Pros: Innovative control scheme; compatible with GameCube
Cons: Still hard to find; expensive controllers; spotty game library; weak graphics; weird online service
The Bottom Line: Simply put, this is the most exciting game console I've seen in years. Is jumping in with the Wii worth all you'll surely miss with the Sony and Microsoft consoles?
If you're expecting a review of the technical specs of the Nintendo Wii, look elsewhere. There are a ton of reviews here at Epinions alone that go through all of that. It's just an opinion, of course, but I'd wager those who get hung up on the technical specs of this little machine are rather missing the point. Yes, both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 will whip the socks off the poor little Wii in terms of technical specs, but this machine isn't about raw processing power and the ability to push polygons. No sir, the Wii is about innovation -- something in which Nintendo needs to engage in to survive.
Let me explain. Back in 1985, Nintendo released the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and it was something that we'd never seen before -- a console system that rivaled what was available on computers (remember when computer games were always considered superior to what was out for lowly consoles) and a stable of licensed characters in addictive games that simply werent' available elsewhere. Heck, even that screwball controller was unique. The video game industry was still reeling from the crash of 1984, and Nintendo charged in with a strong system, a great licensing plan and simply dominated video gaming for quite some time.
Then, in 1995, Sony released the PlayStation and Nintendo found itself in the uncomfortable position of being another competitor rather than the company to beat. Nintendo, in other words, was reduced to the status of "follower" rather than "leader" and found it difficult to compete. Nintendo responded to the Playstation with the Nintendo 64 and didn't realize its former success. It answered the PlayStation 2 with the GameCube and still couldn't keep up with either Sony or Microsoft.
The fact of the matter is, Sony and Microsoft are still following the trend set by the PlayStation. Both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 represent a dramatic evolution of the three-dimensional gaming that was the hallmark of the original PlayStation. Both systems are impressive as can be, frankly, and only an idiot would claim that neither system has its considerable merits.
Nintendo, however, decided to get off the "me too" bandwagon and try a strategy that is remarkably different from the one that gave rise to the Nintendo 64 and the GameCube. The company threw in the towel, in a way -- Nintendo can't beat Sony at its own game, so they've changed the rules up considerably. Nintendo's attempt at innovation is wrapped up in the Wii -- a system featuring graphics capabilities that are pitiful compared to the newest systems from Sony and Microsoft, but offers something that we've never really seen before.
So, what's new about the Wii? A remote controller that senses three-dimensional motion, that's what. Sure, the graphics aren't that far from what the GameCube offers, but the control scheme is as different from the "let's move this here joystick around" as an automobile is from a horse. In a golf game, for example, the wireless controller is used like an actual golf club -- you actually swing the thing and the game responds accordingly. Through the innovative control scheme, you can swing baseball bats, tennis racquets, swords, a boxer's fists and etc. The control scheme is intuitive and mimes the actions people use in real life to, like, do stuff pretty well. Playing a Wii game requires you to get off your couch, move around like an idiot and have a hell of a lot of fun in the process.
And, that's the thing that makes the Wii so different and so unlike anything else we've seen in the past. Look at it this way. Pong was supposed to replicate the actual game of tennis and it didn't do that great of a job of it -- you moved a block around a screen by twisting a mechanical knob and made contact with a ball. The control scheme behind Pong has evolved through the years, of course, but playing a video game has never been as sophisticated as engaging in a real life activity such as, say, playing tennis. The Wii gets us a little closer to that perfect digital simulation that the folks behind Pong dreamed about when making that historic game. The Wii doesn't replicate real life activities perfectly, but it takes us closer to them than we've been in the past. That's saying quite a bit.
Of course, the control scheme isn't perfect. The machine, at times, struggles to sense exactly what the heck some of our random motions mean, and that leads to inadvertent pitches in games like the baseball simulation in Wii Sports (the excellent pack-in game for the system, by the way). In fact, my seven-year-old daughter's always erratic motions can cause the poor Wii fits at times. The control, in other words, needs a bit of tweaking. However, the control scheme works much more often than it fails, and that leads to some very satisfying gaming (I still love hitting that perfectly angled shot in tennis and making my opponents miss like fools) and some of the best party gaming I've ever experienced.
For those of us who love the classics, the Wii is set up for online access and offers a service through which a ton of famed Nintendo games and for consoles such as the Sega Genesis and SNK Neo Geo. The GameCube wasn't really set up all that well for the Internet, but that problem has been resolved on the Wii through built in wireless and wired network support (and, it's easy to hook up, too -- a wireless router is about all you'll need). Nintendo has also set up a respectable service for downloading classic games, getting firmware updates and interacting with other Wii owners.
