Discount Game

Nintendo Wii

2008-04-29T09:26:00.002-04:00

The Nintendo Wii

What can you say about the Wii? Is it different from the other consoles? Yes. Will it appeal to a more casual audience? Yes. The Nintendo Wii is the hottest system of the three, try to find one on a store shelf, it still is almost impossible to find and this article is being written in late April of 2008.

Some debate is that Nintendo purposely shorted their shipments to drive demand way up. Whatever the case may be, they are selling like crazy. About a month ago my wife bought a Wii. She found one at a local Target. So what is it that drives the demand? After getting some hands on experience with the Wii, I have come up with two reasons that help sell the system.

The first reason is price. It is the cheapest of the three systems, at $250.00. When average parents want to buy their child a new video game system, the Wii at $250.00 or an Xbox 360 at $350.00, they are going to go with the Wii. Now there are some hidden charges that Nintendo really don't talk about. If you do not have wireless internet in your home, you cannot plug an Ethernet cable into the Wii, you have to go out and buy a separate adaptor for around $30.00-$40.00.

Another thing, if you want a separate controller you have to buy one, now I do not hold that against them because they all do it. But the Wii remote with the system comes with the Nun chuck attachment. When you buy separate controller it does not have the attachment, which will cost you around $20.00. Also they do not come with rechargeable batteries for the controller that will also cost another $30.00. You could just use regular batteries but do you know how expensive it would be to keep replacing them.

When you add in the extras that puts your price around $320.00-330.00. Seems a lot closer in price now, also if you would like different controller attachments like the control pad or Wii sports attachments or Wii points, it will all cost you more money. Now Xbox and Playstation do the same thing also, but for some reason Nintendo always gets a pass on this I do not think they should, they nickel and dime their customers just as much as the other companies.

The second reason the Wii sells well, is brand recognition. Almost every parent will recognize Mario before Kratos or even Master Chief. Most hardcore gamers would disagree, but it is the truth, Nintendo properties are far more appealing to the mass audience, which is somewhat of the problem with the Wii.

When it comes to games with their iconic characters they are great, Mario Galaxy, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Super Smash Brothers and the upcoming Mario cart. But once you get past the first party games, there is a huge drop off in quality. Most games end being a collection of mini games or old recycled arcade games (Pointing at you House of the Dead).

The virtual console has some old school appeal, but after playing some of these old games you realize you just paid ten bucks for a 15 year old game that was not as good as you remembered. There are newer games on there but very few are worth the money. Xbox live arcade also has this problem.

The Wii is a good family oriented video game system. If you are like myself and love great high definition graphics, online multiplayer and have been gaming for years, then this system is not for you. If you are like my wife who enjoys very simple, fun, basic casual games you can play occasionally with your friends, then the Nintendo Wii is for you.

The Consoles

2008-04-29T09:23:00.000-04:00

Consoles

Recently I became the proud owner of all three next gen systems, Xbox 360, PS3 and the Nintendo Wii. Now you might think that I have no life, which may be true, but I have been an avid video game player for years.

The first thing I would like to state is I have no hate for any of the companies that make video game consoles, well may be Sega, they really burned me on the Saturn! I have played just about every system that has come down the pipes, from Atari 2600, NES, Sega Master System, Intellivision, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Turbo Graphix 16, Playstation, Playstaion 2 and all the modern day systems.

Now I know I did not mention any handheld systems. I have played most of those systems but my main focus is on the consoles. So over the next couple of days I will go over each individual console and weigh the pros and cons for each system and who would benefit the most from these consoles.

I will start with the Wii, then the Xbox360, and finally the PS3. Also look for my game reviews and general thoughts on the industry.

Army of Two Review

2008-04-01T10:40:00.007-04:00

Army of Two

I like to rate my reviews from 1-10.
1-4= Stay away
5-7= Try renting
8-10= Probably should buy.

Army of Two by EA (X Box 360 Version)

Graphics (9/10)
This is where the game shines, looks great. If you made a modern day Gears of War setting this would probably be it. Some pop in here and there but not much. The terrain looks good, and you will really enjoy how the aircraft carrier looks, later on in the game.

Game play (6/10)
This is a very standard shooter, nothing really new. It borrows some from other games, like Splinter Cells Co-Op moves, and some slow motion effects, but for the most part, just shoot people, and lots of them! Not bad, but nothing new.

Multi player (8/10)
This is where the game is targeted. It is meant to be played two player. Single player is not bad, but playing co-op with a friend makes the game really fun. Online multi player is not all that, but co-op campaign is great fun.

Replay Value (8/10)
There is quite a bit of customization in the game, to weapons and faceplates. So you may want to play through it a couple of times to unlock it all. Plus achievements, that you may want to unlock. The campaign is a little on the short side.

Overall (8/10)
Is this game of the year? No. Is it better than Call of Duty 4? No. But you are getting a pretty solid co-op shooter, with good graphics and a fun afternoon with a buddy.