Wii had to have one and Mario had nothing to do with it!

This review is on the Wii console with 5-in-1 Sports game, 1 remote controller with Nunchuk.

INTRO:

I’ve always owned a Nintendo game system in my house since the introduction of the first “NES” in the mid 80’s. When the new Wii became readily available it was a must have for the “BOWLING” feature alone. I finally got my hands on one in mid November of 2007, almost a year after its release. Simply a very high (worldwide) demand item produced in limited numbers, I finally discovered one on a store shelf for the first time, I grabbed it without hesitation.

The Wii is in its own class of game machines, a truly interactive experience in an upright position rather than from a couch. If you spend time on any retailers site looking for the console, notice all the accessories and games available. I suggest going to Nintendo’s website as well, see what’s new or upcoming.

Finding one:

Even today these are somewhat difficult to purchase. You can’t just walk into Walmart, Target, or any major retailer and expect them in quantities of more than 3 or more. There are a fair percentage of people that stand outside waiting for the stores to open, bolting down the aisles grabbing what’s on the shelf or whatever the limit is. These are the systems usually available in the secondary market for a few bucks more.

Will this connect to your TV or monitor?

If you have standard A/V connections or better, you’re good to go. For higher resolution display and if your TV or monitor supports 480p and has “Component” or “HDMI” grab the optional high resolution cable (about $25) that will allow the Wii to display its full 480p resolution. Personally I found no difference with the upgraded cable. If you own a much older television without the proper connections I suggest checking Nintendo’s support page:

http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/wii/en_na/setupAV.jsp

Getting Started with Miis:

You’re all hooked up and ready for action, but first you need to program some basic information into the Wii similar to setting up a new DVD player. The wireless infrared remote controller is pointed at the TV or monitor which acts like a computer mouse and you’re prompted to enter time, date, parental controls ect.

You then move on to the “Mii” channel to formulate your own character. You can make the character to be your own likeness, or even a fictitious one, up to 300 Miis can be programmed into the console. At this point you’re familiarized with the basic functions of the remote and you’re ready for play. May I suggest trying a game of bowling, it’s fairly basic. Please be patient since you’re going to drop the ball a few times before you get the hang of it.

The Wii Remote or Wiimote:

This is the most amazing feature of the Wii itself. Unlike any other game system, it has the ability to act as an extension of whatever sporting apparatus you’re holding, throwing, or swinging. In boxing you plug in the “Nunchuk” attachment which is the other part of the Wiimote so you’re holding one in each hand as you would a pair of gloves. The Nunchuk has a small joystick you easily manipulate with your thumb causing you to weave, bob or duck out of the way of an opponent’s incoming jab or hook.

With the built in motion sensor, infrared pointer, and the layout of the buttons, this Wiimote has abilities that are unlike any other game system’s controller. Not so much a new invention but in some games the Wiimote uses the “rumble” feature. With a small speaker which (assists in eating batteries) it summons the “next player up” with a little subtle tone and blue blinking light. With its “Bluetooth” radio abilities it has a range of 16 feet from the sensor bar and 30 feet from the console.

Something I didn’t realize until after purchasing my second and third Wiimote was the each remote can support up to 4 players. No need to run out and buy another, but if you plan on boxing with another real Mii friend you’ll have to purchase another controller and “Nunchuk”. While you may just have 1 Wiimote for a while, there’s no confusion as to whose turn it is. Having more than one controller is another automated job that’s taken care of, no interference from any other remote, no cheating or playing out of turn!

Battery Issues:

To avoid a future disruption in play, plan on having lots of AA batteries. They only last for about 12-20 hours. When the batteries get low there’s an onscreen message warning you to replace them. Do what I did and buy the “Recharge Station” holds 2 Wiimotes, lithium batteries included with up to 40 hours of play and rated to last 300 charge cycles. Details will be on Nintendo’s website. They retail for around $30.

