Comments on: The Simple Dollar’s Wii Buying Guide for Christmas 2007

By: Tijmetje

Tijmetje — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:31:50 +0000

This is a rather late reply, but I’ve been randomly going through PF blogs lately using the “similar post”-like feature most of them have. I’m not much of a gamer, but this is a console I would actually like to have some day. Though there’s often a social part in console gaming, the wii seems to take it to a new level.

Mostly, though, I want to thank you for the link to that Animal Crossing cartoon. It pretty much made me cry, which was not what I expected from a cartoon about gaming.

Also, of course, I want to thank you for your blog as a whole. I found it recently through another PF blog or a carnival or something like that, and I’ve subscribed and been reading it ever since.

By: Diana

Diana — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 17:06:27 +0000

This was great. We were given the heads-up by a Toys R Us employee that if the system (any system) was in the paper’s flier that morning, that meant that they would have no less than one unit available for purchase that day. With that tip, I ended up fifth in line at a Circuit City in early November.

I’ve already purchased the Wii Play (on a previous suggestion by you) and the rechargeable battery pack and Super Mario Galaxy (both based on some recommendations at the Amazon.com comment boards). We plan on getting Guitar Hero III, but wanted to wait until after X-mas – which will workout better, I think, since that’s when Nintendo is saying they’ll be able to have the fix for the analog sound problem.

I’m looking forward to some of the Big Brain Academy stuff as well as the Wii Fit!!

By: Leanne

Leanne — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 00:08:44 +0000

I was having a lot of trouble deciding on a Christmas gift for the hubster, and this article clinched it! Then the search was on. I had relatives in another city (and province) lining up, with no luck. This morning, after a very foggy, rainy drive, and two hours standing in the rain, I SCORED!!! He had better like it :) I have never liked video games, but I’m looking forward to trying this system out. I think our whole family will enjoy it, not just the boys. Now, to find a Guitar Hero III…

By: Melinda

Melinda — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:45:51 +0000

Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. We got our Wii about 3 weeks ago, and we are STILL playing it. Totally worth the money in my opinion.

By: Kat

Kat — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:05:05 +0000

My boyfriend got a Wii for his birthday and as a non-gamer, I LOVE it. It is SO easy for anyone to use, even his 80 year old aunt was playing it!

I would recommend the Big Brain Acadamy as another game. It looks like it would be easy and for kids, but it really gets to you to use all areas of your brain. And I second Wario Smooth Moves.

By: Writer's Coin

Writer's Coin — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:12:30 +0000

Trent, what’s your opinion on the resale market for the wii? Seeing as how this is a PF blog, there is some decent money to be made by simply reselling the system for what people are willing to pay for it ($400-$500)

By: Anitra

Anitra — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:05:18 +0000

As someone else said above, WarioWare: Smooth Moves is a great “get off the couch” game for up to 12 people – and you only need one remote! We had a blast playing last Christmas with the whole family.

I’d also add that while you may want to get 4 remotes, it is unlikely you will get any games that will need more than 2 nunchucks.

If you are having a hard time finding a Wii, make friends with your local game store employee(s). If they like you, they may hold a system for you, at least for a few hours.

By: infix

infix — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 05:56:34 +0000

“Stop Shopping!” – Rev. Billy

By: Andre

Andre — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 03:00:18 +0000

I fought back and forth with myself whether my wife and I were going to make the purchase but I think we’re gonna try to get one after the holidays (that is, if a generous family soul doesnt get one for us!)

Thanks for the in depth review!

By: Thryah

Thryah — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 01:42:57 +0000

I agree with the comment about the nyko charge station, it works great, saves you batteries, and it also gives you a textured rubber back for the remotes, which comes in handy during really intense sessions. The package we got also included a composite video cable for the Wii, most of the games aren’t in HD at all, but you can tell a bit of a difference if you really look.

By: jtimberman

jtimberman — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 23:29:12 +0000

I was able to get my Wii by having the nearest Super Target search local Targets (Denver metro area) for the Wii department code (DPCI), 207-25-0001. A nearby Target had some in stock, and I got there before they sold out. I recommended this method to several people, all of whom were able to track down a system.

Best Buy seems to be another good place to get them IF they advertise in the Sunday circular ad. If its not in the ad, don’t bother. If it is, they could have up to 100-200 systems at local stores. I confirmed this with three managers at two different stores locally.

As for games, my recommendations:

Excite Truck – absolutely silly, but addictively fun.

Super Paper Mario – miss retro platform gaming, ie the original SMB games? Get this. Awesome game-play.

