# Wii - 'real life' opinions please



## kmpowell (May 6, 2002)

'venin all

Having sold my PS2 a few months ago for a tidy little sum, I had intended to buy a PS3, but having seen the Wii adverts etc, i'm now in two minds (increasingly so as the 'doris' also likes the thought of the Wii!).

This 'new' and more active way of playing games certainly on paper makes me want one more than a PS3, but then putting all the hype to one side, these things are normally let down in reality. So I guess only people who have got one can really answer this I suppose, so has anybody here got a Wii, and if so is it as good as the hype? If not, what are the drawbacks?

TIA,
Kevin


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## BAMTT (Feb 22, 2004)

Hi Kevin

I have thought about getting one of these (i have an XBOX360 as well) I have always liked Nintendos arcadey (sp) style of games and after the motion controller thing wears off i think they may have a good console.... despite allegedly giving a bit away to the Xbox and PS3 in power

Can't speak for the PS3 but i think the XBOX is aimed at the HArdcore gamer and loses some of the fun with it, All the Nintendo's, NES/SNES/N64 i have had i really enjoyed playing, maybe at 32 I'm old and burnt out


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## robokn (Feb 21, 2006)

friend works for sony in basinstoke and there may be a uk delay launch as they cannot keep up with demand stateside september was mentioned


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## kmpowell (May 6, 2002)

BAMTT said:


> Hi Kevin
> 
> I have thought about getting one of these (i have an XBOX360 as well) I have always liked Nintendos arcadey (sp) style of games and after the motion controller thing wears off i think they may have a good console.... despite allegedly giving a bit away to the Xbox and PS3 in power
> 
> Can't speak for the PS3 but i think the XBOX is aimed at the HArdcore gamer and loses some of the fun with it, All the Nintendo's, NES/SNES/N64 i have had i really enjoyed playing, maybe at 32 I'm old and burnt out


Hi Tony

My brother has got a 360 and to be honest I think you are right at it being aimed at the more hardcore gamer. I don't have time to spend hours gaming, and being in the same line of work as me you'll appreciate that spare time has to be spent relaxing - Therefore one of the things that is appealing to me about the Wii is it's non serious arcade/fun style games, even though i'm 29!

Like you I have had a NES/Super Famicom/SNES/N64, then from the N64 I got a PS2 which has served me well. But one thing I have learnt about 'new' ideas, is they have drawbacks, so I don't want to get something that will leave me more frustrated, as gameplay for me is a tool to relax.

Cheers


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## BAMTT (Feb 22, 2004)

kmpowell said:


> BAMTT said:
> 
> 
> > Hi Kevin
> ...


Zelda: the Twilght Princess, looks good remember the Ocarnia of time


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## John C (Jul 5, 2002)

How hard to get are the Wiis (or is the collective Wei'ei)? Just was getting the Crimbo shop in Sansburys and over the tannoy was the announcement 'we have one Nintendo Wii in stock, please come to the Customer Services desk' about 3, perhaps 4 nanoseconds later they announced it was sold!

Almost broke up the fight round the turkeys for a minute!


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## Love_iTT (Aug 18, 2002)

Hi Kev,

I got mine on launch day and I think it's got great potential. It's the whole game play thing which is different, I've taken this over to friends and family and this is the first time that ANYONE can join in and have a laugh and also get a fair bit of excersise as well (Not the same as going to the gym of course :wink: ) I wouldn't have been able to have done that on the PS2 for instance.

I wouldn't sell or swap the PS2 for it because they are two totally different ways of entertainment. Wii Sport and Wii Play are two games to get you used to using the two types of controllers, the graphics are really basic but in fact you forget that because you tend to concentrate on the game play rather than the visual appearance.

Call of Duty 3 is very weird to play at first but again, once you get used to the two controllers and the way they work then it does gets really good.

In comparison to the PS2 and the XBox then it is very good value for money, Â£179 on launch and it will only get cheaper as time goes on. If you want a bit of a laugh and a little exercise with your mates then go and get one mate - they're good fun.

