Nintendo Wii

[akw94]

Hi,
I was thinking of buying a Nintendo Wii for my son for his upcoming bday or holiday gift. Anyone have any likes or dislikes about them? Also, a suggestion was made to start buying accessories and/or games now so that it''s not such a huge purchase when buying the system. That makes sense to me but not sure what to buy. Anyone have ideas? Is this the sort of thing I could buy now vs. waiting until Nov/Dec. and nothing would change? Or could there be sales, deals, upgrades or something that would make it worth waiting?

Thoughts please!

Thanks!

 

[MrsRogers]

I guess it depends on his age. Hubby bought a Wii for us months ago and I can play Mario Party 8 for hours on end!!

 

[qtiekiki]

We got the Wii when it first comes out. Some of the games are really good for group and family. Mario Party 8 is so fun, but I keep losing to DH. hehehe.ii

What types of game does your son like? I heard Zelda is really good. DH likes Need for Speed, which is a racing game but I don''t know if the content is good for kids. Big Brain Academy is a good puzzle/thinking game. I am not a big fan of Wii sport II. Wario Groove is kind of silly fun for a group. Paper Mario and Mario Party 8 are fun.

From what I see, none of the games had been on sale yet. So I am not sure if there will be better deal for the holidays. There''s still no more Wii at the stores around us.

 

[Cleopatra]

I bought a Wii 2 months ago for my fiance''s birthday - we''re both 24 - and we LOVE it! It took 3 weeks of constant calling to different stores and signing up for a "Wii Tracker" to find one online! It was plain nuts I tell you! I can pretty much guarantee that prices are not dropping anytime soon. Personally, after all of my trouble, I forsee them being harder to find closer to Christmas, so if you can find one now, I''d say go for it! Cause you''re one of the lucky ones.

As for accessories, we played for weeks without buying a single additional thing (other than a memory card). Wii Sports is a BLAST, and the remote that comes with the Wii can play up to 4 characters (one at a time though

)

For now, I would definitely buy a 2gb (that''s the max) memory card and acouple of games (Mario Kart is coming out soon - and that would be the greeeeatest game to get) Good luck!

As you can tell, I like my Wii

 

[Miscka]

I have a Wii, just got it a few weeks ago. Also, I would NOT wait....start trying to find one now! From what I have read/heard and from my own experience, it is STILL hard to find them around. Christmas could make that worse! I also doubt they will go on sale, they are pretty cheap compared to other systems, and some really awesome games are coming out soon. I LOVE the sports game, and I also have Harry Potter which is pretty good. I am waiting for the Sims and Mario galaxy. My BF and I play it ALL the time, your son will love it!!

 

[akw94]

Thank you everyone for the responses.
Can 2 people play though unless you get extra controllers? Not that I plan to play much but I know my son will want his friends to come over and play too? Just wondering if I should buy more controllers as I''m buying the system and games.
My son is 12. I probably won''t buy him many games b/c I''m not sure what he''ll like but maybe give him some gift cards to go w/it to buy some.
I have found the system online. Do you think it''s ok to buy it online vs in a store? I see some in the $200 range and others in the $400 range. Are there different types of Wii''s?

Also, anyone know anything about the Dance Dance Revolution? Is that compatible w/the Wii or w/other systems?

Thanks for the help! I am video game clueless!!

 

[poptart]

I don''t know THAT much about the Wii, but I would definitely suggest that you get extra controllers. When his friends come over they will definitely want to play. I assume the game comes with one controller so you might want to get a couple extra so that three or four people can play. They have Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party for the Wii, as well. The Wii''s, I believe, are like XBox''s in that they come with different hard drive and memory capacity. That is why they are different prices, I think. It just depends on how much space you want/need on the Wii. I think it''s ok to buy them online as long as they come from a reputable source AND have a warranty in case there is some type of malfunction in the system. And a tip about letting him get his own games, just make sure he doesn''t get something that has content you don''t want. I know you probably already thought about that, but just a little reminder. If you go here you can read online reviews of Wii games, just to make doubly sure. Hope that helps! My SIL is 14 and has a Wii, and she LOVES it!

*M*

 

[akw94]

Poptart, don''t worry, my son knows what he is/isn''t allowed to get. Plus, I''m sure I''d be the one going w/him to buy them so he always have to have my approval first. But I appreciate the concern.

Ah, I didn''t realize there was different hard drive capacity. I have no idea how much is enough????????

