Nintendo Wii.....

Steven Simon · 12-01-2006, 05:34 PM

Sometimes we have to stop and smell the roses. I have been a gamer my entire life. The first system I can remember was the Intelivision and Atari 2600. I Have had almost every game system in existence since then. I grew up on Nintendo, Zelda, Metroid, Mario Brothers etc. Since then we have seen flashy systems come and go. Better Graphics, better sound (5.1), high definition, you name it... We asked for it, we got it....

Last week I secured a Playstation 3. Graphics are on par with XBOX 360 from what I see. Yes it is a Blu Ray Player and does a fantastic job in my opinion....

Enter Nintendo Wii. Nintendo has always been a company to take big risks in the Video Game Console business. They again just took a huge risk with the Wii. For one, the Wii has a maximum resolution of 480p. So, High Definition Tv owners will have to settle with Dvd Resolution. Drive capacity looks still to be dvd hence we are limited to 9.5 gigs of data. There is NO High Definition DVD integration to be found like the other 2 consoles, PS3 and XBox 360.

Here is the thing folks, for what the Wii lacks in hardware power, it just blows away the competition in game play and simple fun. As most of you know the Wii's heart and soul are based on Motion Sensors. You have a new style motion control in your hand, and the games react to that motion. For instance, with the pre packed Wii Games Disc (tennis, baseball, bowling, etc) you swing the Tennis racquet in your home and the ball reacts to the way you swing. I can slice a ball in real life, and I can swear I'm seeing slice on the screen. In the bowling game one can do a full wind up, and throw some spin on the ball. The more you turn your hand with that spin, the more the ball turns in on the lane, just like real life. This has to be experienced to believe.....

When I first heard about the Wii having this brand new, innovative system integrated into the gaming I was really skeptical. I have been in the PS3 camp for the last year, never really giving the Wii any attention. Boy I was wrong. The Wii puts the smile back on my face while playing. Something I haven’t done since the Mario series or Final Fantasy 7 on Playstation for example.

One will have to track down a Component Video cable from Nintendo at this time. Believe it or not I am using the supplied composite cable. It’s being converted to HDMI through my Pioneer Elite Receiver. The games are just so much fun, it doesn’t matter to me at this point what the graphics look like. This may sound silly to some, but this goes back to my opening comment. Sometimes we need to stop and smell the roses. The game play is so damn good; I haven’t noticed the image being
480i. I am a video snob, and have both High def Format players…. Just doesn’t matter. I do have a Component Video cable on order, and when it arrives, the Wii will output 480p.

In Closing, I highly recommend this for gamers young and old alike. It will take you back to the golden days of gaming. I predict Nintendo really getting back into the console business with this product. While it will appeal to the youth market, at the same time the Wii has a much more broad appeal to the masses this go around…..

Tom Rosback · 12-01-2006, 05:55 PM

Steve - I'm so happy you posted this. My wife bought a Wii for the kids for Christmas, and I was kind of bumming because I thought it might be lame. Now I can't wait for Christmas!

timZa · 12-01-2006, 06:44 PM

Steven, i am reading what you are saying from other users. i think the game play is the most important, i hear it is fun play. Ps3 And Xbox does have nice graphics but game play is harder, taking the fun out of it. i grew up on Nintendo, i hope it makes a good come back! i hear it will be back in stores this weekend, and continuing to ship Through Xmas.

Steven Simon · 12-02-2006, 11:26 AM

I just spoke to RAF about this on the phone at great lengths... All the new games are the same to me... They have the same feel, same graphics, same everything... Madden seems to be Madden... I have played the last 3 or 4 versions of Madden and they seems to be much of the same..... Ridge Racer 7 on the PS3... Same old driving game.... Yes you can customize the cars, but who really cars... At the end of the, the game play has to be fun, which the Wii brings back to the table...

RAF · 12-02-2006, 03:13 PM

I just finished reading Steve's Wii review and I have to concur with his conclusions. It's written by him from the heart as a lifetime gamer and I totally agree that the Wii is "the little engine that could." Overlooked by those insisting that the XBOX360 and PS3 are "next gen" devices, the Wii really shows what next generation gaming is all about. Yes, the time will come when another console is introduced which is both high res and motion sensor based (the PS3's attempt at making their control motion sensitive almost as an afterthought - probably in response to Nintendo - is a very poor substitute for the interactivity that the Wii offers) but for now the Wii is the true leader in the "fun" factor - and isn't that what gaming is all about. Let's hear it for "fun and games."

