Nintendo's Wii is definitely a successful console, by pretty much anyone's standard. But if there's one area that the Wii is sorely lacking in, it's online play, and specifically, online co-op. Less than twenty Wii games in our database have online co-op, and most of them are music games. But The Last Story, an upcoming RPG from Mistwalker, is definitely an exception to the rule.
Including online co-op is one thing, but supporting six players is entirely another. Six is pretty rare even on Xbox 360 and PS3, much less on the Wii. But how exactly will the co-op work? Players will join one of two types of multiplayer lobbies, Versus or Raid. Obviously, Raid is where the co-op will be. Players can take their single-player campaign characters' abilities and equipment into Raid mode, but levels will be equalized to give everyone a level playing field; that's a nice touch that will allow you to enjoy a bit of online co-op even with friends who have progressed farther in the story.
A well balanced party will be essential, so coordination between players is important. Once the game begins, the team is put against all sorts of boss characters, who drop items that presumably can be taken back into story mode. Chat options are limited to preselected text and audio messages. It looks like The Last Story has taken a page from the MMO book with these huge boss encounters. All in all, it sounds like a great way to finally enjoy robust online co-op on the Wii.