I didn''t really think about having to return it if there''s a problem. Maybe I will try regular stores first. Thanks for the link about games! I also noticed that there are tons of different Dance Dance Revolution games but can''t quite figure out what the differences are. Is there only the one kind that you mentioned for the Wii?

Cleopatra (or anyone who knows), how do you sign up on the Wii Tracker? Is it for a particular store?

Thanks!

 

[diamondfan]

My 12 year got one for hanukah last year and loves his. the graphics are nice, and there are some good choices for games that are not too violent.

 

[akw94]

DF, thanks! I think my son will love it too. He''s already mentioned many times that he wants one but I don''t think he believes I''d actually buy it due to the cost so it should be a big surprise.

Questions: do you need a classic controller too? I found a package that includes the remote controller and the nunchuck but not the classic controller? I could either buy it separately or find a package that includes it.
Also, I found some packages w/memory cards and others w/o. Do I need a memory card? Can he use memory cards from the gamecube?

Thanks!

 

[poptart]

DDR Hottest party is the only DDR for the Wii (to my knowledge). I did a search for it on IGN.com, and Hottest party was the only DDR that came up for a Wii. I don''t know about the memory card from the gamecube working in the Wii, but it probably doesn''t. Still, I would ask a store rep before buying because if the cards aren''t interchangeable you will want the Wii to have a memory card, IMO. I don''t believe a classic controller is needed for the Wii. The attraction of the Wii is that you get to use the nunchuck and Wii controller, so I wouldn''t worry about it.

*M*

 

[Miscka]

To my knowledge, there is only 1 kind of Wii. You can get bigger memory cards, but I dont really see that you would need it unless he plays a ton of dofferent games? You could just get a smaller one. I am impressed you found them online, I couldnt a month ago when I bought mine, and if you found one for 200 that is from a good place get it! They are almost always $250ish by themselves. I would get one extra controller for him, it is much more fun with 2 players IMHO. You can get something called Wii Play that has a controller and a game (ping pong, pool, and a few others) for only $10 more than the controller alone. Also, just to make you feel a little better, I have heard the return due to malfunction rate for them is really really low. What a great Mom you are to do all this research! That is very sweet, I bet he will be really happy!

 

[angel_nieves]

We bought a wii when they first came out and LOVE it!!! Mario Party is fun I will post the name of a few other games later when I get home I hate posting from my phone.

 

[ljmorgan]

He will have a blast with the Wii. Definitely buy soon if you plan to, these will be even harder to find the closer we get to Christmas. There will definitly not be any promotions, sales, etc. Also, an extra controller and extra nunchuck controller will be things that he will want to be able to play with friends.

As far as games, Warrior Wares is extremely extremely popular, as is Super Paper Mario, and both of them are a blast to play. Most boys want:

1. The Zelda game for Wii
2. Warrior Wares
3. Super Paper Mario
4. Mario Party

 

[sunkist]

Oh, my husband bought me one last weekend!! (Of course that was just an excuse to get it for himself

) But we love playing it together. We just have the sports games now, but I find myself cracking up the whole time and having a grand ''ol time. It''s so much better for me than the games he has for the X-box.

And ya, I say don''t wait, start looking now. Because my husband got it at Target, who had been sold out for months and when he saw it there on Saturday night the clerk said it had just come in 5 minutes ago. So he snatched it up! They''re going fast. Also some stores mark it up to $300 or more, I hear? And Target sales it for suggested retail price, about $250. At least that''s what my hubby told me...

 

[qtiekiki]

I didn''t read through the whole thread, so hopefully I am not repeating too much stuffs that had been mentioned. There''s only one version of the Wii system. The memory card is separate from the system. So the price differences can be due to different size memory card included in the package deal or the price is jacked up. I would definitely get at least one additional set of controller and nunchuck if not more. You can play gamecube games on the Wii, but you will have use the controller sideway or get the classic controller for the Wii. The retail price is $250 in stores.

 

[diamondfan]

Dixie, not toooo sure. I bought a bundle thingy and then added in things he told me he wanted so I am not really sure. I did have to get new straps that were stronger, the company was sending them out free since the original ones were breaking when kids were playing enthusiastically. Remotes were flying across the room. But otherwise, not sure at all about all the parts, just know I bought more than the main bundle of things at the time.

 

[DMBsGirl]

FF and I have a Wii! We''re 26 and 27. It''s a lot of fun. Definitely buy accessories separately/earlier if you can. It only comes with one controller and numchuch (sp?). It''s definitely a game system that the whole family could play with, and it makes you stand up and move, which is sooo much more fun!