While the Wii U may not have been fantastic when it came to overall original titles, especially given so many of them have since been ported to other platforms, it was a powerhouse when it came to the Virtual Console. Part of this was due in part to the fact that it was able to include DS titles, something we’re unlikely to see any time soon unless they get remakes. With that in mind in addition to many of its other exclusives, we’re going to go through 10 of our top picks for Wii U Virtual Console titles that players may want to consider picking up before the eShop shuts down in March of next year. Some will be individual titles and others may fall into a series grouping, but we’ve picked out an assortment that hopefully everyone will enjoy a bit of.
1. Pokemon (Various)
It comes as no surprise that Pokemon is a great headliner for this list, but unlike our similar 3DS list, this one includes exclusively spin-offs. Namely the Pokemon Ranger series and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon. It’s worth noting that the original Pokemon Mystery Dungeon was remade on switch and is a huge improvement over its predecessors, but in particular the Wii U is home to well-deserved fan favorite Explorers of Sky which has yet to be ported or released on any other platform. This is also the only convenient place players can get their hands on all three ranger games, which makes them well worth picking up if physicals are out of reach for players trying to get their spin to win on.
2. Metroid (Various)
There’s been a lot of love for Metroid recently given how successful Dread has been, and the Wii U is home to a handful of titles that fans might want to look into. There’s the first-person shooter DS title Metroid Prime Hunters that takes on a unique role for Samus as she hunts down a group just as much after her as she is them. Then there are the two GBA titles: Metroid: Zero Mission and Metroid Fusion. Metroid: Zero Mission is a fantastic remake of the very first Metroid title and best way to enjoy it these days, while Metroid Fusion is the entry that falls before Metroid Dread for anyone looking to get even more from the ongoing story of Samus.
- The Legend of Zelda (Various)
There’s three core Zelda titles on Wii U that these days can be hard to get physically, but are easily accessible thanks to the Virtual Console. There’s the GBA classic, Minish Cap and the two DS entries of Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. All three are great looks at how Nintendo began to mix things up on handheld, and are worth picking up for those who haven’t played them or just want to ensure they can be played in the future assuming Nintendo ends up not giving easy access to them moving forward. There are a variety of others available on Wii U as well, but almost all of them are available on Switch through NSO for those with access to it, so their value is dependent on the individual.
4. Fire Emblem (Various)
Fire Emblem is a notorious series for older titles being both expensive and hard to find, and the Wii U is home to a number of them that could easily fall into this. The assortment of titles includes Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones and simply Fire Emblem as was known here being the first title to release in English. All of these are a fantastic time especially for those wanting to see a lot of history regarding where the series got its English start and well worth picking up for any Fire Emblem fan who knows the woes of games being high value and hard to find.
5. Super Mario Bros. (Various)
That Mario guy gets around quite a bit in a number of different titles, and that’s no different for the Wii U Virtual Console containing one of the largest libraries of his various adventures over the years. This includes the likes of Mario Part 2, Super Mario 64 DS, New Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario RPG among many others. Those are our personal favorite picks of the bunch, but there’s a good few more to pick from such as a variety of sports titles to suggest a few. These are some of Mario’s best to boot, so they’re worth checking out before they’re no longer available.
6. Kirby (Various)
Much like Mario, Kirby has no shortage of titles to choose from on a slew of platforms. For those who want to get the most out of Kirby’s many adventures they may want to check out the slew of titles on the Wii U Virtual Console. This includes the likes of Kirby’s Epic Yarn, Kirby Mass Attack, Kirby Squeak Squad, Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land and Kirby & the Amazing Mirror to name a handful of the most well known. These are a variety of beloved and landmark titles that help shaped Kirby into how we know him today, so they’re well worth the visit for Kirby and platforming fans alike who just love seeing the pink puffball do his best.
7. Golden Sun (GBA Titles)
Golden Sun has been a cult classic for many years now and the first two entries are available to those interested on the Wii U. See where the iconic RPG series got its start and subsequent sequel to make the beginning of the story. Unfortunately the DS title never made the cut onto Virtual Console, but at least there’s two fantastic titles that players can involve themselves in and get an idea for why so many people love the series and would love to see it come back at some point no matter how likely it may seem.
8. Wario Land: Shake It
The Wii may not seem super retro just yet, but it’s old at this point which puts Wario Land: Shake It in the Virtual Console category. It’s a charming continuation that’s not physically easy to come by these days and is a wonderful look at where Good Feel got started before they’d go on to work on other series like Yoshi and Kirby. Enjoy Wario in one of his last Land journeys with one of the most charming art styles he’s ever seen, but just note that it will require the use of a Wii controller so that will be a requirement to check this title out in full.
9. Medabots
Anyone remember that Medabots anime that was on television in the late ’90s? Well it’s often new knowledge that the series actually started as a Video Game. Although most of them haven’t been localized into English, the only four that have are available on the Wii U Virtual Console. Technically, it’s two different games with multiple versions akin to Pokemon. This includes Metabots Metabee and Rokusho version, and Metabots AX Metabee and Rokusho version. Metabots is a remake of the Game Boy original RPG that wasn’t translated, while Metabots AX is a platforming fighting game. Both titles feature tons of customization and variety to make the ultimate Metabot fighter and are worth picking up just for being niche titles or for fans of the Anime who want to check out the only games released in English.
10. Ufouria: The Saga
This is the only title on this list that was unknown originally while looking up titles, but after trying it out it’s a surprisingly charming and relatively unique NES title that many don’t seem to be bringing up. This adorable little platformer features a character known as Hebe seeking out their lost friends while overcoming a maze-like variety of terrain and tons of enemies in their path. Once allies have been found they can switch who is in control in order to use their unique abilities to progress further until every last one has been found and saved. Like a lot of NES games it does have a bit of old jank but plays surprisingly well, though we’d recommend a guide at least to get started as the controls aren’t super intuitive without a little help.
