Many people complain about there being no good games on the Wii outside of Mario, Metroid and Zelda. However, those people are unaware of the secret gems that live withing the console’s darkest caves. A quick journey into the realm of the unknown brings many undiscovered rarities that are sure to tickle anyone’s fancy. Grab a flashlight, pick axe, and a granola bar, because we are diving head first into a pile of games you’ve never played.

5. Blast Works

Why did no one ever buy this game? That’s simple. One look at the quirky box art makes the game look like an interactive adaptation of a weekday Nickelodeon show. Either that, or there really aren’t any hardcore gamers who own the Wii. Looking a bit deeper, had anyone ever done so, gamers would have realized that what appears to be a game based on their little brother’s favorite Nick Jr. show is actually a hardcore scrolling shooter with old school inspirations  and a ridiculously deep level creator, which is only enhanced by multiplayer and online trading.

Buy Blast Works: Build, Trade, Destroy for only $13.99

4. Excitebots: Trick Racing

Excitebots is a game that screams hardcore arcade action. Though it is true that browsing over the box could produce confusion (why is a robotic turtle car throwing pies at a decapitated floating clown head?), which is likely why the majority of people never bought it, there is still no excuse for the supposed “hardcore” crowd that is constantly complaining about a lack of “hardcore” titles.

I mean, these are the gamers that supposedly look at review scores, and one look at a catalog of reviews for Excitebots reveals nothing but positive things, from both critics and users. This game takes you to the core of what a game should be — nonstop, reality bending, mind blowing fun.

Buy ExciteBots: Trick Racing for only $36.82

3. Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure

Hm, I’m starting to notice a trend with box arts and commercially unsuccessful Wii games. Zack & Wiki is perhaps the biggest offender of the daytime kid’s show box art, but it is also another great example of gamers ignoring reviews and positive press for some reason. You know that old misconception about “Nintendo is for teh kidz lulz?” I think Wii gamers have taken such a great offense to that, they absolutely refuse to buy anything that looks like a kids game, in fear of supporting that old ignorance.

How else could I explain Zack & Wiki never making it to the top of sales charts? This is one of the most refreshing, challenging, and down right difficult games I’ve ever played. And one look inside a Wii message board would reveal numerous threads about gamers who want exactly what this game offers, only more “mature.” Grow up, click the Amazon link below, enter your mom’s credit card info, and wait for Zack & Wiki to show up at your house.

Buy Zack & Wiki for $8.98

2. The House of the Dead: Overkill

However, if cheesy box design is primarily responsible for the poor sales of the games mentioned above, I have no theory on why The House of the Dead: Overkill tanked so hard. It’s a B-Movie style video game, from Sega’s legendary franchise, in which you get to blow the heads off of countless zombies. If buckets of gore, nudity, and an entire ass load of awesome isn’t enough to make you buy this game, I don’t know what is. This is honestly one of my favorite Wii games, and it is frustrating to see that so many people are unwilling to even look at it.

Oh yeah, it is an On-Rails Shooter. I forgot how much Wii gamers hate Rail Shooters for absolutely no reason. They whine about wanting a hardcore game, so developers release games like this and Dead Space Extraction (another favorite of mine) which they believe will cater to the “starving gamers” while taking advantage of the Wii’s strengths and downplaying its weaknesses, and all their supposed demographic can do is complain about how they want “real” games, like on the Xbox 360 and PS3. They call developers lazy for not making games like the HD consoles have. They claim that Rail Shooters are no fun, despite the fact that many of them haven’t touched one since they were nine years old and played Time Crisis II in their mall’s arcade, which I’ll bet you they loved.

Listen, if you are going to refuse to play Rail Shooters because all you want is a “real” first-person shooter, go buy a 360 and quit bitching. However, if you have never played this game because you never had the chance but are willing to play a Rail Shooter because you aren’t an idiot, click the Amazon link below. You won’t be disappointed.

Buy The House of the Dead: Overkill for $17.35

1. Little King’s Story

Little King’s Story is one of the best games I’ve played in the past ten years. It puts players in a whimsical world, hands them a crown and staff, and puts them in direct control of an entire magical kingdom. The unique blend of RTS, adventure, and empire building gameplay makes this a title unlike anything you’ve ever seen. It is challenging, robust, and extremely rewarding.

So why did it tank? It could be the cartoony box art, I suppose. A lack of marketing would attribute. It’s also kind of hard to find, I guess we could blame it on that. But really, the only thing we can blame it on is the fact that many Wii gamers won’t buy anything unless it is Wii Sports, Music, etc. Even the hardcore gamers are no where to be found when games they have been hyping up and promising to buy are finally released (I’m looking at you, The Conduit). Why is that?

Buy Little King’s Story for $29.99

There you have it, five Wii games you’ve never played. If you have played them, then kudos! For everyone else, I’ve provided you with links to Amazon so you can buy the games and have them sent directly to your house. I highly suggest trying at least one of these titles out, because I want these games to be played by as many people as possible. They are great efforts that developers put their hearts in to, and it is a shame that they went ignored.