I just bought a Wii

[Fairweather Pure]

Technically, I got it for my wife because she's been having a severe case of Mario nostalgia. Since there are actually enough games I want to play as well, I justified the purchase easily enough. Also, I think my girls need games a little more geared towards them, and what could be better than Mario, Zelda, and Metroid?

System: Black Wii + 1 extra black Wiimote and nunchuck. I also picked up a black classic controller.

Games:

Super Mario Kart (pack in with system)
Super Mario Galaxy 1 &2
Super Mario All Stars
New Super Mario Brothers
Sin & Punishment
Metroid: Other M
Okami
Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Epic Mickey
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Donkey Kong Country Returns

Games that I want but are fucking out of print:

Metroid Prime Trilogy
Super Paper Mario

That pisses me off. I mean, the Wii has a pretty short list of "must own" games, and they simply stop releasing 2 of them for no reason? Now the only way to get them is through second hand market, and the games are between 75 and 100$ each. Unreal. I have a friend that owns the Metroid Prime Trilogy, so I'll just borrow that and play it. I guess I'll just keep my eyes open for a Paper Mario out there somewhere.

Here's another thing that bothers me...

Everything I listed above came to a total of around 550$. Not bad at all for a new system, some extra hardware, and 12 new games. However, I couldn't find good deals on any of the Nintendo first party games, with the exception of a "greatest hits" Zelda. They still sell their games at almost full price! Thankfully, the 3rd party games were all cheap, with several of them as little as 10$. Even the newer 3rd party games like Epic Mickey have already dropped in price.

I have very few other games I'm interested in, but here is a list of ones I'm going to keep an eye out for. Several of these are under 20$ already. Please let me know if I am missing any other "must haves" for the Wii.

Little King's Story
No More Heroes 1 & 2 (maybe)
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Monster Hunter Tri
Punch Out!!!
Metal Slug Anthology (maybe)
House of the Dead (maybe)
Mad World (maybe)

There's also a new Zelda coming out that I'll likely get.

[Fairweather Pure]

I was hoping for some classic style RPGs, like Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana. Does the Wii have anything like that?

[Aslanna]

I don't know if current models/firmware versions are still hackable but that could be an alternative for the 'out of print' dilemma. Plus you could put all your legit games on a USB drive and not have to mess with changing game discs.

Other than that I got nothing. I haven't even used the Wii in over a year. And that's nothing to do with the graphics I just don't care to use the Wimote to play games. It kinda sucks. And not enough games allow you to use the Classic Controller in its place.

Epic Mickey dropped in price because it wasn't that good at least from what I read in reviews. Lots of camera issues and backtracking.

Oh I did like deBlob but never played the second one. I'd imagine that could be found fairly cheap. I found it fun but I'm not sure I'd consider it a "must have" or anything.

[Fairweather Pure]

I have to admit that the side scrolling Nintendo games are filing a niche that was missing from my PC, 360, and PS3 gaming. Not only that, but there is just a feel to Nintendo games that is very nice to have back in my gaming life. I'm very happy to be a 3 console owner now. I just have to buckle down and finish some games!

My children can play Mario Kart well enough, but the rest are still a bit too hard for them. My wife is still yet to play a single game, and she's the one that had to have the system!

So far I've tried out:

Mario Kart - Good, exactly what I expected. My girls can play with this game very easily.

Super Mario Galaxy 1 - A nice evolution of the series. I'm about an hour into it and enjoying myself. However, my girls constantly telling me to hurry up and save the princess is beyond annoying. They just don't understand that you don't get to rescue the princess until the end of the game...

Super Mario All Stars - Fun as always. I've only played Super Mario Brothers, and only to level 1-3. The Wii Mote absolutely sucks for playing this game. I'm glad I have the classic controller to use when I play it for real. I was disappointed that the music was remade for the original game. The graphics I can handle, but man that music is hard to give up.

Okami - I've heard nothing but good things. I really like the way the game handles, the brush powers, and the graphics have a great style. The combat is a little samey so far, but I've only played about an hour. This game follows the Zelda formula and is about 25-30 hours long.

Epic Mickey - I played this before Super Mario Galaxy and I liked the controls a lot. Little did I know that it copied the control scheme directly from SMG. Oh well. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! I was under the impression the game would have more platforming, but so far it's all open world 3D stuff, just like SMG. I'm sure there will be some side scrolling in it, but the hopes for a game for my girls to play were let down.

Donky Kong Country Returns - Great game. This is one that I can't wait to sink my teeth into a bit more. The platforming and controls are excellent IMO. Lots to see and do in every level. It's kind of hilarious when you die in a level and have to start at the beginning again. I haven't had to do that in a game since I can remember. It took some getting used to. Both of my girls can kind of semi play this game. Left, right, jump.

