Ok, so I got my Wii.

Lets take a look at it. And how I’m feeling about it on day 3.

The packaging
Sure, you’ll never see it again, but I think Nintendo took a page from Apple’s Book when they did the packaging (and visual design) of the Wii. The box is immaculate. The packaging is neat and orderly. The quick start guide was just what it needed to be. It was so nice to open a box, and have thigns slide right out, looking clean, safelly packed, and easy to unfurl. Compared to opening one of those damn plastic form-sealed wrappings, this was like a massage. I will never again care about the packaging, but as my first contact with the Wii, it set our relationship on the right step.

The Channels
I got it hooked up with a minimum of fuss. The directions were easy and simple enough. I even got my gamecube wavebird controllers hooked up right away.. for those retro gamecube games.

I turn it on excitedly, and I am then shown the wii setup menus. It shows me how to use the wiimote, and then I’m off to setting up the system.

My first Wiimote interaction is entering info into a soft keyboard. Moving the wiimote is easy to understand in jsut a few seconds, and the soft rumble feedback you get when you roll over a letter I thought was awesome. Attention to details like that are what will make or break this system.

I get things setup, and I head straight to the WiFi settings. One wep key later, and poof.. I’m connected, and I grab all the latest console updates.

Now, I finally am at the main menu again, and I explore the weather and news channels. Hmm.. suck… they dont seem to work yet. As of now, they still dont work. I am guessing that they are just not yet enabled. I will have to research them more, but Jeff at least has had the same problems. So for now. I move on.

Next I hit the Mii area. A mii is an avatar you can make of yourself using simple characature tools. Within about 10 minutes, I had created a wii of myself, my wife made one of herself, and 2 pals made themselves. What surprised me here was how such a simple characature could so accurately nail us! With the right hair, and eyes, we are instantly avatars in game!

I next check out the wii store.. I see the virtual console titles. Less than promised.. but they DID say it will have more within the 5 weeks of launch. So Golden Axe will be mine soon enough. I’m also greeted in the “wii ware” section to a pic of a wonderful looking Web browser. I don’t have a laptop, and the ability to browse the web when i need something, all from the comfort of my couch will rock. Time will tell if the browser is any good, but I hold out hope.

Finally.. its game time.

Wii Sports
Our first experiment, is to try golf. I am mesmerized by how you really hold the wiimote like a golf club.. and somehow it works!
Old remotes and whatnot are always about pointing the wiimote at a screen. This one uses its magic (i think its wifi and a gyroscope) to know its orientation at all times. And the bar on the TV you install tells the general location of the wiimote.

Golf lasts about 20 seconds… we like it.. but too slow. Next up. Tennis.

Now we are cooking!

We start up a game of 1 v 1. The game reccommends We clear the area of tables..people..etc, and we wisely comply.

Swinging the wiimote swings the racquet. And its a BLAST. We play for a while.. games going neck and neck.. and we even build up a sweat! A SWEAT PLAYING VIDEO GAMES! This friends.. is deffinitely a revolution.

After a fwe rounds of tennis, we hit Boxing. We plug in the nunchuck, and we learn how amazing it is to dodge punches by tucking in the wiimotes and actually dodging with your body. We swing left and right by swinging the nunchuck or the wiimote respectivelly. High swings are high.. low are low. It even reads hooks pretty well. (still need to find the uppercut).

All in all.. its active.. and its a BLAST.

After playing around a bit more.. .friends leave, and the time has come to check out Zelda.

Zelda
I *know* zelda will be awesome. I loved wind waker. It may have been one of my favorite games of all time. It was just so well done in every aspect.

This zelda picks up on the same amazing and awesome gamelpay mechanics, but where as in Wind Waker, the look was cartoon, this look is REALISM. Sure, it doenst look nearly as good as a 360 would. You can tell that right away. In fact, short of very good lighting effects, I don’t know if its much better than the gamecube was. But the gameplay is immediately spot on. The monsters you face are similar to identical to some from Wind waker.. but now they are REAL.. not cartoony. The comparison is striking.

And the controls?

WOW.

Early on, you get a slingshot (which you aim using the wiimote), a fishing rod (which you use the wiimote like a fishing rod to use.. duh), your horse, which has the same great control feel that the horse in Shadows of the Colossus had, ANd you get a sword. Swinging the wiimote is swinging your sword, and you get it in jsut a few seconds. It is really a fun and exciting experience. All the while, that spectacular, and awesome zelda gameplay is spot on. I wont ruin any more, but the game is just perfect. Very happy.

Conclusions

I didnt Try Red Steel yet, though I will. Reviews have said its so-so, with great control scheme, but in a mediocre title. Woops.. oh well.. I heard sword fighting with the wiimote, and I jumped. Hopefully it will be decent, and not total crap.

The channels will work soon (I hope). I am looking forward to trying out more of the built in features. I am siked to play some classic games, and I am excited to see what kinds of wii-ware we end up with.

I know it wont be as well hooked up as the 360’s Live online system is. But I am looking forward to seeing how multiplayer online games work out with it.

Finally..we have the wiimote. Its clearly alot of fun. Its intuitive. Its deffinitely something new and different. My only fear (a small one mind you) Is will it get old? Will swinging link’s sword get tiresome? What about when I don’t want to sit up straight and leave enough room to move about?

The days of lounging back with a controller in your hand may be gone, and while I may miss them, maybe its just the fear of change that has me.

This is deffinitely a revolution in gaming. And I think its going stick around for some time. I can’t wait to see what is next in store for this system and all its potential.