Nintendo Wii-U

[Beezer34]

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3177767

*A bittersweet accolade for Nintendo; "The Wii has officially sold more units than the original NES!" Having sold 67 Million units, the Wii is now the #1 Selling (non-portable) Video Game System for Nintendo, in their history of making colsoles. The NES record stood for nearly 20 years.

Since the Nintendo Entertainment System came out in 1983, it has been the model console, not only in the video game community, but through pop-culture aswell. No Nintendo console since (portable's not included) has surpassed the total number of Nintendo Entertainment System's sold. (62 Million) Not the Super NES.. not the N64.. not the Virtual Boy.. certainly not the Gamecube.. -none of them. In only 4 short years, the Wii eclipsed a number, that took the NES 10 years to achieve.

With great original games (including Wiiware games) featuring the motion-control sensor, which changed the face of gaming.. not to mention the ability to play practically any oldschool game on nearly ANY prior system, is the Nintendo Wii the greatest video game console ever?

Edited June 10, 2011 by Beezer34

[ThreeCups]

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3177767

*A bittersweet accolade for Nintendo; "The Wii has officially sold more units than the original NES!" Having sold 67 Million units, the Wii is now the #1 Selling (non-portable) Video Game System for Nintendo, in their history of making colsoles. The NES record stood for nearly 20 years.

Since the Nintendo Entertainment System came out in 1983, it has been the model console, not only in the video game community, but through pop-culture aswell. No Nintendo console since (portable's not included) has surpassed the total number of Nintendo Entertainment System's sold. (62 Million) Not the Super NES.. not the N64.. not the Virtual Boy.. certainly not the Gamecube.. -none of them. In only 4 short years, the Wii eclipsed a number, that took the NES 10 years to achieve.

With great original games (including Wiiware games) featuring the motion-control sensor, which changed the face of gaming.. not to mention the ability to play practically any oldschool game on nearly ANY prior system, is the Nintendo Wii the greatest video game console ever?

It's a gimmick system that worked. Old people and really young kids bought into the motion thing, and they cashed in big time. Greatest video game console ever? Not a chance...

[RowdyFan42]

I don't have a Wii myself, but my impression of it is that it's a decent video game system for the regular person. A hard-core gamer is going to want a Playstation or an Xbox, but for someone who just wants a basic system with basic games, the Wii fills that need.

[njskaguy33]

Wow, that's pretty incredible, Beez. Congrats to the Wii!

Personally, I love my Wii but you're hardcore gamer, you need either an XBox 360 or a PS3. The Wii is great for people who are casual gamers, which probably make up 85% of the buying population. The main problem with the Wii is that there's a ridiculous amount of "shovelware" out there for it. With the success of the system, anybody and everybody has been making games for it and that's lead to a huge amount of junk on the store shelves.

As for the Wii being gimmicky, when done right, the motion control really does immerse you in the game. Problem is, very few games have really done it right and the best games for the system would work just as well without the motion control. Still, Nintendo really hit a market nobody had ever tapped before...casual gamers who don't have the time to slog though Final Fantasy or 50 hours of Bioshock. Basically, every day people who want something fun to do on a rainy day and there is NOTHING wrong with that.

Plus, the Wii has the Virtual Console, which is my favorite part of the system. Why spend $60 on a new game when you can spend $10 on an old classic you may have missed. For exmaple, I just finished Ocarina of Time on the VC and it was the best $10 I've spent in quite a while.

Still, I think my next "present to myself" is going to be a PS3...I can't play NHL 2003 on Gamecube for the rest of my life, now can I.

[Beezer34]

it's a decent video game system for the regular person. A hard-core gamer is going to want a Playstation or an Xbox, but for someone who just wants a basic system with basic games, the Wii fills that need.

Personally, I love my Wii but you're hardcore gamer, you need either an XBox 360 or a PS3. The Wii is great for people who are casual gamers, which probably make up 85% of the buying population.

