Give me the lowdown on the Wii

[Tyler Durden]

The Wii is not designed with the hardcore gamer in mind, but it's definitely a good family system. I have both a Wii and an XBox 360. I play the 360 a lot more than the Wii, but my fiancée absolutely loves the wii. She got really into Mario Galaxy, and I downloaded the Wii Ware game Tetris party, which she has been addicted to. It's nice because you can play against other people online in Tetris, and she has really enjoyed that. World of Goo (another Wii Ware game) has been fun, I just got that a few days ago.

We rarely play Wii Sports anymore (i like my games to have more depth), but WiiFit should be arriving tomorrow, which should entertain us. I've also gotten a decent amount of gameplay out of Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros, although the usage of those fell off after a few weeks... They're just a lot more fun with a group of people, and I'm not in college anymore with multiple friends readily available.

For your situation, i'd definitely recommend the Wii. Sounds like you have a built in party, with five people in your household. You should get a lot of value out of a lot of the multi-player games.

Side note regarding the Wii Fit... Technology is friggin' amazing. I have been watching for it to be in stock on Amazon for awhile, not wanting to pay the $150 that people are asking on the secondary market. I noticed that Amazon offers text alerts for when they get an item in stock, so I signed up for that. Digging in deeper, I saw that you can configure your text settings so that when they text message you, you can just respond to it and tell them to buy it, without having to actually be anywhere near a computer. So that's basically what happened on Tuesday!

[dougdirt]

You are the man!!!!! I am a bigger fan of tennis I am over 2200 on the scale.

I wish there was a way to play singles in tennis. Create it so you use the nunchuck for your player movement and then the remote for the swing. The doubles creates issues.

I love the golf game though. I play without using practice swings, it keeps things a challenge. I really need to get my own Wii. Playing at friends houses just isn't happening enough.

[919191]

I wish there was a way to play singles in tennis. Create it so you use the nunchuck for your player movement and then the remote for the swing. The doubles creates issues.

I love the golf game though. I play without using practice swings, it keeps things a challenge. I really need to get my own Wii. Playing at friends houses just isn't happening enough.

Have you noticed on tennis, when playing by yourself, you can change the Wii's players to the same Mii you are using, allowing you to control both sides? If you haven't tried it, do!

We bought a remote package that came with either WiiSports or Wii Play, forget which.

You have to get rechargeable batteries or a dock. I got Sanyo Eyeloop batteries. They are great. Also bought a Nyko wireless sensor bar- I like it better.

[GAC]

We've had a Wii for two years. I'm an old fart and not video game savvy. When I was younger I had an Atari 2600 and then a 5200. We're talking Ms Pacman, Joust, Galaga, those types of games that are pretty simple overall.

The Wii is a blast, and especially for family fun. The bowling game that comes with the system is excellent. I had a sore arm for a week though.

I bought Game Party 2 a couple weeks ago that has outdoor yard games like Jarts, horseshoes, corn hole, and numerous others. Those are the types of games (simple to do) that are more up my alley. And they are fun!

Mike.... the 08 MLB game is pretty good, and I think you would enjoy it.

Mario Kart is also fun. You can pick up the steering wheels for about $10/piece (the game comes with one), so that you can all race at the same time in competition.

You won't regret getting one. But you might be sore due to overplay and the physical activity involved.

[reds1869]

My parents (both of whom are approaching retirement) have never played video games and absolutely love their Wii. We have had one since launch and while it is my second choice console I still love it. My wife is obsessed with Animal Corssing: City Folk, so I stick mostly to the PS3. But any baseball fan would love, and I mean love MLB Power Pros 08. It is an American port of Pro Yakyu Spirits 5 from Japan and is unlike any baseball game you have ever played. The characters are all done in simplistic anime style and the game itself is very anime-like. Underneath the graphics lies perhaps the most realistic baseball simulation ever to hit a console. Pitch counts, stats, player tendencies, everything is dead on. On top of that, they get the little things right...smokestacks for Ks and homeruns at GABP, Bernie slides at Miller Park, Ichiro does his batting routine, etc. It really is a blast.

[Dom Heffner]

The bowling is worth it alone. I'd buy it just for that.

I have 2 Sony PS3's, and use them more for Blu-Ray players than anything. I like sport games, not much else, and just haven't had the time to play recently, though my better half kicks my butt in Tiger Wood's gold whenever we play.

[Blimpie]

Santa brought a Wii to our house this year... Echoing everything that has been said about WiiSports, but I would like to suggest another game that would be good for all ages:

http://raymanzone.us.ubi.com/ravingrabbids/index.html

It's called Rayman Raving Rabbids..and it is pretty entertaining IMO.

[SeeinRed]

The best thing I did was pay 30 bucks for a pair of these for Mario Kart. They make it much easier to drive and they use suction cups to stick to solid surface. I love the Wii and it is definately a family/party system.

[Tyler Durden]

I just use the nunchuk and wii-mote for Mario Kart... I didn't like how the steering wheel worked, and the analog control on the nunchuck was just like the older games that i'm used to playing. You don't need the steering wheel attachment.

[roundboy22]

Just bought Little League World Series for my family last night and so far its a blast. My son loves it and so do I.

[RedsFan75]

We love playing WII Sports.

With my arthritis problems I can't play a lot of what I used to love, but as a family we'll WII Bowl, WII Tennis... etc..

My in-laws were thinking of getting a Wii because they had so much fun on my daughters.

Some games didn't play real well with the control system. "Blazing Angels" was one I rented and I had trouble controlling the plane. However, the GameCube controller does work with it, and it's my understanding that the GameCube games will work on it.

[Heath]

My 71-year-old mom kicked my butt in Wii bowling. Definitely fun for the whole family.

My 5 yr old daughter beat my rear at bowling. My 57 yr old Dad kicked my can at Baseball.

I hate it because I suck.

Everyone else loves it.

MWM - it's worth it - I limit my kids the same TV watching times, the Wii at least gives you some exercise.

[WebScorpion]

We got a Wii for XMas this year. So far it's been a big hit with everyone. (kids are 3, 8, and 18) So far we've only got the Wii Sports game and Mario Kart. I think we're going to need more controllers and rechargers soon. Some of the funnest times are when things don't go right...my 8-year old whacked me with her controller while we were playing doubles tennis against computer opponents...it was hilarious!
Have fun together and get a little more exercise than watching movies!

[GAC]

My daughter, who has become an "expert" at Guitar Hero, bought Rock Band with the Christmas money she got from relatives.

It too can be a family interactive game. She got her's for $100 at Walmarts. I'm not into it; but I've had a household full of teens playing it.

If I have to hear one more "demented" version of Deep Purple's "Highway Star", I'm stickin' my head in the oven!

[Jpup]

It is an American port of Pro Yakyu Spirits 5 from Japan

That's false. It's a remake of a Japanese game, but not Spirits. It's a remake of Jikkyou Powerful Major League.