Tonight my wife and I plan on putting the kids to bed and playing the Wii until the late hours together. Hopefully, I'll be able to try out the majority of my other games. One of the good thing about Nintendo games is the amount of local co-op!

[Boogahz]

How is the networking on the Wii? My sister has hinted at wanting to stream from Netflix on hers, which would require a wireless setup which she no longer has in her new house.

[Fairweather Pure]

The wireless auto detected and set up great. However, I have not streamed Netflix or anything else on it yet. I haven't even had to DL a single patch yet either. That includes games or system firmware. I'll try and give netflix a try soon. I don't recall needing a disc for it, right? I think you had to have one at first... I'll have to look into it more. Now I'm curious myself. There are also a couple if games I'll download to try and get a sense if speed.

[Boogahz]

Yeah, I couldn't remember if it still needed a disc or not when she brought it up.

[Asheran Mojomaster]

I got a Wii when it first came out, but as far as I know there are no new additions to the Chrono or Mana series. Actually, my sensor bar cable and power cord got chewed in half by my dog so I cant use it currently, but I would go find new ones if they come out with them.

[miir]

You need to pick up Kirby's Epic Yarn.
Awesome side scroller.
Netflix works fine on the Wii.

[Winnow]

Netflix works fine on the Wii.

As long as you're ok with watching Netflix in 480p max res on your HDTV screen that's most likely capable of 1080p, unless you got a hand me down set from your grandmother.

[miir]

Only a moron would expect HD from a console that doesn't even do HD.

I'm pretty sure Fair is more concerned about functionality.
Netflix has a ton of content for kids, most of it in standard definition... and streaming standard definition over wireless G works just fine.

[Boogahz]

yeah, my sister will only be streaming for the kid content on a smaller, non-HD, screen.

miir, do you still need to have one of the discs from Netflix to stream it on the Wii? I knew they removed that requirement from the PS3, but wasn't sure if it was from both consoles.

[Winnow]

Kids may not know any better but their eyes are better than ours. We should not deny them the pleasure of the best quality visuals.

Decreased color vision. Cells in the retina that are responsible for normal color vision decline in sensitivity as we age, causing colors to become less bright and the contrast between different colors to be less noticeable. In particular, blue colors may appear faded or "washed out." While there is no treatment for this normal, age-related loss of color perception, you should be aware of this loss if your profession (e.g. artist, seamstress or electrician) requires fine color discrimination.

Loss of peripheral vision. Aging also causes a normal loss of peripheral vision, with the size of our visual field decreasing by approximately one to three degrees per decade of life. By the time you reach your 70s and 80s, you may have a peripheral visual field loss of 20 to 30 degrees.

Reduced pupil size. As we age, muscles that control our pupil size and reaction to light lose some strength. This causes the pupil to become smaller and less responsive to changes in ambient lighting.
 
Because of these changes, people in their 60s need three times more ambient light for comfortable reading than those in their 20s. Also, seniors are more likely to be dazzled by bright sunlight and glare when emerging from a dimly lit building such as a movie theater. Eyeglasses with photochromic lenses and anti-reflective coating can help reduce this problem.

...not to mention Presbyopia, cataracts, ect, ect.

Give your kids the best experience possible before their vision starts to decline. We're not talking about abusing cows here. These are your kids. Don't make them wait until they see floaties on the screen due to Vitreous detachment. It's just plain cruel to force a kid with better vision than you to watch video originating from a Wii.

[Winnow]

While it's true that vision deteriorates as we age, I don't think sitting in front of a fucking TV is the best way for kids to take advantage of their superior vision. Let them go outside and see the real world with its beautiful colors in nature.

Kids don't need 1080P. They have incredible imaginations which don't need to be force fed with perfect details. The best thing you can do for a kid is give them just the basics and let their imaginations take over. It's healthy and will encourage the child to think big as they grow up and into their careers. Hell, throw a fucking ink splotch up against a wall and a kid could spend hours imagining what it could be.

Wii is perfect for kids. It's got simple, colorful graphics that lets them fill in the rest with their imagination.

Shove your 1080P pixels up your ass Winnow!*








*you guys suck. I'm going to argue with myself from now on!

[miir]

yeah, my sister will only be streaming for the kid content on a smaller, non-HD, screen.

miir, do you still need to have one of the discs from Netflix to stream it on the Wii? I knew they removed that requirement from the PS3, but wasn't sure if it was from both consoles.

I've never needed a disc for Netflix on my Wii.
I think by the time it was introduced into Canada last year, the bulshit disc requirement was lifted for PS3 and Wii.