Nintendo Wii Review, Video Game System: Should You Buy?

To Wii or not to Wii? Check out our Nintendo Wii review, where we cover one of the hottest video game systems around.

When it comes to video games, I’ve spent hours playing with my family on my Nintendo DS and Sony’s triple threat of the Playstation 3, Playstation 2, and the Playstation Portable. However, with the Nintendo Wii’s continued popularity, this may be an appropriate time to expand our collection. Let’s take a look at the pros of cons of going the Wii way.

Should You Buy The Wii? Our Nintendo Wii Review: Pros and Cons

Pros

With 2 million Wii sales in November, Nintendo has shown for the third year in a row that its console has mass appeal. When I’ve taken a casual look around for them in years past, they’ve been scarce; however, my family and I have spotted them at retailers like Target this year; online retailers also seem to have them in abundance. Since the average price for a console seems to run about $350, the Nintendo Wii seems less expensive than its competitors, too.

I’ve read in the Chicago Tribune and heard from other news outlets about the Wii’s ability to get people moving across several generations. Games like Rock Band 2 and Wii Music can help families tune up, while sports titles like Wii Sports and We Ski can make competitors out of in-laws and the younger crowd. The list of multiplayer games available for the Wii appear to make it a great console for parties as well!

Wii Games Across The Generations: The Old School’s Still Open

In addition, the Wii has lots of downloadable titles like Midnight Bowling and World of Goo that I could buy with Wii Points, available from stores or online. And if I want to play the old classics like Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros., the Virtual Console is awaiting me on the Wii Shop channel. We still have a somewhat dusty SNES console from back in the day, but it would be fun to take on those old games again.

Other Wii channels have news, weather, and other ways to interact with other players. One bonus I didn’t expect is the Disc Channel, which lets you play games from Nintendo’s previous console, the GameCube. Game Informer’s January 2009 print issue has a rundown of the GameCube’s Top 25 games — titles that I could find used and at a decent price if I looked hard enough.

Wii Exclusives

Also, if I want to play more Pokemon games and Mario titles than are on the DS, I need to go to the Wii. As far as I can tell, they aren’t joining the Playstation franchise. Another Wii exclusive that intrigues me is Wii Fit. I’m not sure I could handle the balance board with any grace, but I need the exercise.

One more thing that appeals to me about the Wii: unlike the PS3, it’s friendly to tinkering. Lifehacker brought the Wii’s other exploits to my attention earlier in the year; if I needed another DVD player, it seems easy to give the Wii an upgrade.

Cons

Hold Those Nunchucks

While the Wii has a lot of games that appeal to children and groups, I’m not sure I could find enough titles that would appeal to me as a single player. When I scanned the list of top 100 Wii games at Amazon, I realized I’d prefer the high-quality graphics of the PS3 for LEGO Batman and the PS2 version of Okami. And bestselling games like Grand Theft Auto IV and Soul Calibur IV were made for the Xbox 360 and the PS3, not the Wii.

Besides, all those accessories add up. Throw in another $9.99 if you want a Wii Wheel or $19.99 for a Wii Grand Slam Sports Pack. Between the charging station, the zapper, the remote, and even more accessories, I’d need a bigger house to store all that stuff.

Another advantage I’d want in a new console is connectivity with its portable counterpart. For instance, I can buy a game for the PSP on the PS3’s Playstation Network; I can also take advantage of the PS3’s Remote Play function to run certain games to play on my PSP. So far, the DS doesn’t seem to be able to interact as much with the Wii, though I’ve heard that DS game demos are easy to obtain through the Wii.

Does This Video Game Console Fit Into Your Game Play?

I need to make sure that my family would get enough value out of a big ticket purchase before we commit money to it. Plus, it’s important to consider how much I want to invest in the console’s accessories, since they add to the expense — and all the Wii’s accessories make it the Barbie of the console world. While the Wii seems great for families with younger children and for groups of people who want to game together, the members of my household prefer single-player games of the type found on the other consoles.

Finally, it can be costly to build up a new library of games. For now, we’ll leave the Wii on our wish list, though the Wii may be more of a fit for you!

What about you? Are you getting a Wii this year? Or if you already own one, have you enjoyed playing it?