My Wii review (up yours nintendo for lack of supply!)

[RobertR1]

Thanks to various stores promoting Wii consoles for the launch of Smash Brothers I finally managed to grab one.

After getting the console and the load of accesories I came home and went at it.

The setup was a breeze. Nintendo do a good job of not overwhelming the user. Even non tech people can get on Wifi. The TV screens look is cool. The console navigates fast. Everthing is just pleasant and welcoming. From the appeareance of the console to the accesories, the soft white warm look gives off a friendly vibe that I'd damn near feel bad slamming one of these controller in anger. Maybe.

So we popped in WiiSports......
.
.
8hours later!

Between WiiSports/Play/Smash the gf and I simply could not stop playing. Let's face it. For hardcore games, the 360 and PS3 give you a more "wow" experience in terms of audio and visuals but there is a general level of disconnect with those consoles that the Wii removes and in turn provides you with a more fun experience due to the level of interactivity involved.

Before the Wii was launched I had a "meh" opinion of it. After the launched I thought it was a fad. Owning one, I can tell you it's not a fad. My gf is not a gamer by any stretch but she was more hooked on this than me! Hell we got physically tired from the boxing even, mainly because were we doing full shadow boxing movements but that's the level to which this console promotes interactivity. It feels much better to act out the motions in sports instead of just sitting in place and doing wrist flicks.

The motion control works great and always acted out faithful to our inputs. This is after we got in the right range for the sensor bar. The sensor bar is a big deal to get right so take your time getting the range and location sorted.

If you don't have a Wii, get one. You're not too "cool" or "hardcore" for it.

After properly experiencing the Wii, it becomes clear why the 360 and the PS3 have no chance of attracting the masses like the Wii can.

 

[Scott_Arm]

I really like the Wii, and I already have quite a few games for it, and enjoy all of them. My only problem is the release schedule for this year is looking pretty barren. I bought No More Heroes, and I'll get Smash Bros and Pro Evolution Soccer. Besides that, there isn't much I'm interested in. I really thought there would be more titles announced for this year and next.

 

[nintenho]

It is amazing how fun games like wii sports can be if you're playing with other people. There are other good "normal" games on it though like Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, and the Resident Evil wii games. I haven't played No More Heroes but a lot of people seem to love it's humor/art. 2008 is looking really barren for wii though.

 

[pcchen]

Yeah, my only complain about Wii is about the number of games. I only bought a few games: Wii sport, Wii play, Rayman Rabbits (I bought these along with the system), a few virtual console games, Furufuru park (a stupid party game), Wii Fit, and a music game based on a Japanese manga (actually it's my sister who wanted it). The most played games are of course Wii sport and Wii Fit. Although my four years old niece seems to like Furufuru park more.

Of course, this is still better than my PS3, which other than the media center usage, is mostly played for the PixelJunk Monster game.

 

[Mobius1aic]

I like the direction with things on the Wii like the new game ideas, but I don't like the execution itself though. Honestly I'd like to see more games that actually push the system and I wish some devs would take a chance with certain games/genres on the system as well. I would've been interested to see how Infinity Ward would've done with a CoD4 for Wii and even though I know Treyarch is doing CoD5 I'm still interested despite the probability it'll be using the same assets as the PS2 version (which kills me). Also my other muse for a Wii port is Rainbow Six Vegas, as I'd think the game would work quite well on the system with the cover and what not, plus I do think the Wii has enough graphica/CPU power to pull off a decent looking port of the game as well.

 

[DuckThor Evil]

I agree that for social gaming Wii is unmatched, since it still has games like Guitar Hero in addition to Wii Sports etc. as well, however for single player experience I prefer the other platforms.

 

[Mobius1aic]

I agree that for social gaming Wii is unmatched, since it still has games like Guitar Hero in addition to Wii Sports etc. as well, however for single player experience I prefer the other platforms.

Super Smash Brothers Brawl = Ultimate party game just like the previous........the online is almost meaningless to me to be honest, I want to play with my friends in the same room.

 

[RobertR1]

I'll still be using my 360 as the primary gaming platform but for socail gaming, this thing just can't be beat. It's was interesting to see that when we were waiting in line before the store opening, there were a fair amount of middle aged to elderly all buying it for themselves. Most of the young people had lined up just for Smash.

 

[jb]

RobertR1

thanks for your input on this. I always find your opinions very interesting.

However I tired one over a two week spand and just did not care for it too much. However I am very active (play sports, in the gym 5 days a week, ect) so when I want to play a game its more to "relax". Plus it seemed wrong to have it hooked up to my PHD-5080HD (did look good on it) But I am sure you will enjoy yours for a long time to come!

 

[RobertR1]

However I tired one over a two week spand and just did not care for it too much. However I am very active (play sports, in the gym 5 days a week, ect) so when I want to play a game its more to "relax". Plus it seemed wrong to have it hooked up to my PHD-5080HD (did look good on it) But I am sure you will enjoy yours for a long time to come!

I think most of my attraction to it right now is due to the socail aspect. I haven't even played anything single player yet. Mainly it's a new activity for the gf and I to do together instead of normal gaming where I'm playing and she's doing something else. I think a lot of the fun factor comes from that.

 

[sevanig]

I dont own a Wii (yet)
My mate brought his over one time, and its really fun to play with every one (especially bowling).
Grandma even had a go

But when it came to Wii sports boxing we all got very tired (and looked stupid ) swinging our arms in the air, as the winner would be the person who swung their arms in the air the most...

But that was the one thing that disappointed me the most.
1:1 motion tracking (or lack of), I could imagine a Wii boxing with that!!!

Dunno if its possible on the Wii? Maybe the Wii 2 might do it...

But I would still love one so i could play Mario galaxy/Kart

 

[RobertR1]

But when it came to Wii sports boxing we all got very tired (and looked stupid ) swinging our arms in the air, as the winner would be the person who swung their arms in the air the most...

But that was the one thing that disappointed me the most.
1:1 motion tracking (or lack of), I could imagine a Wii boxing with that!!!

Boxing, being one of my favorite sports, lead to a disappoinment in the Wii Sports implementation. It'd seem the issue is the lack of response from when doing fast motions. When I'd basically try to shadow box with the controlllers in hand, my Mii would simply stand in place while I'd get journeyman treatment! However, once I slowed everything down punches started coming out.

Even then, it was very difficult to have any consistance or placement. This is evident by playing the training sessions where you're doing mit work with the trainer.

Tennis, bowling, baseball, air hockey, table tennis, fishing and the shooting games having great motion control implementation make up the weak boxing.

Oh and brawl is just stupid amounts of fun. Seems so simply on the outside but it gets hectic and complex as you try harder.