Nintendo Wii Review - Wii Console Review

September 15, 2:02 PMGames ExaminerDaniel Nations

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The Scoop on the Nintendo Wii

The Nintendo Wii is a very
innovative game console.

Whether you are a video game enthusiast, the parent of a teen, or a family with small children, the Nintendo Wii is a fantastic purchase. Taking gaming to a brand new level, the Wii reinvents the video game console.

With a strong selection of kid-friendly titles and a cheaper price than its competitors, the Wii is the perfect gaming console for the family.

But the Wii is not just for kids. Even the most hardcore gamer will appreciate how the Nintendo Wii adds a new dimension to video games.

Nintendo Wii - Pros and Cons

Pros

• Innovative controls reinvent the game console
• Designed for the whole family
• Wifi built into the console
• Create yourself as a cartoon character called a Mii
• Cheaper than the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3

Cons

• Graphics fall short of the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3
• Online gameplay not as clearly defined as Xbox Live
• The Wii Remote has a flaw in the placement of the home button

Nintendo Wii - Description

The Nintendo Wii is the most innovative advance in video game consoles since the Atari 2600 revolutionized playing video games in your living room. While there have been plenty of advances through the years, they really boil down to joysticks becoming more complicated, graphics getting better, and systems going much faster.

Image © el3enawe Some Rights Reserved

The Nintendo Wii changes the landscape of video games with motion-sensing controls that put the player into the game. No longer will you be playing tennis by moving your thumb on a control pad while pushing buttons with your other hand. Instead, you will actually be swinging the Wii controller like it was a real racket.

The Nintendo Wii comes with two motion-sensitive controllers: the Wii Remote (Wiimote) and the nunchuck. The Wiimote has buttons on both the top and the bottom, and a speaker to provide up-close feedback, while the nunchuck features a thumb stick and two additional buttons.

The basic Nintendo Wii package also comes with Wii Sports which is comprised of five mini-games: baseball, bowling, boxing, golf and tennis. Wii Sports will get you accustomed to the Wii's innovative controllers and provide hours of entertainment.

Nintendo Wii Review - What's To Like

The innovative motion-sensing controllers put you into the game like no other video game console before the Wii. Whether you are swinging a tennis racket or throwing a bowling ball, the Wii makes you feel like you are actually there in a way that simply pushing buttons can't.

And while Wii Sports only provides mini-games, it is one of the most popular Nintendo Wii titles for a very simple reason: it is a whole lot of fun. The bowling mini-game is as good or better than either of the two full-featured bowling titles available for the Wii, and you can spend hours learning the subtle depth of the tennis mini-game.

The Nintendo Wii is also a fantastic console for the whole family. There are a lot of fun kid-friendly titles that provide a great opportunity to spend some quality time with your children while having a blast yourself.

The Wii is also backward compatible with the Nintendo GameCube and includes a Virtual Console for buying classic Nintendo games, so you can expand your game library beyond just games for the Wii.

It also does the small things right, like including a wireless adapter within the console so you don't need to purchase anything extra to hook up to the Internet wirelessly. Wii channels also allow you to take advantage of the Wii's Internet connection by providing you with news and weather. And, for a small extra charge, you can even get a full-featured web browser.

The Nintendo Wii is also comfortably cheaper than the Xbox 360 or the Playstation 3, so not only does it provide great family fun, it does so at a bargain price.

Nintendo Wii Review - What's Not To Like

While it is easy to point out what the Nintendo Wii does right, there are a few areas that aren't so hot.

The Wiimote suffers from bad
placement of the home button.

Graphically, the Nintendo Wii does not stand up against the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3. This is partially mitigated by the fact that many Wii titles use cartoon-style graphics that don't need a big powerhouse console, but more than a few titles could use a boost to graphics.

And while the Nintendo Wii does a great job of including Wifi access out of the box, it could do a better job of being user-friendly in connecting with your friends.

Last, the Wiimote -- while quite innovative -- has a major flaw in its design. The home button, which allows you to exit out of a game and get back to the main Wii menu, is positioned about an inch below the A button. And, because you hold the Wiimote like a remote control, this means you are constantly hitting the home button accidentally with your thumb.

There's nothing quite so aggravating as when you tee off against Tiger Woods, and just before your club makes impact with the ball, you are greeted with a screen asking if you want to go back to the main menu.

Nintendo Wii Review - The Bottom Line

Whether you already have an Xbox 360 or Playstation 3, or have never owned a video game console before, the Nintendo Wii is a great purchase. The innovative controls will give even a hardcore gamer a real treat, and the emphasis on casual gaming will turn most non-gamers into Wii enthusiasts.