The Nintendo Wii was a very special console. Making motion controls the selling point of the console after the immensely popular PlayStation 2 and Xbox made it clear they weren't required may have seemed like a risky move, but it paid off immensely.
The Wii had hundreds upon hundreds of game launches, so it only stands to reason that some of these have become rarer than others. Whether due to low print runs, general obscurity, or low overall quality, some titles have turned into challenges for die-hard game collectors and archivists.
Updated May 21, 2023, by Dennis Moiseyev: The Wii may now seem like a relic of the past, but there's still a market out there for some games that are more challenging to find and come with a hefty price tag. Here we've added more notable titles on the console that will make quite the collectible today, including some going for hundreds and into the thousands range.
19 Mario Party 9
- Used: $55+
- New: $140+
Mario Party 9 came out on the Nintendo Wii in 2012, and it marked the final entry for a Mario Party game or any Mario game for that matter to appear on the console. That's probably the main reason why it's more sought out as a collector's item today, with used copies also averaging around $70.
It's not as hard to secure a copy as some of these other ones, and you can find plenty available online if you can afford the price. While it may not be a mainline Mario game, Mario Party 9 continues the fun gameplay structure of you and other players moving around a virtual board and completing various minigames as the iconic characters.
18 The Last Story
- Used: $90+
- New: $100+
If you're a fan of the Final Fantasy series, this game may spark your interest. It's a JRPG exclusive to the Wii from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. The collector's edition is much harder to find, but there are basic copies of the game out there that still cost a pretty penny.
It's a fantasy game where you play as a character named Zael in the fictional Lazulis Island, with the core loop consisting of traveling in a party and battling enemies. And it may be an easier Wii game to play as it chose to not implement motion controls in the gameplay, which sounds as rare as the game itself.
17 Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
- Used: $130+
- New: $250+
One of the most famous 'rare games' there is, Radiant Dawn remains as difficult of a title to get ahold of as it is difficult to actually play. While the Fire Emblem series is quite bustling and popular now, back in the day it launched to something of a niche market.
As a result, this game and its predecessor (Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance) had a limited print run. With the series growing so popular, those who wish to go back to the older launches may find disappointment when seeing such high prices attached to these classics.
16 Dokapon Kingdom
- Used: $74+
- New: $750
While on the surface this game is just a simple board game and RPG hybrid, Dokapon Kingdom has reached infamous heights as a rare, expensive game. It was published by Atlus on the Nintendo Wii, and this may be a part of the problem — Atlus is quite known for its low print numbers.
It's notable that, even though a different company published Dokapon Kingdom on the PlayStation 2, those prices are quite a bit higher than one would expect too, possibly due to the extreme demand placed on the Wii version.
15 My Horse And Me: Riding For Gold
- Used: $75+
This game is one for real horse enthusiasts. It proudly branded itself as the only game officially licensed by the Fédération Equestre Internationale. My Horse and Me is ostensibly similar to any other game of its ilk, with a focus on competing in equestrian sports rather than simply bonding with your equine pal.
While the price point isn't too steep, it's certainly a rare one. One can't help but wonder why it wasn't a bigger success, surely it had nothing to do with the absolutely blank expressions of both the horse and its rider on the cover?
14 Xenoblade Chronicles
- Used: $25+
- New: $60
Xenoblade Chronicles has always had a bit of a reputation for being a rare game, but that has been assuaged by re-releases on the Nintendo DS and on the Switch. Back in the day, though, you would have to shell out the cash to buy this game - even as much as $150 for a sealed copy!
Despite its historic rarity in the West, Xenoblade Chronicles was obviously successful enough to warrant sequels and a fantastic remaster, something we're grateful for. It was looking a bit shaky for a moment.
13 Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus
- Used: $76+
- New: $130+
While this entry in the Guilty Gear series has multiple versions and multiple consoles to play it on, the Nintendo Wii version is predictably the hardest to find — and it has the highest price too. This game is an updated launch of the Guilty Gear X2 game
While the other versions were received well, the Wii version's controls sunk the review scores. This possibly contributed to the scarcity that the game experiences today.
12 Walk It Out
- Used: $12+
- New: $36+
The Wii was known for being very compatible with sports and fitness games, Wii Sports often being bundled with the base console. Walk it Out is one of these games and is a game centered around... walking. It is ostensibly a rhythm game for people who don't like the tempo of typical rhythm games.
A game like this would have done well during the pandemic when for many people even taking a stroll in the park was something of a luxury and many went on virtual walk tours. As it stands, though, Walk it Out seems like a quirky, sweet game that is now somewhat hard to find.
11 Cyberbike Cycling Sports
- Used: $200+
- New: $465+
This title is definitely an odd one — while the prices listed above are certainly true for the NTSC version of the game, it is easy to acquire a PAL version of the game's disc for less than $10. It seems that dreadfully low sales are yet again the driving force behind the inflated price tag as it seems almost laughable for a game such as this — even with the Cyberbike accessory.
Nintendo has come a long way with its exercise-centric peripherals, and this one also would've been a good fit during the pandemic. Cycling outside not an option? This game would give you the experience of riding through the outdoors.
10 One Piece: Unlimited Adventure
- Used: $35+
- New: $140+
Apparently the first One Piece video game to arrive on Western shores, Unlimited Adventure seems like the standard anime adaptation where you can play as any of your favorite characters as they romp around familiar locations and just have fun. With it being on the Wii, expect the usual overcomplicated motion controls to interact with anything.
