So first I was gonna do my personal Top 10 Wii games, but we all know how that would turn out. Metroid Prime Trilogy, Galaxy 1, Galaxy 2 on top. And that's just no fun. And DKCR had to be in there, etc ... so instead I decided to do a third party only list! Hopefully it's more interesting!

I should note, every game on this list is an instant buy for me. Also, no WiiWare.

I don't like Monster Hunter Tri, sorry!

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I disagree with at least half of that list. If not the games, than the positioning of them. Whatever floats your boat, though.

I'm too lazy to do mine, but I'd have Monster Hunter Tri, Zack & Wiki, Okami, and A Boy and His Blob on mine.

Deadly Creatures is a deceptively great game. At least the Tarantula portions were. Some amazing and fun level design there. I would really like a sequel that focuses on the Tarantula portions, scraps the scorpion, and of course a lot less glitches and maybe a new setting. Like Australia, or a jungle in Africa. Lots of potential.

Also no mention of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom?

I definitely agree with some of your picks, GelatinousEncore. I've played them all, except for Rabbids Go Home.

MadWorld and Red Steel 2 were incredible experiences, and I don't quite understand the hate they get.

The only one on your list I cannot agree with is Deadly Creatures. The game would have been awesome if it didn't have game-breaking glitches and bugs. Some of the stuff was just awful (like mini-bosses clipping through the ground where they can't be hit).

10. The Godfather: Blackhand Edition
9. Grand Slam Tennis
8. Elebits
7. World of Goo
6. Cave Story
5. Boom Blox (and BB Bash Party)
4. Trauma Team (and Second Opinion and New Blood)
3. Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars
2. Red Steel 2
1. Mega Man 9 (and 10)

That list really surprises me. But I think it's accurate to my feelings, after having a look at all the third party Wii games I've played.

And here are the horrible, horrible failures that didn't make the top ten list:
BIT.TRIP BEAT
BIT.TRIP VOID
BIT.TRIP RUNNER
The Conduit
Deadly Creatures
Disney Epic Mickey
Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
Geometry Wars: Galaxies
GoldenEye 007
Guitar Hero: World Tour
Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law
LostWinds
Madden NFL 07
Madworld
Medal of Honor Vanguard
Mercury Meltdown Revolution
Metal Slug Anthology
Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars
Naruto Clash of Ninja Revolution 2
No More Heroes
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
Rayman Raving Rabbids
Red Steel
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
Sonic and the Secret Rings
Sonic Colors
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World
Virtua Tennis 2009

I hate to say this, but I couldn't make list of the top ten third party retail Wii games for a number of reasons.

First, to my great shame I have not followed through with buying many of the games I was hyped for, for instance Fragile.

Second, there are a good number of games that I have not put significant time into, or at least not enough to comfortably rank them, for instance Monster Hunter and Little King Story.

Third, there are actually a bunch of games that I not only bought, but played to completion, that I just wouldn't feel comfortable putting in any "top" list, such as Overlord or Rabbids Go Home.

Off the top of my head, No More Heroes 1 and 2, De Blob and A Boy and His Blob would be on there. That would be my top 5, I guess.

Add Bully and The Godfather, I guess, but do ports count?

Anyway, depressing.

edit - Forgot Trauma Team. Hmm, I guess we're getting there.

Alright, I've given it some thought, and I've come up with my own 'Top 10 Favorite 3rd Party Wii Games' list. My criteria isn't so strict. Ports, WiiWare, multi-console... whatever. If it's playable on Wii and *not* developed or published by Nintendo, it's fair game. So here are my picks for my most enjoyable 3rd party games on Nintendo's latest console. Check 'em out.

10.) Guilty Gear XX: Accent Core Plus



I'll tell you guys what. If there's one thing I really enjoy, it's a great 2D fighting game. This game bring that to the table, with rockin' tunes and some very well-animated high-res 2D art. It's really enjoyable - but it is a shame there's no online mode. Still, it remains as one of my most enjoyed 3rd party Wii games.

9.) Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles



This was a surprisingly fun on-rails "light-gun" shooter. The Wii is really overflowing with this genre (and apparently it's not gonna stop anytime soon, thanks to a rumor (confirmation?) for House of the Dead Overkill 2) but this was kind of a stand-out for me. *Very* impressive graphics, improved boss encounters, better presentation overall.... it's really great. In short bursts, anyway.

8.) SSX Blur



This came out early in the Wii's lifetime, and it received mixed reviews. Admittedly, the motion controls have a fairly steep learning curve, and getting "remixed" versions (as well as straight-up 'ports') of old courses is kind of a bummer. But from my personal view, I got this for $30, loved the motion-controls, and really dug the soundtrack. I enjoyed this a little more than SSX: On Tour, which was the game that came out just before this one in the series. It's not as great as SSX3 of course, but it's my second favorite in the series and one of my favorite Wii games.

7.) World of Goo



Ah, one of the first games that really legitimized WiiWare. What can I say about this game that hasn't been said already? Great 2D visuals, haunting soundtrack, great use of the Wii's IR controls, fairly meaty amount of content... still one of the best offerings on Nintendo's download service.

