Reviewed: December 3, 2006
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Manufacturer
Nintendo

Type: Home Console
System: Nintendo Wii

Rating: 9.5

Wii System ($250)

At the E3 press briefing Nintendo execs made it very clear that the Wii was not going to have the best graphics of the “Big Three” – they were going to let Sony and Microsoft wage the HDTV Wars while they concentrated on something that has become quite often overlooked in this new generation of games – GAMEPLAY!

All it takes is about 10-15 minutes playing with a Wii and you will be hooked for life. The Wii is the epitome of intuitive gameplay. For more than a decade gamers have pushed buttons and moved joysticks and D-pads to recreate real-life movements in the game, but now you get to make those real-life movements for real and have them recreated right in the game. It’s virtual reality without the clunky goggles and the way you play games will never be the same…

NATURAL SELECTION

Unlike the PS3 and 360 Nintendo makes it easy to decide what system to buy – they only offer one. So don’t worry about reading the box and deciding between hard drives and Wi-Fi – there is only one box and one system and it comes with everything you need to enter into a new era of virtual gaming.

The Wii won’t dazzle you with specs, at least when compared to the Sony and Microsoft powerhouses. The modest 729MHz IBM processor is slightly faster than the original Xbox but the ATI GPU manages to crank out some impressive graphics, even if they do max out at 480p, and that’s only if you can manage to score the elusive set of component cables sold separately.

The 512MB internal memory on the Wii offers more than 2000 blocks of storage and if you need more you can always expand using the available SD memory slot. And with plenty of online content, you’ll probably want to invest in at least a 1GB card soon.

ONE STEP FORWARD…SIX STEPS BACK

While the Wii launches us forward into a new generation of games, Nintendo hasn’t abandoned their loyal GameCube customers. The Wii not only plays all of your original GameCube games, it also has ports for four GameCube controllers and two slots for GameCube memory cards, so all of your old accessories work as well.

But the backwards-compatibility doesn’t stop there. Nintendo is going to let you relive your misspent youth by allowing you to access hundreds of games from past generations including the NES, SNES, N64, Sega Genesis, and even Turbo Grafix. You now have seven consoles in one tiny box.

LOOK MA…NO WIRES

If you don’t have wireless Internet in your house already you had better head to the store and get yourself a wireless router because the Wii doesn’t use wires for anything other than the power cord and the sensor bar.

The Wii remote is your wireless wand and extension of yourself allowing you to literally point and click your way through the menus before you get to wave it around in your favorite action and adventure games.

CONTROL FREAK

What could have been the biggest obstacle to overcome for Nintendo has turned into the Wii’s greatest asset. I’m not sure what kind of alien technology Nintendo got their hands on, but the Wii remote is one of the coolest devices on the planet and a totally intuitive way to control the Wii and play games. The weight is perfect and the remote balances nicely in your hand. There is an amazing accuracy about the pointing device and I can actually type using the on-screen keyboard at about 20wpm.

The remote features a D-pad and a primary input button along with a secondary trigger on the bottom of the remote. A recessed “Home” button provides instant escape from any game and the +/- and 1/2 buttons offer additional inputs.

The nunchuk is a secondary controller used in some games for added input and additional realism. It can be plugged into the Wii remote’s accessory jack at the bottom, which is where you can also plug in the optional Classic controller sold separately and use it to play all those old-school games you’ll certainly be downloading once you get online.

INSTALLATION

Installing the Wii is ridiculously easy. Plug in the power, plug in the sensor bar and position it either on top or below your TV screen, and finally, plug in the red/white/yellow AV cables into your TV or AV system and you are ready to go.

Once the Wii is powered on you can put it in standby mode and wake it up using the power button on the Wii remote, after you have installed the two included AA batteries. Your remote is synched to the Wii at the factory but if you purchase additional controllers you will need to synch them to your Wii using the tiny red button behind the front hatch on the Wii and the battery compartment on the remote.

Use the remote to navigate the intuitive setup screens, setting up the date and time, screen mode, parental controls, language, and configuring your Internet options. You will also need to tell the Wii where you put the sensor bar, configure the remote’s internal speaker volume, and toggle the rumble feature if you are worried about battery life. To check the batteries you can use the on-screen meter shown when you press the Home button or open the battery compartment, press the red synch button, and check the four blue buttons at the bottom of the remote.

MII, MYSELF, AND I

One of the first channels you’ll want to visit is the Mii channel where you can configure an alter ego for each person who will be using the Wii. This is basically a composite sketch artist program where you pick various facial features and create a cartoon character that will be used in games like Wii Sports. This is also your online persona.

You can create up to 100 Miis on your Wii and even store your Mii in your remote, so you can take your character (and your controller) to a friends house, synch your remote and play with your character on their system. You can also allow your Miis to mingle online and connect with other gamers.

