Wii Got It

I’ve been playing Wii since launch day, and I think I’m finally ready to deliver my first impressions. This thing is *AWESOME*.

Let me first temper my view by reiterating that my launch package consisted only of the Wii console bundle, an extra Wii-mote, and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. My high opinion of the console is based purely on my experiences with WiiSports, Zelda, and the built in channel software (which consists mostly of the Mii channel and the Wii message board at this point).

Zelda represents the only non-social Wii experience for me. When I play Zelda, I focus. There is no child-like glow in my eyes when trying to solve dungeon puzzles, only cold, calculating concentration. I missed the entire Nintendo 64 generation of console gaming and as such had never played Ocarina of Time, so I don’t really understand what journalists mean when they call this game a love letter to people who were moved by OOT. But from my limited experience, the level of polish on this game is astounding. You can read anyone else’s views on that.

In my attempt to savor the experience of acquiring a Wii on launch day, I refrained from playing games as long as possible, choosing instead to focus on the built-in software. The first thing that most people notice is the subtle rumble that occurs when pointing to a selectable object; it really makes pointing to the screen feel tactile. The setup options were simple enough, and I had no trouble getting the Wii on my home wireless network. That left me with the Mii channel to explore, where I attempted to create a digital caricature of myself. Though I felt that many of the individual elements I used to create my Mii were just a little off, when placed together, my Mii was spot on. I also created Miis for my parents, but I left my brother to create his own. I believe his was the closest match of all.

WiiSports catches a lot of flak for being a glorified tech demo, but it’s probably the best tech demo I’ve ever played. Tennis and Bowling are solid outings with simple, intuitive physics. Baseball feels a little awkward to me but is manageable enough. Boxing could benefit from better gesture recognition but is easily the best workout in the package, and Golf is *ALMOST* great (backswing recognition is sometimes poor, and light strokes are damn near impossible). This game’s charm however, lies not into how accurate or deep the sports are but in the ability to draw in the non-gamer. Scarcely a day went by where my mother and brother didn’t log several games of tennis and bowling with me, with each other, and even by themselves. I still haven’t gotten Dad to play, but he has at least had the decency to walk by and occasionally criticize Mom for not swinging at the tennis ball when it’s in easy reach.

To date, I have exposed four other people to the Wii, and all of them have had the same reaction: excitement. Sometimes I am afraid to breach the subject of video games in front of family and non-gamer friends, but WiiSports breaks down the wall between us better than any game I’ve ever played. Nintendo was right to include this as a pack-in. It may not keep the attention of a hardcore gamer for too long, but it may be the secret to winning non-gamers over one-by-one. If you can get a controller in someone’s hand, getting them to play really is the easy part.

Waiting for Wii

My chosen stake out spot for a Nintendo Wii on launch date was the Westgate Mall Target in San Jose, CA. Though some friends of mine contacted me earlier in the day from the Toys ‘R Us in San Mateo to let me know that they were in position 35 of 100 for a midnight launch, the line had already swelled beyond the 100 allotted systems by the time I was able to make it there a couple of hours later. Rather than shivering in the shadows between the buildings where the launch line weaved, I settled for a burger from Red Robin with my Wii launch date date.

I guess I had been hoping for a social atmosphere, but the people in front and behind came in much larger groups than I did, and they mostly kept to themselves while still managing to at times be raucously obnoxious.

The rules for this Target were as follows:

1. Put your name on the numbered list.
2. There is a roll call at midnight. Anyone not here at that time will have their name removed from the list.
3. Between 7:00 AM and 7:30 AM, Wii reserve tickets will be issued in order of the sign-ups.
4. Wii sales begin at 8:00 AM.

I could have gone home a little after midnight and slept in my own bed, but I decided to camp out with my friend. We passed the time by completing some ridiculous trivia cards, playing Nintendo DS, playing with my dog, and talking. My friend JL and his wife showed up a bit later, and I was finally able to enjoy the camaraderie of a fellow gamer. Before we knew it, the midnight roll call was upon us, and JL went home to sleep in a comfortable bed while my friend and I pitched a dome tent under which to wait.

