Developer: Nintendo
Codename: Revolution
Name: Wii
Well, here it is folks. The Wii (yes we have all heard the joke har har) finally hit European shores on the 8th of December last year – and hours after its launch was completely sold out.
In this review I will be running through the good, the bad and the ugly of the Wii in the attempt to convince you that it is the most ingenious and playable games console on the planet at the moment. (It remains to be seen what the PS3 is going to be like, but the news isn’t good I’m afraid)
Let me start by saying: I even managed to get my Grandfather playing my Wii. This is how insanely playable the Wii is. My parents had a play on it and wouldn’t let me have it back for a couple of hours! This has been Nintendo’s main aim – to create an innovative console that anyone can play, and on this they have gloriously succeeded.
One of the reasons for it being so playable is the controller – the main gizmo of the Wii. For those who don’t know, the controller is completely motion sensitive (and extremely sensitive at that – which is good). It also makes use of an infrared pointer “light gun” as well. This makes the games very fluid and easy to pick up quickly and soon becomes second nature to use. Oh and it is completely wireless and even has a speaker in it! For example, when you are playing Wii Sports Tennis when you hit the ball the controller makes a racket noise!
Alas, there are a few issues with this wonderful controller. Sometimes it does get a bit confused if you move too quickly, but this is a rare occurrence. The controller and nun chuck add-on are also quite expensive as well –about £30 and £20 respectively.
Now we can move onto the actual console itself. The Wii isn’t the most powerful console around – in fact leaps and bounds behind the PS3, but taking a step back, this really doesn’t seem to matter. The games are so fun and addictive that you ignore the very slight rough edge here and there. And by no means are the graphics bad, on games such as The Legend Of Zelda the graphics are very lush indeed
The Wii – coming in pure white, looks so sleek and flashy when it is vertical in its stand (supplies). It is also ridiculously tiny – just over 3 DVDs stuck together. You can put the Wii vertically or horizontal – it is up to you.
You may also be wondering why it is in fact called the “Wii”. This is because it sounds like “we” as it is a very multiplayer, “get people together” console. Also the “ii” looks like the controllers as well as two people playing together. Very clever me thinks.
The Wii has so many functions that it is going to be hard fitting them in here. I will do a quick wiz through the other little bits and bobs the Wii has to offer.
SD card reader: this enable you to view images and videos on the Wii, and then mess around with them in a MS paint kind of way which is very fun. Plus you can back up save game files here as well as downloaded applications and games
Mii Channel this enables you to create small people that some games use (for example- Wii Sports). If you have a wireless connection, the Mii’s walk off and go explore other peoples Wii’s when you don’t have your console on! Its a lot of fun creating your friends as virtual peoples
Forecast Channel (requires wireless internet connection) this allows you to view the weather where ever you are in the world! It’s a very Google-earth type application and is quite fun to play with
The Virtual console (requires wireless connection) This is a biggie. You can go to this “site” and download just about EVERY Nintendo game ever to exist. (not all have been uploaded yet) this will cost “Wii points” which you can purchase from any games store for monies. It works out that classic games are around the £2ish mark You will also need to purchase the Wii classics controller to play these games (£25)
I cannot tell you enough how awesome this is. SUPER MARIO ANYONE?!?!
There is one final thing to say and that is that it is also directly compatible with the Gamecube. There are slots in the top for the controllers (Wavebirds fit as well) and the memory cards, with the small Gamecube disks going into the slot the Wii disks do – which is very ingenious, and only the gods and Nintendo knows how it works.
To conclude: the Wii has and most likely will be, a huge success. Instantly playable, with lots of laughs for everyone – which is the most important thing about a games console – not whether it can play DVDs or not.
Nintendo is back!
Rating: 9.8
Recommended games:
Red steel
Wii sports (comes with Wii)
Legend of Zelda
(I’m sure there is more – I just haven’t played them yet 
)
p.s./disclaimer I am extremely biased (as I love Nintendo), but the above is an honest review.
Regards, Ponder
