Nintendo Wii Games: 2009

Wii G-pak Console Organizer Case

Wii G-pak Console Organizer Case << more detail ::

By Jose Ibanez "woofboo" (Eatontown, NJ) - reviews

I have G-Paks for my PS2, Gamecube and Xbox, and as such, wouldn't even consider purchasing another carry case for my Wii. Naki has really made sure that these cases hold and protect your console, games and accessories while still making it easy and convenient to play, and the Wii G-Pak is no different in that regard.

The Wii sits on a raised shelf in the main compartment of the case and is held in place by a fancy-looking leather strap. This holds the Wii securely while allowing access to the front where you load games, the back where you plug in the cables, the top where you plug in Gamecube controllers and memory cards, and has openings for the ventilation fans. Like all G-Paks, you can play games right out of the case without removing the console. There is a cavernous compartment for all your controllers, the AC Adapter, cables and a couple mesh elastic pockets for smaller accessories. It can hold lots of games, and I especially like how the DVD sleeve can actually be removed and folded over to look like a car visor cd sleeve.

While there's room for everything imaginable, most of your accessories just sit loose in the huge pocket below the Wii. I would have preferred if there were specialized pockets for the remotes, as any button presses while the console isn't on would still use up the batteries. Also, there are no specific pockets for Gamecube games, discs or controllers, or even a place to put SD cards for use with the Wii.

Taking all this into account, though, this is still the best way to travel with your Wii, and is an easy recommendation to make.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Active Life: Extreme Challenge Bundle with Mat <<< more detail :::

By N. Scammacca (Austin, tx United States) - reviews

I pre-ordered Extreme Challenge because I liked Outdoor Challenge so much. Seems like the creative minds who worked on Outdoor Challenge were out of ideas for this one. The games are pretty similar to each other and involve a few basic actions: jumping on the mat, stepping on mat buttons to do tricks, or sitting on the mat and pressing buttons. The mat itself is an annoying peripheral since you have to find a place to store it when not in use. I don't get why they didn't just make the game Balance Board compatible so we could have one less Wii thing to keep around. Exercise-wise, if you like jumping a lot and have good knees, you might be able to get a workout. Again, Outdoor Challenge is better here--more variety and not so hard on the knees.

Just Dance << more detail :::

By Sintillator (Flagstaff, AZ) - reviews

Bought this game for the kids based on the commercial showing all the activity and the songs. Told my wife we had to try it out first and she balked because it was late, after the kids were in bed. I nagged she gave in I lasted 3 songs she danced every song until 2 in the morning. She had so much fun the game never made it under the Xmas tree. The next day the whole family had a blast. That night friends came over and danced for 3 hours. I'm taking it to the company Xmas party.

Pros - It's fun, fun, fun. The best family or group game since Wii Sport Bowling. It doesn't take a huge amount of skill or even rhythm. It's for the very young, anyone who can get up and boogie or simply the young at heart. If you try to play the game as intended you will get one heck of a total aerobic workout especially the smile muscles.

Cons - Primarily it's just that there is only 30 songs and surprisingly it's not enough, the developers should or had to have known they needed more (so that's the 1 star deduction.) It isn't for hard core gamers who are driven to be able to conquer a stage, solve a puzzle, revel in a high score or master a total game. They simply won't get it at all. The scoring is not spot on for the competition minded. I imagine if you wanted to cheat and just move the wiimote you could bypass the fun all together. May be to much exercise for those with physical impairments.

Nintendo Wii System Ski And Fit PLUS Bundle - Wii Fit PLUS with Balance Board, Extra Remote & Nunchuk Controller, & We Ski Game <<< more detail :::

Includes Wii Console System with Wii Sports

Includes New Upgraded Wii Fit PLUS wth Balance Board

Includes We Ski game which uses the balance board

Extra Wii Remote and Nunchuk controller for 2 player action!

Nintendo Wii Video Game System HD Ready 4 Player Wii Fit Bundle <<< more detail ::

Featuring a remarkable wireless controller and experience, the Nintendo Wii console invites players into game worlds and activities like never before. Whether they're young or old, expert gamers or beginners, Wii players will express themselves with intuitive motion control using the Wii Remote: a flick of the wrist to swing a baseball bat or tennis racket, a backswing and follow-through to send a golf ball flying over a pristine fairway. Wii Sports, packaged with the Wii console, introduces players to those and many other experiences. Wii also taps into Nintendo's unrivaled legacy of great games with the Virtual Console. Connecting via wireless broadband to Nintendo wi-fi Connection, Wii owners will be able to spend Virtual Console points to download selected classic games from NES, Super NES and N64 video game consoles. And through Wii Connect24, owners will be able to access even more content. Four-player compatibility as well as the ability to compete with other Wii players over broadband Internet means that Wii offers a true social experience. The sleek Wii console, no larger than a stack of several DVD cases, includes Wii Sports, a sensor bar, an AV cable, an AC adapter, a Wii stand, a Wii Remote, and a Nunchuck controller for even more exciting game-control possibilities.

