Great for all the family (Nintendo Wii)

Member Name: caz13

Product:	Nintendo Wii
Date:	10/08/07 (160 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun fun fun

Disadvantages: hard to get

I have a large family and one problem is trying to keep them (and myself) entertained, school holidays can be a particular problem. Last Christmas I was so happy to have got a Nintendo Wii, it has added another entertainment opportunity for us all.

When we opened the box I soon realised that this would not be too difficult to get it working. It came complete with the main console, a controller called the Wii remote, another controller that is used in some games and attaches to the Wii remote through a cable, a small sensor that goes either above or below the television as well as all the leads needed and an instruction book that made the getting it up and running sooo simple.

It also came with one game called Wii sport, this is quite an easy game to play, it has different games like boxing and tennis that gave us all an idea of what the Wii can do and just how much fun we were going to have with this new console.

I think the sound and graphics do not appear any better than the GameCube but the fun factor of the Wii for us means that this is not a problem, you can also play GameCube games on the Wii by the way.
This is nowhere as powerful a console as the PS3 or the Xbox360, but it is not trying to compete on that level, Nintendo have made a wonderful family entertainment centre. From my families experience of playing this I would say it is not that good for children under seven, because younger ones tend to get bored doing one thing and start to wander, also their hand eye coordination is not as developed. But as for an upper age limit, well some of the more senior members of my family who have never played any console before, have had a go and found it great fun.

I think that what has made this a winner with our family is the way you interact with it. The remotes are motion sensitive. It depends on the game as to how you use the remote, it could be you shoot with the wireless remote or use it like a bat or racquet, it depends totally on what game, but they always tend to be fun. It is the most physical of all the consoles our family has ever owned, I think that can only be a good thing.

As well as playing Wii games from disks and GameCube games you can also download virtual classic console games all the retro classics. Mii’s are the Nintendo characters you can create these as well, not only that but you can also surf the internet through your Wii. You have to pay for the games and Nintendo have their own currency for this, called Wii points, you can buy top up cards from shops that sell console games or you can use a credit card online.

To get the best out of this console you will need broadband internet access and a wireless connection will be the best bet.

Obviously for multi player games you will also need to buy more Wii remotes, these cost about £30 each and other games will mean you may need to buy more Nunchuk controllers.

The only real bad point we have found with this console is the Wii remote goes through AA batteries like they are going out of fashion. But we have overcome this by purchasing recharging stations, this means we can place our remotes in a station that rechargs the battery packs that we have put in the backs of the Wii remotes, a twin station for two Wii remotes costs about £20, but this pays for itself very quickly as we no longer have to buy batteries or have the problem of the batteries running out in the middle of a game just after the shops have shut.

Overall I consider this to be a very easy console to set up and use, the instruction manual is very easy to follow and we had no problems. The games are fun to play because of the different way they are played when compared to the more traditional consoles. The only main problem has been getting hold of a Wii and the controllers, I think this is because it has proved much more popular than Nintendo imagined. I am more than happy with our Wii, it has given us many happy hours of family fun and hopefully it will continue to do so for many years to come.
So I have to give this a huge thumbs up with a five star rating.

Summary: best conole on the market