Nintendo Wii Games: Dec 21, 2009

Official Wii Component Video Cable

By Tony M. Phan (Iowa, USA) - reviews

Not too much to say about these cables, they work as they should and really do let the Wii output a clean crisp image compared to the horrible composite cables in the box. If you have an HDTV, you'll get better color saturation and cleaner edges with less mosquito noise.

The cable is about 8 feet in length, so you can put plenty of distance between your TV and Wii if desired. Mine is right next to the TV, so I used cable ties to gather up the excess cord. Strangely, this degraded the image quality, almost as if there was interference or the signal was being choked off. After letting the cable free and re-bundling it loosely the issue went away, so I'm leaving it as-is. The plugs are also quite snug on TV input jacks, I have a Sony Bravia LCD TV and when I plugged in the cable I had to apply a large amount of pressure that actually pushed the jack about 1/4" into the TV before the plugs were fully seated. The jacks popped back to their original position after I released the cable, but no other cables I have required as much insertion force.

Though the Wii's resolution tops out at 480p, everyone can enjoy better graphics with these. Not a night-and-day difference, but definitely noticeable. It's a must-buy if your TV has the necessary inputs. Being an official Nintendo product also gives me a little peace of mind after having several third-party accessories for different consoles die on me.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Wii Energizer 2x Charge Station

By Gabi (LA, CA USA) - reviews

I just got this today but I am already pleased with it. I did tons of research to pick out the best charger, and I think this is a pretty good one. Easy to assemble, lightweight but not cheap, good value for price; Energizer is a reliable brand. The lights tell you if it is fully charged, and it says it takes 4.5 hrs to fully charge the new battery. The dock is attractive and matches the Wii. Most importantly it plugs into the wall, NOT a USB. Also the wriststraps easily fit no problem during charging. To me its not a big deal that you have to take off the jackets, becasue I end up doing that to play my guitar or drums for GHWT. I would reccomend this; hopefully it will last!

Wii 5-In-1 Fitness Bundle

The 5 in 1 Fitness Bundle for the Wii Fit is the perfect accessory kit to accommodate any Wii Fit workout session. You will find everything you need to maximize your Wii Fit experience. The Textured Foot Socks provide comfort and extra traction. They are made from high quality cotton and the bottom is made from a strong rubber material. The Travel Bag is ideal for taking the Wii Fit Balance Board on the go. The Travel Bag is made from a strong nylon material, which makes it extremely durable and tough. The Jeli Sleeve is essential for keeping the Wii Fit Balance Board safe and free from dings and scratches. The Jeli Sleeve fits snugly over the Wii Fit Balance Board. It is made from a rugged rubber material, which not only provides safekeeping, but excellent traction and comfort. The Fitness Mat is perfect for added support and comfort. The Fitness Mat minimizes impact to your flooring and body. Add extra stability when using the Wii Fit Balance Board or use the Fitness Mat by itself when doing yoga and stretching exercises. The Fitness Mat is made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC). This material is extremely durable and will provide years of extended use. The Rechargeable Battery Pack & USB Charging Cable provides the necessary power to keep the Wii Fit Balance Board and maximum strength. Simply charge the Battery Pack whenever power is diminished. A fully charged Battery Pack will provide hours of use at maximum power.

Wii Dual Charge Station & Turbo Cooler

By Mark Skuba "DealsXtreme" (Tracy, CA USA) - reviews

I have been looking through all the reviews on charge stations, but none appealed to me more than this one (without no reviews nonetheless). Comes with 2 Battery packs that is pretty much the steal right there! Everything works perfectly out of the package. Easy to hook up. Switch to turn fan on/off (along with blue LED). Wiimote slips right in the charger and make sure you move the strap out of the way to get the full charge. You must charge this for 12 hours before using!!! That is very important and also says so in the manual. Red LED indicates charge and Blue LED indicates charge completion. I hope this has been enough information to influence you to buy this GREAT Wii accessory.

