Seasoned Wii owners status update request

[ikonia]

this weekend I walked into Virgin to make an impulse purchase of a wii.

I was saved by the fact that despite the signs, they where out of stock.

I then started thinking and considering the games. I ask Wii owners to comment please.

1.) Now that the wii has been out a while and hopefully you would have had it for a while, how do you find playing it, has the novelty worn off, are the games still fun to play

2.) Do you find the choice of games good
3.) Do you find new games coming out often enough
4.) Are all games "motion play" or do you play some using the controller as a standard controller
5.) Whats your overall thought on it as a games console and value for money now that you've all owned one for a while.

[RavenNight]

1.) The games are still fun to play, I still enjoy playing it with friends etc.
2.) The choice is perhaps a touch limited at the moment, but looks set to improve drastically.
3.) New games every month or two, Strikers has been a big hit recently and the advent of Super Smash Bros can only be a good thing. Weekly VC releases help keep things fresh, I've spent hours playing Streets of Rage and Mario Kart 64.
4.) Most games have motion elements, the amount varies, check reviews for more details, on the whole the motion controls feel very responsive and intuitive
5.) At the moment I think it's very good value, I've certainly had a lot of mileage out of it. The best bit is people who would never dream of sitting down to play a game of GoW will happily play several sets of Wii Tennis.

[Spud1]

1) The novelty hasn't worn off, no. Its not the controller that makes the system (although it may be what sells it), its the games..and the few good titles it has (eg zelda, tiger woods, mario football) really make it worth it.

2) No, not yet. Theres only a small number of decent games for it at the moment..BUT there are lots on the way, and its still a very new console. So don't be put off by this..and the ones we have will last you long enough until mario galaxy/metroid prime 3 and the like appear.

3) Things started slow, but have started to pick up a bit..and theres lots of games sheduled for release over the summer oh and of course there is Virtual Console - i've spent *far far* too much money on that =)

4) Yes..and No. Almost all games offer it, to varying degrees..with the first batches trying to use it more it seems (generally quite badly), but this is to be expected with a completely different control mechanism to normal consoles/PCs. Its a totally different way of thinking for designers, so you have to give them time to work out the control issues..unfortunatly this has resulted in some games I would have called 'key' like Red Steel and Far Cry being totally rubbish, purely because of poor controls, but then you play a game like tiger woods or mario football and fall in love with the controller again. So yes, lots of games use it, but not all use it well. Its still worth it for the ones that do though

5) Very good value for money if your not a graphics whore, if you are then go buy a new PC graphics card but seriously, the games are reasonably priced if you buy from tesco or asda (£30 instead of £40), the console is very cheap considering you get a free game, and its still good fun (i've had mine since launch). The only problem is that accessories are a rip off - £15 for a nunchuck! Thats a problem with all consoles though, the manufactureres have to make some money back somewhere.

I say you should go for it, you won't be dissapointed..and the fact that its sold out in loads of places still while I could quite happily go and buy a PS3 right now if i was foolish enough should give you an indication of how popular it is.

[Pennycook]

1) I haven't been playing it as much recently, but I think that's because I still have some PS2 and 360 games to finish (and have finished my Wii games); the games are still incredibly fun to play.
2) Like RavenNight said, choice of new games is pretty limited. Zelda, Sonic and WiiSports are the only three games I've spent any real time playing, but I'm probably going to be purchasing Spiderman soon. Mario, Metroid and Smash Bros should spice things up, though. You could also go out and buy some decent GameCube games on the cheap if you haven't already get one; Double Dash, Tales of Symphonia, things like that.
3) What RavenNight said.
4) Every game I've heard about so far uses the Wiimote in an interesting way. I don't think people are going to release games for the Wii that don't use the motion factor; the hardware isn't as impressive, so they'd probably be better of releasing it on a different console. Plus the Wiimote doesn't lend itself all that well to standard controls. The only ones that don't use it are the VC games, which tend to require the classic controller.
5) Still very good value, definitely; dirt cheap compared to some of the other consoles, and a lot more fun to play in a group. If I have people around and we play on the 360 it tends to wear a little thin, but it's awesome to have a group of people over and just all take it in turns playing golf or something. XD

[Steven W]

1.) Novelty has worn off, but the games are still fun. I played Wii Sports over the weekend and still had a blast.

