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Oh yeah! It arrived today but my mum forgot to tell me that it did… So I picked it up around 7pm today and have been playing on it since. Together only the Wii itself arrived (with Wii Sports) as Trauma Center is on its way along with the extra Wii controller. I forgot to buy the Component Video cables so I will be doing so very soon along with possibly a 2gig SD card. The Wii itself has two GameCube memory slots, an SD memory card slot, four GameCube controller ports, a sensor bar port, AV port (different to the GameCubes), two USB 2.0 ports and a power port in total. Under the flap where the SD memory card resides is a Sync button used to re-sync the Wiimote if it goes AWOL. The plastic flaps covering the Gamecube memory slots and controllers can be removed as well and the console can be mounted vertically (with its stand) or horizontally.

The console is pretty damn sleek it must be said and everything worked flawlessly, no Startup/Update disk was required. After turning it on and giving the console a name, setting the date etc you are presented to the Wii Channels. To enter your details everything is controlled via the Wiimote’s pointer so a virtual keyboard pops up and you simply point and click on the QWERTY keyboard. There is also an option for a virtual mobile phone keypad if you are more comfortable with that but I don’t think it supports T9. Theres plenty of slots for future channels but as it stands only the Wii Disk Channel, Mii Channel, News, Forcast, Photo and Wii Shop channels are available.

To read more about my impressions about the Wii including the interface, hardware and the games read on ^_^

The Mii channel is where you will spend most of your initial time when you start up the console. A “Mii” is like an avatar of your identity on the console so you can create your face or another persona to use in the games. Once you have created a character they will mingle in the lobby amongst other created Mii’s. You can also arrange all of them by gender, favourites, colour and so forth to make it easier to look at. Hell you can even pick them up and give them a good shake just to spite (or indeed to drop into the Edit Mii buton). The good thing about Mii’s is that their characteristics are used in games that support them so when you take a golf swing or throw a bowling ball, it will be your character you created. Its a basic premise but adds a bit extra to the community feel the Wii encourages. Not only that your Mii can go travelling to your friend’s Wii to visit much like in Animal Crossing. Once there, they can participate in the crowd of ongoing games or participate if chosen which is a neat feature.

The News and Forecast (weather) channels are self explanatory and so is the Photo channel. Within it you can display photos in a slideshow manner with transitions to make it more attractive. If you have MP3s stored on the SD memory card you can have up to 100 of them to play through while you view the images. I’m not sure if you can make the music list randomly select and that since I don’t have an SD card just yet but I’m sure you can.

Wii Shop is where all the extra content subsides such as the Virtual Console where you can buy legacy videogames dating back from the NES to the N64 as well as MegaDrive and Turbo Graphics-16 titles. These can be purchased with Wii Points and the ratio is pretty simple. 1 Wii Point = $0.1, so 1000 Wii points will cost you $10 USD. For UK pricing I am unsure how much is would cost but it could be £14.99 for 2000 points.

As I have a USA Wii, the cost for games are as follows…

NES = $5
SNES = $8
N64 = $10
Megadrive = $8
TurboGrafx-16 = $6

More will be on the way and once Wii24Connect is established early next year new unique downloadable content will be available. I believe Nintendo have plans for demos to be played on the Wii and/or the DS through this service as well as maybe videoclips. The full details have yet to be established but Nintendo will not ignore the online scene this generation. Another cool feature is the message board function which again acts like Animal Crossing where you can add your Mii avatar to the posts and write each other messages either locally or via its network. There has been no news about voice chat as such but since Nintendo are focused a lot on the family demographic it might not happen due to ease of abuse. I have not seen a blocklist as well but then my Wii is not online just yet. Also because of that I couldn’t try out the Opera web browser so I don’t know how well it functions and renders websites.

The Wiimote itself (or remote) is very well designed and comfortable to hold. The B button is much like the Z trigger on the N64 controller and becomes natural to use, along with the larger A button just under the D-Pad. Once the two AA batteries are inserted, the Wii-mote is still light but is just about right in terms of weight to use without putting a strain on your wrists and arms. There are also “+” and “-” buttons to control the volume and other functions depending on the game and between them both is the Home button - A simple press will take you back into the Wii’s operating system. The Nunchuk simply attaches to the bottom of the Wiimote and is secured via clips so there won’t be any accidental disconnections during gameplay. The Nunchuk is pretty damn light but feels cheap… Probably due to the finish of the plastic itself. It also has accelerometer properties to use in videogames which is a neat addition as it opens up a lot of control possibilities.

When you move the Wiimote pointer to something that is clickable the Wimote vibrates just to let you know. Its a nice touch that adds more into the interaction as you’re going through the interface. The presentation itself is is understated and pretty simple but its charming and functional which is the main thing. All the buttons are large and well designed that it becomes universal to understand. If however you are unsure what button does what, you simply hover over it and a text explanation appears. You can also toggle the sensitivity of the Wiimote via the menu but I found the default setting fine. You will also notice the speaker on the Wiimote playing a prominent role but if you find it distracting you can simply turn the volume down on the wiimote itself.

Enough about the interface and the Wii for now… What about the games? Sadly Zelda: Twilight Princess has yet to be shipped and my second Wiimote (which shipped at the same time as my console) has yet to arrive along with Trauma Center. All I have is the bundled Wii Sports so lets give it a spin.