Official Star Wars Wii Anakin & Yoda Light-Up Replica Lightsabers - Dueling Pack

By D. Murray (Scranton, PA) - reviews

The Wii Remotes Fits snugly into the Wii Saber Attachment (but note the Wii Remote infrared Port will be blocked by this accessory. So if you have to use the cursor on the Wii you will have to pull the remote back out of the attachment to do so. Luckly for most Star Wars games this is not an issue. It only becomes one when you have to navigate the main menu again).

The attachment allows ample room to feed the Nunchuck attachment through. It is very solid and has withstood quite a few accidental furniture strikes.

The main complaint that I have is that it is terribly balanced. Most of the weight is forward of the Wii Remote which can make the attachment a little cumbersome and uncomfortable to wield for long lengths of time.

The LED lighting Mechanism allows the 2 AAA Batteries a very long and extended life time. I have used this product now for 3 weeks and it is still as bright as when I first got it.

Overall I would recommend this product to the die-hard Star Wars fan these will make a nice addition to any collection. And make Dueling with a friend or family member even that more exciting and engaging.

Nintendo 2000 Points Card (DSi or Wii)

By Informed Buyer - reviews

I'm writing this review for two reasons.

1. To balance out all of the negative reviews because of the price. Amazon has finally priced this at the $20 it should be, so there's no need for those negative reviews anymore.

2. Because of all the great games for WiiWare and the Virtual Console (currently, there isn't much to buy on the DSI). We all know about the scores of excellent classic games for all of the old systems on the Virtual Console. But WiiWare is proving to be truly impressive. Its home to extremely fun and innovative games that couldn't have existed without digital downloads. Among the greats are World of Goo, Swords and Soldiers, Mega Man 9, Toki Tori, and Bit.Trip:Beat. And many more promising games are on their way such as Icarian:Kindred Spirits and Cave Story. Also, now that they've added easy access to games stored on the SD card, you shouldn't need to worry about space constraints.

Oh, and a side note to Amazon.com: Please make download codes for more WiiWare games like you did for World of Goo. Its very convenient.

Wii Dance Dance Revolution Dance Pad Controller

By MDH (Central Utah USA) - reviews

This is the same mat (Konami brand) that comes with Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 2. I purchased the game & mat set and then another mat from another brand as a second mat. The generic mat only lasted one day (about 5 dances). My children were so disappointed the day after Christmas to only have one working mat. The other one was a few dollar less, but now I will be sending the cheap mat I purchased (made by CTA) and waiting for Konami brand to come back in stock.

Wii Classic Controller

By C. R. Vandenheuvel (Hudsonville, MI United States) - reviews

For all the people saying that a wireless GameCube controller is a better purchase ... I'm wondering, have you tried Super Mario World with the GameCube controller yet?

It's unplayable. I have both and I tried to play 2-player SMW. The classic controller of course works perfectly, but the GameCube one is awful. Here's why: SMW requires you to do running jumps over pits. That means you hold Y and press B to jump. Y and B are right next to each other on the classic controller, but on the GameCube controller, there is an enormous A button almost directly between them. You have to bend your thumb at a weird angle to hit B and Y but not A, because if you hit A you will do a spin jump and probably fall in the pit.

So really, one of the best Virtual Console games out right now does not work well with the GameCube controller ... the classic controller is great and works well with all of the games. (That's what it was made for, you know)

Rock Band 2 Triple Cymbal Expansion Kit

By Lucas Simms "Drummer" (San Francisco, CA USA) - reviews

First of all the Mad Catz Triple Expansion Cymbals works like a charm. It adds great depth of play when playing as the drummer in Rock Band.

I've seen several reviews here that says that the cymbals slips when it was hit too hard and sometimes the cymbals double-hits when hit too hard.

Well I found a fix for these problems.

