if you count playing the game again as Luigi.

[@duckychan8085]

I just started to watch your videos and your videos are the most binge worthy vids out there. They range from retrospective and overall fun content. Keep up the Work!

[@primalvelocity3811]

I absolutely agree.

[@NeverSaySandwich1]

Indeed, max comfy

[@Training_Wheels]

I like to mix honey with agave... No I don't, what the PHUCK ?! 🤔

[@Skibiditoiletfan8]

This video is amazing and deserves way more views! The video sums up the Wii's lifespan perfectly and gives awesome detail to things we didn't even know needed detail.

[@andreskrasnikovas2400]

Your reviews are truly elaborated and sincere. The level of complexity they dive in while talking about the consoles in every single way - music, design, history, sales - is incredible. I thank you for all the laborious work you put into these videos!

[@LeggereugualeVivere]

Now I definitely need a retrospective on Xenoblade, because it is one of my favourite games ever

[@joshshrum2764]

I’d love it, and understanding the music of Undertale would be great too.

[@AlexBowesVideos]

So beautiful for you to end the retrospective of Xenoblade Chronicles. It is just an absolute wonder and no game has ever, EVER had the impact that Xenoblade Chronicles has had on me. If you read this, I DEMAND you play the Definitive Edition, released 2 years ago exactly on the Switch. Thank you Liam for shedding more light on this masterpiece.

[@godsendmusic5911]

I just bought 3 booting up the switch as we speak 😉

[@Littlefighter1911]

I don't know if it's just my nostalgia, but damn, the Wii itself, just with Wii Sports, Wii Play and the preinstalled channels (Mii, Weather, News, Opinion, Pictures) was already an experience on it's own. It's pretty stupid, but for some reason, to me pointing a thing at a TV just wasn't the same thing as moving a mouse (although it's technically pretty much the same thing) and the music and sound effects made it even better. I don't even understand how they pulled that off.

[@lollarax]

Thank you for the effort you put into this video! Brought back many memories of my time with the WIi.

[@ericmay560]

You only briefly mention it in the video, but what makes this console so special to me is that it made FAMILIES play. My parents, who only let us play games, ended up wanting to play Wii Sports, Resort, Wii Play and Wii Fit. My grandparents bought one and we would go over once a week to play golf with him, which are memories I will forever cherish.

[@FellaSimpleton]

The wii was my and still is my favourite consoles. Its the first console i had as a 3 year old. And it brought me into gaming.

[@soopthedog7236]

I am constantly amazed video after video by you. I very much value the videos you make and am in love by your perception as it is justified by your incredible ability to see the other side of the coin. I pray at some time you get a million+ subs (the fame this channel you desrve) and become mainstream because you deserve it, the research you put into these videos and especially your passion for the early nintendo games, especially your zelda reviews and this retrospective are legitmatly incredible. I wish you all the good in the world, everything you make seems to exactly mimic my childhood even though I was born around 5 years after you. With my uncle being the one who saw my obssesion with video games as each time I went to his house I was practically begging to play windwaker on his gamecube and even though I had to ask him every 10 minutes for help, I was utterly incapsulated by the vast time and value I could get out of these games so much that it shaped my future very much. So I continued the Zelda addiction from the original legend of zelda my dad download on his work computer. to on my 3ds playing ocarina of time remaster to twilight princess on my eventual wii to twilight princess to skyward sword to the current breath of the wild. (also you have the voice and wit to keep this up I wish you all the success in the wold and I am more and more impressed video after video) PS: wish you see this Liam because you have me coming back and back to your videos

[@samuelknytt9434]

This is such a fantastic video and it represents just about everything I loved about the Wii growing up. It was my second console, but I only had a GameCube around the time before I started primary school. The Wii was my primary system for so many years, and I loved almost everything I played on it. It was before a time I was into more gritty games, like the shooters of the late 2000s and early 2010s. I really appreciated all the life and colour every game I played had, and the motion controls for aiming and other things helped me adapt to weirder modern control schemes like VR and flick stick+gyro aim. How you put out so many fantastic documentaries about the things you love so quickly astounds me to no end. This, and every video you've ever made, means a lot to me.