Graham


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## slg (May 6, 2005)

My brother got the Wii just before Christmas & hasn't stopped playing with it since. Apparently games like Splinter Cell take a bit of getting used to though. It was brought out on Christmas evening & had everyone playing it, even the older people (the sports games). Not got the graphics, etc as mentioned already but good for groups and a bit of a laugh. Never seen so many people getting serious playing ten pin bowling.  I'll be looking for one soon as this is the first games machine my wife has actually played & enjoyed!!


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## kmpowell (May 6, 2002)

Thanks G (long time no see mate, hope you're well!) and slg

Your reviews sum up what i'm after, a bit of a laugh and the good way of unwinding.

Are there any techincal glitches or things that don't quite make it what it's made out to be? e.g delays in motion or reaction etc

Cheers


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## jonah (Aug 17, 2002)

kmpowell said:


> Thanks G (long time no see mate, hope you're well!) and slg
> 
> Your reviews sum up what i'm after, a bit of a laugh and the good way of unwinding.
> 
> ...


Played one of these over Christmas and have to say being a 360 owner it's a cracking bit of kit. Nintendo haven't bothered getting in to a power wars with Microsoft and Sony , they are just doing what they do best and it's a winner which sales show.

Wii sales 1300000 units
PS3 sales 700000 Units

Personally i think Sony have lost the battle of the consoles


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## phope (Mar 26, 2006)

kmpowell said:


> Thanks G (long time no see mate, hope you're well!) and slg
> 
> Your reviews sum up what i'm after, a bit of a laugh and the good way of unwinding.
> 
> ...


my mate bought one for his son for Christmas, and kept it at mine to stop his son finding it

We had a few shots on it before wrapping it up, and spent a night playing Wii Sports...fantastic fun, and the 10-pin bowling gets very competitive

I've even managed a hole-in-one in the golf as well

The controller is very responsive, with no delay in motion and rarely frustates, but can lose motion if you "break" the line of sight completely from the receiver

I went out on Boxing Day again to give some presents to the family, and we were playing it again...the fun is getting people up off their seats and playing...4 player Wii Tennis is absolutely mental!

Plus, it has Virtual Console built in...you can emulate NES, SNES, N64, Megadrive and PC Engine/TurboGrafx games, as well as play Gamecube disks

The whole presentation and interface is very cute and slickly implemented - you can create a "Mii" - in effect, an online gaming identity, which stores your scores and achievements - create a little online avatar of yourself and set it to be shared with your friends.

I've got a 360 as well, and the Wii can't compete with graphics and overall power, but the fun is fantastic..I'm going to get one to compliment the 360 and it's style of games


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## Love_iTT (Aug 18, 2002)

kmpowell said:


> Thanks G (long time no see mate, hope you're well!) and slg
> 
> Your reviews sum up what i'm after, a bit of a laugh and the good way of unwinding.
> 
> ...


None that I've found to be honest, it may miss a beat very occaisionally but nothing to be bothered about.

I suggest you go and buy one and have a play, if you don't like it for what ever reason then I'm sure you'll be able to sell it on with no problem, however, if you do get one I don't think you'll be selling it on too quickly :wink:

Graham


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## kmpowell (May 6, 2002)

Love_iTT said:


> I suggest you go and buy one


Just spent two days trying to get hold of one, without success.

Unless I'm willing to pay knob-end fleaBay prices (which I'm not, because it feeds the disease), it looks like I'm in for a wait until February.

Hey-ho.


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## jonah (Aug 17, 2002)

kmpowell said:


> Love_iTT said:
> 
> 
> > I suggest you go and buy one
> ...


Game had loads of units in just before Xmas


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## kmpowell (May 6, 2002)

jonah said:


> kmpowell said:
> 
> 
> > Love_iTT said:
> ...


I went into 4 branches and they all said they were expecting "a handfull' of them sometime at the end of next week. All of them had been allocated to customers, so if I wantd one I'd have to wait for their next big delivery. They reckon that won't be for a few weeks yet, prob the end of Jan.


