2 hours to kill and still deciding on a Wii?

I just watched the 2hr Wii video on Gamespot's On the Spot. It gives a hands-on look at the retail version of the Wii and covers everything you want/need to know if you are thinking about buying one:

11/10/06 Video

It starts slow but it covers everything from opening the box, synching remotes, setting up your wireless connection, creating a Mii, playing games, etc. Choose the 11/10/06 from the right side of the screen to watch the video.

Mild Zelda Spoilers...you have been warned.

Besides trying the remote at a kiosk I can safely make up my mind now.

I played Excitetruck and once I got used to the controls, I really enjoyed the game. There is a lot of "depth" to the game, things to collect, stuff to do. I wasn't going to pick it up but now I am...early next year.

Besides trying the remote at a kiosk I can safely make up my mind now.

What'd you decide?

Staats wrote:
Besides trying the remote at a kiosk I can safely make up my mind now.

What'd you decide?

I feel confident I will get one, mostly because of Zelda and the controller looks to be really well done (my biggest fear). However, I am trying to budget for a 50in HDTV for my 360. But, I could possibly get a Wii first and then get an HDTV during Super Bowl sale time. So, a Wii is in my future but not sure if it will be this next Sunday or next year.

Can you believe alot of us could be playing the Wii in our homes in one week from today? I watched every second of the Zelda coverage on the video I posted and I like!

Super Monkey Ball looks kinda fun.

I didn't realize Monkey Ball had so many party games. I didn't really pay attention to a lot of the Zelda stuff for fear of ruining it. The multiplayer Madden mini-games seemed interesting. Not enough to get me to buy Madden though.

Whole lotta man-boobs in that video.

Monkey Ball does have potential, but for me, only if it was online. I wouldn't have friends over that often to play MP so that limits my desire to pick it up.

I guess it boils down to me spending $300 + tax just to play Zelda. Seems pretty stupid. I won't be able to avoid the hype of it I am afraid...

If I am able to wait, then I will wait for Nintendo to drop the Wii by $50 and remove Wii Sports, that would be the best time in my opinion.

Flux wrote:

I guess it boils down to me spending $300 + tax just to play Zelda. Seems pretty stupid.

You also get the ability to innocently ask girls if they want to come over and play with your Wii.

After playing GoW and with R6 right around the corner, I can't see myself buying the Wii anytime in the near future cause I'll be busy with those multiplayers for quite a while.

93_confirmed wrote:

After playing GoW and with R6 right around the corner, I can't see myself buying the Wii anytime in the near future cause I'll be busy with those multiplayers for quite a while.

I know what you mean. I want R6 and CoD3 for multiplayer. That will give each game a long life in my library.

Wii next April with a price drop+Zelda+Mario doesn't sound so bad.

Flux wrote:

If I am able to wait, then I will wait for Nintendo to drop the Wii by $50 and remove Wii Sports, that would be the best time in my opinion.

After playing Tennis i'm happy it's include with the console.

Thirteenth wrote:

Super Monkey Ball looks kinda fun.

Yeah, looks really fun and it come with 50 mini games.
But i don't know which one i will take, Monkey Ball or Rayman.

Flux wrote:
93_confirmed wrote:

After playing GoW and with R6 right around the corner, I can't see myself buying the Wii anytime in the near future cause I'll be busy with those multiplayers for quite a while.

I know what you mean. I want R6 and CoD3 for multiplayer. That will give each game a long life in my library.

What the Wii really needs is a game where you shoot subterranean nazi terrorists in their stupid faces.

I didn't watch the whole video but did anyone else notice how they seem to have broken one of the controllers on that monkey-ball shotput game where you have to spin the controller really quickly? I don't know if that particular controller was brand new or not but breaking one an hour or so out of the box is kind of disconcerting.

Danjo Olivaw wrote:
Flux wrote:
93_confirmed wrote:

After playing GoW and with R6 right around the corner, I can't see myself buying the Wii anytime in the near future cause I'll be busy with those multiplayers for quite a while.

I know what you mean. I want R6 and CoD3 for multiplayer. That will give each game a long life in my library.

What the Wii really needs is a game where you shoot subterranean nazi terrorists in their stupid faces.

What they really need is to ship a /$%?& component cable by the end of the /$%&@ week.

/$%$?&@!

DFKQ wrote:

I didn't watch the whole video but did anyone else notice how they seem to have broken one of the controllers on that monkey-ball shotput game where you have to spin the controller really quickly? I don't know if that particular controller was brand new or not but breaking one an hour or so out of the box is kind of disconcerting.

I caught that and should have mentioned it. Makes me a tad worried about how tough they are. Maybe the controllers have warranties.

Flux wrote:

Can you believe alot of us could be playing the Wii in our homes in one week from today? I watched every second of the Zelda coverage on the video I posted and I like!

I'm picking up a Wii, but it will be a Christmas present for my daughter. So while I may get one next week, I won't be playing it for more than a month! That is going to be hard.

Good thing GoW is out!

Mr.Green wrote:

What they really need is to ship a /$%?& component cable by the end of the /$%&@ week.

/$%$?&@!

I've thought about buying the component cable; but I'm not sure if it will really make that much of a difference on my normal TV (NDTV?). Is the difference worth it on other devices?

