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Anniversary aftermath: What are we looking forward to?

As anniversary week winds down, we can't help but wonder: what's next? One good year for a video game console means nothing if it's followed by some not-so-great years. Fortunately, there are many fun things in store for the Wii, so we've decided to create this little guide to show you what exactly there is to look forward to.



Games to Look Forward to:

We've had some excellent games released this year, and now feels like a good time to be a Wii owner because many more are on the way. In order to organize the jumbled web of excitement in our minds, we made a list of ten popular titles to look out for in 2008.

  1. Super Smash Bros. Brawl -- Yes, we're obvious, and yes, you knew it was coming, but there's no way we could pretend that we weren't looking forward to this game. Brawl has added a lot of things to the formula of its already impressive predecessors, including the stage builder and music customization. We admit that we were also excited by the addition of some popular characters to the Smash Bros. franchise. This title will surely be nothing short of amazing.

  2. Mario Kart Wii -- Nintendo's last non-portable entry in this series was widely considered a disappointment, but there are many reasons why we believe that Mario Kart Wii won't suffer the same fate. For one, the game will support twelve player racing online. We're also interested to see how the use of motorcycles in the game works out, because if done well it can add something fresh to the series.

  3. No More Heroes

    -- Third party titles are important for consoles, and because we don't always know what to expect, we often anticipate them with cautious optimism. No More Heroes looks like a fun game with a good sense of humor, and you may have noticed that we've given the game a lot of coverage on this site. Sometimes we can't help ourselves, though, and we really believe that this title can be one of the Wii's best games in its second year.

  4. Animal Crossing -- We're very intrigued by the possibility of Animal Crossing Wii being an MMO. It's not confirmed that it will be, but if the rumor is true, we think it can add a lot of depth to the game ... not to mention, destroy our will to ever leave our houses again.

  5. Fatal Frame -- Do we really have to explain why we're looking forward to this game? I mean ... really? Is it not enough to say that one of the best horror series of all time is coming to the Wii? We hope this game scares at least twenty years off our lives, because really, we don't fancy getting old.

  6. Samba de Amigo-- A beloved rhythm game with a monkey, a sombrero, and maracas. Need we say more?

  7. Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: Crystal Bearers -- Not only is this Square Enix game looking beautiful, but what we've seen so far slightly reminds us of Skies of Arcadia, which can only be a good thing. We still don't have many details on this title, but it's always worth keeping an eye out for something with the words "Final" and "Fantasy" in the title.

  8. Spore -- You'd have to live in a hole that was located under a tunnel, which was under a pond filled with rocks and giant boats to have not heard about Spore, but you may have missed the news that the game is coming to the Wii. In this Will Wright project, you don't just create a society, you create life. The gameplay options in this game seem endless, and it's definitely worth considering next year.

  9. Dragon Quest Swords -- RPG fans, we know you're out there. You're not going to want to overlook this Square Enix title, but we're sure that those of you worth your salt already have it on your "must have" list. If you don't know much about the game or the series, though, you can always check out these drool worthy videos.

  10. Wii Fit -- We really don't know what to expect when it comes to Wii Fit, but we think it has the potential to be something great. Also, if the game provides a good enough work out, it might actually save us money when we cancel our gym memberships.

  11. Okami -- Okay, so we told you ten games, and here comes game number eleven. But do you want to be the one to tell Okami that that you're not excited about it? Even though the Wiimote will work oh-so-well in a game as uniquely wonderful as this? Yeah, we didn't think so.


Virtual Console and Wii Ware

It may be futile to hope that we one day get games like GoldenEye, Secret of Mana, and Mother 3 on the Virtual Console, but that doesn't mean we won't get other great stuff. This year there were almost 200 releases on the U.S.'s virtual console, which is not too shabby. By the end of next year there will probably be from around 350-400 games on the VC. We only wish our wallets could match our enthusiasm for all the games we want to buy.

What we're really excited for, though, is Wii Ware. Even just the first few titles announced seem worth buying, and we think Wii Ware will be one of our favorite things about the system by the end of 2008. Sure, there are some things to be weary about, like the lack of a hard drive for the Wii, but none of that changes the fact that Wii Ware is a brilliant addition to the console.

Wii Channels

It's about time that we got Wii-DS connectivity, and we especially can't wait for DS demo downloads to hit our Wiis. Sure there are many other things we might also wish for when it comes to the Wii's channels, but with the recent release of Check Mii Out and the soon-to-come gift feature in the Wii Shop Channel, it's clear that Nintendo isn't planning to neglect the channel system just yet.


Conclusion
We still can't believe it's been a whole year with the Wii, and what a good year it was. But the past is the past, and what really matters now is the future. Still, we don't see our love affair with the Wii ending any time soon, and the Wii's second year is shaping up to be even better than its first.