Wii Fit with Wiki Balance Board. Wiki Fit helps everybody in the household to exercise and manage their health in an interactive and entertaining manner. The software comes bundled with the Wiki Balance Board which can measure weight and balance, which allows for the body movement to become the control interface. It is used to perform and measure player performance during exercise as well as calculating the BMI and Wiki Fit Age. Consequently, goals can be set to lose or gain weight and effectively change the user's BMI.

- Nintendo Wii Console

- Wii Console Stand

- Wii 4 Remote (with batteries)

- Wii 4 Nunchuck Co

Playseats Limited Edition Forza 3 Evolution Racing Seat <<< more detail ::

By K. Lai - reviews

This is a well-made seat; Robust frame and hight quality leather seat with gorgeous Forza 3 art works. It looks very beautiful. The seat is supportive and comfortable. I have Xbox 360 wireless wheel and pedal. Both can be mounted firmly. I don't even need to use the provided velcro. Tips: You can mount the pedal support panel off center to the right, so the center post won't get in the way if you use your right foot to apply brake. Also you can enclose the bottom part of the xbox 360 pedal inside the foot rest piece, this way the pedal won't move around. I like this seat very much. I am planning to buy two gear shift mounts see if I can mount my Ace Combat 6 Joystick and throttle on both sides of the seat. This way I can have all my xbox 360 gears in one place.

>>>Nintendo N64 Console W/ One Controller<<< click more detail :

By Jill (Los Angeles, CA) - reviews

I missed a couple of generations of consoles during late high school and college, so now I'm catching up. I bought this as a Valentine's gift for my husband specifically so we could play Smash Bros. (since that's how we spent many nights in college), and it's as fun now as it was then. I have very little to say against Nintendo in general, and this is no exception; it's a great console with some great games available.

Monday, December 28, 2009

>>>Lego Rock Band <<<

By A. Auerbach "Writer2B" (NJ near NYC) - reviews

We love Rock Band in our house but, by our own admission, we aren't great musicians. Well okay, one of my kids is, but it's a drag when there's only one and you can't simply 'play along' as the game advances because the songs get that much more difficult.

But with this version - you can play along not only without a penalty for choosing 'easy', you can even choose a super easy/no fail mode so you simply can't mess up and still have fun playing. If you don't do anything you won't get the stars you need but if you do a minimal amount (i.e. hit ANY drum pad when the note needs to be played or 'strum' the guitar/bass at the right time - no need to press a button - or simply speak in time to the microphone) you'll be fine.

Lots of the same fun things as in Rock Band - make your own people, buy cool outfits & things for them. In addition this version has challenges which you can play and fun lego scenes occur as you 'rock' the house (typically you earn these as you successfully play songs in venues). The first one (and on a trailer so I'm not giving much away) is playing loud enough (getting enough stars) to knock down a building. And yes, we have successfully completed these challenges with two out of the three on the no fail mode.

This version is clearly geared for a slightly younger set - both in terms of the no-fail option and in terms of avoiding excessive profanity/explicit content in songs. Makes us no never mind - we're enjoying it immensely!

edited to add:

The review who said this does not have online support is right. For those familiar with Rockband, this version is like a hybrid track pack. You get new people, scenarios and venues to work your way through, but the songs are the songs which are included and you cannot buy new songs to play (I can't see that this'd change with this version - going to the online store to buy new tracks is not even shown as an option).

>>>Wii Net Connect<<< click more detail :

By J. Decelles (North Chelmsford, MA United States) - reviews

I got this for my Wii since it was cheaper than setting up a wireless network, and cheaper than the USB Wii Dongle (which costs about as much as a Wireless Router),

I plugged this into the back of my Wii, plugged in an ethernet cable hooked up to my wired router and 2 minutes later I was downloading updates for my Wii.

I have not had any issues with this product, but one thing that might be of concern is that the cat5 ethrnet cable doesn't "lock" into place. It fits snugly, but a tug on the cable can remove it from the adapter. This might be considered a safety feature, since if your foot accidentally snags on your cable it will pull the cable out instead of pulling your Wii off your entertainment stand.

