11 Best Nintendo Wii Open World Games

The early 2000s flourished with many iconic open-world video games, while the Nintendo Wii stormed the world with one of the most casual-friendly home consoles, developers made sure to include some of these titles taking advantage of the new motion controls.

While the Nintendo Wii was a little short on the Open World side we made sure to include every worthy title on the console, including many ports and a few exclusives that might surprise you. So without further ado let’s dive in to discover the best open-world Nintendo Wii game out there.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess 2006

About
	Release Date November 19, 2006
	Developer Nintendo EAD
	Publisher Nintendo
	Franchise The Legend of Zelda™
	Genre Action RPG
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin Japan

Wii Releases
2006-11-19
2006-12-02
2006-12-07
2006-12-08

The Legend Of Zelda Twilight Princess was a launch title on the Nintendo Wii console, taking full advantage of the hardware the game was the definitive way to show what the Wii was capable of. The story follows the adventure of link as he takes on a new journey to save Hyrule from being engulfed by a corrupted parallel dimension known as the twilight realm.

Just like the previous titles in the series twilight princess is an action-adventure game focusing on combat, exploration, and puzzle-solving. The game takes full advantage of motion controls, for example, to attack the enemies you have to swing the Wii mote back and forth just like a sword. The game features up to nine dungeons to conquer including mini-bosses, bosses, and a handful of puzzles to solve. Overall, Twilight Princess is a no-brainer as many gamers consider this game a masterpiece in all aspects.

Scarface: The World Is Yours 2006

About
	Release Date October 10, 2006
	Developer Radical Entertainment
	Publisher Vivendi Games
	Genre Open World
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin Canada

Wii Releases
2007-06-12
2007-06-30

Scarface The World Is Yours is a GTA-style open-world game, the game follows the story of Tony Montana in a parallel universe, in this game Tony survives the last attack on him. Now Tony takes on a journey to rebuild his drug empire and take revenge on the attackers.

The game is seen from a third-person perspective mimicking the feel of the well-known 3d grand theft auto game, the player can drive cars freely all over the town taking over territories and eliminating rival gangs. The player can wield a variety of weapons including melee weapons, pistols, automatic rifles, and many more. Graphically the Wii version is the best so far compared to other ports, the Wii version offers enhanced controls taking advantage of the Wii mote, and even better visuals.

Driver™: San Francisco 2011

About
	Release Date August 30, 2011
	Developer Ubisoft Reflections
	Publisher Ubisoft
	Franchise Driver™
	Genre Arcade Racing
	Concepts Modern, Realistic
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin United Kingdom

Wii Releases
2011-08-30
2011-09-01
2011-09-02

Driver: San Francisco is an open-world racing game, the game marking the fifth installment of the long-running Driver series. The Wii port is hugely different from the HD counterpart telling a whole new story. The story is a prequel to the original Driver game on the PlayStation 1, featuring the first protagonist of the series John Tanner as an undercover cop.

The game is fairly similar to the GTA series, but without the ability to walk freely on the map, instead, the game is entirely played on vehicles. The player takes on various missions as an undercover cop taking down criminals, participating in illegal races, and chasing down lawbreakers. Graphic wise the developer choose a cartoony look fitting perfectly for the Wii capability and giving the port a different personality. Overall, the Wii port is a nice little surprise, actually, it’s a whole different game compared to the main HD version, allowing a whole new experience and story to be discovered.

Need for Speed™ Carbon 2006

About
	Release Date October 30, 2006
	Developer EA Vancouver
	Publisher Electronic Arts
	Franchise Need for Speed™
	Genre Arcade Racing
	Concepts Modern, Realistic
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin Canada

Wii Releases
2006-11-19
2006-12-08
2006-12-14

Need For Speed Carbon is an arcade racing game, the game act as the tenth installment in the Need For Speed series. NFS Carbon takes place in the fictional city of Palmont City, taking place just after the events of Need For Speed Most Wanted.

The player participates in a huge selection of street race events across the city, earning money and fame will allow the player to buy new cars or upgrade owned cars to the maximum performance. The game feature over 80 cars to be unlocked. Divided into 3 tiers the cars are fully customizable. Exclusive to the Wii is the motion controls, offering a new and innovative way to play the port on the Wii. Overall, taking some time to get used to the new controls will definitely make this port worth it especially if you like some good challenges.

Driver™: Parallel Lines 2006

About
	Release Date March 14, 2006
	Developer Ubisoft Reflections
	Publisher Atari
	Franchise Driver™
	Genre Open World
	Graphics 3D
	Perspective Third-Person
	Interaction Real-Time
	Concepts Modern, Realistic
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin United Kingdom

Wii Releases
2007-06-26
2007-06-28
2007-06-29

Driver: Parallel Lines is an amazing open-world game marking the fourth installment of the weel knows Driver Series. The game takes place in New York City following the tale of TK a notorious driver who seeks revenge over his old gang members who framed him for a murder he didn’t commit.

In terms of gameplay, the game gets back to the roots of the driver series focusing on driving, although there are shooting sequences the vast majority of the game is spent driving around the city. The game takes full advantage of the Wii motion controls using the Wii mote to aim at the screen and shoot. Graphically the game is fairly decent with outstanding cutscenes and decent in-game graphics. Overall, the game is well worth revisiting, especially if you enjoyed the classic driver games on the mighty PlayStation 1.