[@1un4cy]

Wii: Lets bring all of our past games to the Wii through the virtual console. Switch: Lets sell this collection for 6 months to capitalize on FOMO and remove all legacy content

[@scottjohnson4452]

BEST CHANNEL ON KZbin. Thank you so much for all your doing your videos are literal holidays for me I love listening to your vids

[@nuclearOptimist]

Seeing Trauma Center get some appreciation is so surprising. One of my favorite games growing up and suturing people up by wildly shaking the WiiMote back and forth is a core memory.

[@chrisrey0018]

This made me fall in love with the WII even more… i’m glad I grew up wit this!

[@therealseanw.stewart2071]

The Wii remains one of my favorite consoles, and the memories I associate with it are some of the most vivid, and beloved, in my entire gaming life. There are several first-party titles that I cherish to this day, among them Mario Kart Wii, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Brawl in particular represents a massive turning point in my personal life. I was heading into a better household. It was time for change, and the happiest memories of my life with my family were on their way. I've held onto the console like a treasure ever since. There will never be another time quite like the initial hype of the Wii and its earliest titles, I remember at the age of 12, and as a die-hard Nintendo fan, I obsessively awaited the Wii's launch on November 19, and on the night before we did something we've never done before: we actually camped out at the front of Kmart with many other people to claim our first Wii! It was a little chilly that night, but we made a few new friends. On that morning, the time had come, and before I knew it, I was in possession of my first Wii, and launch titles Wii Sports, Excite Truck, and, my favorite, Zelda: Twilight Princess. The rest is history, but when Brawl was arriving after all the delays about 2 years later, that was to become the absolute biggest wave of hype I've ever experienced for a video game. To say that I was obsessed with SSBB would be an understatement. It may not be objectively the best Smash Bros. game, but Brawl still holds its place in my heart for these memories. With all the attention in media coverage and fun families were having with the Wii at the time, it created an atmosphere that I recall pretty fondly. For the first time, it brought people together with its innovative ideas just as Nintendo intended. And as unorthodox as the Wii Remote was, you could still play classic-style games on it, so no one was truly left out, either. Still, in spite of how underpowered it was compared to the competition, and how much shovelware was made that damaged the console's reputation, I will always love the Wii. Not just for its amazing library, the charming and meditative atmosphere of its menus and cultural impact, but for the memories. It was truly one of a kind, and its ideas echo into the modern-day gaming industry. Thank you, Nintendo, for creating this wonderful achievement in game history! And Rest in Peace, Iwata-san, your legacy remains timeless.

[@evanthehuman1873]

Finally my favorite system that got me into Nintendo what I grew up on and seeing my favorite KZbinr talk about it warms my heart

[@jordanmynes2638]

Once again, impeccable taste, and a channel after my own heart. Great retrospective, and great title choices. I love Elebits to, well, bits, and finally reinstalled it on my HDMI-modded Homebrewed Wii literally at 7am last night, played it for a few hours while griping that nobody ever talks about this game, then woke up to this video, where it was mentioned. Always a pleasure watching your videos, truly some of my favorite video essays, which are just about the only content category I watch lately.

[@lawrencemcstephens308]

Fantastic retrospective, Liam! You have become one of my favorite KZbinrs recently! You are thorough, vulnerable, honest, and truly passionate about video games. I appreciate that so much, and hearing your thoughts on games, coupled with the lore, music, and gameplay footage, made me realize how impactful video games are for me. Sometimes while listening to your thoughts on how different games emotionally impacted you and left an impression on you as a child or a young man, I would get misty eyed or choked up, remembering those same feelings from games that I've played. You grew up in a slightly different era, it sounds like you are younger than me by a few years, since I grew up with the NES, and the Super Nintendo/Sega Genesis were my two go to consoles, especially the RPGs. Final Fantasy 6, Chrono Trigger, Illusion of Gaia, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Secret of Mana, Super Metroid, Sonic the Hedgehog, etc. That era of games left those types of emotional impacts on me, and hearing your thoughts on the newer games, especially Wind Waker and other newer Zelda games that I mostly missed out on, made me want to repurchase those consoles for myself and play those games. Thank you for your attention to detail and your heart on sleeve approach to retrospectives on games that impacted you growing up. Keep up the good work!

