Console Debate #30 Wii

[fox | 1,667]

 

[docile tapeworm | 4,198]

you mean the "wwwaaaaa"

Edited May 29, 2021 by docile tapeworm

[Inzoreno | 102]

This is a very difficult one for me to rate. I cannot argue that the Wii wasn't revolutionary, it brought video games back to the general public in a way we hadn't really seen since probably the original Atari 2600. It was no longer a hobby reserved for nerds, but instead one that could be enjoyed by young, old, men, women, children. Whether this move was for better or for worse is an entire conversation by itself. It also had probably the greatest library of retro titles ever, with all subsequent attempts to live up to it's Virtual Console just not able to compare. It certainly has left an impact on the gaming industry, even if what made it so unique really didn't have staying power. 

And that is where my hate arrives. I have never, ever enjoyed the motion controls of the Wii. I have tolerated them to played games like Skyward Sword and Muramasa, but at no point did I ever find them to be any more enjoyable than just using a standard controller. The sad thing is, there are so many great games on this console that would be fun to play, but my dislike of motion controls really puts me off from it. I think I will give it a 6, just a bit above average. 

[twiztor | 850]

i went with a 7. the last console that really thrived because of "couch co-op", the amount of multiplayer games made to be enjoyed with friends and/or family is just insane. par for the course, Nintendo's first party titles were overall excelldnt, with Mario Galaxy leading the way and Kirby: Return to Dreamland not far behind.  the resurgence of Donkey Kong Country and Punch-Out!! are also to be commended. Mario Kart Wii is arguably (VERY arguable!) the alpha of the series. even lots of the shovelware is enjoyable.

Wii made a lot of positive strides after the n64 and GC scared away a lot of 3rd party devs. it still didn't boast the breadth of its competition, but i love it anyway.

[docile tapeworm | 4,198]

any respectable dive bar has wii bowling. thats all.

[Tanooki | 4,933]

I popped an 8 but it's more of a 7.5 so I rounded up.  I want to give it more, but there was some critically messed up things that happened due to the various design choices of the system that held it back from being exceptional.

One could easily ding it for being a beefy underpowered Gamecube that didn't do HD, that's fair to a point, but not greatly so.  The other ding, the motion controls it is centered around, again, became a problem or a treasure based on the game in question.

The lack of HD caused the system to get hosed by a bunch of third parties who just wouldn't touch it at all, or they aggravatingly did some truly halfassed releases.  Releases that were a mixture of random off brand party, kiddie, trivia weirdness -- or the ultimate slap in the face known franchise SPINOFF titles that seemed to be new hire B-Team efforts that more often than not sucked outright or gave a sad glimpse of what could have been, even if those efforts were fine.  Examples of that would be like Dragon Quest Swords, motion control worked fine but it was a walking path TV games style lite RPG -- not a numbered release that DS got(9) instead.  Or you have the real hater one...Dead Space, the developer for EA originally planned, programmed and even had it working as a full fledged FPS(look it up, interview covered it) and EA forced them to make it a crappy RAIL shooter.  Seriously?  It's a best of rail shooter for certain, but what was and made not sucks and it was a repeat offense.

Yet despite that haterade being consumed and created, some people went out of their way and put up some nice efforts from ports to unique things.  Capcom with Zack & Wiki, and then all those RE1 through 4 conversions which were slick.  Gemotery Wars was fantastic too even as a port as was Medal of Honor Heroes 2 which was amazing.  Activision didn't do the system too dirty, those COD games (other than 3) were shockingly well done utilizing motion control great for real aiming of the gun like a pointer mouse.  Uniquely you did see other goodies random ones too like Fragile Dreams, and that Klonoa release is phenomenal, as was Muramasa.  It's a shame the Wii got so drowned out media and (core-hah) gamer wise with bad waggle, trivia, health, and other oddities the goodies got overlooked in the mass push of what crazy stuff the PS3 got.

 

But all that aside, take what Nintendo did, and a lot of it was shockingly good, a nice renaissance look back to the great efforts of their earlier 3D efforts and some real improvements such as Galaxy1+2 versus (bleh) Sunshine.  Some old gems came back in super awesome style like Punchout.  Zelda got a really solid effort despite being hampered with testy waggle control.  Kirby got that really great dreamland release late in the system, and the crafty one before it too that saw a 3DS re-release.  For what it is worth, they came out with a budget box with a control that got mixed results between very useful and a trash gimmick that hampered some stuff.  Yet they got a lot of really unique and fun titles, some ports, a lot too that were not.  Despite NOT being HD, they did amazing work in the 480p realm.

[Renmauzo | 1,200]

This is a case where I have a 'personal feelings' score, and an 'importance within gaming history' score.

Personally, it's a 4 at best. Motion controls are a huge turn off for me. I don't want a 'workout' while I play games, that's what my actual work out time is for. I want the precision of digital and traditional analog control. There are a number of games lauded by many that I could just never bring myself to bother with due to the forced use of motion control.

While the library has a few handfuls of bangers, the rest are not worth the discs they are printed on.

Conversely, the importance to the industry - for all the reasons others have listed - would have me give the system more of an 8.

