Nintendo Wii - Not Your Typical Gaming Console

Hard to believe that in my younger days I was a videogame nut. I went through a Pong console, onto an Atari (and I had almost all the games), and finally a Super NES. Somewhere around that time, my fondness for videogames waned. Although I bought the newer consoles for my kids, I pretty much gave a cursory play to the games I bought for my kids to check them out, then didn’t bother with it much.

A friend of mine had a Nintendo Wii and said nothing but good things about it. Every time I saw it demonstrated on Good Morning America in the morning, I would become more and more intrigued. Finally, we decided to bite the bullet and get a system. The Playstation 2 is still relegated to the kids television in their playroom. The Nintendo Wii has taken over our living room on the big screen television. Once again, I have become hooked on videogames.

WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT A WII

The Nintendo Wii was released with much fanfare about how it was going to revolutionize the video game industry. The difference is how involved the player is with the game. Playing tennis doesn’t mean sitting on a couch clicking a button to swing the racket. The Nintendo Wii controller gets held in the hand that’s being swung. If nothing else, the Nintendo Wii will get players off the couch and more active with most games.

The same is true for the games that came with our Nintendo Wii console. For bowling, I hold the controller in my arm and swing like I would swing a bowling ball, pressing a button while I swing and releasing it when I want to release the ball. Playing baseball means holding the controller like a bat and swinging when batting; and swinging like a pitcher when pitching, although I’ve found I can cheat a little in that area.

It will also play discs from the Nintendo GameCube and has slots for the memory chips people might have from that system.

SETTING UP THE WII

Out of the box, the console itself is small. I was surprised as I was expecting something a lot bigger and bulkier. Considering the size of my Super NES and what it did, the Nintendo Wii is extremely compact. Most people won’t have a problem finding a place for it.

Although Nintendo recommends the console not go on the floor, we didn’t have a choice with it hooked up to the big-screen television that wasn’t in an entertainment center. We put it on the side away from the door to minimize the dust and dirt that could get in it. The console itself is about half the size of the DVD player and smaller than even my digital cable box. It can be placed horizontally or vertically and a stand is included.

Wiring is pretty simple as well. Wires go to an audio and video feed on the television and the power cord. The difference between the Nintendo Wii and other gaming systems is the sensor bar which can get mounted above or below the television and can also be placed on a stand. In regards to set-up, the Nintendo Wii is very versatile.

The Nintendo Wii comes with two controllers. One is known as the Wii Remote and the other is the Nunchuk. Both of these are wireless to the console itself. Input is through the sensor bar. How well the remote and nunchuk work seem to depend on the games themselves. Some games seem to work better than others in this regard. However, the technique used is definitely different than anything I’ve ever played before. The remote has a wrist strap to stop accidentally sending the remote through the television if I let go of it. This is also helpful to stop anyone from smashing it on the ground in a fit of frustration, not that I would do that…

MII USING THE WII

It wasn’t the first thing we did, but within twenty-four hours of setting up the system, we had Miis created for everyone in the house except my youngest son. A Mii is a character who players create. You can make them look like you, which I did, or get silly, as several others in my house did. You control the body proportion, height, face, hair, eyes, nose, mouth, etc. This is how stats and skill levels are tracked through the game as well.

The fun thing is that the other characters created in the house will appear in the audience or gallery at other games.

PLAYING THE GAMES

Five games come with our console in the package. We purchased a bundle, which came with additional controllers and games, but the console itself is packages with just Wii Sports. This includes tennis, baseball, golf, bowling, and boxing.

Tennis is the easiest and where I started since I was the most familiar with that. Each side has two players. I hold the remote in the hand I swing with (in this case my right) and swing it like I am swinging at a real tennis ball. The result is a lot of fun. Up to four people can play this together if you have enough remotes and the room to do so. We don’t in our living room, so it’s a rather moot point. I also don’t move the character around - the game does it for me. All I control is the timing and strength of the swing as well as if I use my backhand. It can take some practice to get a good feel for how to hit it. It can be played as a single game, best of three, or best of five.

