Wii Reviewed: Wii are who we are!

by: Mulder_Prime November 28 2006

Yesterday I was at a local retailer and was astounded to see a lone Nintendo Wii all by itself.

I had been waiting since launch to get one, but didn’t expect to actually get one until at least Christmas so I snatched it up right away; it was a good decision.  Time will tell if the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, or Nintendo Wii will emerge as the king of the next-gen consoles, but I want to give the Komikazee Nation the low down on Nintendo’s innovative new system.

Design
The design of the console is sleek and handsome.  The style and white color remind me of the last generation of Ipods and the Nintendo DS Lite which I both liked.image On the front of the console you have the power button; reset button; eject button; a disc slot that is lit up in a soothing neon blue light; and a small, well concealed door that opens to reveal the SD memory card slot.  If standing vertical, the top of the Wii reveals two more doors: one that conceals four wired controller ports, and one that conceals two Gamecube memory card slots.  The rear of the console is where you will find two USB connectors, the air vent, sensor bar connector, AV multiout connector (AV cables included), and DC input connector.  The design is very compact and is about the size of three stacked DVD cases.

Setup
The setup was quick and easy.  You have to “sync” the wireless remote controllers with the system, but this was easy and the system setup manual was very helpful.  The nun-chuck and wireless remote is incredibly sensitive but easy to use.  I know a lot of people are skeptical of this new design, but when I was playing Wii sports and navigating the interface it just felt right.  Boxing on Wii sports is the only game to utilize the nunchuck, and it worked well.  As I play other nunchuck compatible games I will let you know. The console includes two AA batteries for the remote so you don’t have to make an extra purchase.  The sensor bar can be placed above or below your television on a flat surface.  When the system is powered up you will be prompted to answer where you will position the sensor, which must also be centered with your television.  Structurally, I felt the sensor was a little flimsy so position it well.

Function
The Wii interface functions using a series of “channels” that allow the user to pick and choose what they want to do.  The first channel is the “Wii channel” which allows you to play Wii and Gamecube games loaded in the front disc slot.  The next channel is the “Mii channel” which allows the user to make cute caricatures of yourself to be saved and used in Wii sports and other Mii-compatible games.  Mii’s can best be described as charming in the same way the PS2 game Katamari Damacy or original PC game The Sims was charming.  I have made Mii’s of my entire family and my favorite television hero and heroine, Mulder and Scully, from The X-Files.image The following channel is the “Photo channel” which allows you to download photos and videos from an SD memory card.  I have not used this option yet, but you are supposed to be able to edit photos, add music, create a slideshow, and play puzzle games using your existing photos.  The next three channels require an internet connection:  “Wii shop channel”, “Forecast channel”, and “News channel.” You can purchase virtual console games based on original NES, SNES, N64, Turbo-Grafix 16, and Sega Genesis games.  Each game you download will become its own channel for easy access.  The “Forecast channel” allows the user to check the weather anywhere in the world using your wireless remote to navigate a video representation of the Earth; this is supposedly powered by NASA technology.  The “News channel” allows you to view news from around the world.  I do not have a wireless internet connection to access these channels, but I plan on purchasing the Nintendo Wi-fi USB connector to convert my wired internet into a wireless signal compatible with my Wii and Nintendo DS hand-held.

Wii Sports
It was about time one of the “Big Three” went old-school and packaged a game with their console at launch.  Wii sports includes Nintendo’s take on bowling, golf, tennis, baseball, and boxing.  This game is definitely designed to showcase the new remote control.  It also designed so the non-gamer, casual gamer, and hardcore gamer can play together.  In most cases, it succeeds wonderfully.  Bowling is the most accurate representation of its real counterpart.  I loved this game, and the Wii remote functions beautifully.  Golf was a little bare but designed to challenge the hardcore gamer yet include the casual or non-gamer.  It was easy and fun to play, and made sense despite its lack depth (you only use a driver, iron, wedge, and putter).  Tennis was fun, although you couldn’t actually control the movement of your Mii.  I don’t know why Nintendo designed the game this way, but all you do is sit back and wait to swing your controller (either backhand or forehand) at the right time; the CPU controls the movement of your character.  Hitting was the fun part of baseball; pitching was rather bare (you had three pitches that you throw and the control was a little to simple for my taste); and fielding was handled completely by the computer.  If you remember playing sandlot baseball with ghost-runners as a kid, then you know what to expect from this baseball game.  Boxing had the most potential, and it is the only Wii sports game to utilize the nunchuck.image Although it gives you a great workout and is fun against a friend, I thought the gameplay fell a little flat.  My buddy and I had a Rocky moment where at the end of the final round we both knocked each other down; luckily, my Mii got up to win!  Wii sports is a great packaged game and makes for some good times as a party game.  IMHO, what makes this packages so exciting is the future it represents.  If the major sports game developers follow Nintendo’s lead and add more depth and playability using the Wii remote to their franchises, this could be amazing.

Overall
I picked up my Wii, an extra remote and nunchuck, and a warranty extension for about $350.  I may have been a little hard on Wii sports, but it is extremely playable for the casual and hardcore fan alike, which was its intent.  From that perspective, it succeeds with flying colors.  Overall I give the game 8/10.  The controller succeeds as well.  There are a lot of people out there that wander if it works?  It does.  I can attest to that, but you need to try it for yourself.  Just make sure you warm-up, or you might end up with some tennis elbow.  As far as the console goes, I can’t wait to play The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princes, Madden ’07, and Red Steel.  Sony and Microsoft need to watch out because the Wii may signal the return of the king.