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## jam225 (Jun 24, 2003)

kmpowell said:


> jonah said:
> 
> 
> > kmpowell said:
> ...


I picked one up 2 days before xmas in Tescos at 7.30AM  LIke most others I had resigned myself to picking one up when they became more easily available but my brother came into the office and said that Tescos had a few on the shelf, I thought he was winding me up :twisted: as there is a lot of practical joking in our office but it was true 8)

My 3 & 5 year olds absolutely love the 10 pin bowling and my 3 year old daughter kicks ass at the boxing  (i kid u not  )

As others before me have said its great fun for all ages, our telly did not get a look in on xmas day for the family playing the Wii 8)

Do yourself a favour Kev and get one ASAP 8)


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## kmpowell (May 6, 2002)

jam225 said:


> Do yourself a favour Kev and get one ASAP 8)


I would if I could find one. I'm going to try all the non obvious and obscure places like Tesco etc tommorow. But i'm not holding out much hope though.


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## Carlos (May 6, 2002)

Kev, you managed to get one yet?

I'm in the market as well. PM me your number and if I come across stock I'll let you know.


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## kmpowell (May 6, 2002)

Carlos said:


> Kev, you managed to get one yet?


None about apart from the fleaBay items. All the shops say that Feb will be their next delivery, and some say that Nintendo will be reducing the price by up to 25%, which is even more reason not to pay the fleaBay prices.

I've placed a few orders in different places, then I'm going to wait and see what happens when stocks arrive.


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## Carlos (May 6, 2002)

Various Game shops are getting them in stock almost daily. The one nearest my office in Canary Wharf had 6 this morning, advised me to go back in tomorrow at 10am to see if they've more stock.

After the Xbox 360 debacle I swore never again!


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## cuTTsy (Jan 31, 2003)

http://www.wiihaveaproblem.com/


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## QuackingPlums (Mar 10, 2004)

cuTTsy said:


> http://www.wiihaveaproblem.com/


The Wii doesn't have a problem... stupid dumb-asses who let go of their controllers are the problem. 
The strap is only there as a second line of defence against such idiocy (c'mon, nobody lets go of real golf clubs/tennis racquets/baseball bats) so there's no point blaming that either.

As for people who cut themselves on broken glass when they swing their Wii-motes into lampshades - I bet they're the same people who made McDonalds put the "Warning - contents may be hot!" on the sides of Hot Apple Pies... :roll: :lol:


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## cuTTsy (Jan 31, 2003)

There are some quite good ones on there, I like the one with the baby and the black eye :wink: the makeup almost gives enough evidence for a court case :wink:


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## bilbos (Jan 16, 2004)

The Wii is selling well over here aswell, even with the availability of the PS3.

I think the price tag of $600 puts people off with the PS3 and as such, shops have units sitting on their shelves. I baulked at paying $400 for the 360 when it came out.

I may pick up the Wii, just to see if it as good as they say.


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## jam225 (Jun 24, 2003)

kmpowell said:


> Carlos said:
> 
> 
> > Kev, you managed to get one yet?
> ...


Kev my local Tescos had them in stock today again, Mrs Jam said that 2 of her colleagues bought them at luchtime, seems like they could be your best bet if you can put up with the hassle of daily visits to the supermarket [smiley=rolleyes5.gif]


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## CH_Peter (May 16, 2002)

I was fortunate enough to get my hands on one before Xmas and have played it for many an hour now. The controller is excellent. There are no glitches in the hardware at all so far as I can tell and the only issues arise from poor programming (for example, Red Steel insists that almost every last thing you do is motion related, which is tiresome - there are buttons, after all!)

Wii Sports is hit a miss (ha ha), but the hits are brilliant. Whilst boxing and baseball are naff, tennis, bowling and golf are excellent. Tennis is utterly brilliant and the more you play, the more the subtleties of the game become apparent. You can, for example, with the right angled swipe of the controller, put spin on the ball. You can lob, drive, smash and place the ball. The controller vibrates when you strike the ball and has its own built in speaker that makes a little "whoosh" of raquet-through-air when you swing. Forget fancy graphics, this has nice touches galore (watch the "focus" change in replays) and is an absolute gem of a game.

