Talk me into buying a Wii...

[Kintaro56]

I've been meaning to get one for a while, and I found a toy store that got in a huge shipment Tuesday afternoon. I could have easily picked one up then and there, but just couldn't find the motivation to buy one (I'm guessing that they will still have some Wednesday afternoon).

I looked through the selection of games, and only a few stood out for me: Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles ( I actually did play this at a friend's place, and liked it) Resident Evil 4, House of the Dead 2 & 3, and the Godfather (LOVED that one on the 360, despite its flaws).

Other than those, I saw a lot of kiddie games that just wouldn't do it for me. I'm mainly looking for action and or shooters.

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated!

[Berserker]

Based on your stated preferences, I would actually suggest not getting a Wii. Put the money instead towards some 360 games, something like that.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I'll never quite understand these "talk me into / talk me out of" threads ...

... if something isn't "in your heart" or you don't have a strong internal motivation to do so ... why would you want us to convince you to do it?

I don't want to be the object of your resentment if I "recommend" something to you that you wind up not enjoying on the same level that I or anybody else does (the key here being that we all have different tastes and opinions of things ... and if you know your own taste, and it sounds like you DO - you should be able to make the decision for yourself).

BUT, since you've asked, and since I've already spent a few minutes in this thread ... I suppose I can humor you with my OPINION, but this is NOT an open endorsement for you to spend your cash on a Wii, it's just my opinion.

The Wii has a TON, and I really do mean a TON of shovelware garbage (2nd only to the DS) that you'll need to, not so much sort-through ... more like, tune-out visually and push aside on the racks to find the real gems ... thankfully the good stuff is pretty obvious.

Most of the Nintendo 1st party titles, and the AAA 3rd party stuff is good-to-great, the selections on all of the respective Virtual Consoles' are good and getting better (but still a bit over-priced if you ask me), and the upcoming Wii-Ware are positives worth mentioning.

I'll be damned if I don't STILL think Wii Sports (which still comes packed-in) is STILL some of the most fun you can have with a group of friends.

Smash Bros. and Mario Kart Wii have proven that Nintendo is baby-stepping forward into the online gameplay arena with some moderately pleasing results that are fun even despite all the awful friend-codes attached to the experience.

And since you mentioned House of the Dead ... that collection coupled with the "Nyko Perfect Shot" Wiimote peripheral make for some of the best light-gun style action that the home console market has seen in recent years.

However, the bottom line is, if you passed it up when you had a chance to get one, you were probably following your gut, and one's gut rarely lies to one's self.

[josekortez]

I own one, and I can't recommend it. Wii Sports is some of the best fun you have for exactly two weeks, and after that, it won't be used all that much.

If you're looking for games with legs, I wouldn't suggest Wii unless you're looking for something like Smash Bros. Brawl.

Frankly, the games just aren't there and the motion control thing gets old quick.

Still, I'm holding onto mine for Castle Shikigami III.

[atari_overlord]

Its hands down the best video game item I have spent money on in the last five years. It has not gotten old to me. It does not feel gimicky to me. My wife and I love playing games together and it really hits the nail on the head for social gameplay. With that being said not everyone likes it. You might not like it. You might love it. If you get it you can always sell it. Not that big of a deal.

[diskoboy]

Josekortez is right.

My Wii has been collecting dust ever since I beat Super Mario Galaxy, about a day after I bought it, in December. And if it wasn't for my nephews, I'd have sold it months ago.

When the price goes down, and shovelware becomes less frequent, then maybe I could recommend one. Besides that, it's just not worth it, IMO.

Even the Virtual Console games are ridiculously overpriced. And I do mean 'ridiculously'.

[Sniderman]

Talk me into buying a Wii...

[Oobgarm]

You passed on it, which should be evidence enough that you don't really need one. If you had a genuine longing for a specific title, then it could be justified, but simply getting one to have one just isn't worth it. Playing a game at a buddy's house and thinking 'that was pretty fun' might lead to regret if you purchase the system on that title alone. If the game floored you and grabbed you by the neck saying 'this is why you need a Wii, get one NOW', then by all means, get one NOW.

When people ask me to recommend Wii games to them, I simply tell them to look for Nintendo's logo in the lower right on the front of the case-as all first-party games are worth owning on a Nintendo console. There are only a few high-tier third party games, and they don't fall into the genre(s) you prefer.

I dunno. Based on your post, I say pass for now.

[Kintaro56]

Thanks everyone.

I do have a 360, and have a few games that I've been meaning to get to, but haven't even cracked the seal on them yet.

I only played games offline for years, but just got Live a few months ago, and I can be amazed by how much time I spend playing Ghost Recon 2 or Team Fortress online.

Anyway, my interest in getting a Wii lies with my love for shooters games. My computer is a piece of junk, and there's no way I can try the latest shooters on it...so I thought that the Wii would be a superior alternative to the mouse and keyboard, with the motion sensor controller, or whatever it's called.

Reading reviews of some Wii games, it looks like House of the Dead 2 & 3 is the only game(s) that really gets the most out of the Wii technology, and that set is very short.

It seems like such a shame...I think the console has tremendous potential, but where's the AAA titles except for Metroid and the Mario themed games? I know Nintendo is moving consoles by the truckload, but I have to think there are losing potential sales with the garish looking games that are being cranked out. Those games make the whole idea of owning a Wii look like a bad idea. "Shovelware" looks like a good term for it.

Anyway, that's my story.

Thanks.