Cymbals Slipping:

You must ensure that the plastic locks that holds the aluminum tube snaps 'locks' into place with the other half of it. There must not be a space in between the two plastic locks other than the circular areas which hold the drum aluminum tube and the cymbal aluminum tube. But be careful once they're locked it can be very difficult to separate the two plastics.

Cymbals Double-hit:

I noticed that one of the three cymbals I got was too sensitive. When I hit it hard, the game registers two hits. You can try this by going to the main menu and assigning the sensitive cymbal into the BLUE (ride) port. Try hitting it hard and you will notice that on the Menu selection screen it will go down from QUICKPLAY -> TOUR -> TRAINING. This is clearly a double hit because it skipped the TOUR on the menu. And for the fix, try loosening up the wing nuts in such a way that the cymbals will bounce a little when hit. This would transfer the bounce force into the foam and not the cymbal sensor. After trying this and testing with songs with lots of cymbals (Dead on Arrival) I noticed that I never missed a note again when hitting the sensitive cymbal.

I hope this helps lots of people having problems with the Mad Catz Cymbals Triple Pack.

Wii SureShot Rifle

By Daniel Aliberte - reviews

The rifle is fantastic. I read in other reviews people had trouble with the nunchuk cable insertion, the rifle was heavy after a while, and their finger got tired from playing with it.

I have NO idea how someone had trouble inserting the cable. In the box there was a step by step process, illustrated, on putting the controller and nunchuk into the rifle. This took a second and was easy. If at first you don't succeed then try try again.

Secondly, I'd never admit to getting tired from holding this rifle. I read a review where someone got tired... I considered the source of this review and bought the rifle anyway. THIS IS THE WII, not Xbox 360. The whole point of the game play for the Wii is to be active and get off your butt. I used this rifle for 3 straight days without tiring once. If you play video games to the point of exertion you might have a problem. LOL

Thirdly, a reviewer said their finger got tired from pulling the trigger. If this happens then I think you've played waaaay too long and you have zero muscle tone. This person must be bedridden.

In conclusion, the rifle is great. It's one drawback that I've found was that the rear sight doesn't align with the front sight. Oh well, just as long as you get the rifle against your shoulder so as the video targeting reticle lines up with the front sight you'll be a sharp shooter without a doubt. I bought the zapper and played link's crossbow game with the rifle and my game improved by 100%. I'm going to by more for my family.

Official Wii Zapper with Link's Crossbow Training

By IMO666 (Arlington, VA USA) - reviews

The combination of the Zapper and Link's Crossbow Training is well worth the $20 I paid. The Zapper (which is only a plastic shell for the Wiimote and the Nunchuck) is very sturdy and amazingly well-conceived. The instructions are quite clear on how to insert the Wiimote and the Nunchuck into the Zapper.

Of course the ergonomics of the Zapper are odd, with the trigger (the Wiimote B button) being forward vs to the rear like a rifle or shotgun trigger. However, it's a compromise that Nintendo decided it had to make based on its tests on prototypes. That, and the fact that the infrared component of the Wiimote must be to the front.

The bundled game, "Link's Crossbow Training" is multifaceted and exactly what's needed to give the player practice using the Zapper. AND, the game is a lot of fun all by itself.

The bottom line on this is that the combo of the Zapper plus the game Link's Crossbow Training is a must-have (at least for me) and worth the price. Highly recommended.

Wii MotionPlus

By A. Chandler "ArtistAlana" (Austin, TX) - reviews

My honey and I got to experience the Wii Motion Plus when we were part of a fitness segment on the local news here in Austin. (I was in the orange shirt and jeans, Austinites!) We were able to try out new games coming out, the new remote, and fitness dvds and rate them for the show.

One of those games was Grand Slam tennis. On the Grand Slam tennis (and 2 other games for some reviewers) we were allowed to play it with the Wii motion plus and without for comparison. The ones who did the Tiger Woods compatible game thought that made the best difference. We mostly played Grand Slam tennis and Sports Resort for the newscast so I will start there.