6.) Mega Man 9



Speaking of WiiWare... THIS game freakin' rules! I've been a fan of Mega Man since the NES days (join the club, eh?) and this retro-designed game is just amazing. Super-challenging (especially if you go after those 'Achievements') and pitch-perfect as far as an 8-bit game from yesteryear goes. I've heard the DLC is good too, though I haven't tried it myself.

5.) Okami



Confession time: I've actually *not* beat this game on Wii before. My first run-through was on the old PS2. But I've been (re)playing it thanks to the OKAMI CLUB, and I'm pleased to report the game has stood the test of time. At least for me. Clover did a really good job with this "Zelda-clone."

4.) Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition



The definitive version of one of the best games of all time. 'Nuff said.

3.) Castlevania: The Adventure - ReBirth



Hey, another WiiWare title! I love me some old-school Castlevania - this series was one of my favorites when I was a kid. This game captures a lot of the same spirit of those old games, while injecting a lot of new stuff, too. Purposely old-school "16-bit" graphics, a remixed soundtrack, tight controls, tons of secrets... this game is good. I keep picking this one up from time to time, it because it captures one of the things the popular "Metroidvania" games really don't IMO; replayability.

2.) Guitar Hero 5



I know, I know. This series has been run into the ground. I'm not gonna argue - it's true. But for me, this is only the third game in the series. And even though it's not exactly the deepest gaming experience, I can't lie about the insane amount of fun I've had with my friends while playing this game. Get a group together, have a few drinks, crank up the sound and just rock out. Sure, it's casual, brainless fun... but when has THAT been a bad thing? The Wii version gets special props from me, since it does some really good stuff, tech-wise. Not only does it match feature-for-feature of the same game on the HD systems, but there are also some Wii-exclusive ones - not in the least of which being "Roadie Battle" which allows you to link up two DS's for some intense multiplayer action. Add in the "always online" feature, transference of tracks from previous entries in the series, and no game-specific Friend Codes, this is the one music game to rule them all. .... or at least it was, until Rock Band 3 came out. But I haven't played that one yet...

1.) Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars



And finally, my favorite 3rd party Wii game. Arguably the most bad-ass fighter on the system. A great cast of varied characters, tons of moves and combos, a balanced set of moves, online multiplayer, and some of the Wii's best graphics. This game is so addicting - easily my most-played title on the system. As a fighting game fan, this game is an absolute must-have. Just make sure to use a Classic Controller.

Interesting to note; something I wasn't even aware of: with few exceptions, many of my favorite Wii games from 3rd parties are easy to 'pick-up-and-play', almost arcade-style games.

Man, RE4 Wii Edition is outstanding. Truly the definitive version of that game. Anyone who's a fan of the original should consider picking it up!

Loved all you guys' lists!

No way I'd place TvC at number 1, but I don't like fighters

My (retail) list would be pretty different. Something liiiiike:

10)

9)

8) Tiger Woods
To be honest, I didn't play much, but what I did play impressed me, and the series has always been incredibly meaty and content-rich.

7) Okami
Yep, it's a Zelda clone. Even though it has some flaws, it also does many things incredibly well. It's sort of the inverse of Twilight Princess.

6) No More Heroes
This game is so weird and charming that it won my cold, black heart.

5) Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom
Fantastic game. Solid fighting mechanics and quirkiness to spare!

4) Some Trauma game
Love these games. They transitioned to pointer control surprisingly well.

3) Boom Blox
Single-player... meh. Multi-player - one of the few games with the potential to match Wii Sports' universal appeal. Fun for the whole family.

2) Geometry Wars Galaxies
One of the first third-party games that I would recommend without qualification. Tons of content, no corners cut.

1) Monster Hunter Tri
Do I really need to evangelize this game more??

...not counting ports that I've played. I liked other games, but I didn't feel that they deserved to be on the list. That said, I haven't really played stuff like Little King's Story, Rune Factory, Silent Hill, MadWorld, etc.

GelatinousEncore said:

No way I'd place TvC at number 1, but I don't like fighters

That is why you fail! [/Yoda]

Tatsunoko vs Capcom is like the fighting game fan's equivalent of... uh... I guess Black Ops or Halo: Reach for FPS fans. It's like the fighting game fan's equal to the RTS fan's Starcraft II. It's the fighting fan's DragonQuest IX, the equivalent Donkey Kong Country Returns for platformer fans, and stands toe-to-toe with Dead Space 2 for fans of games that feature guns, aliens, and guns shooting aliens. IN SPACE. *nudges carlos with elbow*

For a fighting game fan, this game is beyond awesome. Tournament-level players prefer it over "legendary" games like Marvel vs Capcom 2, which I'm sure you've heard of. I'm kinda sad you don't like it - you're ignoring one of the absolute best 3rd party efforts on Wii. The game even supports *true* widescreen AND 480p! Something not even MadWorld or Monster Hunter Tri can claim.