Nintendo Wii Guide

There's a reason Nintendo managed to pull the video game industry out of its infamous downward spiral in the 80s.  That reason is that above all things, Nintendo is a company built on innovation.  Many of gaming's firsts can be traced back to Nintendo and countless best-selling franchises such as Mario Brothers, Donkey Kong, and The Legend of Zelda were all concocted in the halls of Nintendo headquarters in Osaka, Japan.  When Nintendo started tossing around terms like "paradigm shift" and "casual accessibility" back in 2005, the gaming public knew that they were in for some big surprises regarding Nintendo's next generation console.

What we got was the Wii.  A modest looking piece of hardware with a controller that closely resembles a TV remote.  People were a bit thrown at first especially since competitors Sony and Microsoft were attempting to dominate the home entertainment market with all-purpose, high definition game consoles.  After all, the Wii doesn't support HDTV resolutions, can't play DVDs, and the graphics are inferior to Xbox 360 and PS3. What was going to happen next couldn't have been predicted.  The Nintendo Wii simply became a worldwide phenomenon.

The Wii has been consistently sold out across the globe since its launch in November, 2006.  As mainstream as gaming has become in the past decade, the Wii tapped into an audience that gamers didn't even know existed.  All ages, all cultures, all genders have come to appreciate what the Wii has to offer.  From the Wii Sports tournaments taking place at retirement communities, to teenage girls having Wii slumber parties, Nintendo has redefined the video game demographic proving that gaming belongs to the whole world, not just 15-25 year old males.

Unique Controller
The major innovation that the Wii experience is built around is the controller.  Affectionately nicknamed, the Wii-Mote, this controller fits comfortably in the palm of your hand and has a simplistic button configuration for gaming rookies.  The Wii-Mote itself is rather unremarkable, but combine it with the Wii Sensor Bar that easily installs above or below your television and it becomes a three dimensional pointing device.  By using an internal accelerometer combined with infrared input, the Wii-Mote can detect motion and sense where you're holding the controller in 3D space.  This opens up a seemingly limitless amount of gameplay options that were not possible before.

To put it in perspective, imagine playing a golf video game and seeing all of your movements translated to your digital swing through the Wii-Mote.  Or imagine pointing and aiming the Wii-Mote like a rifle to blast zombies into oblivion.  When enough care and creativity are put into the development of a Wii game, the system can deliver immersive experiences like no other console on the market.

Games
Games developed by Nintendo and their first and second parties are usually quite brilliant.  At the top of the list is Super Mario Galaxy, a game that takes every function of the Wii and uses it in a fun and creative manner.  Some other great Wii offerings are Metroid Prime: Corruption, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, and Wario Ware: Smooth Moves.  A great library of titles is yours to choose from, but most consumers are going to spend a majority of their time with Wii Sports which comes packed in with every Wii console.  Wii Sports is almost a tech demo for all the unique gameplay scenarios the Wii offers, and each of the title's mini-games (which includes tennis, baseball, golf, boxing, and bowling) are easy to learn, difficult to master, and hard to put down.  All of these retail releases are complemented by an extensive online library of downloadable games that you can play through your Wii’s Virtual Console function.  These games are priced between $5.00 and $10.00, and feature a countless amount of Nintendo, Sega, and Arcade classics.  Add to that full backwards compatibility with Nintendo Gamecube games, and it’s needless to say, you won't soon run out of great titles to play on your Wii.

A word to the wise however, since the Wii is generally easier and cheaper to develop games for, the system has become a sort of breeding ground for shovel-ware titles.  That means every time you hit the store to purchase a new game, you'll be confronted with a frightening amount of terrible games that were rushed to market to cash in on the Wii's success.  Protect yourself by doing a good amount of research online before making a purchase so you don't end up getting stuck with a lackluster title.  That could take the swing out of any body's Wii-mote, and fast.

Gamers love Nintendo.  And whether or not you like Nintendo's brave new direction with the Wii, it's the only place you'll be able to enjoy all your favorite, Mario, Zelda, and Metroid titles.  For some people, that alone is worth the price of admission.  For others, it might be difficult to stomach Wii's lackluster graphics compared to gorgeous HD offerings on the 360 and PS3.  If you're a true gamer, the Wii can complement your video game collection nicely alongside a PS3 or 360, but you probably don't want to put all your eggs in one basket here.  You'll simply be missing out on too many next-generation masterpieces (Metal Gear Solid 4, Gears of War 2).  For the casual consumer, or anybody new to the gaming scene, the Wii is a great launch pad into the burgeoning and exciting world of video gaming.  It truly is the perfect gift for this holiday season...if you can find one, that is.