But since the scoring system skews personal, I'm sticking with 4.

[RH | 4,903]

I too went with a 7. Put differently, the Wii excelled at everything that it wasn't branded as but was offered as a bonus feature.

I LOVED the virtual console. At that time, I had long sold off my old collection and other than a DS and a GBA, I didn't have a lot of games. This was my first, real modern console since I bought my PS2 on launch day*.

The motion controls were a fun distraction with the pack in games, but after that the novelty wears off fast. Mario Galaxy was a good game, but after a while you realize that gaming is usually about chilling, and waggling a stick in the air is just not lazy enough for a gaming session.

A staple for me was the virtual console pro controller. 90% of my gaming required it and I loved it. It was the first, and only, console I owned with DLC and it really made the console worth the purchase.

*Ok, I did own a GameCube but for some reason I never really got into it. I had the Sonic Mega Pack and Harvest Moon and that was it. I probably logged 30 hours into Harvest Moon and maybe 10 in Sonic. That was my extent and usage of the GC, which was a shame because now that I'm digging into the library there's a lot that I misses, but I digress. This is about the Wii.

[Hammerfestus | 3,837]

The only game I really could say I kept coming back to was Wii sports.  But I really liked that game.  Who doesn’t want to box their friends? 7.

oh and Mario Strikers was a good time too.  

[Gloves | 11,776]

I've hardly touched a Wii before at all. Attempted to get into Galaxy, didn't like it. Smash, crap. 

I beat the final boss of Skyward Sword for a friend on my first attempt having never touched the game (or really a Wii in general...) prior, and that was about the extent of my time with the console. 

I'll skip voting cuz I'm sure there's some fun to be had, but I've just not had it. 

[Reed Rothchild | 9,523]

I guess it's pretty telling that the Wii (and Wii U) are the ONLY Nintendo consoles I never owned and don't currently have a collection for.

I'm sure I could piecemeal together a 50 game Wii collection if I really wanted to.  Except half of those games are probably now available for Switch.

[Nintegageo | 582]

7. It has many great games, though the console's main aspect generally makes the games that use it crappier. It really does have great games.

[Deadeye | 1,596]

Really liked Super Paper Mario, Mario Galaxy, and the virtual console.

Disliked the controllers, frequent battery changes, and motion controls.  Even the classic controller had to be plugged into the Wii remote. 

Even though it got me back into gaming after many years gap, I am hard pressed to rate it high.  Feels like a 5 right now.

[Tanooki | 4,933]

I think this one in a lot of cases is going to skew lower, and for the same reason -- forced motion controls.  Some games are just downgraded if not just outright ruined by it.  The DS had the same fate and annoyingly around some of the same franchises, kind of like how Zelda is pretty much a dog on all 4 outings over both because the controls never work right just enough to screw up enjoyment of playing the games.  DS you get all these suicidal rolls and other garbage with touch play, and on the Wii the waggles never kept up with what you wanted or it would do something you didn't intend.

[Estil | 1,264]

With the Nintendon't equipped it makes for a perfect GC "Everdrive"!  And I appreciate so very much that Mario Kart Wii lets you use the GC controller.  Now if only there was a way to do Skyward Sword with traditional controls...

[Reed Rothchild | 9,523]

13 minutes ago, Estil said:

With the Nintendon't equipped it makes for a perfect GC "Everdrive"!  And I appreciate so very much that Mario Kart Wii lets you use the GC controller.  Now if only there was a way to do Skyward Sword with traditional controls...

[Estil | 1,264]

20 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

I don't yet have a Switch though.  Which is a good thing because it looks like my hunch about a Switch Pro coming up will turn out to be right...but I'm nowhere near ready to commit $400+ for it though  

[elprincipe | 142]

I went with a 6.

For me motion controls can be great for some games, but a barrier to fun in others. Swinging the remote as a golf club or tennis racket is fun when implemented well. Having to shake it to perform moves you use a lot is annoying. The constant need for batteries is also an annoyance.

Anyway, some of my favorites for the system include New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Fire Emblem, Super Mario Galaxy, Big Brain Academy, Kirby Return to Dreamland, and Muramasa. Smash was a disappointment and a step back from the Gamecube version, as was Mario Kart - both still fun, but some flaws that made them not as fun as their predecessors.

[JamesRobot | 5,800]

Probably about a 5 overall but there's some good stuff.  I'm with @Hammerfestus, Wii Sports boxing is fun as hell.  Also dig the Boy and His Blob remake.

Unfortunately waggle and lack of HD really holds it back.

[MegaMan52 | 2,445]

6/10

The Wii is one of my least favorite Nintendo consoles, though that doesn't mean I hate it.