[thepiratemonk3y]

I was very excited when the Wii first came out. So much that I waited outside Toys R' Us for the second shipment they were getting all night. Man, that was cold. I played it for about three weeks straight and then just lost interest. It was right back to the XBOX 360.

Now I really only play it when friends are over or when a really good new game comes out, but even those only last about a week.

Unless you are one to entertain a lot, and going by what you are saying in your post, I'd recommend just skipping out on getting one for the time being. But the final decision is really up to you.

[djbeatmongrel]

I'm one of the few that still doesnt care too much about what the 360 offers and just dont have the money for a ps33 but i do enjoy the shit out of my wii. i've played it regularly since i bought it in dec 06. Theres a lot of good games for it as well as shovelware as previously stated in this thread.

I hate to seperate gamers but to be honest most people who are big into playing the 360 are not going to want a wii or atleast feel compelled the wii as much.

I say probably one of the best ways to really decide if you want a system is to see if theres a minimum of 10 games that are oout or about to come out that you would pay full price of. If you cant put that list together then i wouldnt bother until that time comes or the system is cheaper.

[Ikari Warrior]

As much as I can't stand these convincing threads and the fact that I wouldn't recommend the Wii as your sole game system over a 360 or PS3, there are a bunch of good games worth getting on the system.

Super Mario Galaxy (my favorite of last year)
Mario Kart Wii
Metroid 3 Corruption
Resident Evil 4
Zack and Wiki
Zelda Twilight Princess
Okami
Super Smash Bros Brawl

There's also a TON of junk on the system too.

[rkotm]

If you have money to literally burn and or throw away right naow, then buy one and get the 5 or 6 games its worth. But if you say you have 360 games not opened yet, uhm..try those first?

[YoshiM]

I have to also jump on the boat of the "don't buy it" crowd. If you have to ask a bunch of people you really only know through a handful of message board posts if you should invest $250+ in a game system, then you're not really interested enough to buy one.

[smokehouse]

Wait...

That's what I have to say. When I picked up the Wii last summer I was really expecting more at this point...

Wii Sports is great...but gets old real quick, Mario/Zelda/Metroid...meh. Mario Cart is a blast I must say.

As for the VC all I see is wasted potential. There are some games worth the asking price...most are not. $9 for Super Metroid over a component system...you bet. $5 for Double Dribble...no F'ing way.

I still say there's big things coming for the Wii but they simply are not here yet. In the meanwhile it mostly sits collecting dust...

[CosmicMonkey]

100% GameCube compatibility. There may not be a huge amount of amazing Wii games currently, but there is a huge catalogue of excellent cheap GameCube games to keep you going.

[BydoEmpire]

Here are a couple reasons:
Zelda: TP was the best game I played in 2006.
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption was the best game I played in 2007.
Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles is awesome. There's a ton of side missions, tons of stuff to unlock, and a lot of replayability.
Zack & Wiki is an absolute blast.
Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection is the best video pinball game ever made.
Super Mario Galaxy is creative and fun.
Godfather on Wii is awesome - they probably make the best use of motion controls of any game on the console.
Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 is fantasic. Yeah, it's "yet another ww2 shooter" but it has a full light-gun mode, the traditional FPS mode, and 32-player online multiplayer. Really a solid package. The light gun mode is a blast.

There's a lot more "good" titles, but those are the ones that stuck out for me.

I've really enjoyed the Wii, but the system does have its problems. There still hasn't been a game that REALLY shows off the wiimote. Online support is very poor with few execptions (MoH Heroes 2, I hear Mario Kart plays great online). I really cannot stand all the screens you have to button through to start playing. And 3rd parties are putting out about 70% garbage, 25% good titles, and 5% great titles.

[josekortez]

I've already posted here, but just to weigh in on the other reason I don't play Wii much is that too many games rely on the motion controls just to play. It's a pain to control a puzzle game in this fashion, and games like Metal Slug Anthology just become a pain to control when you have to shake the controller when you want to throw a grenade.

I like playing the 360 and even the PS2 more often than the Wii because after a hard day, I don't want to stand up or wave my arms around for several hours just to play through a game.

When you're a young child, a teenager or a senior citizen, using motion-based controls can be fun. When you're an early-to-middle aged adult, it's just a chore, even in short spurts.

And I love mini-game fests like Furu Furu Park and Warioware: Smooth Moves, but having to move around means they don't get played that much.

[BydoEmpire]

I should also say that while I've enjoyed my Wii, I agree with the other posters in that if you have to work hard to convince yourself to buy a console, you should probably save the money. Maybe play one at a friend's house, or rent one for a week first.

I like playing the 360 and even the PS2 more often than the Wii because after a hard day, I don't want to stand up or wave my arms around for several hours just to play through a game.

I would probably feel the same way, but out of the 20 games I have for the Wii, only about 2-3 actually require you to move your arms/body to any significant degree. I guess it depends on the games you're buying.

[Rob2600]

Kintaro56, I suggest checking out this thread:

Top 30 Wii games and Bottom 40 Wii games

Browse the list of top Wii games and if some of them interest you, buy a Wii. I still have fun playing Wii Sports and am currently addicted to Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection.

Zack & Wiki, Kororinpa Marble Mania, Mercury Meltdown Revolution, and Link's Crossbow Training are also great Wii games. The best part: every game I've mentioned so far only costs $20 or $30.


As far as good Wii action and shooting games go, I'd recommend No More Heroes, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Medal of Honor Heroes 2, The Godfather, Scarface, Bully: Scholarship Edition, Battalion Wars 2, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Resident Evil 4, and Super Mario Galaxy.