Nov 19
Nintendo Wii – XMas Video Game Console Buying Guide
As I’ve said before, my favorite part (and probably only likable part) of working at Best Buy was helping customers. And never was my help more needed than about this time of the year when anxious parents had to make a decision as to what video game console they were going to buy their children.
Unlike previous years where decisions were a bit easier, we again find ourselves in a good ol’ console slobber knocker between the Wii, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 vying for your heard earned money. Read on to learn about the first system up for inspection, the Nintendo Wii!
The Nintendo Wii
Pronounced “WEE”, this is the system whose buzz you just can’t get away from. If you didn’t know, what makes the Wii so spectacular is its control scheme which allows you to control games by actually making motions with the controllers! So if instead of pushing a button to perform an in game action, you would actually swing your arm to say… hit a tennis ball. Sure it may sound like a simple premise but it actually adds a great deal towards an engaging video game experience and has done a lot to bring non video game players to the TV.
The Games
You have all kinds of games on the Wii from platformers to shooters and sports games to car simulators. Plus, you have a great emphasis on games that the whole family can get behind and really have fun with like Mario Party 8 and Cooking Mama. Depending on the type of gamer you’re buying for you’ll really have your veritable “pick of the litter” but you can’t go wrong with The Legend of Zelda : Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime 3 : Corruption or Super Mario Galaxy to name a few.If you happen to find yourself in the position of buying games for the older player, you might find yourself in a bind as the more mature video games don’t find themselves on the Wii. So if you’re looking for the best first person shooter or role playing game, you’re probably going to have to look elsewhere.
Conclusion
Kids will naturally be attracted to the Wii because of it’s innovative control scheme and are sure to love this system for years to come. For your older game veterans, the Wii’s luster will probably start to fade in time as the lack of a robust online system and more “hardcore” games just aren’t there – Likely leading them to the XBox 360 which is being showcasing manana!
November 19th, 2007 at 7:37 pm
I was lucky and got my Wii before last Christmas (I was randomly selected on Amazon).
I LOVE my Nintendo Wii, but the games have kind of sucked so far, besides Wii Sports and Wii Play. I picked up Guitar Hero III and tomorrow I’m getting the new Wii Zapper with Zelda, which looks great!
Thanks for posting this. I love reading about everything Nintendo Wii.
November 19th, 2007 at 8:36 pm
@Kyle – Glad you liked the post. Care to let us know which games you have for the system that have sucked? Or are you just referring to their lineup so far? ‘Cause as I said, (or should have) most of their games are really hitting that kid crowd/family fun.
November 20th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
I’m a Nintendo fan as well and love my Wii and the whole idea. Waiting for better games than Wii Play and Wii Sports. May have to check out the Zelda that Kyle mentioned.
November 21st, 2007 at 10:20 am
@Teeni – Zelda is a pretty standout game. In fact, pretty much every Zelda game that has come out for a console has been gold. … Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, Windwaker etc..
November 22nd, 2007 at 5:56 pm
Hey Bush,
Great post. Do you still work at Bestbuy? Does that mean you have access to all those BlackFriday sales items? Have an excellent Thanksgiving.
Cheers!
November 22nd, 2007 at 8:13 pm
@CHESSNOID – HELL NO! I worked there years ago. I couldn’t work there very long because (imho) despite what they claimed, they cared more about the bottom line than helping customers. Obviously it clashed with me in many places.
So no, I don’t have access to all those sales items but one of my best friends still works there. I’m sure I could ask her for help in getting an item or two, but I would never want to place in her in that position. *nod*
She’s already working like a 24 shift that day!
November 22nd, 2007 at 9:52 pm
The Zelda game I was referring to is called Link’s Crossbow Training, and it comes with the Wii Zapper for $20.00. Its like a Wii Play in that its an amazing deal because its designed to teach you to use the zapper (like Wii Play was to teach you to use a Wiimote).
I haven’t bought many games yet, because my favorite Nintendo titles haven’t been released yet. I currently own Wii Sports, Wii Play, Guitar Hero III, and Link’s Crossbow Training.
The games I will be buying are Dance Dance Revolution, Wii Fit, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, and Mario Kart Wii.
I would probably get Super Mario Galaxy also, but blogging has been keeping me pretty busy
As mark said above, the Nintendo Wii is designed for kids/family, or for people that just prefer the classic Nintendo titles. This is what I like. I don’t play much online anymore, and I don’t care about graphics or difficulty.
November 23rd, 2007 at 5:32 am
Nintendo is not my friend right now. Sure, they have nice products and we have a few, but what bugs me is their greed. And by that I mean, deliberately driving up demand for a product they know they can sell anyway, they just choose not to in the quantities appropriate to the high level of demand anyway. In fact, my wife is out right now (4:30 am) hunting down one of these things. My fear is that they’ll already be gone by the time she gets there.
November 23rd, 2007 at 5:40 pm
@Kyle – Great comments. (BTW, picked up Super Mario Galaxy today. Waiting for a good time to start playing it though I hear it’s pretty good!)
@Mark – Though I can’t speak for the greed of Nintendo, I CAN say that I’m 99% sure they knew about the demand for the Wii’s this holiday season, and it doesn’t look like they’re going to meet it.
I can’t be angry at Nintendo though because I certainly admire the steps they take with all their consoles. They usually will buck mainstreamness for advents in creativity and originality. (Not to say that I’m happy they re-use the same IP over and over again).
GL to you and your wife trying to find one. They were certainly in short supply today. When I first got my Wii, I had to stalk my local retailer for accessories day after day.
November 23rd, 2007 at 9:25 pm
Actually, we had success today — my wife bought one! woo-hoo! Still don’t approve of their methods, but I’m glad that I’ll be finding a very big smile on my son’s face on Christmas Day.
Hey, btw, so is Super Mario Galaxy the must-have game? Or is it the other one I’ve heard about, “something” Mario Party?
November 24th, 2007 at 9:38 am
@Mark – Congrats! Your kid is sure to have a great XMas! Um, I haven’t cracked open SM Galaxy yet, but I’ll make sure to do it soon so I can put up a review next week.
And I’ve played Mario Party 8 on the Wii and can tell you that it is SUPER FUN if you have 4ish people playing. If you don’t know about Mario Party, basically it’s a virtual board game and after each turn, everyone competes in mini games. But now with the Wii, all those minigames are controlled with gestures! So in one game you’ll have to paint shapes, or act like you’re moving a jump rope, or pumping up a balloon, it’s good good fun. (#):)