2.) Not at the moment, but there's so much just around the corner.

3.) Not many great titles out yet, but it's picking up

4.) Retro games on VC are standard. You don't have to wave your hands about like a looney to play every game, you can still sit down and take it easy.

5.) Certainly value for money, suited for families or people who have friends coming around. As a solo experience it doesn't do it for me.

[Dorza]

1.) No; never thought it was a novelty in the first place tbh. I knew exactly what I was buying and what to expect from it. That’s the problem most people have when they buy a wii is that they don’t know what their buying into through pure ignorance and then slate it afterwards when they buy the wrong type of games for it.You are doing the right thing in sussing it out before you buy one .

The games are still fun provided you’re not ignorant to the fact that game play comes before graphical power (even though I think its more powerful than many give it credit for, just look at Super Mario Galaxy for example). If you know someone with a wii; a mate or whatever, try and have a go on theirs. It will give you a feel of what the gaming is like with it before you buy one.

2.) It needs something like Super Mario Galaxy to come out for it to be set alight I think. Right now there aren’t many out there that I would buy before buying a 360/PC game.

3.) No – not much that I am interested in paying £25+ for anyway. There are a number of games on the horizon that I am looking forward to though.

4.) Most of the games will and do use the wiimote. The control system is the highlighting factor for the wii, so I think most developers will try to make use of it. I think the classic controller is mostly for VC Games.

5.) Don’t buy it if your expecting it to do everything a 360 or PS3 can do. You have to accept the fact that game play will and does come before graphical, and performance capabilities. If you can do that then its worth getting for sure. There’s no point getting one if you can’t embrace the spirit of what the wii is and that is to bring the inner child out in you and to just enjoy your self. Maybe it is a tad overpriced, but the controllers you get with it are worth about £45 alone so its not that bad really. I do recommend getting a component cable for it though if you have a HD TV.

PS. If you’re going to get one, buy it before the end of June because you’ll be able to download Opera for free. After June you will need to pay for Opera if you want to browse the web with the wii.

PS2. If you’re interested in a second wiimote then don’t just buy the controller on its own, since wii play comes with a controller and its only £5 more than if you paid for a controller on its own and imo wii play is definitely worth a fiver.

[ikonia]

excellent advise all around. Thank you.

The nice thing about dorza's comment is the attitude, I'm not looking for PS3 spit on turd games, I'm looking for fun game play that will keep me going for hours, older style fun over graphics like Mario Kart, Street Fighter, Mario, sensible Soccer, that sort of thing rather than real time movie sequences where you can move the car left or right only.

[jonathan_phang]

1.) How do you find playing it, has the novelty worn off, are the games still fun to play?

I just had a quick go on Wii Play of all things and surprisingly had a real good laugh. I thought that i had played it to death, but after a long break from the Wii - talking weeks here, it was great fun. Basically, if a game is good, then it will stay good.

2.) Do you find the choice of games good

I's have to admit, for me, at this PRESENT moment, not just yet. The only real purchase I have made is SSX Blur and this was fantastic. Stopped playing it halfway through, until i have moved house and got a decent bid HDTV to do it justice - but games with this level of wiimote use are fantastic and are hard to put down. I wanted the Wii for a different single player experience, and as yet, I've not found too many bar Zelda and SSX Blur. Bottom line is - when quality is there, its to a very good standard. But IMO at this moment, there arent enough of those titles (But read on...)

