Nintendo Wii Console (Includes Wii Sports)

I'm going to aim this review at people who have never really played video games before or who have only had a passing interest, as I think there may be quite a lot of you who are considering, or actively trying your best in, purchasing a Wii. If you are a more experienced gamer, you may find another review more helpful.

Basically you take the Wii home, get it out of the box, plug it into your TV and into the mains just like a DVD player, and then plug the 'sensor bar' into the Wii unit. You then place this same sensor either on top of or just underneath your television. The sensor bar is basically a long, slim grey piece of rectangular plastic with a cable running out to plug it into the Wii.

You then put some batteries into your 'Wii-mote' (Wii remote, included with the Wii console), and use it to turn the unit on. Of course, you're going to need a game to play. The Wii uses a disc format the same size and shape as a DVD; you just slot these into the unit. To get you started, Nintendo includes a game disc with the machine called 'Wii Sports'. This features Tennis, Baseball, Bowling, Golf and Boxing. To actually play the games, you'll have to go through a few menus. Just use the Wii-mote by simply pointing at a particular point on your TV screen and clicking the buttons (the Wii-mote is kind of half-way between a computer mouse and a TV remote - but so much more).

It's when you actually get into the game that the fun begins. You don't just sit there pressing a series of buttons like with most video game consoles. Yes, you will probably have to push or hold one or two buttons, but the real idea here is that you move the remote around, and the sensor bar (which I told you about earlier) does the rest. The sensor bar can tell the Wii the place on the television screen where you are pointing the remote - but it also tells the machine exactly *how* you move the remote. Basically, motion sensitivity! What this means is that to play golf you hold the remote like a golf club, and take a swing; and hey presto, your on-screen character hits the golf ball with just as much power, lift and spin as you put in. There is some very well developed technology at work here!

Tennis is much the same: swing the remote like you would a tennis racquet. In bowling you hold the remote as if it were a ball and 'throw' it (you don't actually let go of it!). Each different game makes subtly different use of the remote, and there are loads available to buy: from one called Zelda where you get to sword-fight using the remote; to Wii Play which features a number of fun games; and of course, Wii Fit...but that's another review.

I can testify that this is fun for everyone, from age 3 to 63 or older. Nintendo have been sorting out supply difficulties so it's generally now much easier to get your hands on one. If you are having difficulty, I would suggest checking out the Amazon Wii 'Customer Discussions' for helpful advice, just scroll down to under the reviews on this page. Good luck!

I bought my Nintendo Wii on launch day last year mainly due to the huge amount of hype that was surrounding the launch.

After unpacking it I began playing Wii Sports - the included game. This is huge amount of fun and is very good for people of all ages to play. I would recomend getting a second remote + nunchuck so you can play against somebody as this is were it is the most fun.
One year on and I am still playing this system (which is very good for me!) I still play Wii Sports occasionally (mainly when people come over) and many other games which have been released are also equally as fun.

I'm now going to rate the console based on some categories

1) Visuals

Despite this console not being high definition, the visuals are actually very good. We play it on both a 29" normal TV and a 32" wide screen LCD TV in both cases the graphics look clean, crisp and colourful. Navigating through the menu when you first turn on looks very good also.

2) Sound

The sound, as far as I know, is no different to any other console. It sounds great and the Wii has the added bonus of each remote having it's own mini speaker. That may sound like a gimmic but it is a useful feature when you are playing a game and hear appropriate sound effects coming out so close.

3) The games

Now as the Wii is cheaper to develop for, there have been some instances of 'shovelware' (they just shove it on) ignoring these games is a good idea so always check online reviews before buying games.

With that being said, there are many games on the wii that are every bit as good and better than the afforementioned WiiSports. There are games suitable for everybody here from nice family games such as 'Rayman's Ravin' Rabbits' to less family oriented games such as 'Resident Evil'.

The recently released Super Mario Galaxy showed the potential the Wii has graphically and has set a good example for future games to follow.

4) Set-up

Set up is very easy and most people should be able to do it in under a minute. The 3 cables you need to connect (power, tv and the sensor bar) are all colour coded so it is very straight forward.

It comes with both normal connections (phono plugs and a scart adapter) to connect to any TV set.

5) Wii Shop

The Wii shop uses the wireless internet feature to enable you to buy games for your wii. They are older games such as Sonic the Hedgehog (for the megadrive) or Mario 64 (for the Nintendo64) and cost around £5 each. They don't take long to download and you can be playing within a couple of minutes.

6) Other...

Other included features are a Photo slide show thing. This allows you to take the memory card out of your digital camera or mobile and have the photos displayed in a nice slide show on your TV set. This is a nice feature. You can also have your audio files on the card play out during the show.

Overall I am very happy with my Wii and would recomend most people get one. Almost anyone can play and even hard core gamers find that they enjoy the type of games available.

It's rare to spend £200 and not to have a moment's regret, but the Wii has been the exception for me. From the moment I set it up, it's really earned its keep in our house. The kids love it and so do I. Here's why...

1. The included Wii Sports game is extraordinary, surely the best first person sports sim on any platform. The novel control method is utterly intuitive and I've never played a computer game requiring so much physical exertion.

2. The wireless network took seconds to configure. I wish my last laptop had been so easy.

3. With the addition of games like Wii Play, Mario Party and the like, my five-year-old can compete on equal terms with the older children and with adults.

4. I still want to play Wii Sports every day.

I recommend this console unhesitatingly.