The Wii is without question, a user-friendly.. cuddly.. childlike console, with It's two main demographics being; *the new gamer (8-13 year old male) and *the yuppy-young adult with casual interest. (who'll play it with his friends like karaoke night) However, there is a 3rd party here that I think you guys are missing.. *the Hardcore Gamer. (yes, I just said that)

The 1st reason being: The Virtual Console aspect of the Wii. It's sheer brilliance, that I feel many underappreciate it's allure to the ultra-gamer. The virtual console counter-cultures the oldschool gamer with past game/systems, making it incredibly attractive in the process. Also, another element that targets the hardcore gamer... Homebrew. Because of the Wii's accessible operating system, it makes it relatively easy to hack, with little to no effort. It is because of this ability that (not only strengthens the value of the system, but) makes the Wii extremely appealing to the "know-how hacker" who wishes to push his craft to the max. With the features to hack, you can now make your own games/app's/programs, and mass produce them to the public via message boards, public networks, and internal browsers.

I'd make a friendly bet, that about 6-10 million users (worldwide mind you) purchased the Wii for this exact reason.

[DevilNurn]

Wow...congrats to the Wii! This is good news for them. I have one, and since I don't have time in college for lots of gaming, so the Wii is perfect. Just casual gaming, for downtime. Between all the Mario games and the sports games (hockey, golf), it's a lot of fun, and it's always fun and never frustrating. No surprise it did as well as it did. And of course it did the "staggered release", where they didn't give it out in numbers for the first year or so of its release, so it made everyone anxious and eager to get one. And with the age-spread of users, I'm really impressed with what the Wii has done!

[njskaguy33]

The Wii is without question, a user-friendly.. cuddly.. childlike console, with It's two main demographics being; *the new gamer (8-13 year old male) and *the yuppy-young adult with casual interest. (who'll play it with his friends like karaoke night) However, there is a 3rd party here that I think you guys are missing.. *the Hardcore Gamer. (yes, I just said that)

The 1st reason being: The Virtual Console aspect of the Wii. It's sheer brilliance, that I feel many underappreciate it's allure to the ultra-gamer. The virtual console counter-cultures the oldschool gamer with past game/systems, making it incredibly attractive in the process. Also, another element that targets the hardcore gamer... Homebrew. Because of the Wii's accessible operating system, it makes it relatively easy to hack, with little to no effort. It is because of this ability that (not only strengthens the value of the system, but) makes the Wii extremely appealing to the "know-how hacker" who wishes to push his craft to the max. With the features to hack, you can now make your own games/app's/programs, and mass produce them to the public via message boards, public networks, and internal browsers.

I'd make a friendly bet, that about 6-10 million users (worldwide mind you) purchased the Wii for this exact reason.

Man, I can't get through one video game conversation with you without spouting off about Homebrew! j/k

To be fair, I don't know how many Wii users take advantage of Homebrew and since you're a huge fan, you would know better than I but sales figures have shown that games made for the Wii that are intended for the hardcore gamer just don't sell nearly as well as the games made for mass comsumption. Critically acclaimed games like No More Heroes and Mad World, which are geared to more hardcore gamers haven't sold anywhere near expectations. Even GTA: Chinatown Wars sold far below inital projections...granted it's a DS game, but it goes to show that Nintendo has become synonomus with two things...innovation and casual gaming.

As for the Virtual Console, that is a huge selling point for the system, espcially early on, but hardcore gamers and old school gamers aren't neccessarily the same thing, although they often are. I like to think that the VC appeal is geared towards fans who used to play as kids, fell out of it as adults and want to play those old games again. Still, you are right, the VC is a huge selling point for the system.

[CRASHER]

the Wii is fun... the Wii Fit is awesome... it's a great party system, my nieces love it

but when i want to get serious with a game I crank up the PS-3

both systems have their merits and the ability to play (albeit mildly modifed) Mike Tyson's Punch out??

Fun times!