For those of us who still love our GameCubes, the Wii is fully compatible with GameCube discs, but you'll need your controllers from that system to play them. Up to four GameCube controllers can be plugged into a Wii and you can even use your GameCube memory cards on the system. Speaking of memory cards, the Wii has a built in flash drive that saves 512 MB of data (saved games, customized "Mii" characters, games and etc.) Nintendo made the wise decision to also accept common, cheap SD cards for more storage (no more expensive, custom memory cards, folks!)
What you get when you purchase the common $249 Wii package is a copy of Wii Sports (pack-in games are back, thank God), the tiny Wii unit, a stand on which to set up the Wii vertically if you'd like, a Wii Remote (the main controller), a Nunchuk controller (a thumbstick and a couple of action buttons for more "conventional" control), a power supply, RCA cables and a sensor bar. The sensor bar, of course, is that receives signals from the Wii Remote and must be mounted either on top of your television or in front of it. Not positioning the sensor bar correctly will lead to frustration, I figure.
So, this all sounds perfect, right? You're going to run out and buy that Wii today, huh? Well, the system does have its flaws. First of all, just finding one is a chore. We tried for four long months to find a Wii before finally picking one up last week at the local Best Buy. Beware of price gougers, too -- the local Game Stop had the same package I paid $249 for and were unloading it for $350 just two weeks ago (I asked the pimply punk behind the counter why they were charging so much, and he said, "Because we can." Little jerk).
Additionally, the controllers are expensive. You've got to have at least a couple of Wii Remotes to have any fun, and each one of those little darlings costs $40. The system comes with one remote and I've got four people in my house -- that means $120 for everyone to have a remote and engage in some multiplayer mayhem.
And, the game library is spotty right now. Yes, there are some fantastic games for the Wii and more on the way, but you've got to be careful or you could wind up with some pile of trash like Jenga World Tour (I just wish I was kidding). Do some research on the games out there, and you can see for yourself if there are enough compelling titles to purchase a Wii (I happen to think so, but you might not).
Then, there's the name of the console. Wii? That sounds like what my rat terrier likes to do on trees rather than the name of an innovative game console. The codename for this system during development was "Revolution," and Nintendo should have stuck with that for the final name of this system as it really describes what the company was aiming for with this dandy little device. But, Nintendo isn't great at naming systems. It took about five minutes for some wise guy to start calling the GameCube the GayCube, thus subjecting us fans of that system to a fresh layer of ridicule.
Finally, the biggest strike against the Wii is that you just don't get those realistic looking, ultra violent things that people who own the PlayStation 3 or the Xbox 360 seem to love. The appeal of a lot of those titles is hard to ignore, so you do make some trade offs when you purchase the Wii. You've just got to figure if what you gain with a Wii outweighs what you get. From my perspective, this is the most exciting console that's been released in at least a decade, but some folks had rather play the latest installment of the excellent Halo series than jump around in front of their television sets like maniacs. Polygon pushing and staggering system stats still have their appeal, after all, and some people are just more interested in what the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 have to offer than what the Wii does. Fortunately, however, choices and competition are great for those of us who can't leave those silly ol' video games alone.
Ultimately, this is an innovative little system that is as exciting to me as that Atari 2600 of mine was all those years ago. It remains to be seen whether the software library will live up to the promise of the system, but I'm willing to bet that it will.
4/8/08 update
I finally got my Wii online and, well, I'm really not sure what to think. Online gaming doesn't seem to exist in the way it does on the Xbox 360 and the Playstation III, although it is supported by various game manufacturers (I don't have any of the games that allow for online play, sadly). The online stuff, in short, seems to be an afterthought with the Wii. Honestly, that's fine with me -- I don't give a damn about playing against 12-year-olds who live for online gaming and can whip me in about 10 seconds, anyway.
Getting a Wii online is simple enough. I just bought a "Wireless 'G'" router, hooked it up to my DSL modem, found the wireless access point with the Wii and established a connection. Not a problem. Immediately, I was able to stream news and weather on the Wii, which is a nifty feature but nothing I can't do on my computer. I also spent $5 and downloaded an Opera Internet browser -- one of the most valuable purchases I've made for the Wii.
Why is it so valuable? I've got Winamp remote running on my PC so I can stream MP3s directly through the Internet-enabled Wii and pump music into my living room instead of having to listen to in the blasted laundry/utility room where my computer is located. Nice, but not terribly revolutionary.
I'll get around to purchasing classic games for my Wii one of these days, and I'll make sure to exchange information with some friends so I can have their Mii icons show up in my games. I'll see how that works out as, right now, neither playing classic games (I own a lot of them on my old systems, anyway) or having a bunch of Mii characters show up in my games is terribly exciting.
In short, I'm not sure what the heck to think of the Wii's online capabilities. Initially, however, I'd suggest this isn't the console to get if you're wanting to play a lot of online games. Time will tell whether that will improve.
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