Â£170 for the console. Â£30 for Wii Play (a very average set of mini games) and a second controller. You'll have great fun with the new control system and enjoy playing it alone, because it's very addictive and Wii Sports has depth that is well hidden by its initial pick-up-and-playability. There are "proper" games such as Zelda that are also excellent as a solo experience. More than this, you'll have a games console that all your friends will want to play. And watch others play. I've had a C64, Amiga, PC, PS One, PS2, XBox and worked in games retail for a time, when it was a huge booming industry and played all the consoles, all the great games and seen it all. I've never seen anything that would make parents, Aunts, Uncles, gameophobic sisters and strangers join in, laugh, joke and enjoy themselves as much as this. Everywhere I've taken mine this holiday, every household, without exception has asked "How much are they?"

Honestly, when people start making games that exploit this new control system to the full, like the tennis, but add new game play dimensions (anyone see a Jedi moment coming soon?), this will be as close to gaming perfection as anyone has come in a long time. This has more fun and gaming impact and wider appeal than any of the great games released I can ever remember - stand aside Lemmings, Streetfighter, Zelda, Mario, Sonic, Half Life, Dizzy, Gran Turismo, Halo, Counterstrike. You've all been bested. By a fair old way, too.

I'd recommend this to anyone - and I mean anyone. It's not gamer exclusive, limited by age or gender. Online against someone else? Who cares, when all my friends and family want to play in the same room?


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## Dr_Parmar (May 10, 2002)

Im sold, i want one!

Today i had the afternoon off so i went too.. *deep breath*

Game, HMV, Currys, Comet, PC World, Tescos, another Game and a Dixons!

NO ONE HAS THIS MYSTICAL MACHINE!! DOES IT EXIST?


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## CH_Peter (May 16, 2002)

Dr_Parmar said:


> Im sold, i want one!
> 
> Today i had the afternoon off so i went too.. *deep breath*
> 
> ...


It really isn't like the Xbox 360 /PS2, etc. Just put your name down with a few places and wait a couple of weeks. I got one from Woolworths and put my name down only on the day of release. Got one a few days before Xmas.


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## QuackingPlums (Mar 10, 2004)

They're coming through in *very* small batches. Amazon have had handfuls in most mornings since their xmas delivery cut-off - but they go very quickly. I had one-click turned on and still missed out on it twice. Luckily, my wife had managed to get one from Woolies before they'd sold out so I still had a nice surprise come xmas morning!

I've heard friends/colleagues managing to get theirs from Game, WHSmith, Comet and Currys by just ringing up every morning and asking if they've had any in. As long as they're not still fulfilling back-orders, you'll get one.

By the way, if you persevere with baseball it's actually quite good. You have to be so exact on the timing and the rules are still alien to me (well, it's still a girls' game!) so you have to put a bit more effort into it compared with the others, but I find it quite good fun now!


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## Gizmo750 (Sep 16, 2004)

Anyone had any luck in getting hold of one of these recently?


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## philyuk (Jul 25, 2006)

Hi
Picked up one Saturday from Toys R Us they had ten.
Â£289.99 including Wii plus Wii Sports, Red Steel and two games of your choice.

Seemed good value and I've not yet put the remote through the TV or hit the kids!!! ( With the remote that is)


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## crooky225 (Mar 31, 2006)

I was really really lucky, walked into Argos on Friday 23rd of Dec and picked one up. Easy! :lol:

The que was huge, so i went to the pay now machine. By the time i keyed in the info the stock went from 4 to nil, i got the last one!!! 

Played on it all Chrimbo and still loving it! The basic games on Wii Sport are great fun. But i was worried about the lack of graffics. But after getting Need for Speed for Christmas and RedSteel for my birth day, i can safely say the graffics are great!

But it's the game play that has got me in to this!!! Your so involved in the games! So far everyone who has tried it, wants one! Including my Mam & Dad!!!!

10 out of 10!!!