Sleep didn’t really happen that night. Not only was it cold, but the groups to the front and rear of us continued to be rowdy well into the night. By the time they quieted down, my friend and I had already given up all hope of being rested in time for the final lineup the next morning. At least excitement was enough to keep me on my feet until I was able to purchase the 70th Wii of 120, an extra Wiimote sans nunchuck and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

Prior to camping out, I remember thinking that camping out to get a Wii would probably be the single nerdiest thing I had ever done in my life. I wanted that experience at least once, and now that I have it (and became totally exhausted in the process), I can strongly recommend doing one of two things for new console launches: pre-order (even if it means camping to do so) or don’t be an early adopter.

I will post my first impressions of the system over the next several days.

How to Get a PS3

Congratulations to everyone who was able to pick up a PS3 this Friday. As for me, I will pass until the price comes down and there are a few games that don’t just look like prettier versions of PS2 stuff I wouldn’t have bought.

Anyhow, most of the news of people getting shot, mugged, attacked, and corralled over PS3s is pretty depressing, but this eBay auction made me smile (scroll to the bottom, and don’t be drinking anything). If you’re going to get a PS3, this is how to do it.

The Wii Cooldown

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Just when Wii news started to pick up in the pre-launch excitement, divorce knocked the wind out of my sails. I know you may be tempted to offer sympathy, but believe me when I say that it’s old news by now. It’s more of a relief than anything else, and all signs point to things not being messy since there are no kids involved. Actually, I can’t believe how lucky I am that this is happening now and not later.

Of course, there are a handful of you that think, “What better time to get divorced? Now you’ll have more time to play video games!” You know, I thought that might be the case, but it is *NOT* true. I’ve been way busier now that the old ball ‘n chain has moved out. I am re-exploring social relationships, reclaiming my hobbies (including but certainly not limited to video gaming), doing home improvement, exercising regularly, and dating. I haven’t been this busy or this happy in recent memory.

Now, something that I had been meaning to write but never got around to was that I had grown lukewarm about getting a Wii at launch back in October. That isn’t to say that I didn’t want the Wii, but I believe that in particular the Wii offers a great opportunity for easy-to-pick-up, easy-to-learn gameplay. Very few of the launch titles demonstrate this (and almost none of the ones that I want to buy), and I’m not sure if I want to go off into some dark cave just to play Zelda by myself, only to emerge 70 hours later with a tired grin on my face.

Some of the games in which I have a strong interest are The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Red Steel, Elebits, WiiSports, and Trauma Center: Second Opinion. Out of these, I was most enthusiastic about Zelda and WiiSports, and I’m glad that I will at least be getting that one for free. But as for Zelda, can I really afford another adventure right now? I’m twenty hours into Okami for the PS2, and I’m going to have trouble finding another ten to twelve hours to finish it before I need to be outside my local Target with my dog and sleeping bag. And the game is reputedly 70 hours long without indulging in the extras. To be honest, I’m not sure if I’m capable of finishing a game that long. Ever. Does anyone else feel this way?

That being said, the recent unveiling of a technology to recognize hand gestures has further convinced me that the launch window offerings for the Wii will barely scratch the surface of what the controller can do. Without simple-to-use tools like these, it must be ridiculously hard to recognize gestures in 3D space. Any third-party company that manages to pull off tight controls on a launch-window game without the use of tools like this deserve to be applauded.

The Wii controller is designed to be non-threatening, but as early adopters are generally hardcore gamers, the launch window titles are mostly hardcore. There are a few that could probably be played by my non-gaming friends or potential mates, but most of those games aren’t exciting enough for me to plop down an extra $50 when I should be watching my money very closely. No, WiiSports might be it for me until I finish Okami or until WarioWare: Smooth Moves comes out in January.

Okay, who am I kidding. I’m getting Zelda. I just hope it doesn’t take over my life because, to be perfectly honest, I only recently just got my life back.

Anyhow, I’ll wrap up this uncharacteristic entry by finally posting pictures of me in front of Nintendo that were taken in September (reader request). Enjoy this and this, and have a great weekend.