CHANNEL SURFING

Each time you turn on your Wii you are put into the Channel menu. There are pages and pages of channels, although there are only six available at this time and two of those (News and Weather) aren’t even active as of this review. Word from Nintendo is that they will be functional (via an update) by early next year.

For now you can access the Disc Channel which shows an icon of whatever game you currently have loaded into the disc slot, the Wii Shop Channel where you can go purchase all those retro games using Wii Points you can add with a credit card or by purchasing Wii Point cards at your game store and redeeming them in the Shop Channel menu.

The Photo Channel will allow you to view pictures on your SD card and even create a slideshow. The Mii Channel is where you can create, manage, and put your Miis on parade.

The entire channel menu scheme is quite clever, and the large icons make it easy for technically challenged adults, or even the youngest of children to navigate their way around the Wii.

GOT GAME?

This is normally where I review all of the launch titles for a system, but surprisingly, we only have four titles currently in the office, so we’ll cover what we have and hopefully get full-featured reviews for the rest of the launch line-up posted as soon as those other developers get us their games. But first, let’s talk about what Nintendo is giving you with the system.

Yes – that’s right. The Wii is the first console system in at least the last 10 years to actually come with a game, and not just one game, but five, all nicely bundled as Wii Sports. I’m guessing these games were probably the tech demos Nintendo used to demonstrate the capabilities of the Wii and they figured they’d throw them in so gamers could get acclimated to the new control system. Guess what…it works and it might be several days before you are even tempted to thrown in a third-party title.

Wii Sports - Nintendo - Everyone

Whether you want to Golf, Bowl, play Baseball, Tennis, or Box, Wii Sports gives you the option to do it all and with up to four players. These games are not only extremely addictive; they truly represent what the Wii is all about in game design and family fun.

Playing baseball is as simple as holding the remote in your hand while you mimic the motion of swinging a bat or throwing a pitch overhand. Want to swing a golf club – just swing your arms like you were holding one, only while holding the remote. Tennis is amazing, allowing you to crush serves, lob balls or nail a nice backhand. Boxing actually uses the remote and the nunchuk, and you throw real punches into the air and hold your “gloves” up to block incoming punches.

But my personal favorite has to be the bowling which is probably the most accurate bowling simulation ever created. Not only does the game interpret the speed and direction, it will even pick up the slightest twist of your wrist and put the appropriate spin on the ball. This is destined to become the biggest party game of the century.

To enhance all of these games, the Wii remote will rumble or shake when appropriate and there is even realistic sounds that come out of the speaker, whether it be the crack of the bat, the whiff of a ball, the sock of a punch, or the ding indicating it’s your turn to knock down some pins.

The best WWII game of 2006 arrives just in time for the Wii launch and the designers have gone to great lengths to make the most of the Wii controls. You now “aim” your gun at the screen just like a light-gun game only far more accurate. You also realistically pull pins and toss grenades with an overhand motion on the nunchuk or really steer to drive jeeps and tanks. But the best has to be the hand-to-hand melee, which totally puts you IN THE GAME.

Sorry, but this game just seems way too gimmicky on the Wii. It’s basically the same game you can play on the other systems but to actually do the combat you wave the remote in one of the four directions or hold down the button and wave in those same directions to activate one of your four special powers.

Thankfully, Activision didn’t resort to simply porting Project 8 over to the Wii. Instead, Tony Hawk gets an SSX facelift and now the focus is on extreme racing – with a few tricks thrown in. This game is a total blast and requires you to hold the remote sideways as you balance, jump and trick your way through twisting levels all over the world. Great fun and a great way to exploit the Wii’s functionality.

What better way to control a monkey in a giant ball than with the motion-control Wii remote? The action-adventure levels are actually second to the plethora of party games that will keep you and your family and friends glued to the Wii for countless hours.

BID, BUY, OR WAIT

According to Nintendo, “anybody who wants a Wii should have one by Christmas”. Only time will tell if that becomes fact or wishful thinking, but if eBay is any indication, there just aren’t that many systems being sold – especially compared to the elusive PS3’s – and those that are aren’t going for much more than retail. Most of the stores in our area are getting weekly shipments already – even if they don’t last for more than a few hours.

Loyal Nintendo followers will certainly be getting a Wii – no questions asked. I met several die-hard Nintendo gamers during my 8-hour wait at Wal-Mart, most of whom had bought and rolled over the PS3 on eBay to purchase their Wii.

But for those of you who had any doubt, the Wii is the system to own this Christmas. Whether you are six or sixty-six you will find something to like about the Wii. I have never seen a console with such a wide appeal that will not only span the next generation of gaming, but also the next generation of gamers.