Wii Have No Buyer’s Remorse

Yesterday marked the 6th month anniversary of my love affair with my Nintendo Wii. Reading my thoughts on the purchase at the time I sound like a kid in a candy store. I raved about the controls, the graphics and the game play and six months later I’ve got to say…I feel even stronger. I have stated before that I am not a “gamer”. I usually purchase two or three games a year and play once a week or so on my own. The Wii has made some changes to that. Through six months I’ve already played 6 games not to mention two classics I downloaded on the Wii Virtual Consol. Here are my quick thoughts on the games so far:

Wii Sports- My greatest joy in gaming has always been playing with others and that’s where the Wii excels. This title that comes with the system is still the most played in my household. Just the other night I was bowling for hours on end trying to crack high scores in this simple but addictive motion capture game. Sure you only need to slightly move your wrist when holding the Wii remote but I challenge anyone out there to resist the natural urge to complete the usual physical motion of rolling the ball, swinging the racket, or punching an opponent.

Wii Play- I bought this game for the free controller that was included and really that’s all its worth. The game itself is designed to demonstrate all the different ways the Wii remote can be used but sadly it lacks the depth or multiplayer fun Wii Sports provides. In the end I got a controller and a healthy in store credit when I traded the game in.

The Godfather: Blackhand Edition- Also purchased on my first day of owning the system, this game really opened my eyes up to the different ways the Wii offers gameplay. Instead of a standard quest game walking around the streets of Little Italy where you hit “A” to punch or “B” to strangle, here you actually punched and strangled by making the motions with the Wii remote and nunchuck. I’m not usually one who is captivated by the type of game where you walk around interacting with people and getting missions, but the combo of one my favorite movies and the Wii-centric gameplay made this last longer then expected as I didn’t trade it in until 5 months later.

Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix- I already reviewed this on the blog back in July but in brief like The Godfather, this game succeeded due to its use of the Wii remote, in this case casting spells, and that it stayed true to the movie/book. I recently traded the game in but only after many hours of enjoyment.

Madden 08- This is my first real disappointment on the Wii and it has more to do with me then the game itself. Madden cleverly uses the Wii’s controls to give the player even more control when passing, running or tackling but for someone who’s played years of Madden using standard video game controllers, this takes a bit of adjusting. I find myself constantly referring to the manual as the controls, which I’m sure are intuitive to expert gamers or more likely newcomers, leave me frustrated and downright confused. That’s not to say it’s not enjoyable when you compete a deep pass down the sideline it’s just that it takes a hell of a lot of work. The game does offer a simplified control option called Family Play but for someone that prides themselves on their Madden play, I’m not sure if I can cop out like that. Finally there’s the fact that like most games Madden is best played with people and that’s something I haven’t explored yet so the final verdict is still out.

Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party- Here’s a game like Madden that I eagerly anticipated and am left feeling underwhelmed. Unlike Madden I had never played DDR but the idea of dancing on a pad to dance hits of the last 30 years sounded right up my alley. In the end though I’m having trouble enjoying this game for a multitude of reasons. First up there’s the fact that all the songs are covers. I realize that it costs a pretty penny to obtain song rights but look at Guitar Hero and other karaoke games that have doled out the cash. Second, there’s the actual gameplay. I find that while the pad is pretty sensitive the Wii addition of arm movements are often slow to be recognized by the motion sensor. One aspect of the game I like is the Workout feature that allows you to set calorie goals while you dance based on height and weight. This would be more enjoyable except the game continues to frustrate you by contrasting the praise for calorie burning with the criticism for your actual dance. Lastly there’s the group appeal which is the driving reason behind purchasing the game. I figured this would be a perfect party game but after trying it out with a couple of different people I’ve found it to be not as much fun as expected. Your attention is split between the person and the game and the frustration of the player is palpable. Maybe I just need to get someone over that’s a pro at the game but like Madden this may soon be traded in…

So looking at the six games above I’d say I’ve batted around .500 which considering the number of games I think is pretty good and enough to encourage me to look at these new games in the near future:

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (October 29th)- I’ve already reserved and paid for this bad boy and am counting down to release day. For the first time the popular franchise is coming to a Nintendo system and I can’t fucking wait. While I’ve only played Guitar Hero once in my life and did so quite badly, the game left an impression on me and a desire to return to it and improve. The new game features songs from the Stones to Rage Against the Machine and I can’t wait to pick it up Monday and should have a full review next week some time.

Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (November 6th)- This is shaping up to be the new Wii Sports. Featuring all your favorite Mario and Sonic characters, this game captures a number of Olympic events from archery to hurdles to the long jump. It offers 4 player competition as well as one player games. Unless it gets some bad previews I’m all over this one too which might spell the end for Madden or DDR.

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (November 6th)- I’ve never played any of the LEGO games but I hear they’re fun interpretations of the Star Wars galaxy. The real selling point here is that you can play through all six episodes as a variety of characters and perhaps more importantly you get to swing a lightsaber. Using the motion control aspect of the Wii remote, players will be able to swing their way through stormtroopers and other assorted baddies. The early reviews say the lightsaber action is fun but it may be prudent to wait for next spring’s Star Wars: The Force Unleashed which features a dueling option for ligthsaber battles with friends.

Super Mario Galaxy (November 12th)- Boy this one is tempting. Again I’m not much for quest type games but this one has it all.
Loveable hero Mario? Check.
Arguably the best graphics on Wii to date? Check.
Wii friendly controls? Check.
In addition the game features a multiplayer option which can best be described as a helper monkey option. When playing with a friend they can use a second Wii remote to point and click on various stars and items across the screen. It’s not a true multiplayer but it should ease the load off the main player while giving someone else an opportunity to do more then watch which is something games like Harry Potter could have used. I’ll probably hold off on buying this when it comes out but I’ve got a feeling I won’t last long.

With the games I’ve already played and the ones in the tube I must admit the Wii has captured my imagination (and my pocket book) in a way that no other previous system has. Throw in the Virtual Consol where you can download games like Punch Out! and Tecmo Bowl and I’m in heaven. Plus there are the little touches like the Miis. I can’t tell you how much fun I’ve had creating my doppelganger and those of my friends. Plus there’s the Wii internet browser which, while completely unnecessary for a guy whose home computer is in the other room, has proven to be an intuitive user friendly app that Steve Jobs would be jealous of. Throw in upcoming additions like Wii Fit, that will use a balancing board device in a variety of aerobic and yoga-like activities and I think this love affair might last for good.