I have a press release in front of me. It's from Nintendo and proclaims: "GET READY FOR A BUSY 2012". Yeah, cheers for the reminder. True enough, though, with 3DS showing a bit of pace at last and Wii U on the horizon, there's plenty for House of Mario hangers-on to look forward to.
Alas, fully 50 percent of this document bangs on about the line-up for Wii this year. And that looks about as busy as a building site at lunchtime. Mario Party 9? PokéPark 2? Boom Street? If Wii was your granny, you'd be carting her off to the nearest nursing home.
But rather than mourn yet another long, slow death-by-software, 2012 should be an occasion to celebrate a console that has transformed the way we play games, one so blisteringly successful, even the indescribable terror of the Redknapps couldn't halt its inexorable march to victory.
Of course, loads of us pointed and laughed when they announced the name. Now, five years and close to 100 million Wiis later, don't we all look like prats? And rightly so.
As the obituaries are written, there'll be lots of deadpan discourse on Wii's cultural impact. Fair enough. But never forget it had some amazing games, too.
10. Super Paper Mario Wii
Sadly overlooked by many, this is no ordinary Mario platformer. With a laugh-out-loud script, inventive gameplay and clever 2D/3D visuals, Paper Mario is a treasure.
9. Donkey Kong Country Returns
Few were expecting great things from this comeback at the hands of Retro Studios. And then Retro Studios turned out one of the best 2D platformers in years.
8. Just Dance 2
Cheap, tacky and outrageously silly: which is why millions loved it. Only the hardest of hearts would fail to enjoy this with friends after a skin-full.
7. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
What really ought to have been a by-numbers retread of the DS version, proved to be an inspired multiplayer hoot.
6. Mario Kart Wii
Whether you played it with the Wii remote, that baffling plastic wheel or the classic controller, the outcome was the same: unalloyed joy.
5. Okami
Yes, it was a PS2 port, but an intelligent one at that, showing how motion control could enhance what was already an underplayed masterpiece.
4. World Of Goo
The shining light of WiiWare, Nintendo's half-hearted attempt to embrace the indie scene, Goo was the product of just two pairs of hands - which deservedly went on to grasp a cabinet-load of awards.
3. Wii Sports
It's not a stretch to say Wii wouldn't have enjoyed the success it did without its talismanic launch title. Superficially just Pong for the 21st century, Wii Sports nevertheless reached the parts of which other games could only dream.
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2
Arbitrarily only allowing for one Mario Galaxy in this list, it has to be the sequel: gloriously close to being the perfect platformer and one of the greatest games of this console generation…
1. The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword
… and yet, Link's Wii swansong pips it to the top of our list. Skyward Sword is a masterpiece of dizzying proportions, unhurried, breathtaking, beautiful, and obscenely generous. And yes, it's better than Ocarina of Time.
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