WOW! Personally, I went into this segment thinking the addition of "more motion" seemed a little silly. (I was wrong) I originally thought my new wireless Wii remote was all I needed and had no need to for improvement.

Again, I will admit when I am wrong.

There was a huge difference when we played with the Wii Motion Plus (and it was a unanimous decision of all players who got to try out this new addition to the wii remote) that it's a positive movement in game play controls. Very positive. There are subtle nuances of movement that the original Wii remote simply was unable to pick up...even bends of the wrist and ways of gripping and other movements that aren't picked up at all until you try this control that completely changes what you can do during gameplay. It also made the tennis racket (ok, the Wii remote) FEEL more like a tennis racket via the length BUT mainly via how it truly pinpointed for my Wii character every movement I did so that I could make the ball do different things that would actually happen on a real tennis court. I can't imagine how far this will take gameplay on future wii games now that it can pick up so many more movements of the gamer!

Better yet? It offers a 1:1 response rate so you now have better game play via response time as well.

It completely takes you from your living room into the body of your Mii. And, as creepy as that may sound...it totally changes what you thought was the norm for gaming and actually makes it far more interesting.

For those who got to try out the Wii Sports Resort with the MotionPlus, it was a true test to see frisbee and sword fighting with this new remote. It picked up those bends of the wrist as you are about to throw a frisbee that otherwise would have been a mute action with the original remote...changing your wrist and moving the remote above your head or to your waist to throw...all were in total sync with the mii because of this. Swordfighting would have been entirely different if those wrist movements were eliminated that this remote allowed.

As far as realism, this seemed as much like a magic wand as it did a new controller. Things that didn't show up in game play when we used the "old school" remote with no motion plus attached suddenly came to life when we used the motion plus. It is quite the break-through, and quite the invention for us Wii game lovers who love to get moving with realism!

That said, there is a negative to keep in mind that I couldn't go without mentioning, as much as I adore this new remote. It works well on the games that we played MADE to go with this remote that we tried but should you not wish to purchase this remote, what happens with future games coming onto the horizon? It is my understanding that many will be produced that can ONLY be used with this remote in future games which may make this a piece you'll be required to have in order to play your Wii games properly at all....If so, that is a negative for those who don't want to foot the bill for a new controller. Also, could the extra sensitivity be TOO sensitive in some games? Just a thought...picking up every subtle nuance of movement...could that make some games more frustrating? We'll have to wait and see the comparison on how it works in comparison during MANY games rather than the handful we got to play with.

Update to this review as of today, June 8th: It looks as though many of the newer wii games compatible with this new attachment will INCLUDE one Wii motionplus when you order it, (good deal there) with the exception of Grand Slam tennis. (not sure why...I guess because of the earlier release date?) Therefore, if you only need one motionplus you may not need to order the attachment at all as it may be included with the compatible games such as Tiger Woods Gold or Sports Resort if you plan to purchase those. However, if you wish to play a partner but only want to purchase one of the compatible games or want the full experience of Grand Slam tennis that doesn't include the motionplus, THEN you'd need to order the motionplus separately.

CONCLUSION: This remote will bring your gameplay to a new horizon and better realism and response time at wharp speed. However, if you are not a fan or don't wish to have to purchase this new remote for partner game play or for grand slam, you may be out of luck in the future as new games are developed that may very well not work nearly as accurately without the motionplus. I also doubt it will continually be offered free with some games...So, for those, this is a negative development to be considered if you don't want your Wii to be "old school".

Best bet seems to buy one of the newer games being released that come with the wii motionplus, or buy a couple and you instantly get your game AND enough motionpluses to utilize partner play without having to buy one in addition to the games,

p.s. take about 10 minutes to get used to this thing. Just like the first time you used the regular wii or played any sport for the first time, let yourself get used to it and then you'll see it's power when you take it off and play a game without it! At first, I was so used to the old control that I really had to "learn" this one. Like going from a bicycle to a motorcyle. Takes a moment, but you sure go faster in the long run!