Time to Party with the Nintendo Wii
No other console in the gaming industry has closer to becoming the absolute party system like the Nintendo Wii. With its wide range of local multiplayer games, motion based controls and comparatively affordable price tag (as compared to the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Sony Playstation 3), the Wii quickly made carved out its niche in the video game industry when it launched in 2006.
Now, half a decade later, the Wii is still among the most played console systems. For the most part, the system has a steady following among die-hard Nintendo fans. With exclusive games under the Super Mario, Pokemon, Metroid, Zelda and other first-party franchises, the core fan base of the Wii will always have something to stick around for. There is no doubt that the iconic value that Pikachu, Samus, Link and many others provide draws in a definite charm that is hard to deny (the massive Nintendo crossover game, Super Smash Brothers Brawl sold over 9 million copies).
Aside from the main Nintendo series games, the Wii is often the top choice for family-room consoles. Many of the games on the system (both first and third party titles) allow multiple players to play together at the same time, either cooperatively or competitively. This makes many Wii games as excellent party choices for entertaining guests and there are no messy piñata bits to clean up either. Boom Blox, Mario Party and Wii Party are just some of the few games that are sure to liven up your get-togethers.
While many hardcore gamers are focusing more on titles being released exclusively for other next generation console, it is important to point out that the Wii also gets its share of some pretty impressive games. Sky Crawlers is an impressive and challenging flight simulation game from the Namco Bandai’s Team Aces (developers of Ace Combat) which allows players to use the Wiimote as a flight stick. The Resident Evil Chronicles titles (Umbrella and Darkside) provides players with a solid point and shoot gaming experience that relives many important events in the RE storyline. Grasshopper Manufacture’s No More Heroes series takes on the 3D hack and slash genre to a whole new level with its stylish delivery and innovative use of the motion controller.
Aside from having a great game lineup, the Wii itself is a pretty good console in terms of hardware. Available in white, black and red, buyers have options on being able to choose the visual style that suits them the most. It also comes with a stand which supports the system in an upright position (for those who are saving up on space or simply feel that it looks better that way). In terms of functionality, there is plenty to do on the system. First off, the Wii’s basic OS allows players to add functional channels such as web browser or a picture viewer. Thanks to the console’s WiFi features, going online is as simple as setting up your router information. Additional channel functions such as news readers and the official Nintendo channel can also be downloaded as well.
The system internally stores game saves and channel data files into pre-set “blocks”. In terms of data file size, this is roughly 512 MB. Not that big, but fortunately, the system supports certain brands of SD cards for backing up data. Aside from playing Wii games, the console can also load up the much older Nintendo GameCube games. In order to play these, users will have to hook up the old GC controllers to one of the four specially designated ports on the console. There are also two GC memory card slots on the Wii which will allow players to store their GC game saves.
If you love having friends and family over, have roommates who are fun to play with, or simply love to play video games but do not have the time (or resources) to invest in hardcore games, then the Wii is your number one choice. It offers easy and fun to play games, innovative controls and a great range of functionality that would make any type of gamer happy.
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