Playing the 5-in-1 Sports Games: Baseball-Bowling-Boxing-Golf-Tennis

You can play a warm up game in the “Training” mode with all 5 games. Each of the 5 games has 3 versions of play giving a total of 15 different games. In the “Fitness” mode the Wii computer gives you 3 random games and a different version of each to test your “level of fitness”. At the end of the session it will compute you’re fitness level as an age. Ideally you would want to be given a lower score in this game, say a 22 would be great if you’re 42, right?

Of the five Wii Sports games on the CD they each offer one-on-one (couples), you verses the computer Mii (single), and up to four players on all games except boxing and baseball. While bowling is my favorite, boxing can burn a lot of calories. This feature of the game will make you very sore the next day as you will be using muscles you haven’t used in a while, unless you work out regularly or you’re an amateur boxer. You can play a computer Mii or a friend. I got into the ring a few times with the wife and she kicked my butt, once. She was throwing punches like a crazed maniac!

The Boxing game consists of 3 rounds.Golfing is a blast, whether playing in single mode or with more players. This is probably the slowest paced game play out of all 5. As you’re in a golf stance position about to swing the club the remote can be held in one hand or you can grip it as you would a club. You can take practice swings then finally pressing the trigger button your Mii approaches the ball and you swing away. In the training mode there’s a small screen that displays wind speed and direction as well as a (swing) power-bar allowing you to compensate giving an accurate lay on the fairway or on the green.

There is some realism to the Wii golf yet far shy to the actual game of golf. In Wii I’ve never had a bad slice or hook as I’ve experienced in the real game. So anyone who’s never swung a club to someone that’s only played miniature golf will enjoy this Wii version of golf. Now for those who are veteran players, have a very low handicap will simply play along yet enjoy Wii golf for what it truly is, a family game that’s fun to play.

Tennis is a little more involved and you may actually break a sweat. From single player with the Wii-Mii(s) or up to 4 players at doubles, you’ll get a workout. I’m 48 and still haven’t figured out how to keep score but after a few games I figure it out what “Love” was. How’s your serve, stroke, forward or backhand? Are you as good as John McEnroe, Jimmy Conors or Mats Wilander? It doesn’t matter in Wii tennis, everyone has an equal chance as long as you can swing the remote at the appropriate time you’ll master this game in little time.

In Wii tennis you’re going to need some extra space and even more as you increase the number of players. There may actually be some injuries that could take place as well as a fatality with a table lamp. And yes, if you have a ceiling fan I suggest you move elsewhere as your hand and remote could make contact with the spinning blades, especially when serving the ball with that ACE. This is a fairly easy game to play for young or old regardless of skill or experience. Check out the “youtube” link below to see the 22 month old boy playing Wii tennis.

Handling the remote in this game couldn’t be any easier, no buttons to push, just hold the remote as you would a tennis racket.

Baseball

I’m quite certain this for up to 2 players, plus it’s a little more intense and can be a lot trickier to learn. The harder you swing the bat and as long as you make good contact with the ball you’ll get more distance. The same applies when pitching to your opponent, such as unhittable fastballs. It takes lots of practice and special techniques to develop all the different available types of pitches like a curveball, screwball, slider, fastball, even a splitter. In time you will figure out which type of pitch works best on each batter, or which ones will strike out your opponent.

When batting you’re standing just like a batter would at the plate and you hold the remote up in the air behind your head with both hands as you would a bat, but you can hold it and swing one handed with satisfactory results if you’re more comfortable with it. My most favorite Wii baseball game is the “training mode”. You get to see how many hits or home runs you get out of 10 pitches. This is fast paced and a good workout, just like the batting cages without having to pump quarters into the vending machine.

I’ve only played 1 game of the actual full game with an opponent and 1 against the computer, and next to boxing this is probably the most complicated of the 5 games. There are similarities in the Wii baseball just like Major leagues but some of the differences are 3 innings of play instead of 9. If the game ends in a tie there are no extra innings. But the Wii version is in a way so simple anyone can play. A couple examples would be there are no umpires, you can’t be hit by a pitch, no forced outs or double plays. Kind of close overall to the older style NES baseball like when you’re the pitcher and the fielders and catcher are automated, you have no control over them.

