Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Why Wii Rocks

Wednesday, February 18, 2009


My hubby waited for months for the Wii to be released. He waited in line. He waited in the cold. He was SO a Cartman about it. Was it worth it hype?

Oh, yeah. Every annoying text-message about it. We had played highly interactive games at Gameworks. We knew this was the future of gaming. This was the next step of the console revolution.

You ARE the Character
Video games place you in a role. Think of the language you use. "No, No, No, No!....damn, I died." Really? You? Yes, of course. Character customization let's you BE your character in many games. Always want to be a tall? Want to get rid of your bald spot? Want your name to be Thor the Magnificent?

And Beyond
The Wii now takes this immersion to the next level. Wii's even calls your avatar a Mii. Now the game mimics your actions. You wield the sword, swing the racket, and spin that hoola hoop. You interact with the game on a whole new level. Although there are extra accessories for the Wii. The balance board is the best one so far. The Wii-mote's versatility across all game genres rocks.

Console Wars
Xbox 360 charged ahead with the HDDVD player, pretty graphics, earlier release, and online gaming ($50/yr). PS3 has the Blue-Ray, is beautiful, but....it has a hefty price-tag. While Xbox and PS3 fought over the current "gamer," the Wii expanded the "gamer" definition. You can say the Wii won, but in fact, there was no competition. The sales have been enormous - it has outsold and won this generation of "console wars."
The Wii focused on a different market.

Who Plays Wii?
Who can play these games? Ev-er-y-one. Ev-er-y-one? Ev-er-y-one. My mother-in-law and I were playing Wii Sports. My hubby came home, and was amazed. "I have never seen mom play a video game." That's what this console has achieved. So to Nintendo, I bow. You gave me fun, while the other consoles gave me beauty.

Play It, Buy It, Love It
Go play the Wii. Try it at Best Buy or Gamestop. Hell, just buy it. It's cheap and it's fun. You can play it for minutes or hours. You can play it with your mom and your kids. Don't believe me? Watch this Granny do a little samba in the video below.


4 comments:

Phillip of Thirtysomething Gamers said...

Great article honey! Of course I have to say that I'm your hubby.

Nintendo has dominated the market with a less powerful, yet innovative device. They decided to zig when everyone else zagged. Instead of appealing to the small market of current gamers, they decided to market to the broader market of non-gamers.

Susan Romano said...

OK after consenting to Jamie's instructions to immerse myself in gaming vocab and humor (pwnage (Girls) and Dave's), I primed for introductionto Wii--kind of receptive--maybe. I'm going to consult with my gamer son-in-law to see if he's there. I await more instructions, Jamie.

for the love of frank said...

jamie,
that's friggin' hillarious! i love the point you're making here. this is exactly what dr. romano needs to awaken her own potential as a gamer! not to mention we thirtysomethingers. the video is extraordinary... the lady's laughter just keeps the ball of mirth rolling for me. you said "samba"? is that truly a dancing game or were her rookie moves merely samba-esque? did it say which game it was? i'm compelled now.

Jamie Riera said...

It is a game. We rented it, although I have been to sick to play it. I plan on drugging myself and samba-ing today. I watched my husband played it, and LMAO (laughed my a** off). It's called warning! sound on this link Samba De Amigo. I'll videotape us playing it and post on the game.

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