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3177767

*A bittersweet accolade for Nintendo; "The Wii has officially sold more units than the original NES!" Having sold 67 Million units, the Wii is now the #1 Selling (non-portable) Video Game System for Nintendo, in their history of making colsoles. The NES record stood for nearly 20 years.

Since the Nintendo Entertainment System came out in 1983, it has been the model console, not only in the video game community, but through pop-culture aswell. No Nintendo console since (portable's not included) has surpassed the total number of Nintendo Entertainment System's sold. (62 Million) Not the Super NES.. not the N64.. not the Virtual Boy.. certainly not the Gamecube.. -none of them. In only 4 short years, the Wii eclipsed a number, that took the NES 10 years to achieve.

With great original games (including Wiiware games) featuring the motion-control sensor, which changed the face of gaming.. not to mention the ability to play practically any oldschool game on nearly ANY prior system, is the Nintendo Wii the greatest video game console ever?

I think the Wii is good at what it's designed to do, but everyone's touched on the kind of gamer that this system caters to: kids and casual gamers. But even in these economically challenged times, it's not uncommon for gamers to own two or more platforms...I only have an Xbox 360 from this generation, but a Wii would make a nice complementary system...I just wouldn't want the Wii to be my one and only system.

The main problem I've seen with the Virtual Console is that, if you want to play old-style arcade games like Pac-Man, you don't get to download the actual arcade verison of Pac-Man, but the NES conversion of it. In 2010, the last thing I want to do is play an inferior version of a 30-year-old game.

Having owned an NES, a Game Boy, a N64, and a Gamecube, I do give Nintendo credit, in that they do innovate (the N64 controller with its analog stick was a big deal at the time, as was the "go anywhere, do anything" gameplay of Super Mario 64), but I do think the Mario franchise is starting to get tired.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

The main problem with the Wii is that there's a ridiculous amount of "shovelware" out there for it. With the success of the system, anybody and everybody has been making games for it and that's lead to a huge amount of junk on the store shelves.

This has been a Nintendo problem for a long time. This was one of the many issues (oversaturation of lousy games) that led to the Video Game Crash of 1983, though it's not nearly as big a problem this time around.

[Beezer34]

Man, I can't get through one video game conversation with you without spouting off about Homebrew! j/k

...just give me 15 minutes, that's all I need. Come to the Dark Side.

EDIT: Good point btw on oldschool-gamers vs hardcore one's.

Edited February 26, 2010 by Beezer34

[Jerrydevil]

I have a Wii and a few games ... you can't convince me that Super Mario Galaxy isn't a game for the serious gamer. I know that's just one game, but that game is plain nutty.

[njskaguy33]

I have a Wii and a few games ... you can't convince me that Super Mario Galaxy isn't a game for the serious gamer. I know that's just one game, but that game is plain nutty.

Glad you brought up Galaxy. Say what you want about Mario, I've been playing video games since I was youngin' and there's some platforming in that game I would have never dreamed possible, never mind actually do. Ridiculous game.

Edited March 3, 2010 by Bulletproof

[DevilNurn]

Glad you brought up Galaxy. Say what you want about Mario, I've been playing video games since I was youngin' and there's some platforming in that game I would have never dreamed possible, never mind actually do. Ridiculous game.

SO good. So good that when I played it, I beat it and got every single optional coin and star and everything. And then when you unlock it and are able to play it with Luigi? Yeah, did that too. I beat the game completely and thoroughly twice. Can't WAIT for the sequel.

[karupin]

I thought New Super Mario Bros was pretty good. And No More Heroes 2 looks promising.

What defines a hardcore gamer? I spend hours every day playing Harvest Moon on Wii (and naming all of my farm animals after Devils players and announcers - my goat is named Stan), collecting every item, viewing every event, raising the friendship levels of every damn villager, and running a profitable operation, but am still somehow less "hardcore" than the guys at work who play Uncharted 2 on easy (and only easy).

