Flip
WiiChat Member
After so long waiting, I finally had the chance to play the Wii today.
I went in to college to hand in my assessment, and then made a break for the local Myer store. A friend had told me they had the machine set up yesterday, and I was willing to take the chance that it was there today. Getting there, BAM, the Wii setup. It was really interesting seeing how everybody reacted when they walked past the Wii. As so many people in the Americas would know, the Wii is extremely good at attracting people from all walks of life. There were parents, kids, teenagers... just... everybody.
So for the next 7 hours, me and a couple buddies camped the system, and played whenever we got a turn. For the most part, there was a lot of handing it over to other people, but I definately didn't mind, as it was awesome just to watch the Wii in action. The only game running on it was Wii Sports, but damned if I wasn't majorly impressed. As soon as I held the Wiimote in my hand, I was hooked.
To comment on the games, for those Australians who don't trust what the Americans think (I know there's a few of you), they were all bloody excellent. While I didn't play Golf or Boxing, the other three were damn good, with Tennis being the most played of the three.
Tennis is a great game, and is really good for getting used to the Wiimote. The controls are simple, and I didn't even have to adjust. I just picked up and smashed away. As it stands, I was not very good at Wii Sports Tennis, and the only thing I could do consistantly well, was hit power serves every serve. The game is great for two player, and would have been even better with four. I would put this as the #2 game in Wii Sports.
Bowling... ahh, bowling. This is probably the most enjoyable Wii Sports game of the lot. I was addicted to it, and while I only got a few chances to play it, I rocked it hard, and managed a 168 after about 3 shots at it. The curve that you get is very easy to control, despite what I saw in the GameSpot video, in which they couldn't manage to curve it right. I had no problems curving it right, but righties do get a lot of left-curve without even trying. #1 Wii Sports game for sure.
The only other game I was able to play, was Baseball. What can I say about this game? Well, I didn't like it at all. Rather than being fun and silly, it was just downright frustrating. After hearing that voice say "Foul Ball" for about the 100th time, and our consecutive 0 run innings, we gave up on it. My mate managed to hit a few homers off of me, but I was pitching slow curve balls, thinking they would do anything. Honestly, the only 2 pitches worth using, are the fastball, and the splitter. After that, the game is Home Run or bust. If you hit a big slugger, but it doesn't net you a homer, it's gonna be caught. Overall, Baseball just wasn't fun at all. Without even playing Golf or Boxing, I would put this at #5, just because I didn't enjoy myself.
The Wii itself was glorious and beautiful, and we did encounter one slightly worrying problem, and that was, when the genius guy in charge of the console decided to return to the main menu, the controllers suddenly became de-synced. I spent a good 30 minutes trying to tell him how to resync them, and even then I wasn't entirely sure I knew what I was doing. For anyone who is interested in giving the Wii a shot at these stands, go in with the assumption that the controllers will be chained to a weight. This was the most irritating part, was that one of the controllers had a huge cord coming from it, stuck to a weight on the ground. The cord attached to the other Wiimote must have broken, as that was without a cord, and was the favourite for everyone. It's really hard trying to rock out in Tennis, when you're getting caught on a cord and whacking yourself in the head.
To conclude, it was a damn fun time, and I wish I was still there. I am completely reassured of my pre-order, and I will now be seeing the Wii in my dreams until launch day. Hopefully I can finish my last assessment before then, which is actually due on the same day the Wii is released. Could be a major distraction.
Well, I hope you guys got something out of reading this, and I'm sorry if I bored you, or if this doesn't interest you. Just thought I'd share my opinions. This is in fact, the first time I've held a Wiimote, and I couldn't contain myself. Go check out your local Myer's, Target's, TRU's, etc. to see if they have a demo console up. It's worth exploring to find one.
Cheers
Flip
I went in to college to hand in my assessment, and then made a break for the local Myer store. A friend had told me they had the machine set up yesterday, and I was willing to take the chance that it was there today. Getting there, BAM, the Wii setup. It was really interesting seeing how everybody reacted when they walked past the Wii. As so many people in the Americas would know, the Wii is extremely good at attracting people from all walks of life. There were parents, kids, teenagers... just... everybody.
So for the next 7 hours, me and a couple buddies camped the system, and played whenever we got a turn. For the most part, there was a lot of handing it over to other people, but I definately didn't mind, as it was awesome just to watch the Wii in action. The only game running on it was Wii Sports, but damned if I wasn't majorly impressed. As soon as I held the Wiimote in my hand, I was hooked.
To comment on the games, for those Australians who don't trust what the Americans think (I know there's a few of you), they were all bloody excellent. While I didn't play Golf or Boxing, the other three were damn good, with Tennis being the most played of the three.
Tennis is a great game, and is really good for getting used to the Wiimote. The controls are simple, and I didn't even have to adjust. I just picked up and smashed away. As it stands, I was not very good at Wii Sports Tennis, and the only thing I could do consistantly well, was hit power serves every serve. The game is great for two player, and would have been even better with four. I would put this as the #2 game in Wii Sports.
Bowling... ahh, bowling. This is probably the most enjoyable Wii Sports game of the lot. I was addicted to it, and while I only got a few chances to play it, I rocked it hard, and managed a 168 after about 3 shots at it. The curve that you get is very easy to control, despite what I saw in the GameSpot video, in which they couldn't manage to curve it right. I had no problems curving it right, but righties do get a lot of left-curve without even trying. #1 Wii Sports game for sure.
The only other game I was able to play, was Baseball. What can I say about this game? Well, I didn't like it at all. Rather than being fun and silly, it was just downright frustrating. After hearing that voice say "Foul Ball" for about the 100th time, and our consecutive 0 run innings, we gave up on it. My mate managed to hit a few homers off of me, but I was pitching slow curve balls, thinking they would do anything. Honestly, the only 2 pitches worth using, are the fastball, and the splitter. After that, the game is Home Run or bust. If you hit a big slugger, but it doesn't net you a homer, it's gonna be caught. Overall, Baseball just wasn't fun at all. Without even playing Golf or Boxing, I would put this at #5, just because I didn't enjoy myself.
The Wii itself was glorious and beautiful, and we did encounter one slightly worrying problem, and that was, when the genius guy in charge of the console decided to return to the main menu, the controllers suddenly became de-synced. I spent a good 30 minutes trying to tell him how to resync them, and even then I wasn't entirely sure I knew what I was doing. For anyone who is interested in giving the Wii a shot at these stands, go in with the assumption that the controllers will be chained to a weight. This was the most irritating part, was that one of the controllers had a huge cord coming from it, stuck to a weight on the ground. The cord attached to the other Wiimote must have broken, as that was without a cord, and was the favourite for everyone. It's really hard trying to rock out in Tennis, when you're getting caught on a cord and whacking yourself in the head.
To conclude, it was a damn fun time, and I wish I was still there. I am completely reassured of my pre-order, and I will now be seeing the Wii in my dreams until launch day. Hopefully I can finish my last assessment before then, which is actually due on the same day the Wii is released. Could be a major distraction.
Well, I hope you guys got something out of reading this, and I'm sorry if I bored you, or if this doesn't interest you. Just thought I'd share my opinions. This is in fact, the first time I've held a Wiimote, and I couldn't contain myself. Go check out your local Myer's, Target's, TRU's, etc. to see if they have a demo console up. It's worth exploring to find one.
Cheers
Flip