Warning! Wrist Strap is Important In All Games...

The wrist strap that comes with each remote is very important in this game as having one sail into your new Plasma TV can be heart wrenching, and more than likely not covered under warranty.

The main reason why I bought this: BOWLING !

The wife says ”Now I have my own bowling alley” This is as close as you can get to the real thing without spending a fortune. I’ve been bowling since I was 4 years old, bowled a 247 game when I was 13, and had my first 300 game at 16. I wasn’t that good, after each of those games I choked big time. I recall after the 247 was a 109, and after the 300 was my average 180. Aside from the cartoon like Miis, there’s some very realistic bowling action. When you start out with your first game you have an everyday “house” ball. After a few games (6 or so) the Wii calculates your average score thus giving you an average. As you improve your game and reach 1000 “skill points” you’ll receive a “pro ball”, likewise if you play poorly and reduce your skill points below 1000 points, you get that prized ball taken from you.

I’ve been beaten by a 10 year old! Yes this can have an impact on you as you’ll soon realize after all those 200 plus games you’ve bowled that you can be overly confident thinking you’ll never get beaten by a 4 foot tall 10 year old girl! Anyone can play this game well, even with no experience from a real bowling alley. It takes very little time to hit the 200 plus game on the Wii which otherwise takes years of practice on the real thing.

For those who bowl regularly or have bowled on a league with a professionally custom drilled ball, you’ll quickly notice how you can control the ball much like you had in the past, and the Wiimote picks up these characteristics. From the realistic spin, how hard you throw, the amount of loft or soft release, the Nintendo Wii will display your traits in every release. From the moment you hold the remote, start your approach and release the ball, it’s just like being at a real bowling alley. I think they have these Wii lanes oiled just right, and they’re very consistent…..

The pin action as well as the sound of the hit is all too real. From the moment you release the ball and it’s half way there you get that adrenaline rush of anticipation. When it hits the pocket or sweet spot it’s usually a strike and the pins explode. Each hit whether it’s one pin, or a 5-10 split has its own unique sound as it would in a bowling alley. When you hit the head pin thin or dead on, again each hit makes a unique sound. After each throw you get an instant “close up” replay (3X) just like they have on ESPN or from the good old days “Wide World of Sports” with the last replay in slow motion. This feature can be eliminate by the player by pressing the “A” button expediting the next players turn or you can elect not to do this and simply taunt your opponent by “rubbing it in”.

If you know of, or heard of pro bowlers like Pete Weber or his father Dick Weber, even they can drop the ball at their first attempts or even miss the headpin at the Wii bowling alley. Everyone has an equal chance regardless of how big you are, how old or young, but you’ll have a slight edge with some real bowling alley experience.

Graphics and Sound

Again I don’t compare the Wii to any other game system, it stands alone in its own realm. At 480p maximum resolution with the optional HDMI cable I can’t complain, they’re impressive to me. With my 42 inch Plasma TV I find this a perfect match or combo. You might notice with a larger rear projection TV that the resolution diminishes slightly. I only noticed when hooking up to a friend’s 52 inch Panasonic, not a big issue. We still had lots of fun!
The sounds are typical Nintendo genre without being annoying. There’s a loop in all the background music, these are all pleasant to listen to and “do not” distract you from game play. I feel a great amount of effort was expended into this area as to its simplicity.

There’s a fair amount of limited 2 or 3 word commentaries giving they player kudos or praise along with an audience that cheers and boos, but doesn’t heckle the player. They only thing I can complain about is the one annoying Mii in the background that says “Yah” every time I make a spare, and I can’t turn her off. Don’t let this get to you, but it’s the only “con” I can think of.


Online internet Future: wi-fi:

Nintendo.com: “The Wii Shop Channel allows you to download Virtual Console games, purchase and redeem Wii Points, and obtain other downloads (subject to availability). A broadband internet connection is required.”