>>>Nerf N-Strike Elite Bundle<<< click more detail :

By Morgan J. Murray (Walnut Creek, CA) - reviews

A great shooting game that is appropriate for young children. Finding codes with the red view finder adds to the fun for kids. I thought including a foam dart launcher was unnecessary, but when my 9 year old was playing the video game and then asked if the gun could shoot real darts, I understood that the designers had done their research!

>>>Wii Music<<< click more detail :

By Jason Phillips - reviews

Potential buyers, please be careful when reading some of the reviews posted here: nearly all of the negative reviews will try to convince you that this game is simplistic, shallow, or aimed at a very young audience. This could not possibly be further from the truth.

First off, this is, perhaps, the only real music game on the market today; yes, there are the Guitar Hero / Rockband games, but, however fun they might be, those games are nothing more than a glorified Simon Says, where you simply hit the correct button on your fake instrument at the correct time as shown on screen.

This game is not simply about performing a part as indicated. Instead, Wii Music puts you more in the position of a band leader: first you select a song, then assign instruments out of the 60 available to different roles, each of which holds different possibilities for what will occur when you play, i.e., a violin assigned to the role of "chord" for a song will follow the main harmonic movement of the song. Assign that same instrument to the "harmony" role, however, and it will notes that are roughly in contrapuntal relation to the main melody, or put it in the role of "bass", etc.

Once you assign instruments, you record each part, one by one, until you have created an entire arrangement. While recording an individual part, you can do whatever you want to change the feel of the song: hold out a note for a suspension, throw in fills and riffs, completely change the rhythm, shake things up for the chorus or bridge of the song, etc. The final recording can be a truly original take on the song, according to the musical vision you carried out.

If you have a musical ear, or at least a musical curiosity and willingness to take the time to be truly creative, this game will offer you more than any other on the market. Most reviewers who are actually trained musicians have praised this game, and rightly so -- don't listen to the voices online who don't understand the point.

Bottom line: if you're looking for a simple, quick game to pick up like Guitar Hero, you won't understand the point of this game, but if you truly enjoy music and would, for instance, enjoy trying to create your own folk arrangement of Beethoven' Ode to Joy for 2 violins and a banjo, buy this game.

>>>Wii Kama Wireless Controller <<< click more detail :

By D. Bernstein (East Coast) - reviews

Let me say from the start that the only reason I purchased this was to play the boxing games, like Wii sports boxing. Those who are avid players of these games are aware of how frustrating it can become when you're really into the game and find yourself limited in your motion by the two remotes being tethered so close together. I have not found this to be a problem with any other games that I've played so far, only with the boxing games. For this purpose I have found this device to be great! I love being able to make several right crosses or uppercuts without worrying about the nunchuck or the remote being pulled to the point of breaking one or the other. I have found this wireless nunchuck to be very responsive, well, at least AS responsive as the tethered nunchuck. Overall, this has definitely added to my enjoyment of the boxing games and I recommend it fully. Five stars for performance, four for battery life.

>>> Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga <<< More detail Click

By V. Hutson (Duluth, MN) - reviews

When I read an earlier review that said the game didn't use the Wii remote as a lightsaber I was disappointed and decided not to buy the game. However, we rented it a couple days ago and I was both surprised and very happy to find that you can swing the Wii remote and the characters on screen swing their lightsabers. You can also control the lightsaber by pressing the "B" button, which sometimes is easier.

In a way I'm happy you don't have to try and aim the Wii remote to shoot the blasters because I find pointing the Wii remote at an object on the screen to be the most challenging aspect of using the Wii remote.

Overall, this is a very fun game that I can play with my son, and even though we already have earlier versions of all episodes, I'm considering buying this one for the Wii after we return the rental one.

May the Force be with you!

