Reviews

Nintendo Wii

    In October 2009 I received the Nintendo Wii as a prize from the Little Debbie Miles of Smiles Sweepstakes. Oh my goodness....I won? WOW! I was so excited. I do not win many things, but I was so thrilled with this, because I had been wanting the Nintendo Wii for some time. Did I mention that I also received a Wii Fit Balance Board with game and a Nascar Racing Game along with it? Wow...I was ready to check it out. Here is my review, about the only game console I have owned, besides the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo NES (old school) That's Right!

    I know there is all this buzz about HDTVs, pixels and graphics, etc. Since I do not own an HDTV or really care about the games looking realistic I was super thrilled with the wii. They do not focus on technology of the graphics, but rather the technology that goes into the game. Which, is what matters in the first place right?

    The Nintendo Wii is a very small and light console, which is very easy to hook up properly. I think it took maybe 5 minutes. Go through the syncing of remotes, if you have more than one, otherwise it syncs the first remote automatically. Pop in the Wii Sports Game (included) and you are on your way to playing.

   Quick break to talk about Wii Sports. Wii Sports is the game included with the console and to be honest, I thought it was going to be boring, or something I got sick of right away. Boy, was I wrong! Wii Sports has 5 different games you can play. Tennis, Baseball, Bowling, Golf and Boxing (nunchuck needed for boxing). You can play alone or with up to 4 players. There are other options under some of the games, for example with golf you can play 3 holes (beginner, advanced, or expert)  or you can play 9 holes.  There is also a training section. Which provides 3 different training events under each of the 5 games. That is 15 extra events to do. Golf: there is putting, hitting the green, and target practice. For Bowling there is spin control, picking up spares, and power throws. Which adds lots of extra fun things to do. You can also challenge other players in the event to see who can do better. You can earn medals as well. Bronze, Silver or Gold. All in all this game is a little jewel and a great game to come free with the console.

    Back to the Wii. There are some downsides to the Wii which is that it does not play CDs or DVDs unlike other consoles. The remote drains batteries....so invest in some rechargeables and you are good to go! If you are looking for excellent graphics you are not going to find it here, but I promise you that the fun you are going to experience playing outweighs having phenomenal graphics.

     To the Good about the Wii. The remotes are motion-sensitive and pick up on your movements which really brings you into the game and encourages exercise...you can not say that for most gaming consoles. It has built in Wi-Fi so you can access the internet, and even play online. You can store and share photos on your Wii (SD card not included). If you owned the GameCube it plays GameCube discs along with Wii discs. You can buy other games with wii points that download right to your console, including old school games like Castlevania and Mario Bros.

     I love my wii. It is family friendly, and really encourages movement, which I think more gaming consoles should do. I have had a lot of fun with it, and it has even helped me lose 40 pounds! So....what are you waiting for. You looking for a family friendly gaming console that can help you get up off that couch and move around...look no further than the Nintendo Wii.