I recently connected my Wii console using its built in “WI-FI”, my broadband connection and Linksys router. The Wiis internet capabilities will allow free as well as pay downloads or services. A certain amount of services are available currently and will increase in the future. For now it’s free to connect so you might check their website periodically. At some point you’ll be able to download New Wii games, movies, TV shows and music without going to the store.

There’s a few features and “channels” I tried recently. For now there are currently these channels being offered: (1)“Weather” (2) “News” (3) “Wii Shop” and (4)“Photo”. With what little is offered here so far, it seems this Wii console was released before all its capabilities and services where even available.

Anyone Can Play! Hearing Impaired-Disabled-Mentally Challenged

The most amazing thing happened a few weeks ago. I have a close friend and business associate I’ve known for almost 30 years that suffered a mentally debilitating stroke back in 2003. We use to talk on the phone until our batteries died, now he can’t get out more than a 4 word sentence. Still physically capable of getting around with assistance only, I decided to bring my Nintendo Wii over to their house hoping to see if he could operate something other than the remote control of his Television.

Within minutes this game system can be disconnected or hooked up to any standard TV or monitor. After explaining the basics he was ready and willing to play. Although his game-play was at a very painfully slow pace, I had never expected him to do as well as he did in the first 2 games. His timing was off some, dropping the ball a few times, he managed to do quite well, 158 and 183. He never gave up or got frustrated, even after dropping the ball many times.

After seeing this person with limited abilities successfully bowl 2 games with decent scores, I then found this Wii system to have an even higher purpose. Please also consider using it as a therapeutic device. Can you imagine there will come a day this can be written off your taxes as a medical expense or even have a doctor prescribe a Nintendo Wii to a patient?

Final Recommendations: YES! 5-STARS !

Its entertainment fun-factor has affected everyone who’s played a game or two on mine and there’s no slowing down or boredom whatsoever. Just when you thought you had or owned everything, if you don’t have a Wii, plan on getting one soon. We’ve only just begun our Wii experience only unleashing a fraction of its potential. If you were expecting something of a hard core gaming machine similar to X-Box 360 or PS3, you’ll be disappointed.

I can think of more reasons to own a Nintendo Wii then 10 people can think off not to. Don’t give me comparisons of XBOX 360 or PS3, as the Nintendo Wii is a completely different experience. It’s pure family fun for all ages.

The online feature is limited, very few downloads but this will soon change as products and features are added. There’s lots of accessories and games available currently, more so than the availability of the console itself. Unlike any other game system this Nintendo Wii will get you off your butt and burn some calories!



What's Included in the Box

• Nintendo Wii Console with Console Stand

• Wii Remote with batteries

• Wii Remote Nunchuck Attachment

• Wii Sensor Bar

• Wii Sports Video Game

• A/V Cables and AC Adapter

But wait there's more! Three Hidden Doors! ~without details~

Probably derived from its early developmental days, Nintendo wanted this "Wii" system to be somewhat compatible with the Gamecube. On top of the console there are 2 access areas which you can hook up 4 Gamecube controlers and up to 2 Gamecube Memory Cards. In front of the console is a little door flap with the "SD" slot for the "Photo" channel. You're able to insert the SD memory disk and view pictures on your TV or monitor. If there's a movie clip on the card, you can view this as well. There's so much more this system is capable of, I can't go into it as you need to experience the vastness of this system has to offer.

Notable Videos and Helpful Information:

Here’s a 22 month old playing Wii tennis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDdErzFwrRY
Wii Sports Secrets and Tips: http://www.workoutwithwii.com/content/view/30/2/
Wii Fit, an optional accessory – full trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oNVIcMnZh4
Wii Game Downloads, “Virtual Console”: https://my.nintendo.com/wii/virtualconsole
My Nintendo: https://my.nintendo.com/cpp/login/login.do

AMOUNT PAID: $280 November 2007, costs a few bucks more today......