Home

 › 

Products

 › 

Reviews

 › 

The 7 Absolute Best Wii First-Person Shooters of All Time

Nintendo Wii

The 7 Absolute Best Wii First-Person Shooters of All Time

The Nintendo Wii was introduced in the North American market in November 2006 and sold 101 million consoles during its lifecycle. Hailed as a revolution in video game console history, it would compete against the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 as part of the seventh generation of console gaming.

The Wii’s success was largely due to its motion-sensing technology and Wii Remote which appealed to both hardcore and casual gamers alike. It would be these same controls that added a new level of engagement to first-person shooter games by attempting different control systems over a more standard controller. 

What is a First-Person Shooter? 

A first-person shooter is a popular video game genre that is shown from the perspective of the protagonist or your character in the game. Sometimes, you might play as multiple characters depending on a level or the storyline, but no matter who you are playing, your point of view is always the same.

You should anticipate only being able to see what the character sees. In other words, when your character looks in a certain direction, you’ll see exactly what they would see.

Was the Nintendo Wii Known for First-Person Shooters? 

The Nintendo Wii was released as a catch-all system for both the hardcore and casual gamer. Nintendo wanted the system to have something for everyone, first-person shooters included.

Unfortunately, the Nintendo Wii lacked the same graphical prowess as its seventh-generation home console competition, so it often lagged behind in categories like first-person shooters. That’s not to say there were not some great titles to play, but anyone looking for the best FPS experience during this era would be best served looking at the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3

New Activision Blizzard Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex Edition First Person Shooter 1 User Wii
$82.27
  • New Activision Blizzard Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex Edition First Person Shooter 1 User Wii (View amazon detail page) ASIN: B0054U1UCI
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
03/11/2024 07:32 am GMT

Best known as the Wii port of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, emCall of Duty: Modern Warfare - Reflex Edition/em is a great FPS game for any Wii owner.

The plot remains the same as the non-Wii version, as a group of special forces soldiers must save the world from terrorists. Where the Wii version stands out is its use of gesture controls. 

If you want to assign different controls to different gestures, this is one of the best ways to enjoy the game. It’s amazing to be able to flick your knife just by flicking the Wii remote. When the Wii’s graphical power or lack thereof shows through, you’re immediately reminded that that sacrifice is made up for with a far more unique style of gameplay. 

Earning a 76 Metascore, the single-player campaign remains a ton of fun, which is why this title receives so much praise across every console release. The local co-op is a blast to play as a second player can hop into the game at any time, find their own reticule, and help their friend take down enemies. 

Pick up a copy of emCall on Amazon here

call of duty modern warfare
Save the world from terrorists in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
Call of Duty: Black Ops - Nintendo Wii (Renewed)
$27.99
  • The seventh installment of the Call of Duty franchise
  • Based on conflicts from the Cold War
  • Variety of settings from urban and jungle air and ground combat in southeast Asia to snow combat in Soviet regions
  • Features a mix of traditional COD gameplay plus new first-person scenarios
  • Includes a new arsenal of Cold War-era weapons and vehicles
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
03/11/2024 01:56 am GMT

The seventh entry in the Call of Duty series, emCall of Duty: Black Ops/em brought the usual FPS charm over to the Wii.

Set during the Cold War, the game involves a back-and-forth between Russia and America told through the eyes of a special forces CIA operative, Alex Mason. The campaign is actually made up of a bunch of flashbacks with Mason recalling various battles and engagements over the course of his career. The single-player campaign stretches over 15 different levels and an equal number of locations worldwide. 

emCall offered a standout multiplayer game for the Wii once you completed the single-player campaign. It also marked the first Call of Duty title for the console to include in-game voice chat. Whether you prefer single-player or multiplayer, the Wii’s gestures are the best part of the game and helped it earn an 80 Metascore. Aiming with the Wii Remote and Nunchuck make shooting so much fun, you just have to get used to the control layout. Playing with this setup gets even more fun once you jump into Zombies mode, the first time this mode has made its way into a Wii Call of Duty title. 