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## Dr_Parmar (May 10, 2002)

you guys are lucky sods! Ive been going everywhere looking for one!


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## Gizmo750 (Sep 16, 2004)

Dr_Parmar said:


> you guys are lucky sods! Ive been going everywhere looking for one!


Makes two of us - I can't find one either unless I'm prepared to pay silly Ebay prices (which I'm not).

If you find any then buy two and I will do the same - if the other person has already got one by then I'm sure there will be other takers?

What do you think?


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## Dr_Parmar (May 10, 2002)

im up for that! Definitely a good idea!

2 heads better than one eh?


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## Gizmo750 (Sep 16, 2004)

Dr_Parmar said:


> im up for that! Definitely a good idea!
> 
> 2 heads better than one eh?


That's what I thought. Will keep looking for 2 then.


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## Dr_Parmar (May 10, 2002)

im looking right now, still no luck thou


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## philyuk (Jul 25, 2006)

Toys R Us in Shrewsbury had 3 at 6PM!!!


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## Love_iTT (Aug 18, 2002)

My Father-in-law (he's 74!!) got one at Woolworths on Saturday after having a go with mine over Christmas.

Graham


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## Gizmo750 (Sep 16, 2004)

Love_iTT said:


> My Father-in-law (he's 74!!) got one at Woolworths on Saturday after having a go with mine over Christmas.
> 
> Graham


See, now that's what makes me want one - everyone can get involved!

PS Toys R Us Shrewsbury didn't have any - just called


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## philyuk (Jul 25, 2006)

www.cex.co.uk have them for Â£230 if you really want one now.


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## Private Prozac (Jul 7, 2003)

This might help lads: http://wii.stocknetwork.co.uk/

If you have constant access to your e-mail account, register and you'll get an e-mail when in stock.

Good luck.


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## CH_Peter (May 16, 2002)

Does anyone want to let their Miis Mingle by swapping whatever it is you swap so they can go a-wandering?


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## crooky225 (Mar 31, 2006)

CH_Peter said:


> Does anyone want to let their Miis Mingle by swapping whatever it is you swap so they can go a-wandering?


My girl friend thinks i'm sad enough already the amount of time i spend on here! But could be funny!!! :lol:

I've started making Mii of people, the first was George Micheal! Very close look a like!!!


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## CH_Peter (May 16, 2002)

crooky225 said:


> CH_Peter said:
> 
> 
> > Does anyone want to let their Miis Mingle by swapping whatever it is you swap so they can go a-wandering?
> ...


 I have about 15-20 on mine, reminders of all the people who played over Xmas!


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## crooky225 (Mar 31, 2006)

I didn't realise you could do it, spent all Christmas playing tennis as a guest! :roll:


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## whirlypig (Feb 20, 2003)

TT2BMW said:


> This might help lads: http://wii.stocknetwork.co.uk/
> 
> If you have constant access to your e-mail account, register and you'll get an e-mail when in stock.
> 
> Good luck.


Good recommendation. :wink:

Was notified that Gamestation were selling some online from 10am.
Got on just as they appeared and got one with the 3 game bundle into the shopping basket. However it seems their basket system means they're available to everyone but it's first to the checkout that wins. I didn't realise this and was still poncing about trying to decide what games to choose and by the time (not long) I got to the checkout all the stock was gone. :?

Not a big deal as it wasn't for me, will know better next time.


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## cuTTsy (Jan 31, 2003)

off to the states today for a couple of days so I will try and pick one up there...$249 and at the current exchange rate


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## crooky225 (Mar 31, 2006)

cuTTsy said:


> off to the states today for a couple of days so I will try and pick one up there...$249 and at the current exchange rate


I'd make sure they'll work! They are regional unlike the PS3


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## cuTTsy (Jan 31, 2003)

crooky225 said:


> cuTTsy said:
> 
> 
> > off to the states today for a couple of days so I will try and pick one up there...$249 and at the current exchange rate
> ...


Sold out in the US as well.
One shop said they might have some tomorrow, if I buy all the games here as well or over the web it shouldn't be a problem.


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