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Up until last week I was pretty undecided about whether I really wanted a Nintendo Wii and more so if I would actually use it. You see my main problem was the Gamecube – I got one not long after launch but only ever really enjoyed a handful of games on it and found it a bit of a waste.
After hearing folk rave about how the Wii was great fun to play and that their whole families were getting fun from it I decided to bite the bullet and try get one. Managed to find one in a local shop the next day and the Wii gaming began.
Set up was simple, even connecting it up to the wireless network in the house was straight forward enough that I'm sure even those without degrees in computer science could get it done on their own.
The little wizard sets up the simple stuff like the data and time and even lets you give your console a nickname (Oh what to call it??)
Each console comes with one Wii remote, one nunchuck, wii sports and all the cables for connecting it up to your TV and the all important motion sensor bar which sits above or below your TV.
First inspection of the main Wii menu looks like a small bunch of TV screens – some which appear on and have a message of some sort on them. First one is for the game disk inserted (in this case Wii sports). There is a Mii channel, photo gallery channel, shop channel, weather channel and a news channel all set up. For me the news channel is yet to do anything and the weather channel at the moment constantly tells me it is cloudy – even when its raining, blowing a gale and a bit cloudy.
The shop channel is where for a cost (of some Wii points similar to the Xbox live marketplace points) you can download software and old retro games from the likes of the NES, SNES, Mastersystem etc to play on your Wii console.
The photo gallery lets you view pictures from an SD card or digital camera through your console on the screen – I've yet to use this feature and doubt I will, my home PC has everything I need for my digital pictures and more.
The Mii channel allows you to create Mii's, small cartoon characters to be used as characters within certain games, you can also create Mii's to look like everyday people and send these onto friends on your friends list – yes that's right you can have a friends list.
At the bottom of the main Wii menu there is an envelope, clicking this takes you to your Wii message board where you can view information on what you've done on your Wii that particular day, what games you've played and any messages from friends. There is also a calender, address book – where you can add friends.
Compared to the Xbox 360's friends system the Wii's is very poor – like a last minute addition to the system. Instead of identifying each user with a unique name chosen by the user Nintendo have opted for a number 16 characters long – not easy to remember and also easy to get wrong. Also to add a friends the other person must add your console number to their list and only when both numbers are added can you send messages and Mii's to each other.
So onto the games....
The main reason I decided to get the wii was for the local multiplayer fun that could be had. So loading up Wii sports and having a few other members of the family taking part was a good start.
Wii sports allows you to play tennis, baseball, bowling, golf and boxing on the Wii. All these work quite well using the Wii remote to detect movement and we soon found ourself playing the bowling and golf games quite a lot.
The motion detection from the wii remote is rather impressive, tilt your hands to much one way when bowling and you can see the spin on the ball as it heads of to one side.
I decided a few days later to get another Wii remote for some 2 player tennis and baseball (Only one controller with the console was a bit disappointing – I can't see anyone only ever needing just one) and also a copy of Zelda: Twilight princess. Easily the best single player game available for the Wii. I'm enjoying playing through the game and the control system makes it a refreshing change to other single player console games.
Graphically the system is no huge leap away from the gamecube and you'll notice the difference between this and some 360 games running in high definition but I'm pretty sure that for some genres of games you'll choose the drop in graphics for the use of the Wii remote to control your on screen actions.
After a few days playing it became clear that the Wii had succeeded in my expectations, I could see it being great in a house full of family or friends and certainly keeping both kids and adults amused for long periods of time. Previous Nintendo fans will love it and there are likely to be plenty of games to keep them busy – I've found myself looking at the future releases and struggling to find more than 4-5 games that I want – luckily the 360 will keep me busy there with the Wii providing the local multiplayer fun when I need it.
It's a good console, nice and cheap and with more and more games making use of the Wii remote I can see it doing well and providing some excellent entertainment. If you are into your online console gaming multiplayer games then you'll need to go elsewhere. For a lot of gamers I can see the Wii being used alongside another console be that the 360 or the PS3. While the Wii will no doubt provide some excellent titles I know that I'll need my 360 for the online multiplayers and other single player games that will look much better played in High definition.
The Wii will be a success for me if more games like Wii sports appear, having a laugh with family and friends is why I decided to get one and so far it has provided that. More games that allow that then I'll be very happy with my purchase.
It's well worth checking out if you are a fan of nintendo games, are looking for something a bit different or are looking for something fun that people of all ages will get a kick out off. For me there is a huge amount of potential for the Wii to do well – they just need the right kind of games that make good use of the Wii remote and nunchuck and then they will be onto a winner.
