Part of the Mii Generation

I picked up the Wii a couple of weeks ago and finally had the opportunity to sit down and play a couple of the Wii Sports games.

So far, the system gets my thumbs up ...

For those of you who don't owe a Wii yet, it comes bundled with Wii Sports, which includes baseball, bowling, boxing, tennis and golf.

The game I've played most is bowling.  It's a pretty cool interpretation of the game, and the lanes seems to change as the game goes on, much like real bowling when the oil wears down on the lanes.  So far, my high game is 205.  My six-year old girl is a little better, rolling a 206.

Tennis is fun, but you don't control the running of your player, which takes away from the enjoyment.

Baseball is also pretty fun, as you have to swing the Wii Remote Control when you bat and pitch.  Whether you get a hit or not is determined by where you hit it on the field -- hit it to an infielder and they call you out, without a throw being made -- hit it in the gap in the outfield, and you will usually get a double, and over the wall you're credited with a homer (obviously).  Once you get a hit, it looks like someone from the Veggie Tales runs the bases, as the runner has no feet -- just bounces until he/she gets to the base.

The final two games -- boxing and golf, are a little frustrating.  The sensor doesn't seem to track your movements to well with the boxing game, while it overestimates how hard your swinging on the golf -- making it pretty near impossible to tap in a putt, for beginners anyway.

Out of the game, the family and I had a lot of fun creating our own Miis -- video game representations of yourself or someone else you choose to create.  You don't need a Wii to make your own Mii, however; Joystiq has posted its own Mii creator, and you can visit it here to make your own.

The first game I'm going to pick up is the latest Zelda game, Twilight Princess. 

And, I suggest you stay clear of The Bigs -- i played it last night with a buddy of mine and the fielding is horrific -- neither of us could throw anyone out on the base paths -- it was either a strike out, fly out or a pop up.  And the offense is offensive for fans of the game -- the final score last night was 52-47.

The biggest problem with the game is that you have to use the Wii Remote and the Numchuk controller together -- and there's no option for the classic controller, which would really help with this game.

Aside from The Bigs, I'm pretty impressed with the Wii, and I like the fact that my kids enjoy the interactivity of the system.  For $249, I think this is a great gift for the upcoming holiday season -- that is if Nintendo starts producing more to get on store shelves!

Comments

[Dave]

Sounds like a lot of negatives for a thumbs up. You don't get to move on Tennis. What a jip!

[Iron Legs]

Tennis is my fave! I agree, I'd definitely like to use a classic controller for some of the other games. I'd be a lot better...OK probably not.