Saturday, December 26, 2009

>>> Nintendo Wii Fun Bundle <<< More detail

All the fun and excitement of your favorite Carnival Games is coming to Wii this summer. It’s the perfect multiplayer game for moms, dads and kids of all ages. Got the muscle to ring the bell in Test of Strength? Ready to get wet in the Dunk Tank? If yes, then join the action as your Wii Remote transforms from a sledgehammer to a frog flinger. Master over 25 family-friendly carnival games and the ultimate prize could be yours: the virtual goldfish in a bag. Super Mario Galaxy—join Mario as he defies gravity across all the planets in the galaxy. Mario takes advantage of all the unique aspects of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controller, unleashing new moves as players shake the controller and even point at and drag items with the pointer. Players perform mind-bending, low-gravity jumps across wild alien terrain. Looney Tunes—the evil mad scientist is fed up with the Looney Tunes and plans to get rid of them forever. Using his homemade time machine and giant Acme eraser, he’ll travel through time and erase the Looney Tunes and their ancestors from existence. Little does the he know, Bugs Bunny and Marvin the Martian have stolen the scientist’s designs and built their own time machine. Now, it’s up to the entire Looney Tunes gang, armed with their zany arsenal of Acme weapons, to chase the Mad Scientist through the ages and prevent him from erasing their past, present and future. Code Lyoko—the evil computer virus, X.A.N.A. has been creating alternate worlds, known as Replikas, in an attempt to take over the real world. Based on the French cartoon series, Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity offers combat, puzzles and RPG-style weapon and character upgrades set within 2 overlapping universes. Players can assume the role of the 5 main characters from the show and guide them around the digital sea aboard the Lyoko warrior’s vehicle, the Skid.

>>> Wii Wired SenseBar <<< More detail

By Noodle 19-2000 - reviews

This is as close to the original bar as you can get without buying a refurbished one straight from Nintendo (and at a higher price). I had to replace it twice after my cat discovered how fun it is to chew the cord. The only real complaint I have about it is that I wish they could thicken the cord on it. It seems like a lot of people have pets or vaccuum cleaners eat it. I also have to put the sensor bar on a stand and on top of a book so it can sense my remote correctly, but I had the same problem with the original one too so I think half of that is a problem with the controller itself.

>>> The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess <<<

By Katie "Dark Musashi" - reviews

If you loved Ocarina of Time as much as I did, this will make you happy.

The graphics are gorgeous. The scenery is amazing. Everything looks beautiful, and the best part is it still feels like a Zelda game. They decided to revert back to the N64 Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask style graphics (but much cleaner, of course) rather than the cell shaded Wind Waker. I like the realistic character design much more for Zelda than the cartoonish one from the other recent games.

You can also get Twilight Princess on Gamecube, but the Wii version has some extra benefits. One such benefit is the interactivity. When you go fishing, you use the motion sensitive controller to cast the line into the water and reel the fish back. This makes it a lot more fun than the somewhat tedious sit-there-and-wait-to-press-A fishing game in Ocarina of Time. I'm glad they revamped the fishing and brought it back. Also, it is much more integrated in the gameplay than the last fishing minigame in a Zelda game (which was, of course, in Ocarina of Time). You use fish in sidequests and for other purposes.

As far as the control, it feels very natural. You use one Wii-Mote and one Nunchuck together for it. You control Link's movement and targeting with the left hand and you use the right hand to move your fairy around with the motion sensor, and to supplement the left hand with looking around, that action button, and other functions. It's hard to explain without trying it yourself, but trust me, the controls are great.

You start out the game with your horse, Epona. You also get the option to name both Link and Epona when you start your file, although I'm not sure if this will have any effect other than what NPC's in the game call you. Sometimes games use naming for codes ("If you enter your name as ___, ___ will happen" type things) but somehow I doubt it for this game. Anyway, the controls for Epona are great too. Just like Ocarina of Time, you can press A to speed her up and jump over fences. She is very beautiful and detailed too. When you make turns, you can see Link pull in the reins. You use Epona for many minigames as well as just getting around. In the beginnig of the game, for example, you use her to herd goats into a shed. It's a lot of fun, and horseback riding is another feature I'm glad they brough back.

Also, don't worry if you saw Link with the weird goatherder outfit in all of the previews - he does get his original outfit later on. The dungeons are AWESOME. It's rated Teen, but Zelda games have never included inappropriate content in my opinion. You do kill monsters, but there is no realistic blood or gore, or suggestive themes. The rating says "Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence". Trust me, it's fine for kids. The action is all "hero against evil" type action. This game is a total blast, and both new and old-school Zelda fans will love it. Even if you've never played a Zelda game, try this one - it'll get you hooked.

>>> Nintendo Wii Ultimate Holiday Sports Gift Bundle <<<

By A. Terry "bead weaver" (Appalachia) - reviews

I think this is a great package for anyone starting out with a Wii. The sports games are great, and the carry case and all the fun sports attachments are good for the sports. I just can't figure out why the package comes with one controller and 2 nunchucks. It's very strange. So we are sharing the controller until I can get out to buy a second one. It's just weird because it came with so many extras that make the sports playing so much more fun (all the attachments) but what would be more fun would be to have another controller, in my opinion. I haven't tried the FIT yet, but am looking forward to it.

Thursday, December 24, 2009