After hearing folk rave about how the Wii was great fun to play and that their whole families were getting fun from it I decided to bite the bullet and try get one. Managed to find one in a local shop the next day and the Wii gaming began.
Set up was simple, even connecting it up to the wireless network in the house was straight forward enough that I'm sure even those without degrees in computer science could get it done on their own.
The little wizard sets up the simple stuff like the data and time and even lets you give your console a nickname (Oh what to call it??)
Each console comes with one Wii remote, one nunchuck, wii sports and all the cables for connecting it up to your TV and the all important motion sensor bar which sits above or below your TV.
First inspection of the main Wii menu looks like a small bunch of TV screens – some which appear on and have a message of some sort on them. First one is for the game disk inserted (in this case Wii sports). There is a Mii channel, photo gallery channel, shop channel, weather channel and a news channel all set up. For me the news channel is yet to do anything and the weather channel at the moment constantly tells me it is cloudy – even when its raining, blowing a gale and a bit cloudy.
The shop channel is where for a cost (of some Wii points similar to the Xbox live marketplace points) you can download software and old retro games from the likes of the NES, SNES, Mastersystem etc to play on your Wii console.
The photo gallery lets you view pictures from an SD card or digital camera through your console on the screen – I've yet to use this feature and doubt I will, my home PC has everything I need for my digital pictures and more.
The Mii channel allows you to create Mii's, small cartoon characters to be used as characters within certain games, you can also create Mii's to look like everyday people and send these onto friends on your friends list – yes that's right you can have a friends list.
At the bottom of the main Wii menu there is an envelope, clicking this takes you to your Wii message board where you can view information on what you've done on your Wii that particular day, what games you've played and any messages from friends. There is also a calender, address book – where you can add friends.
Compared to the Xbox 360's friends system the Wii's is very poor – like a last minute addition to the system. Instead of identifying each user with a unique name chosen by the user Nintendo have opted for a number 16 characters long – not easy to remember and also easy to get wrong. Also to add a friends the other person must add your console number to their list and only when both numbers are added can you send messages and Mii's to each other.
So onto the games....
The main reason I decided to get the wii was for the local multiplayer fun that could be had. So loading up Wii sports and having a few other members of the family taking part was a good start.
Wii sports allows you to play tennis, baseball, bowling, golf and boxing on the Wii. All these work quite well using the Wii remote to detect movement and we soon found ourself playing the bowling and golf games quite a lot.
The motion detection from the wii remote is rather impressive, tilt your hands to much one way when bowling and you can see the spin on the ball as it heads of to one side.
I decided a few days later to get another Wii remote for some 2 player tennis and baseball (Only one controller with the console was a bit disappointing – I can't see anyone only ever needing just one) and also a copy of Zelda: Twilight princess. Easily the best single player game available for the Wii. I'm enjoying playing through the game and the control system makes it a refreshing change to other single player console games.
Graphically the system is no huge leap away from the gamecube and you'll notice the difference between this and some 360 games running in high definition but I'm pretty sure that for some genres of games you'll choose the drop in graphics for the use of the Wii remote to control your on screen actions.
After a few days playing it became clear that the Wii had succeeded in my expectations, I could see it being great in a house full of family or friends and certainly keeping both kids and adults amused for long periods of time. Previous Nintendo fans will love it and there are likely to be plenty of games to keep them busy – I've found myself looking at the future releases and struggling to find more than 4-5 games that I want – luckily the 360 will keep me busy there with the Wii providing the local multiplayer fun when I need it.
It's a good console, nice and cheap and with more and more games making use of the Wii remote I can see it doing well and providing some excellent entertainment. If you are into your online console gaming multiplayer games then you'll need to go elsewhere. For a lot of gamers I can see the Wii being used alongside another console be that the 360 or the PS3. While the Wii will no doubt provide some excellent titles I know that I'll need my 360 for the online multiplayers and other single player games that will look much better played in High definition.
The Wii will be a success for me if more games like Wii sports appear, having a laugh with family and friends is why I decided to get one and so far it has provided that. More games that allow that then I'll be very happy with my purchase.
It's well worth checking out if you are a fan of nintendo games, are looking for something a bit different or are looking for something fun that people of all ages will get a kick out off. For me there is a huge amount of potential for the Wii to do well – they just need the right kind of games that make good use of the Wii remote and nunchuck and then they will be onto a winner.
