5. Wii Play
2007 | Wii
Copies sold in US: Close to 900,000
Average score: 58%
Marketed as the followup to the wildly popular Wii Sports, Wii Play was a collection of nine shallow minigames. Essentially just a bundle of Wii-remote tutorials disguised as disappointing games, Wii Play can keep up to two players captivated for about as many minutes, and is notable mainly because it comes packaged with a Wii remote.
The company line: "Wii Play collects nine quick and addictive games that are easy to pick up and play and hard to put away."
What the critics said: When even Nintendo Power magazine gives a Nintendo-produced game a 7 out of 10 score, you know it can't be terrific, but nearly all the critics agreed on one thing: if you're buying Wii Play for the Wii remote it comes packaged with, then it's worth it.
Of course, they didn't leave it at that. The Onion A.V. Club wrote that "the 'low-budget, high-fun' strategy that paid off for Nintendo with Brain Age and Wii Sports finally draws a blank." Even the most positive reviews for the collection gave muted praise, most of it directed at the Shooting Gallery, Laser Hockey and "Tanks!" minigames. The truth was, Wii Play presented a dilemma for critics, which was laid out succinctly by Electronic Gaming Monthly: "Play is for people who don't really play games, and as someone who really does, that's a problem."
