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  A great system for casual gamers and old-school Nintendo fans July 1, 2009
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I purchased the Nintendo Wii in September 2008 and it has been working great for me ever since. As an old school gamer who grew up playing Nintendo systems, the Wii was the first "next gen" console that I sought out and I have been very pleased with the gaming experience that it offers. It is not a system designed for the hardcore gamer, rather one that is meant to reach a wider demographic of people who may not have grown up playing games. Below is a summary of the good and bad aspects of the system and the games available; keep in mind that these are subjective to the gamer.
Pros:
1. Quality first-person titles and an improving library of third-person games. Many may dismiss the Wii on the basis of it being a "kiddy" or "lifestyle" system based on the lack of adult-oriented games, however few can argue that Nintendo really delivers with their franchises. "Super Mario Galaxy", "Metroid Prime 3", "Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess" and "Mario Kart Wii" are all fantastic games that really do the franchises justice. As the system has aged, more quality third-party titles have emerged such as "Mad World", "House of the Dead: Overkill", "No More Heroes", "Okami", and "Klonoa".
2. Innovative controls. When properly utilized in a game, the unique motion controls of the Wii Remote are a blast and they do bring a new level of depth to the gameplay. Sports games, puzzles and platformers all benefit from this and it makes the game more involving; rather than having to remember what 8 buttons perform what functions, it's all about pressing a few buttons and waggling the remote.
3. User-Friendly Interface. The Wii menu is perhaps the most streamlined and easy to use dashboard out of all the consoles. The Wii Shop is also easy to navigate in and out of, and shopping for games and add-ons is a snap.
4. The Virtual Console. As was the case with the GBA and the DS, Nintendo is making a killing off of their old titles. The Virtual Console allows you to download classic games from the NES, SNES, Genesis, Neo Geo, and a host of other systems. The Classic Controller is require to play them, however this is a nice add on especially for older gamers who grew up in the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.
5. Integrated wireless card. If you have wireless internet and your router is compatible with the Wii, this is your best bet for connecting the console to the internet.
Cons:
1. No Ethernet port. I am not sure how Nintendo screwed this up, however there is no Ethernet port in the back of the console; there are only 2 USB ports and you will need to purchase a LAN adapter separately. This is an annoyance if you don't use wireless internet.
2. Inferior graphics. If you are a gamer that needs to have the best graphics, then you will be better off with the PS3 or the Xbox 360. The Wii has good graphics however it is technically inferior to the competition. Sadly, this means that some of the cross-platform titles will be inferior on the Wii, but then again graphics are not everything.
3. Gimmicky games. Because of the unique controls, a lot of the games being produced for the Wii are gimmicky and focused more on the controls rather than story and gameplay. For me, this includes the "Wii Fit" and "Wii Sports". Both games were fun for the first few weeks, however I got bored once the novelty wore off and I have not played either game since. This has improved over the lifespan of the system, however this is still a lot of "Shovelware" being produced.
4. Limited memory. The Wii only comes with 512 MB of internal memory, which is a drop in the bucket compared to the 120 GB and 160 GB hard drives being offered on the Xbox 360 and PS3 respectively. I guess this is because the Wii is not download-intensive, however the 512 MB gets eaten up quickly if you download a lot of Virtual Console and Wii Ware games. Fortunately, they system allows you to use an SD card to store and back-up downloaded content.
The Pros and Cons of any video game system often depend on the gamer, so the above is just my own personal impressions after having owned my Wii for almost one year. Overall, I like the system a lot and I play it often despite a few shortcomings. I also own an Xbox 360 and that fulfills whatever needs that the Wii is not currently meeting, so I have no regrets about purchasing this console.
 Wii What? July 1, 2009
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
The Good:
Family-Oriented game system gets the whole family up and gaming.
Many games are pick-up-and play.
Gaming offering movement and exercise.
Good for parties.
The Bad:
Graphically the system is not an improvement over the Gamecube.
Lack of hard core gaming titles.
Controls that do not always respond.
Wrist/arm pain with prolonged play.
Cutesy-Kiddy themes overshadow almost every gaming experience.
Perhipherals, peripherals, and peripherals (steering wheel, plunger gun, etc.)
Does not play DVD's.
and more......
I would recommend this system to people who are not gamers, but want to start out with a fun family-oriented/party gaming system. For hardcore gamers, a PS3 or XBox would be a more recommended choice.
I have three friends who bought a Wii and all three of them have stopped playing it after a few months.
Fun for the whole family June 29, 2009
I was against buying this thinking that we would never use it. How wrong I was! Even our three year old has been able to play with the bowling, tennis and boxing. Since purchasing this, we also purchased the Wii Fit. Very fun and motivational. I try to use it every day.
Wii for we June 29, 2009
WOW! My kids realy love it. One bad thing, he wants to play all day long
Best video game console there is for special needs family June 28, 2009
I used to be against any video game console for young family, as it tends to make the kids addicted to the endless hours of hard core game playing instead of, say, studying, or plaing outside, etc. I have witness numerous parents who claimed they managed their kids playtime well - only to see their rules like "finish your homework before playing the video game" broken like many politicans' campaign promises.
But Wii is different. In this particular case, I have seen autistic kids (who typically have issues with gross motor skills, fine motor skills, and motor coordination) use Wii to practice wonderfully. For example, instead of paying USD $150-$250 *per hour* for the local hospital's physical and occupation services, I found playing "Cooking Mama" on Wii are 20 times more effective for my kids, at a mere cost of less than $300. One really has to use all kinds of motor skills appropriately to pretend cooking in the game. He/she must follow instructions and steps to finish a dish. Playing this IMHO is cheaper and way more motivational than the boring, repetitive discrete trial method in the ABA world.
Wii is simply a great product for all kids, typical or special. It changed my negative view on video game console, and this is the very 1st I own and I must say it is absolutely the best investment $300 could get for our family.
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