The Godfather® Blackhand Edition 2007 Port

About
	Release Date March 20, 2007 Initial Release: March 21, 2006
	Developer Visceral Games
	Publisher Electronic Arts
	Genre Open World
	Perspective Third-Person
	Concept Crime
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin United States

Wii Releases
2007-03-20
2007-03-23
2007-03-29

The Godfather Blackhand Edition is an open-world action-adventure game, the game is an enhanced port of the original game with additional missions and some minor tweaks. The game is based on the 1972 film The Godfather, telling the story of a new character joining the Corleone family to seek revenge against his father’s killers.

The game is seen from a third-person perspective, offering the player an experience similar to titles like grand theft auto. The player can freely roam the city fighting off rival gangs, completing missions, or just driving around. The player can wield a huge variety of weapons including a pistol, a magnum, a shotgun, and a Tommy gun. The Wii version takes full advantage of the motion controls using the Wii mote as a pointer to point and shoot and the screen, and using the movements as a tool to perform certain actions.

Bully: Scholarship Edition 2008 Remaster

About
	Release Date March 04, 2008 Initial Release: October 17, 2006
	Developer Rockstar Vancouver
	Publisher Rockstar Games
	Genre Action Adventure
	Perspective Third-Person
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin United States

Wii Releases
2008-03-04
2008-03-07

Bully Scholarship Edition was the definitive way to experience Rockstars hit Bully, the game was fully upgraded with newer missions, characters, and outfits. The game put in the shoes of Jimmy Hopkins a delinquent who has been expelled from seven previous schools. Now moving to a new school Jimmy must keep low and try to climb the school ranks to stop bullying for good.

The game set the player in an open-world environment completing various tasks and meeting many interesting characters. You can complete story missions, attempt class, and free roam the city. The player can use melee weapons including a slingshot, a baseball bat, a plank of wood, and many more. The Wii version takes full advantage of the motion controls mimicking the character’s movement to complete certain actions. Overall, the game is worth revisiting with an amazing cast and a great story.

Go Vacation 2011

About
	Release Date October 11, 2011
	Developer Bandai Namco
	Publisher Bandai Namco
	Genre Party
	Players Single Player, Split-Screen PvP
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin Japan

Wii Releases
2011-10-11
2011-10-20
2011-11-04
2011-11-17

Go Vacation is an exciting party video game, the player explores the fictional island of Kawawii competing in various sports events presented in form of mini-games. The player can free roam the island by walking or riding a vehicle.

Up to 50 different sports can be played on these mini-games including bungee jumping, ice fishing; scuba diving, off-road racing, tennis, and many more. Each game takes full advantage of the Wii motion controls and the Wii balance board offering a diverse control layout and exciting gameplay. Overall, the game is surprisingly huge for a Wii game with so much to do, you will find yourself spending hours on this game without even feeling the time passing.

Xenoblade Chronicles™ 2010 ゼノブレイド (Zenobureido)

About
	Release Date June 10, 2010
	Developer Monolith Soft
	Publisher Nintendo
	Franchise Xeno
	Genre JRPG
	Concept Sci-Fi
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin Japan

Wii Releases
2010-06-10
2011-08-19
2012-04-06

Xenoblade Chronicles is an open-world action JRPG game and a part of the big Xeno series starting way back on the mighty Ps1, this one was a bit of a surprise by Nintendo as it came’s really late on the console’s life. You take control of Shulk a young scientist who comes into possession of the Monado a mysterious sword with mythical powers, as Shulk discovers more about the sword and meets new companions through his adventure several mysteries and plot twists come in into the surface.

The gameplay is in real-time for the main leader while the other party members are on auto-attack, gameplay is more like a hybrid between action JRPGs and MMO-style combat systems. If you like action JRPGS, a rich deep story with a huge world to explore then Xenoblade Chronicles is definitely worth your time.

Opoona 2007 オプーナ (Opūna)

About
	Release Date November 01, 2007
	Developer ArtePiazza
	Publisher Koei Tecmo
	Genre JRPG
	Concept Sci-Fi
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin Japan

Wii Releases
2007-11-01
2008-03-25
2008-12-11

Opoona is a very unique cutesy Sci-Fi JRPG, developed by Artepiazza the team behind several Dragon Quests games, it combines elements of turn-based combat RPG and life simulation games. After an unfortunate space accident, Opoona finds himself separated from his family members as he finds out what happened to his family Opoona is forced to discover a new planet.

The player can freely roam the game completing various jobs and missions, the game is fully unlocked giving the player the freedom to approach it freely. Aside from the job system the player encounters different enemies, and all battles are in real-time taking advantage of the Wii motion controls to aim and fire. Overall, the game is fairly simple but can be a lot of fun with so much job to take and a huge world to explore.

Arc Rise Fantasia 2009 アークライズファンタジア (Āku Raizu Fantajia)

About
	Release Date June 04, 2009
	Developer Imageepoch
	Publisher Marvelous
	Genre JRPG
	Concept Fantasy
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin Japan

Wii Releases
2009-06-04
2010-07-27

Arc Rise Fantasia is a jRPG to the core with classic gameplay and some of a cliché story, but who doesn’t enjoy a cheesy game from time to time? You take control of L’Arc a young mercenary who was sent by the meridian empire to fight a horde of Feldragons, he nearly dies after being knocked out of the ship and exposed to an exploding Feldragon, a mysterious girl named Ryfia appears stopping the blaze.

As the story progress, you’re exposed to multiple twists in the story. Gameplay-wise the combat is a turn-based traditional RPG, where the player encounters various enemies and monsters. Graphically the game looks amazing for its time with sharp visuals and anime-like character design. If you’re into classic Jrpgs Arc Rise Fantasia got you covered with solid gameplay and an interesting story.