I remember when it came out, and not being all that excited about ports of games I already played on PS2 and GameCube, the mirrored Wii version of Twilight Princess (good thing it was still released for GameCube), and ridiculous amounts of shovelware. The name of the console kind of sucks as well, but the name change was probably for the better since the final product didn't really deserve to be called "Revolution" in my opinion.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is a decent launch title, but the jump mechanic doesn't really make it more enjoyable, some of the bosses are a pain, and many of the Party Games are mediocre. It's a better game than Super Monkey Ball Adventure, but not as good as Super Monkey Ball 1 & 2. Super Paper Mario is good, but it was clearly very far in development by the time it was moved from GameCube to Wii (the disc has a lot of leftovers from the canceled GameCube version as well as The Thousand-Year Door) and almost everything about it is GameCube-quality. The controls are sometimes a little weird as well, like pressing down for Bowser's flame and lack of analog control (I understand why, but it's still a little odd using the Pad for movement when flipping to 3D). Super Mario Galaxy was probably the first game on the console that actually impressed me since it makes better use of the Wii's capabilities (graphics, orchestrated music, and better use of the Wii Remote), but it just isn't quite as fun as either Super Mario 64 or Super Mario Sunshine (that's right, I said that). Sonic Unleashed was somewhat disappointing on the Wii not because of the graphics, but because it ended up being different than and didn't have as many levels as the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions. Super Smash Bros. Brawl is probably my least favorite game in the series. With or without the Nunchuk, the controls are mostly crappy and you can't use the GameCube's Controller if you're playing on a non-backwards compatible Wii. The Coin Launcher Mini-Game is pretty fun, though, and I do like that it has a lot of content like Melee. Mario Party 9 just made me wish Hudson Soft still developed the Mario Party games. Donkey Kong Country Returns is fun, but where are King K. Rool and the Kremlings? I was disappointed that there was no F-Zero, Star Fox, or a new Pikmin game released for the console.

Now that I've said all that, I want to say that I do still enjoy playing most of the games I mentioned above (I got back into playing Super Paper Mario last night, and played it again tonight). I also like Sonic Colors, and someday I want to play Kirby's Return to Dreamland and Rayman Origins. I like that Nintendo released a newer Wii Remote with the Motion Plus built-in.

The Wii doesn't and never did replace my GameCube (which I still kept playing a lot during the Wii era). My Wii isn't backwards-compatible, but even if it was I would still be using the GameCube because I have a Game Boy Player, a Broadband Adapter (for playing the LAN modes in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Kirby Air Ride), and an earlier version of Action Replay that has the option to add codes, none of which work with the Wii. I'd probably still be playing GameCube games using my GameCube anyway if I had a backwards-compatible Wii, though, since I tend to play most of my games using the consoles they were originally released for.

Overall, I think it is a decent console and it definitely has some must-have games. It's just not my favorite.

Edited May 29, 2021 by MegaMan52

[AstralSoul | 502]

14 hours ago, Inzoreno said:

This is a very difficult one for me to rate. I cannot argue that the Wii wasn't revolutionary, it brought video games back to the general public in a way we hadn't really seen since probably the original Atari 2600. It was no longer a hobby reserved for nerds, but instead one that could be enjoyed by young, old, men, women, children. Whether this move was for better or for worse is an entire conversation by itself. It also had probably the greatest library of retro titles ever, with all subsequent attempts to live up to it's Virtual Console just not able to compare. It certainly has left an impact on the gaming industry, even if what made it so unique really didn't have staying power. 

And that is where my hate arrives. I have never, ever enjoyed the motion controls of the Wii. I have tolerated them to played games like Skyward Sword and Muramasa, but at no point did I ever find them to be any more enjoyable than just using a standard controller. The sad thing is, there are so many great games on this console that would be fun to play, but my dislike of motion controls really puts me off from it. I think I will give it a 6, just a bit above average. 

I really feel like I could've written this all myself. Rather than writing my own statement, I will just echo this since 100% agree. I too gave it a 6/10.

[a3quit4s | 4,097]

4/10

[nrslam | 475]

6 for me, as there are a number of games I still enjoy playing on it. I'll never bother going for a complete set, though, as there're way too many crap titles.

[Sumez | 2,950]

It has stuff like Mario Galaxy and such, so it's definitely got some good stuff.

But man, it's not only famous for a massive library of shovelware, the design and branding of the console itself was what ignited that same flood of shovelware. So even though I do believe the shitty games in a library doesn't matter when the better ones exist, when giving the Wii an "overall" rating you can't ignore how central it is to its identity.

Honestly, the best aspect of the console was being able to play a game without having both hands arbitrarily attached to eachother via a single controller. The nunchuck design was surprisingly good, but I don't care for the waggle thing itself.

Although the console was a massive financial success for Nintendo, it's an aspect of Nintendo I had no interest in, and even as a "loyal" consumer of Nintendo products, this generation was where I figured I'd have no problem letting go (but then Nintendo eventually won over my heart again with the Wii U)

6/10

[glazball | 168]

We all disliked the forced motion controls, but to N’s credit, it was easy enough to add a classic (or GC) controller for most games.  The Wii also reinvigorated the “light gun” shooter which are always fun.  And there’s no denying the Wii library has something for everyone.

Some of my favorites (aside from the obvious big ones) include A Boy and His Blob, House of the Dead Overkill, Dead Space Extraction, ExciteBots Trick Racing, Klonoa and the Trauma Centers.

Went with 7/10 due to simply being underpowered and the cursed waggle.