Wii Sports is a compilation of various sports such as Tennis, Bowling, Golf, Boxing and Baseball. Each have their own control characteristics but is very easy to get into as you just mimic the actual sports motion with varying degrees of success. Presentation wise its clean, functional if uninspired to be honest and the graphics in the game is similar. You won’t be in awe of the polygon counts or textures in this game thats for sure but thats not the Wii is about - Its about having a new gameplay experience. So does the gamble work? In most cases yes.

Wii Tennis is first on the list and playing the game is pretty simple. When you try out any of the games for the first time you are presented with a mni tutorial along with animated icons to illustrate how to control the game. In Tennis you use the Wiimote as a racket so you need to pick your Mii character and then select if you are left or right handed. I’m a lefty ^_^ Once all that is done you flick the controller upwards to toss the ball, then swing to serve. You can mimic an actual tennis serve if you like to get into the spirit of things but its not necessary to. Once the ball is on court your Mii is controlled automatically and it does a pretty good job in situating you in the right places for a backhand or forehand. To hit a groundstroke you mimic the actual movement of a forehand or backhand so with a nice swift horizontal movement towards the screen you can hit the ball flat towards the opponent. To add spin you simply twist the controller like you would in real life twisting up and towards for topspin and down and away for a slice/backspin. To lob you hit underneath the ball and upwards. You also control the Mii at the net so you can volley the ball back whenever its near but it can be confusing for some to control two characters at once. Naturally with more controllers up to four players can have a game. A very neat touch is that when you strike the ball the sound of the ball hitting the racket comes out of the Wiimote’s controller while vibrating. This level of immersion adds greatly to the game and is a welcome feature.

Being a tennis fan I wanted to see how versitile the control scheme is and I found it pretty limiting for the sake of simplicity. For example even if you hit a soft drop shot more often than not it would just hit a default return back and sometimes angling a shot down the line does not work even with a perfectly horizontal swing. Also you don’t really have to swing the Wiimote for it to register a hit, much like all the games. A simple flick of the wrist is enough however its not as fun. I can see why Nintendo made it so, to ease any strain during gameplay but I would have liked to see different modes of control like Novice and Advanced as such options are saved onto your Mii anyway.

Other than the simplistic control scheme the game itself is great fun and would be more so in multiplayer. The simplistic graphics and audio let the game down badly as they’re not even stylistic… Think PS1 style lego characters and you’ll get the idea. If Nintendo used a cel shaded look akin to Okami with a 3D arena it could have worked better but its functionality over form and it does the job.

Wii Baseball is pretty good as you take the role of the batter and pitcher. To bat its pretty simple however timing is more important than swing speed here. Once you get the sweet spot you’ll be hitting home runs like there is no tomorrow. To pitch you have to hold the controller like you would in real life - Have the Wiimote above and behind your head then swing forward, the faster you swing the faster the pitch. To get extra speed just snap your wrist at the end of the pitch. You can also throw Curveballs, Swingballs and Splitters by holding down the A button, B button or both during a pitch. In all its a competent simple version of the game and it involves no running for you ^_^ Again the controls can be simplified to just a flick to swing the bat and the same to pitch but then where’s the fun in that?

Wii Golf is one game that has more depth in terms of control and it benefits from it greatly. You hold the Wiimote like a golf club to tee off, strike and to put the ball. You can have practise swings before holding down the A button to swing for real. Using the Up and Down controls on the D-Pad you can switch clubs (the game will automatically switch for you anyway) or Left and Right to change the direction of the shot. This is important as you need to take the wind direction and speed into consideration. The golf mechanics does feel pretty solid and since the swing strength is determined by your own movements there is plenty of scope for control. Granted its not in depth as it can be but it offers the right balance between simplicity and technical ability to judge the distance. Putting is similar as you have to read the green to see if it slopes in various directions so you can change the angle and speed of your put to compensate. With three difficulty modes and a 9 course option this game has the most replay value next to…

Wii Bowling, this was a very nice addition to the sports lineup. Here the control is all down to you so there is enough depth to make it skillful yet again simple enough for anyone to have fun. To bowl you hold down the B button and swing your arm back and then forward. To let go of the bowling ball you simply let go of the B button and off she goes. Depending on the swing speed, angle and timing of the released ball you will get different results so there’s plenty of scope. To add spin to the bowling ball just twist the Wiimote in the direction you want it to spin just before you let go of the B button. To change your bowling position you use the D-Pad to move left or right along the alley. To change the angle, press the A button and then use the left and right directional buttons to set up the angle you wish to bowl at. I never change the angle myself only position but on the rare occasion you might have to. Up to four players can play a full round and is great fun amongst others. You can use just the one Wiimote as well so you just pass it along which keeps the social aspect flowing along with any banter after a poor shot.

Wii Boxing is last up on the list and it feels like they’ve just tacked this on at the last minute. For this game you use the Wiimote and Nunchuk together, with the Wiimote in your dominate hand to jab. You can block by holding both the Wiimote and Nunchuk together to cover your face or body to block and by tilting/leaning your body and hands in any direction you can move and sway out of harms way. To attack you just throw a jab, straight or hook shot to the face or body. This could have been a very entertaining game but instead it feels sluggish and unresponsive to your actions… Its worth a go but out of the sports games this is by far the weakest link.

There’s plenty more I could write about but this is getting pretty long! In all the Wii lives up to its expectations and the bundled Wii Sports is required so you can experience a taster of things to come from the compact console. While Wii Sport will not hold your attention for hours on end, in quick bursts or with friends it will be entertaining for all. Just be sure to use the wrist strap as you wouldn’t want a nice Wiimote flying towards your new TV in a hurry…

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