Nintendo Wii - Advice please

[haplesshacker]

Considering one for the, 'family' gift this Christmas.

Pros, cons, what do you need, what don't you need, good and bad family games and games in general.

Okay so I'd rather have Gran Turismo on the PS3, but I want (read allowed) to have a more inclusive machine that the family can use.

What's the battery consumption like on the handheld thingys, and is it really noticable when they tail off?

Any comments from those with experiance are appreciated.

Many thanks.

 

[brendy]

id be interested in this too as the inlaws have bought our eldest (Hollie, almost 5) a wii for xmas.
I do know that the Fujicell 2700 mah batteries I use in my camera are bloody good and will be buying a bucket of them from ebay closer to christmas as they hold a brilliant charge and last ages compared to duracell and other non recharge batteries.

 

[Handycap]

As a family console the Wii is terrific. if you can stretch to the balance board (included with Wii fit) it can be used with many more games. Up to four players using a combination of controllers can be used wirelessly at any time. Battery life is pretty good with the controllers; they react like a wireless mouse when the battery gets weak, but I think they flash at you to let you know before this anyway.
The added bounus is Tiger Woods golf is available for the Wii that I'm sure your sixth month old will need...

 

[GB72]

As a family console it is great, even had my rather reserved mother in law playing over easter. Wii Sports is great family fun and MarioKart is simple enough for even youngsters to play (my 4 year old nephew loves it). Battery life is pretty good and you get plenty of warning before they die. You can also buy recharge packs.
Whilst I would say that it is great for the family, it is not, however, a great games console for the more serious gamer and given the choice between a Wii and my Xbox 360, the Xbox wins hands down.

 

[StuartD]

Agree with most all the comments about the system but i have not been that impressed with the battery life for the controllers. Rechargables are a must in my opinion.

If you fancy the wii fit, buying it with the system is a must as they are quite a few bundles out there. Trying to find a wii fit on its own at the RRP is difficult. Most retailers are selling it with pointless extras such as covers, yoga mats etc and charging a fortune.

 

[Smiffy]

I bought one about a year or so ago. Great fun initially but the novelty has worn off slightly as our two boys prefer playing the 360 for some reason!
The tennis game that comes with it (Wii sports?) is good for a laugh, especially if you've had a couple of drinks!
The boxing game will do your arms in for days.
We haven't bought that many games for it, and to be honest I had a change around in the front room about 3 or 4 months ago where I wallmounted the telly etc. and I haven't even bothered to plug the Wii back in again.
But knowing the laughs we have had on it, I wouldn't sell it...it's there for a "rainy day"
Rob

 

[billyg]

As many have said for a more 'inclusive'gaming experience it really cannot be beaten -especially around christmas time.

I would suggest ordering early in the unlikely event that we get a recurance of last year where there was a sudden lack of supply. It's unlikely but many will think the way thatyou have and opt for it.

Games -

Comes free with a little set of games which includes wii tennis ,boxing, golf and bowling (baseball is dull). These four alone are probably worth the cover price and are an absolute hoot when you've had a mulled wine or two (ahem)

The little characters that you can create to insert into these games are slightly cartoon like but fun.

Battery life for the handsets is easy enough to judge as on one of the submenus you can check handset battery life. I would expect about two weeks of fairly intense use out of a set of two AA's. The nuncucks work off the power from the main handset.

I would strongly recomend getting a couple of (genuine) spare hansets as I believe ours only came with one.

Can't remember if you get nunckucks with it but you will need them if you go for many aftermarket popular games such as Mario Olympics or this one:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Take-2-Topspin-3...8961&sr=8-2

...which if you like the tennis thing is about as good as it gets.

Full games list and ratings:-

Tiger Woods- as you would expect but just can't seem to get into it.

Game Party - fairly basic but kills an hour or two over christmas

Table Tennis - too complicated and there's a time lag while you plan your shots. A bit of a letdown.

Mario Olympics - fun and can be quite exhausting. Somwe of the events are p@nts but some are good. Need to achieve a certain standard before you can unlock all of the events - why?

Top spin 3 - Mrs. BillyG and I had such a blast with the free Wii tennis we would get a more 'serious' version when it became available. Doesn't dissapoint.

ones to consider:

Rock band - pricey but I think you get a drum kit, guitar and mic.

Wii fit - the must have accessory of Wii gaming this year- see above about ordering early

PDA darts - couldn't resist slipping this one in as the sensor is so accurate (if you doubt this- go to the calibration window and you can see what the Wii sees from the handset) i'm pretty sure that if it's done right it could be very good.

Warning- if you're a big time gamer then this isn't for you. Treat it as an alternative to a game of Monopoly or Cluedo with the family and you can't loose- treat is as a high capacity gamer console and you'll be dissapointed.

 

[TonyN]

Get one, you won't regret it, and you'll be a hero... Well santa will.

 

[Robo]

Got one for the kids for xmas.
Did want to try it out but the wife
would not let me!
The info and advice on this forum
is first class.

 

[vig]

Get one!
They are great. Tiger woods game is a must, As is the recharge pack the colour changes wehn it is running down.

Word of warning, don't use it under a light fitting. I smashed one playing tennis

Wii fit is good, can't get missus off it.

As others have said, not for the serious gamer but great fun

 

[big_russ]

Great fun but be careful which games you get as many of them have very little playability. The better name games are great fun and very addictive. ie Tiger Woods, Super Mario, Sonic.

 

[SS2]

Mario Kart Wii is great, especially the online play via Nintendo's WFC.

Other good titles: Wii Sports, Super Mario Galaxy, Wii Fit, Big Brain Academy.

As others have mentioned, the Wii is not an out-and-out gamer's machine but for family fun is hard to beat. Battery life for controllers is pretty good.

 

[GolfOffshore]

you really can't beat the playability family wise on the wii..

I own a docking station for mine which charges up the batteries whilst you aren't using them...just depends on your carbon footprint and all that jazz!!!

 

[haplesshacker]

Noticed that Tiger Woods All Play is playable online against other players around the world with Wii's. Now that could kill a few hours!!

 

[viscount17]

my partners come up with the idea of getting one of these for christmas as a 'family' present.

The package sets seem to have just one controller, what's the minimum you need?

 

[billyg]

my partners come up with the idea of getting one of these for christmas as a 'family' present.

The package sets seem to have just one controller, what's the minimum you need?

Turn based games or against the machine - 1 is fine

Real time competition - as many as want to play (think the max is four). Want something to remember? set a camcorder up and film four of you doing the 110 meter hurdles/ swimming in Mario Olympics - you won't regret it.

Don't wait until after christmas to get 'em either. Come January they're likely to be as rare as hens teeth.

 

[Spoff]

I have a Wii and bought Tiger Woods for it, but found it was full of bugs and took it back.

Little things like there being no hole on a green and the computer scoring -35 in a round.

Have stuff like that been fixed?

 

[haplesshacker]

Well, thanks for the views folks. Wife bought one yesterday with a shed load of Tescos vouchers that we had, so didn't have to shell out much for it. Came with Wii sports.

Rather embarrasingly she beat me at eh golf game first time around.

Couldn't leave it sat in the cupboard boxed up until Christmas though. But I will be getting Tiger Woods All Play for Christmas though.