Grab Wii Play with the machine. Extra Wiimote+game=$50. Probably should grab an extra nunchuk as well to compliment the Wiimote. Game-wise, Madden is pretty fun, as well as Resident Evil 4, Zelda, Mario Party 8 and Mario Strikers. Give some a rent to see what you like.

All games are compatible with the Wii. Memory cards are usable for GCN games. Not quite sure about the Firebird controller. Did you mean Wavebird(the official Nintendo one)? It works for Virtual Console games as well as Cube games, too. No Game Boy Player or anything that uses the broadband adapter, though.

No DVD playback.