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Nintendo Wii – hated by some, loved by others (and me)

Hey you, stop hating on Wii! (if you do, otherwise carry on)
I know to most of the die hard elitist gamers the Wii is technologically speaking “garbage” – the graphics cannot compete with the 360 or PS3 (Obviously, it runs at 480p with the component cables sold seperately) – yet it is the number one selling console in this generation of gaming and also has the best selling software.  Lets probe into the mind of a Wii owner.

There are, in my opinion 3 types of Wii owners.
The casual gamer (Meaning someone who just wants to pick up something simple, play and move on)
The nostalgic gamer (The kid who grew up with Nintendo and Mario and will never leave their side)
— The well rounded gamer (The person who realizes there are several good Wii games out there despite what elitists will say)

So before I am accused of saying the Wii is perfect let me admit that yes, the graphics aren’t great, and yes the lack of an online community is a bit depressing for a console at this point in time; however – the Wii has several redeeming factors!

Price.
Not everyone has the kind of cash laying around to buy up 360s and PS3s whenever they feel like.  In a tight economy like the one we’re in now, value is everything.  Wii is the cheapest console.  (By cheapest I mean, cost not quality)

Innovation.
Whether you want to admit it or not the Wii really did innovate game play.  Why else would Sony and Microsoft be trying to knock off its technology now with motion controls and sensors?  Sure in some games developers over-do the motion controls but that isn’t Nintendo’s fault, and besides most games have multiple control schemas.

Franchise.
My grandma would know Mario if she saw him; if she saw Master Chief from Halo she’d probably be like WTF is that supposed to be?  And rightfully so, Halo sucks the big one and Mario is way more fun.  Don’t believe me?  Go play Super Mario Galaxy and then come back and cry when you realize what you’ve been missing.  Nintendo has a huge franchise and they are not going to let that escape them, any opportunity they can get to put their characters into a game they’ll do it.  Mario Party / Mario Tennis / Soccer / Mario takes a whiz… (well I made that one up but seriously, I’d still play it) – but yeah, they also have a reputation to maintain, they’re not going to put Mario, Luigi and Yoshi into a game that sucks, period.
Everyone has their own agendas and opinions for liking the Wii of course. I also am a bit of a nostalgia gamer.  Does it suck it costs me 5 dollars to buy a digital copy of an NES game I owned 20 years ago?  Sure, but do I care?  Hell no.  You can bet that my Wii is full of all sorts of classics and I don’t regret spending a penny.  Its nice to go back every once in a while and revisit your youth.  Its amazing how you will realize you didn’t forget any of it, you’ll even find the warp whistles in Super Mario Bros 3 still without even thinking about it.

And in the end…
The 360 is a great console no doubt, and the PS3 is making strides to be better – but the Wii is definitely a great system too and its a shame people are so down on it sometimes.  Just because some old people enjoy playing Wii Sports doesn’t make it not cool anymore.  In fact, go play Wii Sports with them – you’ll probably kick their ass anyway so you can feel better about yourself.

If you own a Wii and you do not own these titles you are comitting a crime and you should turn yourself in!

5.) Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition
The Wii controls totally enhance this game and make it more fun and more scary, and best yet its cheap!  Definitely a must own.

4.) Super Paper Mario:
At first it may look a little cartoony and childish but once you start to play you’ll realize its an awful lot like Super Mario RPG on the SNES and the hours will eventually fly by as you lose track trying to make you way to the end of the game.

3.) Mario Kart Wii:
Nintendo returned to a beloved franchise and did it total justice.  The Wii version is a lot of fun to play and is still challenging and rewarding with the various hidden items you can unlock.

2.) Super Mario Galaxy:
This game is beautiful, for the Wii not being a powerful system you’ll be amazed what this looks like.  The game is just fun all around, its a lot like Mario 64 and equally as innovative.

1.) Punchout!:
A faithful rendition of the original complete with Challenger Mode where you’ll have to defend your title against souped versions of your past opponents.

Until next time everyone, enjoy your Wii!
~ Ryan

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  1. Nintendo Wii - hated by some, loved by others (and me) | Console Gaming

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