[@Nobutehuhh]

I have so many great memories with the DS download play feature. I miss when something as simple as the GUI had character. I understand why the switch is so simple, but I hope that philosophy isn't dying.

[@donny2147]

Wii all know this was the #1 home console of our childhoods

[@FecklessHours]

This is now one of my favorite retrospectives thanks Liam. You did a fantastic job wrapping up the video too. Looking forward to that Super Mario Galaxy retrospective.

[@gtylerbrown2]

Its always interesting hearing people talk so fondly and passionately about things I have no love for. Good video!

[@acebee46]

I love the memories I have with the wii - I was that generation that just missed the gamecube and stuff like that, and the wii was my first exposure to video games

[@ericchatham5833]

I played so much on the Wii between 2006-2010. I forgot about Fluidity until now. Thanks for the retrospective!

[@Notdog610]

This was an amazing video essay! Loved all the little puns in the chapters! TBH i haven't ever watched you before but this definetely deserves a subscription

[@toadsage]

I just discovered this channel and needless to say, I'm hooked! I love these long form retrospective videos. Keep up the great work!

[@kayakat1869]

The Wii was the best as a kid. I think at least 1/4th of my happy childhood memories were made by playing on it. All of my friends had it at their houses too, so we coul always play together. Wii Ski and Wii Sports Resort are so nostalgic to me.

[@isaiahallen8199]

My first ever home console. Thanks again for the nostalgia!

[@cowbelljack]

Your videos never disappoint. Whenever I see a new upload I look forward to setting aside some time and watching (I love these long videos). In addition to your insightful commentary and interpretation of, well, everything, you also frequently hit me with a heavy dose of nostalgia. In short, your videos are amazing and emotionally relatable.

[@thinkabout42]

This video's energy and passion are so impressive that I came from feeling next to nothing about Wii (only emulated a handful of games and that's it) to actually forming some nostalgic feelings about it. So much was covered that it makes it hard not to get attached to this console and the history period. Marvelous work.

[@ianeons9278]

When the Wii U turns 10 in November you should do a retrospective on it.

[@gamepro31]

Operation Rainfall still stands as one of the greatest fan collaborations ever. Thanks to the people involved in pushing Nintendo to release these games. Xenoblade alone is now one of their premier franchises. All because of a dedicated fanbase who believed in its potential.

[@scarrface28]

Amazing work on this, entertaining throughout, please continue to do more!

[@anthony_eanes]

So many memories with the Wii, got one used about a year ago and did my best to get back every game we had when I was younger. It was so worth it to revisit those games and relive those memories. I will absolutely keep them for my kids to experience one day!

[@Hip-Gnosis1134]

I have so much love for this console. It’s the first console I bought with my own money. Countless hours of brawl and Mario kart. Great video Liam, full of that good old nostalgia ❤️

[@kylmon4759]

Das it?

[@tallskeleton]

You did a great job - I’ve always avoided these retrospective videos as I’ve feared they would either be casual nostalgia fodder and my time would be better spent being productive, but I chose to watch yours and you did an amazing job with editing pacing, and word count Always felt like you had a good point being made and like this video was made very intentionally And the nostalgia factor was great too I was surprised to see you talk about excite truck

[@androkats8388]

love how in depth your videos are, I can tell that you are very passionate about this

[@nicolasmotet]

Your videos always install a perfect sense of calm and appreciation. Makes for some really enjoyable content. Thanks man

[@nuclearepsilon]

Ever since I found your channel I was waiting for an eventual mention of Xenoblade, and it was at the end of such a massive video as well. Great video as always, I do love me some Wii

[@greatazuredragon]

Heh, when I saw World of Goo on your Wii opening screen I got hit with so much nostalgia. xD Great video

[@sploog716]

This video gave me a lot to think about since the Wii was my first console that I ever owned. It's hard for me to admit that it was flawed because of the countless memories that I have with it. It brought me together with people as you had discussed. Thank you.