2014 has been a GREAT year for family friendly video games. We have seen new editions of Minecraft. The Toys to Life category is exploding thanks to new editions of Skylanders and Disney Infinity and more competition in the form of Angry Birds Transformers and Nintendo’s amiibo line. Most importantly we have spent the year bearing witness to the phoenix-like resurgence of Nintendo who have slowly started to right the ship with the once maligned WiiU console.
Below is a list of five games for the WiiU that are great for families and will be great gifts even if they aren’t number one of your child’s list. (And you know what… YOU might even enjoy them too!)
1. Mario Kart 8 – (Read our review here!)
Mario Kart 8 is on the short list for Game of the Year here at EFG. It was a must own for anyone with a WiiU at launch, but the promise of new racers and tracks coming down the line makes it a no brainer.
2. Super Smash Brothers for WiiU
You only get one Smash Bros. game per Nintendo console generation and this is it. It has not released yet as of the time of this writing, but it launches on November 21, 2014 and will likely be one of the hottest games of the holiday season.
3. Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze
Nintendo makes really good platformers. DK Tropical Freeze released earlier this year in the Spring of 2014 so it was missed by a lot of families. This holiday is a great opportunity to pick up a very strong game.
4. Hyrule Warriors – (Read our review here!)
Hyrule Warriors was announced this Spring to mixed opinions. Many people were disappointed that is was not a traditional Zelda game. But, it has been released to some stellar reviews.
5. Captain Toad Treasure Tracker
Captain Toad releases on December 6th, 2014 and looks like it might be the most charming game Nintendo has released in a long time. It is based on the Captain Toad puzzle levels in Super Mario 3D World but expands them to an entire game.
Honorable Mention: Shovel Knight – (Read our review here!)
Shovel Knight is just plain amazing. If you, or your child, have any interest in classic Nintendo games then this is a great buy for the WiiU. This is a downloadable title that is available on the Nintendo eShop and its low price (under $20) doesn’t hurt!