I’d probably second the Metroid Prime 3 and Mario Galaxy recommendations, but we haven’t bought those yet. Plus thats $100 for just two games. I’ll be waiting until prices drop or they’re available used for cheap.

Virtual Console has a very good selection now, and it gets better every week. I’ve mainly been buying my favorites from the NES, and have a couple SNES titles as well. If there’s any old NES/SNES games you’re missing, check what is available:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Virtual_Console_games_%28North_America%29

For accessories, we have four remotes with two nunchuks and one classic controller. There aren’t any compelling games for Game Cube, so for now we’re skipping the Game Cube controller.

Note that the Wii is not an HD system. It will do at most 480p if you get a component cable. Don’t waste money at Gamestop or anywhere else on their rip-off $20-30 cables either. Go to http://www.monoprice.com/ [1] and get the cable for $6.39.

[1] I am not affiliated with Monoprice.

By: southerngirl

southerngirl — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 23:00:53 +0000

@Mark – I was just about to extol the virtues of Wiialerts.com – it can take a few tries for the timing to work out (i.e. you have to be near a computer when you get a text message about it) but after only about two weeks of updates I FINALLY scored a Wii this past Friday, and it’s coming on Tuesday. I’m so excited, it’s my birthday/Christmas/everythin present to myself since I’m not giving or getting many gifts this year. (It’s also taking all of my willpower not to eBay it as soon as I get it, for the easy profit!)

By: dawn f

dawn f — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 21:13:19 +0000

Hello-
We have marble madness & love it for the wii.
I had heard that there’s a problem with the sound (mono only) for guitar hero II on the Wii. have you noticed this Trent? We also like Game party although ping cup looks a bit like a game I used to play in college… and mario olympics a real work out!
Aloha
dawn

By: Josh

Josh — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 21:11:22 +0000

I’ve been disappointed with the Wii. I can’t get into the casual games and aside from Metroid, I haven’t gotten much use out of mine. There just seems to be a lack of games for me.

My advice for more gaming bang for your buck, is get a Playstation 2. The system, the games the accessories are all very low priced and with the thousands of games to pick from, you’ll have plenty of selection.

That’s the way I’d go, especially if you’re thinking of buying a Wii to play Gamecube games.

By: bill

bill — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 20:27:35 +0000

I was ‘santa’ at two events in the past two weeks. Wii was the primary technology requested; next was Nintendo DS.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 18:48:05 +0000

For remote batteries, we got the Wii Charge Station by Nyko (http://www.amazon.com/Nyko-87000-Wii-Charge-Station/dp/B000LFJNF2/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1197225924&sr=8-1) which is really nice. You can just stick the remotes onto the dock whenever you’re not using them, so it’s much easier to keep them charged, you don’t have to worry about swapping batteries, etc.

By: J.D.

J.D. — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 18:41:22 +0000

As you know, my wife and I are huge Wii fans. Kris has never liked video games of any sort, but she loves the Wii. We were obsessed with Wii Sports for a long time, but since picking up Dance Dance Revolution and a spare mat, that’s our game of choice. It gets mediocre reviews, but I don’t know why. It’s a blast. I like Guitar Hero, too, but Kris doesn’t. I’d rather play DDR, so that works out okay. I have Super Mario Galaxy and think it’s a lot of fun…

By: Drew Dockery

Drew Dockery — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 18:11:28 +0000

Also worth noting that in almost all cases, you can use a Gamecube controller instead of the classic controller. I prefer the Wavebird to get rid of those wires!

By: Jason

Jason — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 18:06:14 +0000

My wife got me a Wii for my birthday and it is a blast. My 5 year old bowled a 248 the other day. This is a great gift for the whole family. My Grandma and mother in law love playing Wii sports with my son.

By: Honest Dollar

Honest Dollar — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 17:48:00 +0000

My boyfriend got me a Wii for my birthday in late August. Part of the reason for the Wii shortage is that Nintendo usually doesn’t move game systems until the holiday season, so it never had to provide a steady stream from the factories during the rest of the year. This time, because the Wii is such a great system and so popular, a lot of the reserve inventories had been depleted before Black Friday. The Wii is totally worth the trouble of finding it, though.

My recommendations for Wii games, besides what you’ve mentioned:
- Cooking Mama’s Cook Off. Great family game, but only 2 players max.
- WarioWare Smooth Moves. A collection of “micro-games” that makes for a great group activity (up to 8 or 12, I forget how many).

And another great GameCube game – Mario Kart Double Dash.