I won't repeat what Steve has so eloquently said, but let me add a bit of perspective from Senior Citizenville. Steve may have been an electronic gamer all his life and the only reason that I can't claim the same distinction is because I was around before there were electronic games. In fact I was already older than Steve is today when PONG first came out (yes, I owned one and I wish I still had it!). By the time that Steve was well into Intellivision, etc. I was getting my kids ready for college and, while I still owned most of the systems out there (my favorite was the Atari dedicated console for Breakout; anyone remember that one? It was hypnotic) but gaming took a back seat to other priorities.

Now that I'm retired I have the luxury of being able to set my own schedule and gaming plays an important role to keep me mentally and physically active. Speaking of which, make no mistake. Not only does the Wii change how you play games, but it is also a physical workout. The era of the couch potato has officially ended with the introduction of the Wii. It's really true (and anyone who has used a Wii understands this from a personal perspective) that when you play games on the new Nintendo console you get a workout - literally! And in a nation where we have too many sedentary people, this is a good thing - a healthy thing. That's something that I didn't even think off when I got my Wii, but something that really changes the whole culture of gaming and personal health no matter what your age. Props to Nintendo for that aspect (and be aware that, just like snow shovelling, this should be done in moderation as one works him/herself back into fighting shape.

)

Yes, as Steve has said - Nintendo has surprised the world (but not really people who "get" gaming and aren't really into it for the "realistic" experience) with the Wii. But if you look at the numbers you will see that the world is beginning to pick up on this. Sony promised 400,000 units in the USA at launch but they obviously didn't meet that goal and some numbers like 150,000 are being bandied about as actual delivered units (thus the great shortage which makes it appear that "everybody wants one!") Microsoft projects 10 million 360's sold by the end of the holiday season but that system (which is a very nice one and one I love love for a number of reasons) has had a year's head start. Very quietly (and not widely reported by the press which feeds on sensationalism) Nintendo sold 600,000 units in the USA on the day of release and just the other day in Japan sold out at launch with 400,000 units. That's four times as many units in the USA on launch day as the PS3 actually delivered and 1 million+ Wiis in the public's hands as we speak. Very impressive for the little guy.

Speaking of sensational journalism - you all saw the reports of the PS3 lines getting ugly in certain parts of the country (shots were fired in my neck of the woods and people were mugged.) But the Nintendo lines? Very harmonious, lots of DS games being played singly, wirelessly in groups and massive pictochats. In other words - fun and games! Love, not war. You get the picture.

For those of you who will have Wiis under the Holiday tree either for yourself or for loved ones - fear not. It's really that much fun. And the fun will continue. Konami is introducing their first Wii title, Elebits, in a few weeks and there are many more titles to follow. Finally, waiting in the wings in 2007 is Super Mario Galaxy, at which time I predict that sales of the Wii will take off into the stratosphere (although I can't see how it can be any better than "sold out.")

Wii live in interesting times, fellow gamers.

**HTF Ads**

Doug Miller · 12-04-2006, 07:36 PM

This keys on the biggest reason I've been thinking about buying a Wii. It's fun. Part of me wanted a PS3, strictly because of the Blu-Ray mind you, but the more time I spent thinking about the games, the more I realized I didn't particularly like video games as much anymore. I can sit and play Madden or NCAA for hours, same with a few of the wrestling games, etc., but I've come to realize I was playing these pretty much on auto pilot -- ultimately just wasting time and not really have a good time.

At least with a Wii, I feel like I'd be wasting time, but in the end not feel like I'd just burned 3 hrs with nothing to show for it but crumbs, empty pop cans, and my wife asking me what I did all day on my day off.

Doug

Patrick Sun · 12-06-2006, 02:37 PM

Is the Wii suitable for a smart 5-year old boy? I was planning on giving my cousin's son a Wii, but I'm wondering if the Wii might not be a good Christmas/Birthday gift this time around due to normal coordination issues of being 5 years old, etc.

Later....

Perhaps this answers my question.

Aaron Oppliger · 12-06-2006, 03:22 PM

I agree 100% with the other enthusiastic comments made about the Wii, and would definitely make this my system of choice out of all the "next gen" systems. It truly makes gaming easier to get in to for the whole family, and I've been surprised that my wife actually asks to play Wii Sports. We were playing it the other night with my mother in law watching and she said "I'll have to get one of these for your dad. This is so much fun." So while the other two systems are doing more of the same, I think that Nintendo really has built something that will expand the market for games and bring new people into gaming (really, if they can get my in-laws interested, that's amazing. They HATE video games, so I was shocked).

Patrick Sun · 12-06-2006, 04:44 PM

From the mouths of babes: The Next Michelle Wii.