Nothing to see here.

I just watched the Red Steel preview on Game trailers and I think it looks terrible. The visuals are very bland and generic, sound is weak, weapons aren't anything to write home about, and the story doesn't seem to interesting. Redsteel was going to be the second reason I bought a Wii because I thought it'd be fun to play a shooter with the Wii remote but I'm second guessing that now.

Cannibal, going by my experience with the GameCube, the component cable will probably be a step up. I have one of the newer 'Cubes that don't have component out, but when I changed from composite to s-video the change in clarity was very noticeable on a standard def TV. The jump from composite to component should be even better. You might be able to gauge the difference if you have a component capable DVD player. Try both forms and see if you can tell a difference. It's not scientific, but it will give you something to eyeball.

I'm going to try and hold off on the Wii for a larger line-up and perhaps a hardware revision/price drop/new color.

Nintendo has a full year on all of their hardware products.

Good because I am worried the controllers may not hold up to the abuse. Or maybe Gamespot got a lemon.

For those Europeons now confused: EU regulations state any console has 3 years of warranty. Read it and weep, Americanos!

dejanzie wrote:

For those Europeons now confused: EU regulations state any console has 3 years of warranty. Read it and weep, Americanos!

Of course you guys have to pay more for the console as well. Does that warranty apply to the controllers as well?

Flux wrote:

Good because I am worried the controllers may not hold up to the abuse. Or maybe Gamespot got a lemon.

The warranty would not cover abuse. I guess it depends on whether Nintendo sees it as abuse or defect. It took them a little while to take in the cracked DS lites.

I watched the video and got the feeling that they hadn't configured the 3rd and 4th wiimotes with the wii. They mentioned at the begining that the two that came in the Nintendo box were configured at the factory and ready to go. However, when the Monkey Ball guy came over with the extra wiimotes, they really struggled just get the wii to recognize them and did nothing to configure the new ones. They didn't bother reading the manual on them (not that any gamer worth their salt would read a manual), so I think that it might not have been broken but rather just not setup like the 1 and 2.

Also, did anyone else think that Excite Truck looked absolutely awesome?! The terrain changing was a wicked cool effect, and it had a good sense of speed. While many of the players were all over the road (which was definitely a fear), there was one guy who had no trouble kicking but and tearing through the course. This leads me to believe that once you get the hang of it, the controls work fine.

EDIT: Also, I should have some first hand impressions come Sunday. My neighbors are getting one at launch and I am getting a wiimote so we can play 4-way.

Duttybrew wrote:

I watched the video and got the feeling that they hadn't configured the 3rd and 4th wiimotes with the wii. They mentioned at the begining that the two that came in the Nintendo box were configured at the factory and ready to go. However, when the Monkey Ball guy came over with the extra wiimotes, they really struggled just get the wii to recognize them and did nothing to configure the new ones. They didn't bother reading the manual on them (not that any gamer worth their salt would read a manual), so I think that it might not have been broken but rather just not setup like the 1 and 2.

Also, did anyone else think that Excite Truck looked absolutely awesome?! The terrain changing was a wicked cool effect, and it had a good sense of speed. While many of the players were all over the road (which was definitely a fear), there was one guy who had no trouble kicking but and tearing through the course. This leads me to believe that once you get the hang of it, the controls work fine.

EDIT: Also, I should have some first hand impressions come Sunday. My neighbors are getting one at launch and I am getting a wiimote so we can play 4-way.

I'm not trying to rain our your Wii parade but I watched a few vids of Excite Truck and had a WTF expression on my face. It looked very bland and generic and there was nothing about the gameplay that even remotely had me thinking that I need to play. Aside from Zelda, I see no reason to get it...

CannibalCrowley wrote:
dejanzie wrote:

For those Europeons now confused: EU regulations state any console has 3 years of warranty. Read it and weep, Americanos!

Of course you guys have to pay more for the console as well. Does that warranty apply to the controllers as well?

We pay more because the euro is currently worth more than the dollar (1.2$ for €1 I believe), not because we get more warranty

I do not have a clue about warranty on controllers, but I suppose yes. Certainly the controller that comes with the console.

The decision to buy one has been made by my wife and kid, who play the Cube like crazy. Superior graphics don't factor in to people who are experiencing joy at Animal Crossing and Lego Star Wars. And they don't do a lot of multiplayer stuff.

I wish it was $99 rather than $250, but this has Christmas present written all over it.

I had the chance to try the Wii last friday at the festival Arcadia.
With Excite Truck it takes me around one lap to get use of the control.
After you get how sensitive it is, it feel more natural.
Mr. Green will said that i've been lucky cause i've finish at the first position

I've try one Rayman mini game, it's an on rail shooter like house of the dead but
instead of evil zombies, it was the evil rabbits on a beach. Seems to be a fun coop game.
Probably girlfriend friendly, i hope!

I try Zelda too, but the sword was not found when i play the demo
At least, i try the slingshot, the aiming seems to work well, at first i got
the "please point at the screen" message.

I can't wait next sunday.

dejanzie wrote:

We pay more because the euro is currently worth more than the dollar (1.2$ for €1 I believe), not because we get more warranty ;)

What, no VAT?