6 Best Wii U Sports Games

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is based on the 2016 Summer Olympics, and Rugby Sevens and BMX make their debut in it next to refined versions of old events like volleyball and swimming. On Wii U, every returning character can play every event, and Toad is a Wii U exclusive. The big change is that motion controls have been removed from a majority of events, and in multiplayer everyone but one player needs a Wii Remote, usually turned on its side, while one person gets the GamePad.

The game received generally mixed reviews, and the players who named it are split, with some fondness and some real grumbling. One reviewer still put it plainly: "if you're looking for a fun game to play with the family then it's one of the most enjoyable I've played this year." That is the right way to see it. It is a family night game, not a sports sim.

NBA 2K13 came out in October 2012 on almost every system around, and a Wii U version followed as a launch title in North America, then reached PAL regions in December. Jay-Z was its executive producer, and he curated its soundtrack, which earned critical acclaim of its own. The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated it for Sports Game of the Year.

It is the only NBA 2K on the Wii U, so if you want real basketball on this console, this is the whole menu. Critics lauded the on-court experience while criticizing the game modes around it, which is a fair warning for anyone who lives in career mode. It made this list on a handful of picks, mostly from people who bought it with the console at launch and kept playing.

FIFA 13 came out in late September 2012 in most regions, and it is the only FIFA game released on the Wii U, where it was a launch title. The big new feature across the series was First Touch Control, which made the first touch on the ball matter more. In North America, Lionel Messi had the cover to himself, the first time since FIFA Soccer 2003 that the region had a single cover athlete. FIFA 13 received critical acclaim.

Players still name it as the football game to own on the console, usually with a shrug about the lack of choice. One put it simply: "I'd recommend FIFA 13 to anyone with a keen interest in football." Since EA never made another one for the system, it stayed the newest football game on the Wii U for the console's whole life.

Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash is the series' first HD game, and Camelot built its headline Mega Battle mode around ideas that HD graphics made possible. It is also the first Mario Tennis game to feature simultaneous online worldwide multiplayer, and it does not require motion controls. Halfway through development, Nintendo wanted amiibo support added. Purists get Classic Tennis, which lets you switch off the Chance Shots and the Mega Mushrooms for a game closer to the older entries.

Ultra Smash is great fun, and players keep recommending it to new owners next to the big Nintendo games. Plenty of players also find it thin next to the older Mario Tennis games, and they have a point about the lack of modes. Mario Tennis Aces on the Switch did improve on a handful of things. On the Wii U, though, this is the tennis game.

Wii Fit U came out in Japan on October 31, 2013, followed by North America and Europe one day later. It uses both the Balance Board and the GamePad, and it is the only game on the system to support the Balance Board. Every retail copy came with a foldable GamePad stand and the Fit Meter, a pedometer you carry while jogging. You can play on the TV or only on the GamePad touchscreen, and owners of Wii Fit or Wii Fit Plus can bring their saved data along.

Players rank it right behind Wii Sports Club among the console's sports games, which says a lot for a game that mostly asks you to stand on a scale and feel judged. One study concluded that whether its exercises actually improve your fitness is unknown. Honestly, that is the most relatable result on this list.

Wii Sports Club is an enhanced remake of the Wii launch game Wii Sports, with five sports to swing at: tennis, baseball, bowling, golf and boxing. Bandai Namco was first meant to make it alone, but Nintendo EAD staff had strong feelings about Wii Sports and joined in. Takayuki Shimamura, the lead director of the first one, came back because he believed he would regret it if he didn't. Online play was the first focus, with clubs that compete on a live stats board, and each sport was free to try for 24 hours.

It received a mixed reception, praised for its new additions and controls and criticized for technical issues, and it never even cracked the top 20 best-selling Wii U games. Players still rank it above every other sports game on the console by a wide margin, and they keep putting it on their lists of Wii U games worth owning. The bowling alone has earned that.