[Jerrydevil]

SO good. So good that when I played it, I beat it and got every single optional coin and star and everything. And then when you unlock it and are able to play it with Luigi? Yeah, did that too. I beat the game completely and thoroughly twice. Can't WAIT for the sequel.

I am in the middle of playing the game with Luigi. What a fun game.

Luigi's Purple Coins drove me batty for about two days, though. I wondered if I was going to clear that board!

[njskaguy33]

I thought New Super Mario Bros was pretty good. And No More Heroes 2 looks promising.

What defines a hardcore gamer? I spend hours every day playing Harvest Moon on Wii (and naming all of my farm animals after Devils players and announcers - my goat is named Stan), collecting every item, viewing every event, raising the friendship levels of every damn villager, and running a profitable operation, but am still somehow less "hardcore" than the guys at work who play Uncharted 2 on easy (and only easy).

You know, the term "hardcore gamer" gets tossed around alot but it really depends on two things:

1) How many hours you invest in your game of choice

2) The types of games you play

The second point kind of annoys me, because you're right, if you're spending 80 hours getting every star in Mario Galaxy but your buddies are slogging through BioShock 2 on easy with aiming assist on, they somehow get labeled as "hardcore" and you don't. While I firmly believe labels aren't all that important, it's still annoying when your effots get panned because you're playing a "kids game". In my opinion, if you play a game to the point of emotional involvement, that seperates you from people who play it casually and makes you a hardcore gamer. If you play NHL 10 once a day for a half hour or so, that doesn't label you as a hardcore gamer, but if you're invested emotionally enough to play Harvest Moon for 4 hours a day, you deserve that title.

Oh, and Jerry, I also unlocked Luigi but haven't started the new quest yet. Oh yeah, and finding purple coins was the bane of my existance for a while there. I love the game, but nothing is more mind numbing than getting to 98 coins and dying...grrrrr

[Jerrydevil]

Bulletproof, my 4-year-old son likes to watch me play Super Mario Galaxy, but he cries and complains when the board involves collecting 100 purple coins. I think it's because he doesn't like watching his dad fall short 20 times before clearing the board.

[thegame346]

Most of the people who bought the Wii are not gamers by any stretch of the imagination. To call the Wii a video game system is questionable at that.

[DevilNurn]

Bulletproof, my 4-year-old son likes to watch me play Super Mario Galaxy, but he cries and complains when the board involves collecting 100 purple coins. I think it's because he doesn't like watching his dad fall short 20 times before clearing the board.

That level KILLED me. It was awful. I must have done it a hundred times between beating it with Mario and beating it with Luigi. On the other hand, I could do it with machine-like precision by the end.

Most of the people who bought the Wii are not gamers by any stretch of the imagination. To call the Wii a video game system is questionable at that.

...Well they might not be gamers, but what the hell are you going to call it? An entertainment system? A workout device? I mean, it's a video game system. Might not be for gamers but I don't really understand what you're saying...

[SS#4-Life]

Most of the people who bought the Wii are not gamers by any stretch of the imagination. To call the Wii a video game system is questionable at that.

i think its unfair to say that. wii has sold more than ps3 and 360

[thegame346]

i think its unfair to say that. wii has sold more than ps3 and 360

Yeah? Really? People bought pet rocks at one point in time because they were the craze. fvckING ROCKS!

People are idiots. Just because they purchase a lot of something doesn't justify it as adequate. People follow the pack.

[RowdyFan42]

People are idiots. Just because they purchase a lot of something doesn't justify it as adequate. People follow the pack.

It's adequate FOR THEM. Just because it's not good enough for you doesn't mean it's not good enough for a lot of other people.

[DevilNurn]

Yeah? Really? People bought pet rocks at one point in time because they were the craze. fvckING ROCKS!

People are idiots. Just because they purchase a lot of something doesn't justify it as adequate. People follow the pack.

Jeez, did the Wii kill your puppy or something?

[CRASHER]

Jeez, did the Wii kill your puppy or something?

and if so... youtube that sh!t!!!