Baseball was the game I put off trying a while. I wasn’t too sure of doing it, but once I did it was quite fun. Swinging the bat was mostly a matter of timing to get it right moreso than strength or direction. Pitching is a bit different as you can change the pitches. Since we didn’t look over the booklet, we were trying to do it based on the screen prompts and didn’t figure this out for a while. I found that the computer controls a lot more with the pitching than it does with the battaing. Again, it seems only a matter of controlling the speed of the pitch and the type of pitch. The rest seems to be controlled by the Nintendo Wii itself. Outs are recorded without much real activity. A grounder is deemed an out by the computer, even though no throw goes to the base.

Golf has proved to be the most frustrating. I have tried it numerous times and there seem to be more issues with the sensor bar picking up the strokes in this game than any other on the disc. The remote gets held like a golf club, then depress one of the buttons to swing. Sometimes it seems to not pick up gentle swings when I want to putt and by the time I swing it enough for the sensor to pick it up, I am overshooting the hole. The levels are beginner, intermediate, and high and if I play the nine hole game rather than the three hole game, I get exposed to all three levels. Some of those holes are terribly intimidating!

Bowling has become the family favorite so far. I hold the remote up like I’m holding a ball, ready to roll. Then I depress a button and swing, releasing the button to release the ball. The Mii I’m using can change the stance and move all around the alley. It’s pretty cool and adapts nicely to the different styles of the different bowlers.

Boxing was fun and gave me a bit more of a workout. This one needs both the remote and the nunchuk wired to it. My hands each hold a controller and they move as if punching the character on the screen. It’s not as easy as it looks, and I’ve found I get a pretty good workout here. Most of these games work the upper body - I don’t have to use my legs.

GRAPHICS

One area the Nintendo Wii is lacking in is the true to life graphics that many other game platforms are currently touting. Especially in the Wii Sports and Wii Play games that we have this is noticeable. The graphics are pretty flat. A stadium filled with fans is illustrated by various blobs of color, rather than good detail. While my Mii does resemble me because I chose to go in that direction, it would never be mistaken for a real person. It reminds me of one of those caricatures you get at amusement parks that’s been animated.

The third-party games do seem to fare a bit better in this regard, but they aren’t up to the standards other systems are currently serving up. To someone who started out on an Atari, they are a huge jump from the blurry, blocky Superman character I once had moving around the screen. I am sure as updates are released the graphics will become enhanced.

ONLINE

The Nintendo Wii does connect to the internet for gaming around the globe as well as updates. Our home has a wireless network, and it picked it up no problem. It can be hard-wired as well, but the wireless is so much easier. There is also a news and weather feed on the Nintendo Wii. It can connect to the Wii Shop channel and download video games. There are often free previews of upcoming releases for download, and full games will cost in points, which can be purchased. 500 points is $5.00, and there are games available for that little. Some of them are the classic games I played on my Super NES, including Super Mario Brothers.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Purchasing the Nintendo Wii was a great decision for our family. We have fun at night playing the sports games against each other and it is better than just sitting in front of a screen pushing buttons. During the winter when we are snowed in, it will provide a certain degree of activity that’s usually missing. Rather than just one or two people playing a game, we all get involved and I have to say the television has been on more to play the Nintendo Wii than to watch television over the last month.

The graphics could be better. I am hoping that as this technology builds that will improve Sometimes I have issues with how the sensor bar picks up the remote. Usually it can be solved by just moving in closer or making sure the remote is properly positioned, but sometimes it can get frustrating.

While the Wii Sports game that comes with the Nintendo Wii is a lot of fun, there are parts of it that don’t allow for the control over the situation gamers are used to having with the more sophisticated games. Again, the graphics here are pretty primitive, more in line with what I remember from my Super NES.

I am quite happy with the purchase and it’s been a total hit in the household with everyone fighting to play it.


Nintendo Wii game reviews:

Trauma Center ~ Wii Play


© 2007 Patti Aliventi