While the game seems pretty affordable these days, good luck trying to acquire a copy. The title failed to sell well and a perusal of the game's Wikipedia page seems to suggest this could be down to a complete lack of advertising or promotion.
9 The Oregon Trail 40th Anniversary Edition
- Used: $50+
- New: $100+
In celebration of its 40th anniversary, The Oregon Trail saw its launch on the Wii in 2011 with redesigned mechanics and 3D graphics. You were now not only able to drive the wagon but make changes to its tarp color as well, and even catch fish. The game is a timeless classic that got yet another remade version in 2022, but this one will be much harder to find.
You'll see it from sellers on Amazon that even have used copies that run over $100. However, it is a unique and one-of-a-kind Oregon Trail experience that you won't get with any other existing platform version, so the price is definitely reflective of that.
8 Metroid Prime Trilogy: Collector's Edition
- Used: $120+
- New: $250+
While making for a popular series and releasing to critical acclaim, the Metroid Prime Trilogy is peculiar in that it had a very low print run. Why it was decided not to continue production may remain a mystery, but it will play on the mind of collectors, especially with renewed interest after the launch of Metroid Prime Remake.
Further increasing the luster of the game was the collector's edition, which featured an art book and steelbook case. These days, it's quite easy to locate for sale on the internet, but good luck paying any sort of reasonable price for it.
7 American Mensa Academy
- Used: $150+
- New: $290
The 'brain trainer' genre did really well on Nintendo's handheld consoles, with Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training being quite the iconic title on the DS. This led to many copycats trying to capitalize on the trend.
These attempts followed the market to the Nintendo Wii where the genre was... less than successful. American Mensa Academy was not that successful and is something of a peculiarity upon collectors' shelves these days. Just like Cyberbike Cycling Sports, this massive price hike seems limited to the NTSC version, with PAL versions of the game remaining dirt-cheap.
6 Rhythm Heaven Fever
- Used: $129+
- New: $158+
While the Wii U version of Rhythm Heaven Fever can be downloaded digitally for the low price of $19.99, the Wii version that launched in 2012 is a whole other story. The mini-game-packed title seems to have been driven into obscurity, and with that, its price is driven up by scarcity.
It does, however, seem that Japanese versions of the game are a bit cheaper to acquire. So, that's always an option for the Wii owners who so desperately want to experience this rhythm game — if they exist.
5 Ju-on: The Grudge
- Used: $80+
- New: $200+
Billed as a "Haunted House Simulator," this game is a survival horror game launched to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Japanese horror series. You may be more familiar with the series called The Grudge, which was a remake of the Japanese original with the first film with Sarah Michelle Gellar released in 2004.
The game didn't exactly do well and is now a big deal in the Wii game collector community, with prices rarely dipping below $100 — and that's only for the disc alone.
4 Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
- Used: $100+
- New: $500 - $700 (Sealed And Graded)
While Silent Hill games have never launched on a Nintendo Console, 2009's Shattered Memories was the debut title on Nintendo Wii. It also turned out to be one of its best horror games, written and designed by Sam Barlow, who is now known for FMV mystery games like Her Story, Telling Lies, and Immortality.
The plot loosely follows the original 1999 game with Harry Mason as the protagonist wandering Silent Hill to be reunited with his daughter while going for something new in terms of gameplay, especially with the motion controls. It's a unique take on the original Silent Hill with new copies being too expensive and extremely hard to get today.
3 Shakedown: Hawaii
- Used: Price Unknown
- PAL New: $80+
Developers Vblank Entertainment made a somewhat odd choice in 2020 to have their game Shakedown: Hawaii launch on the Wii — this is despite the Wii being discontinued since 2013. They also decided to launch the game on numerous other discontinued consoles. Guess they really believe in hunting collector novelties.
Only 3,000 copies of this version exist, and they are all for the PAL region, thanks to Nintendo of America being unable to authorize an American version. Thanks to this, the game is incredibly rare and even the Wii U version will set collectors back a cool $120.
2 Club Penguin: Game Day! Limited Edition
- Used: Price Unknown
- New: $750 - $1,000+
As already mentioned, the Wii was notorious for launching mounds of sports activity games that relied on the motion remote and other accessories. There also came licensed games like Mario & Sonic at The Olympic Games and this Club Penguin title right here. The original Club Penguin: Game Day! on Wii is still common and relatively cheap to acquire.
This version is a limited edition, and the main difference is the cover art. It's a black Wii logo as opposed to white and the jacket design is green, red, yellow, and blue penguin avatars arranged in a triangular pattern. It's an incredibly rare edition that can cost over a whopping $1,000. This is mainly because it was staff-exclusive for the 5th anniversary of the game and very few copies exist.
1 Sukeban Shachou Rena
- Used: Price Unknown
- New: $1,300
This game may just be the rarest game for the Wii ever. It underperformed staggeringly, failing to get even 100 sales within the first week after launch. It also seems to be impossible to find online, with the only easily available price quote being upwards of a grand for a new copy, and seemingly no used copies.
The game was apparently an action game in which you have to work through minigames to appease a cat named Rena, who is inexplicably the CEO of a company. Well, there have been odder concepts at least. But having cats in games is fun, whether to pet or play as one, especially given Stray.