Now that the amazement over the Nintendo Wii's innovative gameplay (and retail shortages) has worn off, it's time to take a clear-eyed look at the benefits of owning a Wii ($249.99, list) over a now similarly priced Microsoft Xbox 360 or pricier Sony PlayStation 3. As they were two years ago, the differences remain stark—akin to comparing an iPod shuffle to an iPhone. Besides the enormous differences in graphics quality, the "grown-up" consoles just look better, do more, and fit in more seamlessly with your home-theater setup. The Wii, for all its adorableness, is a game console for children. There, I said it.
There are plenty of situations in which its child-friendliness can be a plus rather than a minus, though. Like if the gamers in your family are children. Or if you prefer games with a lower barrier of entry than your typical first-person shooter with scores of control buttons to remember. The Wii is also perfect for parties, and much of the game catalog is comprised of titles that are aimed at social settings.
What really sets the Wii apart, though, is the gameplay. Wii games typically rely heavily on controller movement. Controls include the wireless Wii Remote, a wand with buttons and a trigger, and the Nunchuck, which has a joystick and more trigger buttons. Both the Remote and the Nunchuck detect movement and use it to control gameplay. So, for instance, for a sword fight, hold the Remote like a sword and wave it around. For a golf game, hold it like a golf club and swing it. And so on.
The feature set definitely feels like it's aimed at a younger crowd. You can customize a Mii avatar, for example, and send it to your friends' Wii consoles. It's fun to see where these Miis pop up in Wii games—for instance, as the referee in Madden '09, or as a decorative sculpture on a Mario Kart racetrack.
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The Wii also connects to your Wi-Fi network for online play or to download legacy titles from past Nintendo consoles—all the classics from NES, Super NES, and N64 are available for download and don't cost more than a few bucks each. In my own experience the wireless capabilities are very unreliable, and user forums are rife with error codes that players have encountered during wireless setup. (A particularly pernicious one for me has been 52030, which can usually be solved by changing your router channel, though you may have to replace the router entirely.) Most of the connection difficulties come during setup, but you might see some during the games themselves. (For instance, Madden '09 pulls you out of an online game to let you know your remote's batteries are getting low.)
The Wii includes some built-in extras (like weather information, news reports, and a photo viewer), and you can install third-party add-ons (like the Opera Web browser). These are nice to have, but they aren't what I really want in a console. With Xbox Live we've seen that networked game consoles can legitimately double as media extenders—and with the PS3 that they can also act as top-notch DVD players. The Wii doesn't even play standard DVDs, much less Blu-ray discs.
When you ignore the easy-to-ignore features, the Wii is a console built around a gimmick. This has worked for Nintendo before, namely with its wildly popular DS. Many DS games brilliantly utilize the device's innovations: the touch screen, the regular display, and the microphone. The Wii's gimmick just doesn't work as well, or at least we haven't seen that killer game that makes up for the console's other setbacks. In fact, some titles come in both Wii and DS versions—like Cooking Mama and Trauma Center—and the DS iterations have proven vastly superior.
Exhibit A is the hit game Mario Kart Wii. There is a very competitive online component to the game, as well as a steering-wheel controller that integrates the Wii Remote. The Wii Wheel, like much about the Wii, is more clever than fun—it will entertain children, but more competitive players will be frustrated by the Wii Wheel's lack of precision and control. If you want to compete online, you'll probably have to ditch the wheel and use the controls the old-fashioned, N64-type way (using the joystick and buttons instead of the motion control). Of course, that negates the only real benefit the Wii has over the Xbox 360 and PS3 in the first place.
The same is true for Electronic Arts' aforementioned Madden football franchise. You're sacrificing graphic quality and precision controls for a control style that could either immerse you in the game, or drive you completely up the wall.
Another issue with the gameplay being so different is that sometimes games that look and play like masterpieces on the Xbox 360 or PS3 feel cobbled together for the Wii (the buggy Wii Madden games are a perfect example of this, as is the new James Bond first-person shooter, Quantum of Solace).
"But," I hear you say, "the Wii gets my kids moving, so they aren't just sitting there on the couch." Seriously, if you think the Wii makes your children "active," it might be time to turn it off and enroll them in a soccer league. The odds of raising your heart rate playing a Wii game is probably as likely as developing repetitive stress injuries.
Two years ago, we awarded the Wii four stars and named it our Editors' Choice for game consoles, based on its innovative gameplay and its potential for mainstream appeal. And some of the arguments we made back then are still valid: The Wii could be a gateway to better motion-control and even haptic gaming technology; and a killer game could come along that perfectly capitalizes on the control scheme.
But while other consoles have been making strides in different directions—better games, downloadable content, and integration with home-theater systems—Nintendo's dream of a motion-based gaming revolution hasn't materialized. And, on top of that, other consoles have gotten less expensive. As in our original review, we still recommend the Nintendo Wii console for non-gamers, families with small children, or those who want a fun group or party game experience. Everyone else: be an adult and get an adult console like the Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 3.
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While it's relatively inexpensive and perhaps even more innovative than competing consoles, the Nintendo Wii is best for families with small children, or those who like to game in groups. For everyone else, be an adult and get an adult console.
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