A Wii Nostalgia Trip

I will always feel like the Wii was the best Nintendo console, though I'm probably just saying that because it's the one that raised me. It sold 101.63 million units across its lifetime, and I was one of many raised in that era of Nintendo. I was born about a year before the Wii dropped in 2006, and the first video game I ever touched was Mario Kart Wii . The console has always had a soft spot in my heart, particularly with its whole vibe and music—though that might just be the rose-tinted glasses of childhood talking. It felt properly liminal to me, but that could be because I was tiny during its lifetime and everything feels more magical when you're a kid.

Growing Up with the Wii

I didn't really gain consciousness until I was five, so roughly 2010 and bang in the middle of peak Wii era. This meant I experienced the console during its absolute golden period, when literally everyone was on it and the library was absolutely stacked—or at least, that's how my child brain remembers it. Unlike loads of Nintendo fans from previous generations who cut their teeth on the GameCube, the Wii was my proper introduction to Nintendo's world, and what an introduction it was. Looking back, I probably had no clue how good I had it.

The console's motion controls were genuinely revolutionary at the time, though I found myself adapting them to suit my needs. For some games like Mario Kart Wii, I preferred using the Wii Classic Controller instead of the wheel, which gave me far better control and a more comfortable gaming experience. This early need to find alternative control methods has made me incredibly aware of accessibility in gaming and technology throughout my life—though at the time, I just thought I was being fussy.

My Favourite Games

Loads of my favourite games are on the Wii, each holding specific memories that I properly treasure—though I'm sure I'm romanticising half of them. Mario Kart Wii will always be special as my first game, but it also became the arena where I absolutely demolished my family. I was genuinely the best Mario Kart player in the house, and I wasn't shy about letting everyone know it. I particularly enjoyed winding up my family on Rainbow Road, that beautiful, torturous track that could make or break relationships. There's something deeply satisfying about watching your loved ones plummet into the void whilst you glide serenely towards victory—though I'm probably remembering myself as more skilled than I actually was.

The online multiplayer was class when it worked, and local splitscreen sessions with mates and family created some of my most cherished gaming memories. Mario Party 8 was another staple, perfectly showcasing what the Wii's motion controls could do in a party game setting—and providing yet another venue for me to be insufferably competitive with my family.

Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort were absolutely essential experiences—Resort in particular, with its Wii MotionPlus integration, felt like the future of gaming. Wii Play: Motion rounded out my collection perfectly, offering those smaller, bite-sized gaming experiences that were perfect for quick sessions. I also had Wii Fit Plus , which I still occasionally fire up today (along with Wii Fit U on the Wii U) for a bit of light exercise and those oddly addictive balance games—though my younger self would probably be mortified to know I now voluntarily use exercise games.

What made these games special wasn't just their mechanics, but the entire ecosystem they existed within. The Wii Menu music, the Mii creation process, the way everything felt cohesive and welcoming—it all contributed to an atmosphere that felt uniquely Nintendo in the best possible way. Of course, I might just be getting misty-eyed about glorified tech demos and waggle controls.

The Console's Lasting Impact

Because of the Wii, I've always been a Mario fan as opposed to Sonic—though this might just be brand loyalty formed through childhood exposure rather than any objective assessment of quality. This might seem like a small thing, but it properly shaped my gaming preferences going forward. The Wii introduced me to Nintendo's approach to game design: accessible but deep, innovative but respectful of tradition, and always prioritising fun above all else. Without the GameCube as a reference point, the Wii felt like pure Nintendo magic rather than an evolution of something that came before—though I suspect every generation thinks their first console was the most special.

The console's emphasis on local multiplayer and family gaming also influenced how I think about games. Even now, I find myself drawn to experiences that can be shared, rather than purely solo adventures. The Wii taught me that gaming is often better when it brings people together—or when it gives you the opportunity to absolutely rinse your siblings at Mario Kart.

Getting Back Into the Scene

In recent years, I've got properly interested in Wii/Wii U homebrew due to my whole nostalgia trip. There's something deeply satisfying about breathing new life into these old consoles and discovering features or games I missed the first time around. I quickly put Pretendo Network on my Wii U running Aroma to regain the online functionality in games, and I would do that to my Wii with WiiLink if I had an original Wii but ended up doing it on the Wii U's vWii mode instead.

The homebrew scene has opened up entirely new ways to experience these consoles. Being able to play games that were previously region-locked, or experiencing enhanced versions of classics, has properly reignited my passion for the platform. It's also fascinating to see how dedicated the community remains to preserving and extending the life of these systems—classic example of the internet at its best, really.

Modern Gaming and Accessibility

These days, I primarily game on Steam, though I still cherish my Switch and Wii U for those Nintendo exclusives and nostalgic moments. On Steam specifically, I always use a controller—currently a PS5 DualSense—rather than keyboard and mouse. There's something about the tactile feedback and ergonomic design that just works better for me, and it maintains that direct connection to gaming that I first experienced with the Wii.

My early experiences with adapting controls on the Wii have massively shaped how I approach technology and web development. When I'm coding my own website ( ewancroft.uk , which you can explore on GitHub ), accessibility is always at the forefront of my mind. I believe that everyone should be able to enjoy and interact with digital experiences, regardless of their individual needs or circumstances. It's a philosophy that stems directly from those formative gaming experiences where finding the right control method made all the difference between frustration and pure enjoyment.

I still have my Switch and Wii U for those Nintendo exclusives and nostalgic sessions, and it's lovely to see how Nintendo has evolved whilst maintaining that core philosophy I fell in love with on the Wii. The motion controls are still there when they make sense, the focus on local multiplayer remains strong, and the overall Nintendo charm is as present as ever.

Seeing the Miis live on with Tomodachi Life and Miitopia amongst their other cameos is brilliant to see. These little avatars were such a big part of the Wii experience, and their continued presence across Nintendo platforms feels like a proper acknowledgement of that era's importance. I even found a way to use my Mii as a profile picture using software like this Mii Renderer , which is honestly quite neat.

Final Thoughts

Looking back, the Wii represented something special in gaming history—or at least, it did to my impressionable young mind. It was a console that prioritised innovation and inclusion over raw power, and it worked brilliantly. For someone like me who never experienced the GameCube era, the Wii felt like a complete, self-contained Nintendo universe that welcomed everyone with open arms.

The nostalgia I feel for this console isn't just about the games themselves, but about what the entire experience represented: a time when gaming felt genuinely magical, when new possibilities seemed to emerge with every waggle of the controller, and when Nintendo's philosophy of fun-first design felt perfectly realised. Of course, I was also about seven years old, so everything felt magical back then.

The Wii will always hold that special place in my heart, and I suspect it always will—even if future me looks back at this blog post and cringes at how sentimental I'm being about a console that made people flail around their living rooms. But honestly? Those were some of the best flailing sessions of my life, and I wouldn't trade them for anything.