Posted on Sunday 24th of December 2006 at 03:25 in Gaming

A brief review of the Wii

Those who know me know I've just bought my first house and therefore have as much disposable income as your average overdrawn chap, yet I've found my urge to buy Nintendo's latest offering increase... All because I had a go on one. To set the scene: at work on Friday someone (and thanks to him if he's reading) brought his beloved Wii in for entertainment, which was hooked up to our office projector and that's exactly what it delivered. Bundles of the stuff.

Unfortunately I was too busy to partake in the collective Wii-party that ensued (playing WiiSports) with almost every male in the company queuing for a round of golf, tennis or bowling. Only one bout of boxing occurred during the day, with both participants flailing around like mentalists and looking a tad moist after three rounds. It was deemed that boxing is possibly the most tiring thing you can do with the Wii. Baseball was apparently rather difficult but like I say, I didn't get a go on the console until the close of play when everyone else was leaving for home.

My Thoughts
Even before playing I was confident that Nintendo had a winning formula - it had captured an entire company's worth of men and some women (who probably had better things to do anyway) for an entire day (minus lunch). However it was only when I had a small play was I aware of what we were dealing with. Firstly I tried some golf which wasn't terribly easy for the newcomer - as someone who can play golf in the real world every fibre in my body was telling me to position myself right and fully swing at the ball, which the Wii translates as an overswing. For a full Wii swing you need a real chip shot (about 1/4 swing). This was something I found hard to get to grips with. However, there was one real problem with the controllers and the golf game - when it came to putting/close to the pin getting anything less than 1/2 power was rather tricky. The sensors don't appear to be awfully sensitive when going for a "feather touch". This often results in you punting your ball 40ft when you were inches from the hole - a slightly annoying aspect of the console.

However, playing a round of tennis was where the console and control system really began to shine. The actions were perfectly reflecting those of really playing tennis (well, largely so) and it made me want to do more than the "minimal" amount of activity and really swing for the ball.

Conclusion
Because I only played it for a matter of minutes my review is only brief, but it's made me realise that the best way of marketing the console is to either get people to play it or demonstrate it being played (as supermarkets are now doing). It's not without its flaws and Sony are intending on releasing a similar control system for the PS3 in coming months but from what I've seen and experienced of the Wii - Nintendo have found the fun and put it right back into gaming. It also means I may get some upper body exercise once in a while! Overall it gets a hearty recommendation from me and I think you should go and buy one as soon as they're available.

 

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