I finally managed to snag one of the ultra-popular Nintendo Wii consoles today, being lucky enough to wonder into a Target an hour after a shipment had arrived and catching one of the last 3 in stock. The Wii, despite having a rather silly name, is just freakin’ fun. The graphics aren’t fantastic, although Wii Sports has its charms, but what it lacks in graphical horsepower it makes up for it sheer entertainment value. Wii Sports is a great party game – Tennis and Baseball aren’t all that great, but Bowling, Golf, and especially Boxing do a great job of showing off the Wii’s motion-sensing controllers. It’s a great machine for people who aren’t hardcore gamers — it’s easy to pick up, it’s involving, and it’s entertaining. Nintendo zigged when the rest of the industry zagged towards HD graphics and nifty visuals, which are nice, but no substitute for good gameplay.
The Wii isn’t in the same league as the XBox 360 or the PS3 – but it is cheaper, more fun, and more accessible to non-gamers. That explains why the things keep selling out as soon as stores get a shipment – it really is something that takes gaming and gives it an innovative new spin.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have another round of golf waiting for me…
The golf is fun, isn’t it? It’s really amazingly similar to real golf.