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Best of 2007: Worst attempt at a cash-in

David Hinkle
Associate Editor
Updated ·4 min read

During 2007, lots of companies realized that the Wii was doing good. Perhaps, too good. So, they scrambled to make games that they could port or "enhance" for the Wii, or other games that were made to take advantage of the console's adopters who were new to gaming and thus susceptible to spending money on crap games the unique capabilities of the Wii's controls scheme, causing a slew of cash-ins on the console that didn't necessarily bring anything new to the Wii other than another game sitting on the shelf. So, let's look at those games and you tell us what the most shameless and useless game of the lot is.


Soul Calibur Legends


Namco Bandai's attempt at a spin-off title made exclusively for the Wii didn't fare so well with the critics. Maybe it was the graphics, poor play mechanics or constant glitches that got the reviewers so down. Or, maybe it was just an unnecessary game that should have never been made.

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Mario & Sonic at the Olympics


We've made tons of jokes about how Mario & Sonic at the Olympics is completely and utterly bad. Come on, Mario and Sonic in a foot race?! What the hell, man?! But, sure enough, it has been selling better than we thought and some people are actually playing the game. So, Sega's cash-in for the Wii might very well have been a good idea.

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Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga


Oh no, Wii Fanboy is going to diss Lego Star Wars now?! Better get the pitchforks and torches ready, amirite? But, seriously, did we need the game repackaged in this manner? Sure, the first Lego Star Wars game might not have been released for the Wii, but it definitely hit the GameCube. Actually, the second game wasn't available on the Wii, either. But, it was, again, available on the GameCube. So, instead of allowing gamers to use the Wii's awesome ability to play GameCube games, Lucasarts repackaged the two for other systems and the Wii. Maybe we're reaching a bit on this one as the other consoles got it a bit worse than us, but it should definitely be considered.

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Carnival Games


Here's one of the "omg Wii Sports we need something like Wii Sports" games to hit the Wii, bringing forth a ridiculous array of minigames with a carnival theme. With this blogger having never played it, he can't comment on its exact worth, but its creation is definitely a cash-in.


EA Playground


Now, we come to EA's attempt at cashing in on the minigame madness with EA Playground. Considering we were so sick of the whole minigame thing back when it came out, we didn't give any time to EA Playground. Looking back, we're not too interested still.

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MySims


Take one of EA's most successful franchise and add in one console that has seen incredible popularity out of nowhere and you get My Sims. Our very own Alisha said it's "lacking in depth, it's long on charm and simple fun." So, maybe it isn't such a horrible cash-in and more of a valid option for fun times on the Wii. We'll leave that up to you to decide.

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Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition


It may have been many folks' choice for Game of the Year once, but it's been ported onto the PS2 and finally the Wii. The changes? There's a reticle always pictured and Nintendo faithful can now enjoy some of the extra content that those who snatched up the first port for the PS2 version enjoyed for so long. And now there's waggle, too. Great game, but still an obvious cash-in attempt.

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Ghost Squad


Ghost Squad is an arcade game that was created back in 2004. Sega, for some reason, saw fit to put it on the Wii in 2007. Light-gun games are a perfect match for the Wii, since the Wiimote can be a pretty good light gun and special peripherals don't need to be manufactured. But, why not do what Capcom did and at least attempt to bring something new to the table, instead of just giving us this game from 2004. The graphics look like they're from 2002, to be honest.

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Mortal Kombat: Armageddon


The port of the PS2 and Xbox game was given Wii controls, allowing special moves and fatalities to be performed with some serious waggle. But, since this game is pretty much the most content-rich fighting game in existence, many Wii owners just wanted the game on their favorite system and we can't fault them for that. So, maybe just because we felt it should be recognized, you don't.

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And there goes our list for the cash-in titles of 2007. But, your voice needs to be heard. Vote which one is the biggest, most shameless cash-in below and be sure to comment on games we might have missed or overlooked.

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