Get ready for battle with emCall available on Amazon here

Call of Duty Black Ops
Once the single player campaign is completed, you can play in multiplayer mode.
Red Steel 2
$8.87
  • Upgrade you arsenal of katanas swords, guns and abilities as you rack up victories against the Jackal clan.
  • Embody a lone fighter, a man of few words with a shaded past full of mystery. Face various, and increasingly stronger, enemies and defeat challenging bosses in epic and intense fights.
  • Visit various locations through a remote mixed metropolis in the middle of the American desert, where Eastern culture and Western culture have been smashed together into a hodgepodge jumble.
  • The Wii MotionPlus provides 1:1 recognition where the sword and gun movements are precisely replicated within the game. Slash the villains the way you want. The harder you swing the Wii Remote, the...
  • Become master swordsman and gunslinger fighting up to six enemies simultaneously; using your sword or your gun at any time; mastering aster combos galore; and, even deflecting bullets with the blade.
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
03/11/2024 10:01 am GMT

Part first-person shooter, part hack-and-slash title, emRed is a fantastic game that is a sequel to its predecessor in name only.

Whether you wield a sword or a gun, the game takes place in a world where both samurais and cowboys are part of the Nevada landscape. As is often the case with Nintendo titles, the game leaves graphic violence on the cutting room floor, but that doesn’t make it any less engaging. 

What really makes emRed a must-play on the Nintendo Wii is its control scheme. As the player, you move and strafe with your Nunchuck in one hand and the Wii Remote for aiming your sword or gun and slashing/shooting. No, this won’t echo real-life sword fights, but it’s the next best thing. 

Whether you want to stab right at the screen or block an incoming attack, you can do exactly that just by moving the Wii Remote. It’s a heightened level of combat that the video game industry was unable to deliver until the Wii and, to this day, emRed remains very deserving of its 80 Metascore. 

Hack and slash your way over to Amazon right now and pick up Red Steel 2 here

Play Classic Moments from the GoldenEye Film
Activision James Bond 007: GoldenEye (Nintendo Wii)
$42.07
  • Updated single-player storyline
  • Featuring Daniel Craig as James Bond
  • Script by Bruce Feirstein, original movie screenwriter
  • Online multiplayer for up to 8 players
  • Plenty of unlockables and achievements
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
03/10/2024 06:31 am GMT

Trying to capture the magic of GoldenEye from the Nintendo 64 would be a tall order for any console. Something of a remake of the beloved 1997 game with the same name, the Nintendo Wii version, emGoldenEye, was well-received, though it didn’t quite live up to the impossible expectations of its predecessor.

Still, you can play with the Wii Remote and Nunchuck, Wii Zapper, Classic Controller, or the Classic Controller Pro which makes it adaptable for nearly any type of Nintendo Wii owner. No matter which controller you choose, you’ll have 25 different weapons available with which to take down your enemies and save the world from impending disaster. 

Along with the fantastic single-player campaign, multiplayer is a true highlight with offline split-screen for up to four players or online gameplay through Nintendo’s Wi-Fi connection for up to eight players. Combat is every bit as James Bond as it can get on the Nintendo Wii, and that’s a good thing.

While you don’t quite feel the same sense of urgency as James Bond in the movie, the 81 Metascore proves that this game is well worth picking up. 

Grab your copy of emGoldenEye for the Nintendo Wii on Amazon here.  

Call of Duty: World at War - Nintendo Wii
$20.99
  • Set in the Pacific Theater of World War II
  • Online multiplayer
  • Squadmate mode allows for a second player to "cover" the first player
  • Wii Zapper support
  • Powered by Call of Duty 4: Modern Wafare technology
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
03/10/2024 09:06 pm GMT

Selling more than one million copies on the Nintendo Wii, emCall is the second best-selling first-person shooter on the Nintendo Wii console.

Released in 2008, the game dropped the traditional controls it favored on other consoles for the Wii Zapper and or Wii Remote and Nunchuck.

Aiming targets using either method is just downright fun and it feels far more immersive to play, even if you aren’t getting the same level of graphics as you would on the PlayStation 3. That’s okay, because the single-player campaign is every bit Call of Duty as one could expect on the Wii and that’s even before you get to the much-hyped Zombies mode. 

Multiplayer remains a mainstay of Call of Duty titles and that’s true for the Wii version as well. Between offline co-op gameplay with another player or up to four players online, it’s so much fun to jump into Zombies mode and see how long you can stay alive. Earning an 83 Metascore, emCall of Duty: World at War/em remains a highlight of how far the Nintendo Wii console could be pushed. 

