When the Nintendo Wii gaming console came out, both the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Sony Playstation 3 consoles were already out and dishing out amazing games and being used to stream music and video. The 360 had an HD-DVD add-on and the PS3 has built-in Blu-ray; neither of which were an option on the Wii. My nephew owned a 360 and we have two original Xbox units so it was natural to choose the 360 as our next generation unit to purchase. My wife bought it for me as a Christmas gift two years ago. So, when the Wii was announced, we really did not feel the need to rush out to buy it. After all, what new thing would it bring to the gaming table? What difference in game play would be so compelling to make us want this? Is that funky remote and nunchuk(??) really worth the price of admission?
YES. YES it is. The easiest way to explain this is that almost all of the games one plays on either the 360 or PS3 are made for 1-2 players typically (yes, you can go online and play lots more people but the experience is not always a pleasant one). Very few people I know have more than two controllers or typically play with more than 2 players at a time. As such, the playing experience tends to be a solo experience in most cases. This is simply not the case with the Wii.
I have wanted one for a while because I like technology and being a geek I wanted a version of every current console system. It happened that a friend of mine had purchased one in a deal from Dell but ended up not wanting it so offered it out amongst our group. I took the opportunity to take it off his hands, along with the shooter game Metroid. We fired it up when my brother and his family was in town one weekend and it was on almost the entire day. As we only had one controller, the easiest game to play was bowling where you can pass the controller to the next person for their turn. And therein lies Wii's power.
If I was playing Gear of War or Halo 3 or Bioshock or anything else I have, there would be a number of spectators; except for the bored ones who would have wandered off. Instead, we had four participants and people in the wings waiting for their turn. Friendly, competitive gameplay with a very easy interface. That is the difference between the Wii and the other two consoles. The Wii gets people up off the couch and interacting with each other. Other games and consoles tend to make people watch what is happening or have only their wrist and fingers moving (and maybe their tongues for some lively trash talking) but leaves their butts firmly attached to the couch.
So, that brings us up to the present where Nintendo has proven to be a progressive, thinking company. When the Wii came out, there was a story on CNN about a guy who bought himself a unit and ended up losing weight while playing it. As the story goes, he did not change his diet of pizza and beer but simply payed the various games of Wii Sports and over time, lost something like 18 pounds. OK, but not everyone likes playing strictly games, sports type games or likes the unregimented way one would play those games. It took some time but Nintendo seems to have figured it out.
The Nintendo Wii Fit is Nintendo's answer to the couch potato's cry for help to get off the couch. While there is controversy on the BMI measurement it uses and some of the comments it makes during the course of "play", the simple fact is that this is what console gaming has been crying for; balance. Things can be fun and educational and silly so why can they not also be helpful? We believe that it can be helpful in our case so this blog will chart exactly how things pan out.
Right off the bat though, I personally have run into a bit of a brick wall challenge. That is, the Wii board in Wii Fit has a weight limit and I am, unfortunately, over the limit. As such, I am currently unable to engage in the game and have it track my progress. My wife is able to though so I will work along with her to get my weight down initially through use of our treadmill, walking and biking, as well as better meal choices, until such a time that I can use the Fit. Was a bit disappointing but a bit of a reality check I suppose.
As this blog is about the Wii, there may not always be an entry daily but we will try to provide our experiences with the Wii as much as we possibly can. It will also include some account of our journey to better health which will include using the Wii as well as the other things we are doing and using to get more fit. Finally, as funds allow, we will review different Wii-related items. In the near future, we will get the second Wiimote with the Wii Play package, the crossbow with the Zelda trial and the wheel with the Mario Kart game; we will also get another nunchuk and the Wii sports handles (i.e. tennis racket, golf club and baseball bat).
Stay tuned.
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