3.) Do you find new games coming out often enough

You might think that I'm a Wii hater after reading my other answers, but I'm happy to play my PC until the Wii has properly matured. I believe that its going to be an exciting time soon. We have Mario Strikers out now, Resident Evil Wii at the end of the month (Which I havent played on GC but is meant to be awesome), then Manhunt 2, followed later by Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Mario Galaxy, Metroid, Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles etc. I cant wait, and will more than likely get all the aforementioned.

4.) Are all games "motion play" or do you play some using the controller as a standard controller

Mostly motion sensitive - although some developers, quite wisely IMO have left in gamecube pad support, like in Mortal Kombat.

5.) Whats your overall thought on it as a games console and value for money now that you've all owned one for a while.

Value for money, its not too bad, and the games are maturing. You will always get good innovative titles on a Nintendo Platform, but also good (just for market exposure) is there are some big hitters (like EA) committing to the platform, with good Wii-specific titles (like Blur and Madden 08). People can cane EA as much as they want, but I think the more big softcos that join the better chance of attracting more. The greater the potential market, the more money that will be poured into developing, which of course is good news. So I think that the next few/six months will be interesting.

Initially, i thought, "what more cutesy/party games", but there are ones being released as good single player experiences (like the ones mentioned above) which mean that the Wii wont be a one trick pony. Honestly, when you get a well made game with great, well thought out controls - its a gaming experience that you literally cant get anywhere else. Seriously, when i got into SSX blur, the rush from drawing shapes to produce certain super-tricks was awesome.

A rather disjointed response - I'm in a rush - but i think that the Wii may be turning a corner soon, if not at the moment. I dont have it as my main gaming platform, that is still going to be the PC, but the Wii is a great alternative. Bear in mind that I prefer single player gaming - I have other things to do with my mates! - and after being a little bit dissapointed, I'm quite encouraged now... Roll on...

Phew

[Veles]

Unfortuneatly there just aren't enough games out on the Wii that are suited to the console, most are just ports. Instead of going "Hey we've got this cool new controller, lets make an awesome game around using it", developers are thinking, "Hey great, how do we make this work with our game?". The Wii isn't for stuff like Fifa and CoD, but games like Wario Ware Smooth Moves are fantastic games that use the control system really well. It's about time developers realised they need to have a different attitude to making games for the Wii.

[Spitfire01]

Mostly I agree with what's been said about points 1 to 5 I've only had it a couple of weeks but it's still a good laugh great party machine.

I waiting for a decent FPS to come out on it, hoping metroid prime 3 can fill that gap. I just feel the controller system is itching for a decent fps. point and shoot is what we've all been waiting for on a console (without having to buy a novelty gun for it). The up and coming games should eb interesting there are quite a few i'm looking at getting.

[TiG]

1.) Now that the wii has been out a while and hopefully you would have had it for a while, how do you find playing it, has the novelty worn off, are the games still fun to play.

I'm a gamer through and through and i've played the Wii so much more than my 360. The novelty is the controller, it feels so much satisfying with the wii remote and nunchuck than a x360 controller does.

2.) Do you find the choice of games good

As stated before the games are coming, zelda is good and wii sports/wii play are good and suit me down to the ground as so many of these games allow perfection on a skill based level.

3.) Do you find new games coming out often enough

Mario strikers charged football feels a cross between speedball 2 and sensi soccer and i can't put it down. If more games keep coming of this quality i'll be chuffed. It also provides what i want from games, something with a pick up and play. I have the PC to complement.

4.) Are all games "motion play" or do you play some using the controller as a standard controller

Motion control is so enjoyable, and the more i play the better it feels, the remote feels sooooo fine on the shooting aspect, like many above i can't wait to see a fps game on it. But everything has little bits of using the controller differently and personally i only think this will get better.

5.) Whats your overall thought on it as a games console and value for money now that you've all owned one for a while.