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Up until last week I was pretty undecided about whether I really wanted a Nintendo Wii and more so if I would actually use it. You see my main problem was the Gamecube – I got one not long after launch but only ever really enjoyed a handful of games on it and found it a bit of a waste.
After hearing folk rave about how the Wii was great fun to play and that their whole families were getting fun from it I decided to bite the bullet and try get one. Managed to find one in a local shop the next day and the Wii gaming began.
Set up was simple, even connecting it up to the wireless network in the house was straight forward enough that I'm sure even those without degrees in computer science could get it done on their own.
The little wizard sets up the simple stuff like the data and time and even lets you give your console a nickname (Oh what to call it??)
Each console comes with one Wii remote, one nunchuck, wii sports and all the cables for connecting it up to your TV and the all important motion sensor bar which sits above or below your TV.
First inspection of the main Wii menu looks like a small bunch of TV screens – some which appear on and have a message of some sort on them. First one is for the game disk inserted (in this case Wii sports). There is a Mii channel, photo gallery channel, shop channel, weather channel and a news channel all set up. For me the news channel is yet to do anything and the weather channel at the moment constantly tells me it is cloudy – even when its raining, blowing a gale and a bit cloudy.
The shop channel is where for a cost (of some Wii points similar to the Xbox live marketplace points) you can download software and old retro games from the likes of the NES, SNES, Mastersystem etc to play on your Wii console.
The photo gallery lets you view pictures from an SD card or digital camera through your console on the screen – I've yet to use this feature and doubt I will, my home PC has everything I need for my digital pictures and more.
The Mii channel allows you to create Mii's, small cartoon characters to be used as characters within certain games, you can also create Mii's to look like everyday people and send these onto friends on your friends list – yes that's right you can have a friends list.
At the bottom of the main Wii menu there is an envelope, clicking this takes you to your Wii message board where you can view information on what you've done on your Wii that particular day, what games you've played and any messages from friends. There is also a calender, address book – where you can add friends.
Compared to the Xbox 360's friends system the Wii's is very poor – like a last minute addition to the system. Instead of identifying each user with a unique name chosen by the user Nintendo have opted for a number 16 characters long – not easy to remember and also easy to get wrong. Also to add a friends the other person must add your console number to their list and only when both numbers are added can you send messages and Mii's to each other.
So onto the games....
The main reason I decided to get the wii was for the local multiplayer fun that could be had. So loading up Wii sports and having a few other members of the family taking part was a good start.
Wii sports allows you to play tennis, baseball, bowling, golf and boxing on the Wii. All these work quite well using the Wii remote to detect movement and we soon found ourself playing the bowling and golf games quite a lot.
The motion detection from the wii remote is rather impressive, tilt your hands to much one way when bowling and you can see the spin on the ball as it heads of to one side.
I decided a few days later to get another Wii remote for some 2 player tennis and baseball (Only one controller with the console was a bit disappointing – I can't see anyone only ever needing just one) and also a copy of Zelda: Twilight princess. Easily the best single player game available for the Wii. I'm enjoying playing through the game and the control system makes it a refreshing change to other single player console games.
Graphically the system is no huge leap away from the gamecube and you'll notice the difference between this and some 360 games running in high definition but I'm pretty sure that for some genres of games you'll choose the drop in graphics for the use of the Wii remote to control your on screen actions.
After a few days playing it became clear that the Wii had succeeded in my expectations, I could see it being great in a house full of family or friends and certainly keeping both kids and adults amused for long periods of time. Previous Nintendo fans will love it and there are likely to be plenty of games to keep them busy – I've found myself looking at the future releases and struggling to find more than 4-5 games that I want – luckily the 360 will keep me busy there with the Wii providing the local multiplayer fun when I need it.
It's a good console, nice and cheap and with more and more games making use of the Wii remote I can see it doing well and providing some excellent entertainment. If you are into your online console gaming multiplayer games then you'll need to go elsewhere. For a lot of gamers I can see the Wii being used alongside another console be that the 360 or the PS3. While the Wii will no doubt provide some excellent titles I know that I'll need my 360 for the online multiplayers and other single player games that will look much better played in High definition.
The Wii will be a success for me if more games like Wii sports appear, having a laugh with family and friends is why I decided to get one and so far it has provided that. More games that allow that then I'll be very happy with my purchase.
It's well worth checking out if you are a fan of nintendo games, are looking for something a bit different or are looking for something fun that people of all ages will get a kick out off. For me there is a huge amount of potential for the Wii to do well – they just need the right kind of games that make good use of the Wii remote and nunchuck and then they will be onto a winner.
