There's a reason that demand for the Wii console quickly exceeded supply when Nintendo launched the game system late last year. Released as an underdog to Sony's much touted PlayStation 3, the Wii flew off the shelves, overshadowing Sony's upgrade in number of units sold, if not in graphics quality. The secret? While Sony and Microsoft systems target serious gamers, Nintendo's unit is designed for casual gamers—people who know a joystick when they see one but rarely sit through anything more involved than Minesweeper or Tetris.
The novelty lies in the Wii controllers. The first is the Wii Remote, a remote control-like device with a wrist strap. For most games, players move the Wii Remote to mimic the movements of real-life activities from bowling to mixing cake batter. A supplemental controller, called the Nunchuck, features a traditional joystick. The controllers hook together for two-handed games such as boxing and even semaphore. Successful Wii games offer players a range of motion and activity, without involved button presses. The best games have no barrier to entry, which makes the console attractive to gamers of all ages and ability levels. Will families give up excruciating board games like Candy Land for a round of Wii tennis? One can hope!
As with any system, some games are better than others—and at $50 a pop, gamers can't afford not to be choosy. Some games incorporate unique uses for the controllers, while others rely on old standbys, such as complicated button combos. The best games make it easy to pick up the Wii Remote and play as soon as the disc loads.
- Wii Sports. Packaged with the console, Wii Sports offers the perfect introduction to the controllers. The Wii Sports games allow players to use Miis, or avatars that they customize on the main console menu. Novice players are bound to fall in love with Wii tennis, which is the easiest game to play and the most addictive. Gamers swing the Wii Remote like a racquet to serve and return the ball, and the controller even vibrates when the racquet makes contact. This "freebie" has one of the best multiplayer capabilities for the console—up to four players can participate in a tennis match. Also included: baseball, bowling, golf, boxing, a series of training games for each sport, and a daily skill-level test. Rating: *****
- Raving Rabbids. If you buy only one game, this is the one you want. A group of disturbing-looking rabbits kidnap your character (Rayman, for gamers in the know) and drag you off to a Romanesque arena where you face a variety of rabbit-ridden challenges to earn your freedom. These activities range from the tame (sheering sheep) to the gross (pulling worms from rabbit teeth). Players have to beat at least three of the four challenges in each level to advance to the boss round (usually a first-person shooter involving suction cups). If you're not in the mood for story mode, you can play any of the unlocked games in single- or multiplayer settings. Rating: *****
- WarioWare: Smooth Moves. Players have to think fast to beat minigames throughout Wario's home town of Diamond City. In each leg of the story arc, gamers must change how they hold and move the controller to complete successive, timed activities, including sauteing vegetables, shaving mustaches, and posting flyers. Offering some of the best uses of the Wii Remote, hilarious challenges, and entertaining (and skippable) transitions, WarioWare: Smooth Moves is delightful for single players. However, it falls short in multiplayer mode: Gamers are forced to take turns and share a controller—which is easier said than done and not nearly as much fun as a real-time competition. Rating: ****
- Mario Party 8. This disappointing successor to the GameCube version irks from the opening screen when a frogman with a talking top hat promises to manage every minute of your play. Gamers must beat a series of board games, relying more on luck than on skill, to unlock second-rate minigames. Several of the minigames—especially those that involve hammering, shooting, or navigating—feel like rough drafts for the Raving Rabbids or WarioWare: Smooth Moves versions. Unskippable transitions and an overactive "save game" reflex constantly interrupt play. Even multiplayer gaming feels like a chore with minigames that require too many button combos and delicate movements. Rating: **
- Wii Play. Packaged with a Wii Remote, these nine games offer more multiplayer opportunities, but on a less polished level than Wii Sports. Gamers use their Miis to play pool, table tennis, and Pong, or just go fishing—there's even a game resembling Duck Hunt. Rating: ***
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. For gamers looking to commit, the latest of Link's princess-saving adventures comes to life with both the Wii Remote and the Nunchuck. While the game relies on many button combos, movement is mostly intuitive, and each sword trick is explained as it comes up in the story. The narrative may be melodramatic at times, but it's engaging enough to keep you moving from challenge to challenge, and the content-rich settings offer several minigame breaks and collection quests. The dungeons are fairly extensive—if you start to lose interest in puzzle-solving, there are a variety of Internet walkthroughs, but the most detailed, sympathetic, and easy to navigate is at GameSpot. Rating: *****
