"The Return Of The King"

Let me state right off the bat that I am a HUGE Nintendo fan (really though I love all videogames, but I have been buying nintendo consoles since the stone ages and I have yet to be disappointed), so take this review with a grain of salt. The Wii is an exceptional console. It's a colossal leap forward for Nintendo. Let me break it down:

THE CONTROLS

+ Nintendo has always been a company of innovation, and the Wii is the most glaring example of this. This is the way we will play 3D games in the future. The games would be nothing without the controls, and the controls are so easy and make no much more sense than the traditional button layout that its hard to play games the old fashioned way. Or better yet: If there is a cross-console game for PS3, 360, or Wii, if you buy it on the Wii and like it, you won't want to play it on the other systems. The thing here is there is an amazing amount of potential.

- Although the change in control is an awesome new mechanic, the problem is that people still quite haven't figured out how to use it effectively. I remember back when 3D games came out there were lots of issues with cameras. The problems with the Wii controls are analogous; there is incredible potential to unlock, its just that developers quite haven't unlocked it yet. First Person shooting games are the best example. The controls have the precision of a mouse and keyboard setup, but lack the sense of skill used in traditional FPS games for other consoles. It can be done (metroid prime 3 was a good step forward, but I still think it can be better), but it's going to take a few years for people to finally get the hang of the mechanic so the controls will more familiar and known than new and a novelty.

THE INTERFACE / ONLINE

+ The Wii uses what they call "channels" to divide the various functions of the Wii. There are a total of 4 screens of channels, with each screen having 12 channels. When you boot up the Wii, you will always start at the first screen, which consists of the Game Channel, the Mii channel (create caricatures of yourself or anything really, it's incredibly deep and fun but gets old after a while), the Photo Channel (store and share pictures on an SD card), and the Shopping Channel (buy games with the Virtual Console or other channels). The only other channels you can have on your Wii are channels devoted to Virtual Console games or other channels for other programs developed (some of these include a program to check the weather, a web-surfing program, among others). It really couldn't be easier, considering its a simple push of a button to surf through the menus (conveniently + and - buttons), and pointing at the channel you want. The more important things (memory, connection options, and the like) were wisely not left to a channel but are accessible from the Wii "pause" menu (push the home button) and it's all on the bottom. It's a great interface, and it's infinitely more easy that navigating the menus present in the 360 and PS3. About that online, though.....

- While Wi-Fi is still expanding, the Wii can only connect that way. There are no ports for ethernet cables, which can be a drag for those who don't have Wi-Fi. In addition, online games are much more complicated than they should be. Playing online requires the exchange of codes. It's definitely not as easy as Xbox Live, which can prove to be tedious.

GRAPHICS

It is unfortunate to say that in terms of the next generation, the Wii doesn't not deliver the goods nearly as well as its peers. Many of the games look like they are stuck 3 years in the past. Usually, the graphics are better than the last gen, but they aren't as good as what the PS3 and 360 offer. It's my only real disappointment with the Wii because that means the immersion isn't what it could have been.

THE GAMES

There is nothing more important than the games. They are why we buy the console. And the Wii definitely has some great ones.

WII EXCLUSIVE

Wii Exclusive games are very fun, partially because of the new experience and partially because the mechanics work wonderfully. Like I said earlier, it's going to take some time for developers to perfect the implementation, but the games are very immersive and simply awesome. Zelda, Metroid, Mario Galaxy are only a few of the great gems on the Wii. The only disappointment is the sheer number of games that seem to be developed only because of the novelty of the controls. There seem to be a flood of these kind of games, which I feel is a bad thing because most of them simply aren't that great. Maybe it's just me, but the sheer number of these games makes a distracting ratio compared to all the other great software the Wii has.

MULTI CONSOLE GAMES

The control schemes on the 360 and PS3 have been around for longer, and if there are games for multiple systems, chances are you'll want to end up playing the game on the other systems, especially if you want to play online. Once again, it is going to take time for developers to be able to formulate the methodology for Wii developing, and we aren't quite there yet.

VIRTUAL CONSOLE

I guarantee you that the Wii's library of downloadable games blows anything the PS3 and 360 has to offer on their online services out of the water. There is simply no contest. I don't know how expensive PS3 points are, but I know for a fact that 360 points are more expensive than Wii points, which makes Wii VC games more of a bargain. These aren't just any games we are talking about here. Nintendo has been around in the console game business longer than Sony and Microsoft have, and they have 3 generations of consoles (NES,SNES,N64) worth of solid games to back them up (in addition to two more they didn't have, the Genesis and the TG-16, along with imported games that never saw release in America). We have games here that have had an incredible impact on the gaming industry and are very special in the hearts of many of the gamers who grew up playing these classics. Sonic, Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Ninja Gaiden, Castlevania, Contra, Donkey Kong, they are ALL here. The good thing is that Nintendo adds a few games every Monday, so by the time the Wii's life cycle ends, there will be a ridiculous amount of games available to download. Thanks to the Classic Controller, the games all control perfectly and just like they did in the old days, with the exception of the N64, but even in the N64's case the controls are still awesome. This is one of the best features of the Wii, as you can play all those old classics you may have missed, or you can now play all the games you were too young to play before. But then again, I grew up playing most of these classics, so that's part of the reason why I love this feature so much. Younger gamers who have grown up playing recent-gen games may find it difficult to be immersed in the older stuff. The graphics aren't as pretty and the gameplay may be simpler than most people care to stick with (for some games at least, you'd be surprised). This is probably the most awesome feature of the Wii second only to the new controls.

There is so much potential to be unlocked here that it is unreal. While the other 2 consoles are great as well (expect for maybe their price tags), the Wii is the one that excites me the most. I can't wait until the next gen starts so I can look back on everything that happened with this console, and I can't wait to see how it shapes gaming in the future to come. An awesome console indeed.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/30/07

Game Release: Wii Hardware (US, 11/19/06)