Console Wars: Wii for Mii
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For the longest time, I’ve turned an indifferent shoulder towards the “Next Gen” systems (aren’t they always called that every generation?). I’ve never been an XBox gamer… there’s just not a lot there in the way of games that I want that I can’t get for my PC. I’ve been on the Playstation boat for over ten years now, ever since Square made a move from Nintendo. But the PS3 is way too hefty a price tag, even for a Blue-ray player. I could upgrade my whole PC for the price of the sytem alone! Plus, again, I look at the game list and arch an eybrow not really seeing anything that I can’t get for my PC that I could warrent paying so much for a gaming system.
And the Wii… well. I’ve played around with it. I liked what I saw. I thought it was fun and original. But that’s as far as my interest went since I have my trusty DS in hand. I’ve never really been much of a hand held gamer before the DS… but Nintendo won me back on their side with that system. But that’s another story.
Some people may not know but, long, long ago… before I touched my first Final Fantasy or even knew what the term RPG stood for, I was a huge Nintendo fan… I was there to play my cousin’s brand new shiny NES system (with the ROB robot and all!) and marveled at the wonder that was Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt. I inherited his hand me down Atari system which I played until it literally melted. But after that, my eyes were only on Nintendo. Oh, and Sega could suck-it. I was so totally caught up in that age-old competition. 
I got my first NES for Christmas one year, half paid by my sister and I with our life savings at the time. I actually still have the original system… it’s got to be 20 something years old now. I was big on Mario. I was big on Zelda. I watched all the cartoons.. had the comics. Subscribed to Nintendo Power. Mario Bros. 3 was the ultimate! I prided myself on knowing all the tricks and tips… I was a real Nintendo geek up until Jr. High when I bought the SNES with hard earned babysitting money. Then I rented Final Fantasy 2 (FFIV)… and the rest was history.
Though I enjoyed the Mario and Zelda games up through the N64… including Smash Brothers and the first two Mario Karts… I gravitated towards the Fantasy RPG scene. When Square went to Playstation, I followed. Though I own a Game Cube, I only have a few games for it… and slowly Nintendo became a thing of the past for me. In fact, once I got into PC gaming (which I abhorred when I got my first PC, go figure), I really didn’t play much in the way of consoles at all anymore. Well, with the exception of games on the DS… mostly because I can bring it to work with me and play during lunch break.
So back on topic, what really peaked my interest in the Wii? There are a number of things, actually. I’m interested in picking up fun games that can be played in short bouts… such as Mario Kart and Smash Brothers. I’m interested in messing around with games that feel and play differently. I’m interested in the wireless internet gaming the system offers… and I think it would be fun for short competitive gaming sessions. And I’m also interested in the Wii Fit… seeing I’m one that needs the extra motivation to get off my lazy duff. And yes… I do know it’s not a substitute for a proper exercise regimen. But people seem to enjoy it and I’m just looking for something to get me moving in the right direction.
Overall… I just want to get back in touch with why I played games over and over and over again without a thought when I was a kid. Games that aren’t so complex. Not so serious. Different and plain fun. The Wii seemed to have all that.
But then I discovered the hard truth. The Wii is STILL nearly impossible to find– shocked and appauled. Not a single store… mortar and brick or virtual… has the thing in stock. So over the past week or so, it’s been a hunt for the Wii. Eventually, I got sick of searching and waiting and ordered mine (at an excellent price) from a seller on Half.com. I didn’t feel like fooling with Ebay auctions, plus this bundle had two games I was interested in and an extra nunchuck (which I would have picked up anyhow).
Wii Fit is also absolutely impossible to find. As is Mario Kart. I’m starting to see a pattern here. I guess I better pre-order my copy of Animal Crossing before November! XD It seems like half the fun of owning a Wii is chasing down games you want as they come in-stock. I find it amusing for some reason. I did score a Wii Fit by pure luck and look forward to trying that out, hopefully next week. I’ll let you know what I think of it.
If you’re searching for certain games for the Wii and you’re willing to buy from stores online, a good site to check out is Wii Alerts. You set up what games or systems to track and the site will send you an email or cell alert (depending on how you set it up) to let you know when the game is in stock online. But you have to be fast… I’ve seen some of them sell out in the matter of minutes. If you’re really serious about finding something, that’s a place to start.
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3 Comments on Console Wars: Wii for Mii
Pen sez:
So interesting that you wrote about this! Next Gen console talk has become the normal everyday topic for me and my friends. Your story sounds exactly like mine–I was a Nintendo fangirl up until the N64 (I had bought it before finding out SquareSoft was going to be Playstation exclusive), and then I became a Sony fangirl until present day since Sony wants $600 and your eternal soul for a PS3.
Honestly none of the Next Gen consoles have appealed to me yet, so I’m waiting around for one to become what me and my friends dub: the RPG console. Which, barring some miracle price drop for Sony or change in ethics for Nintendo, it looks like the Xbox will become that console. Square kinda sealed the deal for Xbox when they decided to release FFXIII on the 360 as well as the PS3. Still I’m gonna wait a little longer since games are still being developed for the PS2 and I actually might get a DS since it’s getting a plethora of RPGs for itself too. Who knows, maybe the RPG console this year will be a handheld.
For me, I’ve been pretty disgusted with what I’ve seen S/E doing with the whole Final Fantasy scene (milk, milk, milk for money). I haven’t actually finished a new FF game (or gotten off the first disc for some) since FFIX. I don’t have a lot of interest in FFXIII at all. After seeing what’s happened with FFIV DS and their The After, I’ve decided that FFIV DS is probably my last Square purchase. They’d have to do something extremely spectacular for me to change my mind on that.
My PC is my RPG system. Just about anything that I really want to play RPG-wise is there or online. I’ve been spoiled by online gaming and MMORPGs in that single player RPG games really don’t appeal to me as much anymore. I’m still an avid Guild Wars gamer and will probably be making the move to GWs 2 in the future. That’s the one series that has kept me and Syn playing for over three years now. And that says a lot.
So when I chose my console, I did it for the opposite reason. I did it to find something different that could supplement my RPG PC… but that I could still play online.
The DS is really an awesome, impressive little system. If you enjoy RPGs, that very well could be the way to go. Despite not really getting into the handheld systems until now, I’ve owned one for many years and still highly recommend it!
Pen sez:
Yeah, I feel you there. S/E lost me at FFX(ugh, stupid cop-out twist ending!). I consider FFIX the last true final fantasy game for me. I’ll admit though that FFXIII has peaked my interest since it’s probably hard to fight an addiction like I used to have to Square anything. But Atlus has been slowly grabbing my attention more and more with the games they’re making. They tend to have this very wide range of RPG series that appeal to varying tastes, unlike Squeenix that seems to just stick with grandiose overly polished epics that play more like a interactive movie than a game. I’d have to say, Atlus made me remember how much I truly love to actually play my games, not just hurry to the cutscenes.
I never really got into MMORPGs, I think it’s just cause I got into the computer scene late in the game. That and my former computer is what I used to call “Ancient Technology”, it was a Windows 98 with a 6GB hard drive. I remember trying to play Diablo II once cause my BF was into it, and it nearly killed my computer since it needed 1GB.
I have never had a handheld system before, mostly cause there weren’t many good games coming out for handhelds back in the day. But I’m really surprised by how desirable the DS is to game developers. RPGamer.com has a list of RPGs coming out soon and it’s mostly all DS games. And as girlie as this will sound…it’s sooo cute!! *Squee!* So I think I might definitely get one.