Nintendo is offering its newest home console Wii as home to attractive and entertaining games; friendly in nature holding appeal for just about anyone. As an incentive Wii sells for just £179.99 - as much as £100 cheaper than its (literally) biggest rival, Microsoft's Xbox 360. However Nintendo's gamble isn't on price or siding with family themes. Nintendo’s boldest move is the unusual method adopted for Wii gaming. Forget the console itself; it’s all about 'that' controller.
Playing Wii requires you to ditch much of what you know and trust about computer games; the familiar PlayStation or Xbox controller with its dazzling array of sticks and buttons. The Wii interface looks very much like a small TV remote control, but cleverly responds to your hand movement and its position with relation to the screen. In this way the Wii remote can become a tennis racket, a fishing rod, or a sword and of course anything that shoots, from catapults to guns. Does it work? Well, much to everyone’s delight “Wii Sports” that comes boxed with the console is a revelation – although you’ll need to buy additional controllers to play with your family or friends. Tennis and Bowling are the undisputed highlights. Boxing, while hilarious, can be tiring to roll with the punches. Baseball is basic but fun. Golf is probably the weakest but still worth a swing and relatively gentle exercise.
Certainly the Wii + Wii Sports bundle should be very welcome in family households this Christmas, and will astonish the slippers off grandma. The bigger question is how well does Wii fare based on its other launch titles? To help you decide we’ve taken a look at the biggest games vying for your attention.
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