The Nintendo Wii console system probably isn’t your first choice when it comes to promising venues for simulated gambling games, but you would do well to think again. GameMill entertainment’s Holiday Games was specially released for the Wii system just a few years back, and is comprised of eight mini-games:
Rock Climbing
Mini Golf
Casino
Trap Shoot
Skii Ball
Driving Range
Ping Pong
Shuffle Board
One note: Holiday Games for the Wii might be a little hard to find if you’re searching for it. That’s because it was made primarily for Germans and Austrians, and the language choices in-game reflect this choice. But you hardly need to know the language to play the game, so take a shot at it if you can get your hands on the disc.
Nintendo Wii: Mahjong Quest III – Balance of Life
Anyone who owns a Windows-based computer has probably seen the ancient Eastern game of Mahjong represented by an icon somewhere in their folders. This life-centered board game never gets old, and challenges your memory as much as anything else on the market. The variations get increasingly more complex as your skill rises – so there’s never a dull moment. Even better, the story aspect of the game is tied into your decisions, so you literally write your own adventure. It all ends however you want…
Monopoly on the Wii
Milton Bradley’s Wall Street classic hardly needs an introduction. Electronic Arts has ported it to the Nintendo Wii, so that all appropriate ages can enjoy this quintessential introduction to simulated gambling. The multiplayer adds loads of fun to the setting, along with the ability to reach newer levels that haven’t been released in previous versions of the board game.
Wii’s Fortune Street
Because of their reputation with the incredible run of Final Fantasy games, it is pretty much assumed that Square Enix can do no wrong. They might be relative novices when entering the world of simulated gaming, but their RPGs have actually long had gambling elements interwoven throughout the game-playing structure. With Fortune Street, they dispense with merely toughing on this aspect and bring it into full bloom. Familiar characters from the Dragon Quest Universe show up on the board game and give you chances to win more money, with Super Mario and his crew of friends, enemies and frenemies taking their spots on the board. The money isn’t real, but the excitement that comes from real-world wheeling and dealing with real estate and stocks is definitely there.
Cruise Ship Vacation
For many people, a high-seas adventure is the pinnacle of any vacation dream. There’s just something about being in the middle of nowhere, with endless blue all about, partying and gambling into the night. Well, the Nintendo Wii’s Cruise Ship Vacation lets you experience a virtual facsimile of this, plying you with mini games like Blackjack, Roulette and Craps. You can take a short step outside these Table Game offerings for a stint of rock climbing, golf, ping-pong and more if you like. The world of simulated gambling has never been more varied with this effort from Game Mill Entertainment.