I'm enjoying it a LOT and think its much better value. Providing the games keep coming every 6-8 weeks of the top quality i can see myself buying a new game on that to complement. I'm still doing the wii sports daily fitness too

TiG

[kopite]

1.) Now that the wii has been out a while and hopefully you would have had it for a while, how do you find playing it, has the novelty worn off, are the games still fun to play

As everyone else has said its still a hell of a lot of fun to play. The single player games are great the console really comes into its own multiplayer though. theres nothing better than getting your mates around for some multiplayer tennis etc

2.) Do you find the choice of games good

The game choice is a bit limited but there are some quality games available which have a large amount of content to make them last. I have played Godfather for 20 hours so far and There`s still quite a bit to go. Zelda is hooj

3.) Do you find new games coming out often enough

Could do with a few more games coming out a bit quicker but ninty recently stated there is a load of 1st party games coming out this year and the majority of the big studios are releasing games for the wii as well so there should be loads coming out soon.

Theres also super paper mario which is supposed to be brilliant, Cooking mama looks fun and MArio striker as said in other posts on here is a great game

Best news though theres gonna be harvest moon game on the wii

4.) Are all games "motion play" or do you play some using the controller as a standard controller

The majority of games do use the motion sensors but it feels really natural. Most of my time at the moment is spent playing godfather and the controls just feel right when fighting and shooting

5.) Whats your overall thought on it as a games console and value for money now that you've all owned one for a while.

Deffo value for money. I wouldnt sell mine for anything. The best investment to make once you get the wii though is a joytech powerstation. This`ll let you charge the controllers whilst not using them

[Blademrk]

I've got my borthers Wii sitting in my room at the moment (and it's been there since he bought it christmas time).
I really enjoyed playing Zelda (still haven't completed it, but I'll get to that in a moment), and found the use of the Wii-mote in this game pretty good.

The main reason I haven't completed Zelda yet (or really played on the system since Christmas) is I've been more addicted to my 360 and getting achievement points.

So the question I must ask myself is would I still buy a Wii when my brother moves back out and takes his Wii with him?

I'd have to say yes, despite the fact I haven't really played much on it, there are games coming out that won't be on any other system (case in point Zelda) which I really want to play (as soon as I can get over my achivement point addiction)).


One point I should make is that if you intend to have a few friends over to play games (such as baseball/ Tennis/ Golf or what ever - make sure you have plenty of room and keep little ones/breakables well out of arms reach (I know you only need small movements to use the wii-mote, but it's supprisingly easy to get carried away in the middle of a game, and friends who haven't used a wii-mote before tends to use over exagerated movements using it).

[fathazza]

i barely play my wii at all single player...

but if friends are over then wii tennis, bowling, and boxing if we can cope with the sweatfest are all must plays...

must say im looking forwards to both the resident evil games, and a few other things, quite tempted by mario football and warioware. but other than that nothing has caught my interest.

[kopite]

Im back on wii sports again now

Just about completed Godfather now, COuple more assasinations and its done

[Aaron]

I own a Xbox 360 and a Wii. To be honest, if the Wii was my only console I would be bored. It excels at multiplayer and certain styles of game but it doesn't have the breadth of genres to keep me happy all of the time.

There's undoubtedly some good games out for it, but releases are coming out very slowly. It doesn't help that the summer is always a dry period for games in general. The Wii excels in multiplayer and I'm still having a lot of fun playing Wii Sports. Things should improve as Christmas approaches.

The value of the actual console is great. The last console I got that was bundled with a game was my Megadrive and you could play nothing but multiplayer Wii Sports and be happy. However, the controllers make it more expensive. Additional Wiimote + nunchunk combos will set you back £45 and then you'll need further classic/gamecube controllers to get the most out of the virtual console. It all adds up very quickly. If you're on a budget, the Wii + Wii Sports + Wii Play (inc. Wiimote) + an additional nunchunk comes to ~£225 - a very fair price, IMO.