After hearing folk rave about how the Wii was great fun to play and that their whole families were getting fun from it I decided to bite the bullet and try get one. Managed to find one in a local shop the next day and the Wii gaming began.
Set up was simple, even connecting it up to the wireless network in the house was straight forward enough that I'm sure even those without degrees in computer science could get it done on their own.
The little wizard sets up the simple stuff like the data and time and even lets you give your console a nickname (Oh what to call it??)
Each console comes with one Wii remote, one nunchuck, wii sports and all the cables for connecting it up to your TV and the all important motion sensor bar which sits above or below your TV.
First inspection of the main Wii menu looks like a small bunch of TV screens – some which appear on and have a message of some sort on them. First one is for the game disk inserted (in this case Wii sports). There is a Mii channel, photo gallery channel, shop channel, weather channel and a news channel all set up. For me the news channel is yet to do anything and the weather channel at the moment constantly tells me it is cloudy – even when its raining, blowing a gale and a bit cloudy.
The shop channel is where for a cost (of some Wii points similar to the Xbox live marketplace points) you can download software and old retro games from the likes of the NES, SNES, Mastersystem etc to play on your Wii console.
The photo gallery lets you view pictures from an SD card or digital camera through your console on the screen – I've yet to use this feature and doubt I will, my home PC has everything I need for my digital pictures and more.
The Mii channel allows you to create Mii's, small cartoon characters to be used as characters within certain games, you can also create Mii's to look like everyday people and send these onto friends on your friends list – yes that's right you can have a friends list.
At the bottom of the main Wii menu there is an envelope, clicking this takes you to your Wii message board where you can view information on what you've done on your Wii that particular day, what games you've played and any messages from friends. There is also a calender, address book – where you can add friends.
Compared to the Xbox 360's friends system the Wii's is very poor – like a last minute addition to the system. Instead of identifying each user with a unique name chosen by the user Nintendo have opted for a number 16 characters long – not easy to remember and also easy to get wrong. Also to add a friends the other person must add your console number to their list and only when both numbers are added can you send messages and Mii's to each other.
So onto the games....
The main reason I decided to get the wii was for the local multiplayer fun that could be had. So loading up Wii sports and having a few other members of the family taking part was a good start.
Wii sports allows you to play tennis, baseball, bowling, golf and boxing on the Wii. All these work quite well using the Wii remote to detect movement and we soon found ourself playing the bowling and golf games quite a lot.
The motion detection from the wii remote is rather impressive, tilt your hands to much one way when bowling and you can see the spin on the ball as it heads of to one side.
I decided a few days later to get another Wii remote for some 2 player tennis and baseball (Only one controller with the console was a bit disappointing – I can't see anyone only ever needing just one) and also a copy of Zelda: Twilight princess. Easily the best single player game available for the Wii. I'm enjoying playing through the game and the control system makes it a refreshing change to other single player console games.
Graphically the system is no huge leap away from the gamecube and you'll notice the difference between this and some 360 games running in high definition but I'm pretty sure that for some genres of games you'll choose the drop in graphics for the use of the Wii remote to control your on screen actions.
After a few days playing it became clear that the Wii had succeeded in my expectations, I could see it being great in a house full of family or friends and certainly keeping both kids and adults amused for long periods of time. Previous Nintendo fans will love it and there are likely to be plenty of games to keep them busy – I've found myself looking at the future releases and struggling to find more than 4-5 games that I want – luckily the 360 will keep me busy there with the Wii providing the local multiplayer fun when I need it.
It's a good console, nice and cheap and with more and more games making use of the Wii remote I can see it doing well and providing some excellent entertainment. If you are into your online console gaming multiplayer games then you'll need to go elsewhere. For a lot of gamers I can see the Wii being used alongside another console be that the 360 or the PS3. While the Wii will no doubt provide some excellent titles I know that I'll need my 360 for the online multiplayers and other single player games that will look much better played in High definition.
The Wii will be a success for me if more games like Wii sports appear, having a laugh with family and friends is why I decided to get one and so far it has provided that. More games that allow that then I'll be very happy with my purchase.
It's well worth checking out if you are a fan of nintendo games, are looking for something a bit different or are looking for something fun that people of all ages will get a kick out off. For me there is a huge amount of potential for the Wii to do well – they just need the right kind of games that make good use of the Wii remote and nunchuck and then they will be onto a winner.