Wiicked!
After months of telling myself that I didn't really want to drop $300-$400 on Nintendo's shiny white box, I finally caved in, unable to resist the deceptively low price of $230 in Sim Lim Square (Singapore). Of course after the extra controller and the power adapter (in which the crafty bastard of a salesman convinced me that I absolutely needed it, ugh) it didn't turn out so cheap, but that's another story. And after playing it for two weeks, I have to say, I don't regret a thing about the purchase.
The Console
I was mildly skeptical when the Wii was released (weak graphics, divergent control scheme, meant to appeal to non/mom-gamers? Pffft ), but I shouldn't have doubted the big N after the DS trampled over the PSP. The Wii is a blast, with its simple no-brainer controls you go from 0 to fun in no time at all, no learning curve to get used to, no buttons configuration to memorize. It kicks the image of the hardcore gamer to the curb, and shows everyone that console games can be enjoyed by all, grandpa's, women, even little tykes.
The Games
We got Wii Sports and Zelda:Twilight Princess as our first games. Twilight Princess is an absolutely epic game, and is arguably, the biggest, most polished and most satisfying Zelda game to date. It's built for the diehard fans and if you even have a bit of an interest towards action adventures or RPG's you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not picking up this game. The game is beautiful (art direction is superb), the gameplay is classic, and it'll take you awhile to finish it. Well, it would take you awhile unless you play like Noemi, wherein you game obsessively for two weeks (total playing time: 66 hours), collecting all the heartpieces, bugs, and goody you come across, kick *****'s ass and save Hyrule. Anyways, it's an instant classic, and is definitely the best game that the Wii has so far.
Wii Sports is the polar opposite of Twilight Princess. Tennis, Bowling, Golf, Baseball and Boxing, with crazy simple controls (swing the wiimote to uhm, swing your racket) that will hook anyone and everyone who tries it. The big N was absolutely genius in packing in Wii Sports in North America, as this game showcases just how fun the Wii can be for non-gamers. Heck it's even fun just making Mii's for a few hours. BTW, a Mii is a cartoony character that you can create and use in games, as well as send to friends. Mix and match eyes, hair, etc etc to create caricatures of your friends, enemies, fave celebrities, and even your boss (yeah, did that, shhh..).
Getting the Wii was definitely worth it. Nintendo has a definite winner on their hands and they've definitely showed us that next-gen does not necessarily mean more powerful hardware, prettier graphics, and a more expensive pricetag.
I bought the Wii earlier this year through the Amazon.de store. They had a similar bundle with Wii Sports. Of course, I also had to extra-purchase a 2nd controller. But I also didn't regret anything. I enjoy the Opera browser channel. It enables me to watch YouTube videos from the sofa (with friends!) without staring on a computer screen. I often take my Wii to friends or to parties. It's always a great fun for us all. And, you won't believe it, there are still humans who absolutely don't know about the Wii - weird ;)
Take care,
Rob
on September 11, 2007 08:42:39
Yeah, I've been using the Wii browser much often than I thought I would (pity I had to get it at 500 Wii points instead of for free), mostly for viewing youtube on the telly. And some of the party games that the consols has (Wii Sports, Warioware and Raving Rabbids) are wicked fun with friends.
I do worry about the upcoming games though, There's Super Mario Galaxy and Smash Brothers coming later this year and Mariokart should be great next year, but apart from these first party titles there isn't a lot of games to look forward too, good thing I'm still catching up with the Wii's library (currently playing Resident Evil 4 and loving the zombie headshots :) ).
on September 13, 2007 00:42:34
I'm interested to know if you're still palying the Wii now that a couple of months have passed since you purchased it? The reason I ask is because I bought my boyfriend a Wii hoping it would get him into gaming. He played Wii Sports solidly for a month but now the Wii sees no action at all :(
on November 05, 2007 08:54:25
Sadly, that's exactly what's happening to my Wii. After I was done with Resident Evil 4 (which was totally badass) and Twilight Princess, I haven't really done any serious time with the Wii aside from occasional bouts of Wii Sports or Warioware whenever friends come visit. Add to that the deluge of awesome Xbox 360 games this November, and it's becoming clear that the Wii will be sitting pretty (and envious) for the rest of the year.
on November 13, 2007 21:19:22
Post new comment