"The best words to describe wii? Super Terrific Fun Ultimate!"

Hurray for the Nintendo Wii! It is currently the best selling console this generation and for good reason. Nintendo took a chance with this console, and fortunately, for them (and us) it worked. From the intuitive controller design and superb online play, all the way to the amazing game library, Nintendo and their wii can do no wrong.

Design: 10/10
The wii is the smallest of the three current gen consoles. It is very compact and light, yet sturdy enough that you will not need to worry about it breaking. The controllers are nearly indestructible as well. And for a comparatively low price of $250, this is $600 quality design!

Graphics: 10/10
The Wii's graphics are amazing. Games like Metroid Prime 3, Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl push the wii to its graphical limit. The console can produce graphical effects such as bloom lighting and specular mapping to add even more detail to its graphics. There are plenty of games on the wii with great graphics; I do not know why everyone says they are all PS2 graphics; that is certainly not true! The wii is stronger than previous gen consoles, so of course it has the potential to create better graphics than they do.

Sound: 10/10
The Wii's sound is just as good if not better than other console's. Everything is crisp and clear, even the sounds from the wii remote speaker (although I suppose I should save that for later). There is not too much to say about sound, since its only sound and its either good or bad. In the Wii's case, it is good.

Hardware: 10/10
The wii is an amazing piece of technology. It comes with an ample 512M of memory that will allow you to save all of your games onto the wii. The Wii also supports SD cards, but it cannot be used to save games directly (because it is not needed and never will be). The Wii also comes with "Wii channels". The wii channels allow you to create your miis (personal avatars), play your games, send messages to your friends, and view and edit photos on an SD card (even if the changes can't be saved, its still a lot of fun). There are other channels that utilize the Wii's online capabilities as well. With these channels, you can: check the news and weather on your wii instead of your TV, surf the internet (without the hassle of copying and pasting), vote on fun questions such as: "do you use your brain or your strength?", view upcoming Nintendo games (as long as their name is "wii fit"), and buy your very own games via the virtual console. This leads me into my next point:

The Virtual Console: 10/10
The virtual console allows you to download all of the best games from past systems onto your wii. The currency used is "wii points". For low prices, you can download these games (they range from $5 to $12 per game) and store them in your wii's flash memory. The virtual console also has "wiiware", a new concept that allows you to download new games created by independent developers. This shows how Nintendo is broadening its horizons and reaching out to new people. This, once again, makes a good transition into my next point:

Software/game library: 10/10
The Wii already has a large game library, and it is filled with quality titles (because Nintendo would not allow shovelware to just be thrown onto their system). Recently, Nintendo has decided to reach out to casual gamers because everyone deserves to play video games. As a result, we see games like wii fit and endless ocean (although endless ocean is not actually made by Nintendo). In addition, since previous games were too tough for casual gamers to play, they were simplified. The results can be seen in Metroid Prime 3, which was turned into an FPS so casuals wouldn't get lost (but its actually better that way), Super Mario Galaxy, where the difficulty is practically non-existent (but dying in games isn't fun anyway), Super Smash Bros Brawl, where anybody could win regardless of skill (but video games are not supposed to be skill based), and Mario kart wii, where luck is the main factor in determining the victor (but its so much more fun that way). There is no doubt about it: "casualization" (yes, I made that word up) is beneficial for everybody, video games that took effort were getting old anyway, we need something new and I'm glad Nintendo had the guts to do it.

Online: 10/10
Nintendo's wii can connect to the internet via Wi-Fi. The internet is needed to use certain channels, such as the virtual console and internet channel (obviously), but it also allows gamers to play online with each other. Nintendo uses the same system for online play on wii as they do on DS: the friend code. The friend code allows you to play with your friends without having to worry about playing with random people you do not even know. All you have to do is exchange friend codes and start enjoying the game! Some noteworthy online games include: super smash bros brawl (its great that you can now play one of the most popular games out there online...with your friends) and Mario kart wii which allows you to play with random people which could be a little risky. Overall, the online is sure to keep parents happy.

Controller: 10/10
The wii's big hook is its controller: the wiimote and nunchuck. They can sense motion and allow you to be completely immersed in the game you are playing. For example, Nintendo's biggest titles utilize the controller in clever new ways: in twilight princess, you can waggle the controller to swing your sword, in Super Mario Galaxy, you can waggle the controller to spin, and in Mario kart wii, you can waggle your controller to do a trick. This adds a completely new layer to gameplay as you feel that you are actually performing the action. In addition, Nintendo has made some one game peripherals that do more than hold the wiimote. The wii zapper allows you to feel like you're really shooting those targets in Link's crossbow training and the wii wheel makes it feel like you're actually driving your kart in mario kart wii. Its good that these peripherals are not used for multiple games, because each one is specialized for their respective game. As for buttons, Nintendo stuck with their simplified format, A, B, c, Z, 1, and 2 are the only buttons you will need.

Overall: 10/10
The wii is an amazing system; there is no doubt about that. It is unlike anything I have ever played before. The motion controls were a brilliant idea, and the simplification of everything makes it more enjoyable, for the majority. There is not much to say in this section that I have not already said in previous parts of the review, so I will just awkwardly transition into my conclusion.

Conclusion: Buy
When I sat down to write this review, I wanted to convey a message. I do not know if you got my message or not, but good for you if you did. Sometimes, going with the flow is not the best thing. But, anyway, buy a wii! It is perfect and Nintendo is infallible!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/06/08

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