23 out of 23 people found this review helpful.
Even my wife loves the Wii!!!
Date of Review: Oct 18, 2007
The Bottom Line: This thing is fun, fun, fun. Anyone can play it and the price is right. What are you waiting for??? Go get one now!
I've been a gamer since the Atari 2600 come out (I know, I'm old...) and love to see the new, exciting games and systems that come along. I'm always impressed by great storylines, awesome sound effects and HD graphics so I jumped to get a PS3 when they hit the market and stayed clear of the Wii - live and learn.
As the hype of the Wii built up I became intrigued. This little system, with it's 'cartoonish' graphics and (gasp!) only 480p max resolution for some games was really making waves. My wife even commented that if we had a Wii she'd play it - gaming is usually a time that divides us so I thought that was cool and decided to get one, easier said than done.
The Wii is still in very high demand, I searched for a week and finally showed up at a local gaming store just the UPS guy was dropping off a box. By the way the employees and others in the store acted they need to deliver these things in armored cars! Anyhow... I bought my unit (they'd only let me buy one, I tried to get 3) and headed home.
The system was easy to setup as well as slim and attractive, especially when compared to the behomoth PS3. The system also has a fast startup which is nice. With a small amount of technical knowledge you can be hooked up, synched, calibrated and connected to your WiFi in about 15 minutes.
To navigate the Wii you use a home screen layed out in 'channels'. Channels are represented by small TV-shaped boxes with animated labels on them. Standard channels include weather and news (updated via internet) which are nice to have - I'll let the news slide show play in the mornings as I'm getting ready.
There is also a Wii Shop channel available where you can download additional content and games. One thing I noticed is that you have to pay to get the internet channel in order to surf the net - I thought that was kind of lame.
Another cool feature is the Mii Channel. Users can create an avatar and use them in some games. You can change clothes, height, facial features, etc. There is a Mii parade where other Mii's stroll around and you can allow your Mii to mingle - where they actually go 'hang out' on other Wiis via the internet connection. Freaky...
Now, on to the gameplay...
As promised, my wife and I played this together, the system comes packaged with Wii Sports and we jumped right in to bowling. Some greasy food and warm beer would be all you need to feel you are in a bowling alley. The sound and gameplay are amazingly realistic and Nintendo's trademark cartoon-style characters keep the focus on the gameplay itself.
Utilizing the Wii Remote (Wiimote?) you play by holding a button, swinging your arm and releasing - a twist of the wrist gives you spin that is pretty accurate to the real game.
The controller is what truly sets the Wii apart. You don't have to learn 15-button combinations to play a game, simply hold 1 or 2 buttons and move the controller and you're gaming. Other games are just as intuitive - golf, tennis and baseball are a blast on the Wii. This is truly a game system anyone can play, no matter how uncoordinated they might be. All of the Wii Sports games allow you to use your Mii to play the games and this allows you to track your skill level and high scores.
The controller also has a built-in speaker that offers some simple sound effects and vibration feedback. It also allows storage on the controller of some items - like your Miis - and you can take them to other systems.
Pricing on the Wii is pretty standard, $249.99 at almost every store. Games are less than for some of the other sytems on the market and accessories are plentiful.
If you want a game system the whole family can have fun with - from grandkids to grandparents - this is it. Easy to use and fun for sure. Wii sure have fun with ours... :-)
Meijer