Pick up your copy of emCall on Amazon hereand get ready for battle. 

call of duty world at war
Call of Duty: World at War also includes a multiplayer mode.
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Renewed)
$26.03
  • This Certified Refurbished product is tested and certified to look and work like new. The refurbishing process includes functionality testing, basic cleaning, inspection, and repackaging. The product...
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
03/11/2024 05:57 am GMT

The seventh installment of the Metroid series and the third such game in the Metroid Prime series, emMetroid Prime 3: Corruption/em was one of the best-selling games in Wii history, moving more than 1.4 million copies.

Set six months after its predecessor, Samus is controlled using the Wii Remote which helps you fire, aim, and jump your way to defeat your enemies. Add the Nunchuck into the mix and you will help Samus lock onto enemy attacks so she can pull out “Hypermode,” adding extra powerful attacks to her arsenal of tricks. 

There is no question that the Wii controllers shine with emMetroid and it reminds you of why Nintendo believed this was the future of gaming consoles. 

Even though it’s primarily a first-person shooter, you will find plenty of puzzles along the way that you need to solve to continue with the overall storyline, which adds to the overall value. Unsurprisingly, emMetroid earned a massive 90 Metascore, and many critics considered it to be one of the most perfect games ever to release for the Nintendo Wii. 

Samus is ready for your help, so pick up emMetroid Prime 3: Corruption/em on Amazon here

Metroid Prime Trilogy: Collector's Edition (Renewed)
$167.66
  • Premium three-game collection for the Wii console that bundles all three landmark Metroid Prime games onto one disc
  • Each game maintains its original storyline and settings
  • new Wii controls bring an entirely new level of immersion and freedom to these milestone games
  • Updated versions of Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
  • Three different sensitivity settings allow beginners to advanced gamers a chance to enjoy the games
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
03/11/2024 05:57 am GMT

A three-title combination released in 2009 for the Nintendo Wii, emMetroid takes the top prize as the absolute best first-person shooter for the console.

Composed of three games from the Metroid series: Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, there’s just so much to love about this game. The two former titles are the remasters of GameCube releases and arrive with control schemes that are well thought-out for the Wii Remote and Nunchuck. 

All of the titles have fantastic storylines on their own, never mind outstanding graphics for the Wii console, making emMetroid all the easier to pick as the best FPS. It will come as little surprise that the game earned a 91 Metascore and a 9.0 user score. 

Even for fans new to the Metroid series, each game stays true to its original storyline and settings. The only real downside was the lack of online multiplayer. While Metroid didn’t quite do for the Nintendo Wii as Halo did for the Microsoft Xbox, it’s pretty close to the perfect first-person experience you could ever hope for. 

emMetroid can be yours from Amazon here

While Metroid Prime: Trilogy doesn’t have a multiplayer mode, it makes up for it with fantastic gameplay.

Final Thoughts

Let’s be honest, the Nintendo Wii was never designed to be a centerpiece of first-person shooter titles. Its motion-sensing design had far greater promise than its graphical powers.

In the end, some fantastic FPS games arrived on the Wii all the same. Metroid Prime: Trilogy and Call of Duty: World at War are all the proof you need that having the best graphics isn’t the only thing that matters in the console world.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best first-person shooter on the Nintendo Wii?

Metroid Prime: Trilogy faced tough competition from Call of Duty: World at War, but in the end, it remains the best first-person shooter you can play on the Wii. 

Did the motion controls with the Wii Remote work well for FPS titles?

For the games on this list, the Wii Remote and motion controls worked really well and introduced a whole new way to play a first-person shooter. 

How many Nintendo Wii consoles sold during its lifecycle?

Nintendo sold 101.6 million consoles between 2006 and 2019, which is enough to make the Wii the fifth best-selling console of all time. 

What is the best-selling game for the Nintendo Wii?

Selling an eye-popping 82.9 million copies, Wii Sports is the best-selling game of the Wii era. Of course, it helps that the Wii originally shipped with Wii Sports, but that doesn’t make its sales numbers any less impressive. 

When did the Nintendo Wii launch in North America?

The Nintendo Wii launched on November 19, 2006, in North America which happened to be its first release anywhere in the world. 

To top