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Also on dooyoo.co.uk under the same name.
Drop me a line if I forget to rate you :)
Also on dooyoo.co.uk under the same name.
Member since:28.05.2008
Reviews:9
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There are some very mixed reviews here so I'd like to make my own points which will hopefully help people in their decision as to whether to buy one.
First of all, it has been marketed incredibly cleverly, based on one point that makes it different (the motion sensor). Also, making it almost impossible to get hold of, a trick copied from Sony which I don't agree with, made it a hit when it first came out.
So, as you'll know it's a games console designed by Nintendo. It also has features such as Internet browsing, photo presentations, downloadable games etc. It doesn't play DVDs, although most people have a DVD player now anyway. Its online gaming capabilities are still pretty early in development.
One common misconception - mainly due to the marketing and aims towards families and social gaming - is that pretty much all the games are mini games. Unfortunately, as it has been aimed towards people who aren't traditionally gamers, most of the advertising lies with mini games and games based on films. Some of these are good; others are just pointless mini games repeated over and over again.
This is the problem - because not many games came out on Nintendo's Gamecube, and because new platforms like the PS3 are more difficult to program for, there are a lot more
games appearing on the Wii. And the more games, the harder to control and the harder it is to maintain the high standard of quality gaming games Nintendo has built its reptuation on.
Being the second oldest console company (technically) after Sega, they have created their own characters and created a tradition of games built on storylines and playability rather than creating graphics as the main focus and the be all and end all. With so many games made by other people being released on the Wii, there is a lot of junk out there. Yet there are more serious gamer games out on it than the Gamecube; they've just been hidden away under the concept that you have to have game-minded friends and love mini games to enjoy the Wii.
If you're looking for games with hours of playability, serious storylines and a real sense of adventure you just have to know what you're looking for. Amongst others, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Galaxy and Paper Mario are all incredibly different games that will give you hours of playability and can be played on your own. And the fact that there are lots of good games out there, and such a variety, means that it is good for all the family and whatever your gaming taste is, you're sure to find something you like - even if you buy it from the Wii Shop Channel.
It's easy for people to forget that lengthy games take much longer to design and create. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the N64 took seven years to make, and the Wii's Twilight Princess was originally supposed to come out on the Gamecube alone, but took so long it ended up appearing on the Wii at the same time. Games based on mini games or on an old formula are much faster, and it's easy for them to outstrip and dominate the market, which is definitely a shame and a big disadvantage in terms of marketing and reputation.
I do like games with some storyline and continuity - but I also like Wii Fit, and then if my friends are over and don't want to watch me playing on my own (who would?) then we can pick up extra controllers for some good racing on Mario Kart, Monster Truck or Donkey Kong Jet Speed, or a party board game on Mario Party 8, or even some brain training or Super Smash Brothers. Alternatively, going back to the longer games, we could play multi player Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles, or House of the Dead, or even semi two player Super Mario Galaxy. Falling back to basics, there's Wii Sports and Play.
It's kind of like if there were a monopoly on books so that most of them were chick lit...reading would get a bad reputation. People would say 'I don't like reading because it's all chick lit' - which it isn't, and if you bought a genre you'd like you'd find you love reading. Gaming is exactly the same, except some people prefer to stay in the safety of what they know with Wii Sports and High School Musical 3, when the Wii is so much better than that. Get out there and try something new! If you've never played Twilight Princess, rent it and try it! You can even rent games online now so you can see what you like before you part with the cash. People often buy games because they are cheap, not realising that the cheapest ones will be the worst and/or shortest ones.
The Wii has been designed to be used with three different kinds of controllers; the Wii remote, the Gamecube controller and the classic controllers. For lots of games, if you prefer something to hold on to that's more rigid and fixed, you can use a Gamecube controller to feel more at home. In most of these games you also get a different dimension of playability; in Mario Kart, using the Wii remote to control a bike is way more tricky than using a controller to control a kart. This means my friends make me use a Wii remote as a handicap so the game is more balanced (yes I do play too much!).
Lastly, the price. The N64 came out in the nineties (I think) and was £200 when it first came out. In comparison, the Wii pack starts at £179, including a game - incredibly cheap, especially compared to consoles like the PS3. Why? Partly because it's not complicated and doesn't rely on graphics to boost its games. Yes, graphics are nice, but there is way too much focus on them and not enough on the games. Think back to any basic game you've ever played - perhaps Tetris, or Lemonade Stand, and think about how the genius (even though they're simple) makes the game so playable and so fun, even though the graphics are rubbish. They don't matter. Most gamers can look back fondly on the old 2D Super Mario and Sonic games, and going back to retro is always fun. It's the playability that counts, and for less than £200, I'll take it and be coming back to play the Wii in 10 years' time, thanks :)
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(+) Plenty of storage space, for media. Good Games, Great for partys, with singstar. Very Reliable. (-) Sometimes the optical drive, breaks; but not very likely, my 60gb still working after 2 1/2 years.
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Advantages: Looks good, nice interface, great control mechanism, fun to play Disadvantages: Not as good graphics as some other consoles, maybe problems for disabled users
ayanayuk 03.10.2007 (03.10.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Nintendo Wii
Jan 8th, 2009
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