SSX Blur

EA’s colorful snowboarding game came out early in the Wii’s life, and makes excellent use of the Wii’s motion controls. The Nunchuk’s analogue stick and tilt sensor are simultaneously used to control the boarder, resulting in one of the most hardcore experiences on the Wii. Once tilting one way and steering another is mastered, gamers will then have to undertake the drawing of symbols to perform tricks mid-air. This aspect of the game can be difficult to learn, mainly because the game does a poor job of explaining how to perform the tricks outside of the tutorial stages. Fans have since made many videos and guides explaining how the symbol drawing works, removing the guesswork and making the game an even more attractive purchase.

Mercury Meltdown Revolution

Of all the tilt based games released for the Wii, MMR was probably the best of the bunch when all things were taken into account. Its stages balanced puzzles and platforming better than either Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz and the now tough to find Kororinpa, but without the visual charm of either of those titles. It was also a PSP port, giving gamers who had played the original little reason to try again. Still, gamers who give it a chance will find excellently judged controls and loads of levels to sink their teeth into.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz

The second tilt-based game to be featured on this list; Banana Blitz is a game of highs and lows. Its single-handed controls tire the arm quickly; a surprising choice from Sega in a game where stability and patience are key. Gamers who switch to a two-handed grip will find the third game in the series captures the simple elegance of the GameCube original, rather than the arbitrary level design of the second game. It also features boss levels that showcase some of the most imaginative stages in the entire series. The multiplayer however is largely poor (with a few exceptions), and criminally, the main stages cannot be enjoyed in multiplayer. Yet despite the negatives, the game provides a diverse collection of stages and a well judged difficulty curve. The iPhone’s cool, but where’s the Wii sequel Sega?