I need a Wii! (Nintendo Wii)

Member Name: wendz86

Product:	Nintendo Wii
Date:	07/03/09 (106 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great fun, senses your movements, great for group playing

Disadvantages: May not be as good for conventional games

I haven't owned a game console for a long time. As a child I had the Sega Master System and then later on a Gameboy but never progressed from there. Coming from a predominantly female house meant most the money we had went on clothes rather than computer games. Anyway I have recently played the Wii a few times round friends and relatives houses and thought they were really fun. Therefore when I found myself with some Amazon vouchers I decided that I would purchase.

We ordered the Wii from Amazon as was on there for 176 pounds which was definitely the most reasonable price we came across. Many others were selling for over 250 pounds. With the Amazon vouchers and low price it seemed silly to purchase from anywhere else. We ordered this and used the free trial of Amazon prime to get next day delivery. On Amazon they were also having an offer of a free game from a choice with the Wii. We decided to get Mario and Sonic at the Olympics as it looked like a fun game.

When the Wii arrived it was quite compact in a small box. The box had two pull out sections with various parts of the console in them. It came with instructions but we didn't really use these and still found the console very easy to put together. The main box can either lie on its side like most games consoles or it also has a stand that you can use. The stand is easy to put together and is silver and also has a clear circular section at the bottom. The console itself is white and rectangular in shape. It is very simple and only has a few buttons at the front. These are power, reset and eject. There is also a slot to put your disk in when playing a game.

The Wii connects to the main power with a normal plug. It also connects to the back of your TV either through a scart or without if this is not needed. Everything you need comes with the console. There is also a sensor that is long and thin and silver apart from the black sensor ends. This plugs into the console and sits either on top or below your TV.

The console comes with one controller that is white again and oblong in shape. This has a strap on the end that you would use to secure the controller around your wrist. The controller has a number of buttons on it but I find the main ones you use are the a button the front which is kind of like a select button. On the back there is a B button that is used in a lot of games also. There are arrows on the top that can be used for things like selecting names etc. There are volume buttons as the controller also makes sound as well as your TV. There is a power button at the top that can turn on and off the controller to save your batteries. There is also a home button so you can go back to the home page of the console. The controller has a rubber casing which you can pull back and place batteries in which come with the controller. When these run out you will have to replace these as they are not rechargeable. There is a slot in the bottom of the controller where the Nunchuck slots in. The Nunchuck is a smaller part which is held in the other hand and means you can use both hands in games.

When you first turn the Wii on you need to change the settings so it has the right language, time, date etc on. You can then go on and create your own Mii. These are little characters, which you can then use in the games. Therefore if you have a few people using the console and you want to make sure each person has their own scores this can be done. The characters can be created and adapted by choosing their face shape, hair, eyes, mouth, nose and the colour of their top they are wearing. You can also give it a name and details such as your birthday. I think this is a really nice element as on most consoles and games you just have to be the characters on the game. It is nice to have a little cartoon that looks a little like you playing.

Once everything is set up you are free to play! What I think is great about this console is that it is really interactive. You are not just sat there tapping away at buttons on a controller you really get into it. This is due to the sensor using all the motion you have with the controller to control you within games. Examples of how this really gets you moving are on the Wii sports game. With tennis you are moving your arm as you would if you were really playing tennis and going to hit a ball. With bowling you swing your arm as if you really had a ball in it. This element makes it seem a lot more real and therefore more fun. There are many other ways this has been creatively used in games with the Wii balance board, which I do not have yet adding even more fun.

The graphics on the Wii games are not amazing but I do not think this matters as you are not playing for great graphics. I quite like the way everything is quite cartoon like, it makes it seem more fun and also female friendly!

The Wii is a great console to play with other people. Although I still think it is fun playing on your own. You can play one player or more on most of the games. You only get one controller when you first get the console and I would suggest getting more as then you can play against each other in games such as tennis. There are some games that let you take it in turns to play but this takes time swapping over the controller and therefore I think it would be much easier to have more controllers. The Wii can also be connected to the Internet and you can play against friends at their own houses. I think this would be a fun element and I am looking forward to doing this one day.

There are many accessories that you can get with the console. The Wii balance board that I mentioned earlier, which usually comes with Wii Fit. This can do many things including weighing you to keep up with how you are doing alongside being used in the different activities. Other accessories include a wheel, which is used in games like Mario Kart, a racing game. The controller is simply slotted in and then the wheel used like it normally would be. This again adds a fun element to the game.

There are now absolutely loads of games available to buy for the Wii. I have personally got Wii sports, which came with the console. I also got Mario and Sonic at the Olympics free with the console. Both of these are good sport games. I quite like the competitive games so these are enjoyable for myself. There are also games that are used on any console such as Zelda and Fifa Soccer. I am not sure if these games would be easier to play on a normal console though. The Wii seems to be made for more innovative game play and therefore these are the types of games I will probably continue to play. The games vary in price from around ten pounds to 40 pounds. Those that come with accessories such as Wii fit are more expensive.

When the Wii was out it was quite hard to get hold of but it is now widely available in many stores. The games are also easy to get hold of from a number of electrical and game stores.

The Wii can be played by pretty much any age except for small children. The nature of most of the games means that children and adults can be as good as each other. This is another great feature.

Overall I have had a great experience with the Wii so far. It is really fun and provides hours of entertainment.

This has also been posted on Ciao.

Summary: A fun games console