Gadfly2317
12-17-2007, 04:50 PM
I had my Mii Lobby open, and got up to get a beer. When I came back Trebor's Mii was in some screaming match with my Adolph Hitler Mii. It was freaking funny as hell; my Hitler looks like Hitler, and Trebor's Mii is a damn good replica of Trebor. It was extra surreal because aside from my wife's Mii, Trebor is the only other Jewish Mii walking around my console.
I had never noticed that the Mii's, if left alone, start interacting with each other, and it got me to thinking about how really different and polished the Wii is compared to any other console I've ever owned. Compared to last gen consoles, it's definitely offering more than just a controller gimmick.
The reason I had an Adolph Hitler Mii was because I created it for one of the contests on the "Check Mii Out" channel. The theme of the contest was "World's Biggest Bully." Other Mii contests so far have included Cleopatra, The Tooth Fairy, and Mario Without His Hat. Sure, maybe this is more geared towards kids, but despite the laughter I'm sure this will draw from some, I think it's kinda fun to kick back for a few minutes, get into a creative mindset, and whip up a Mii. And its fun to check back in and see what other creative people have come up with.
The Wii is a very cool system above and beyond just gaming. Ps3 may be feature rich, and deliver additional entertainment value as a hi-def movie player, but Nintendo's system has an aesthetic coherence that is unmatched by its rivals, and it delivers fun and style throughout.
The "channels" idea is just barely tapped, but what is there so far is very well done. When I fire up the system to game, I've found it's my favorite way to check the weather now. I wake up early and game before work anyway, and its not only convenient but cool. From the music, to the ability to spin the globe and zoom in and easily check the weather whether out of curiosity where some distant friend lives. . . it's just. . . cool.
Same with the news channel. Great source of news, and its designed in a way to give you spatial and geographical sense of the news by tying it into the globe.
Ps3 (and 360 I would assume) lets you surf the internet, but Ps3 anyway, it doesn't hold a candle to the Wii. And I find it useful, especially for things like Youtube. Quick example: the other night we were watching the Anthony Bourdain Xmas special, and he was hanging out with Queens of the Stoneage. Which reminded me of this really cool music video they made that my wife had never seen, and that I'd been wanting to show her. The Wiimote is sitting by the other remotes, I pick it up, and a few seconds later we're watching the video, posted at Youtube, on our television via the Wii.
The 360 seems to be the most sloppily designed and aesthetically incoherent system, despite the clear strengths of its online gaming functionality. The Ps3--design-wise it's the PsP for the big screen, which is actually pretty cool. . . but who knows what it's going to be like once Home is released. Regardless, Ps3 still feels like a console in its larval stages, with constant updates, still trying to figure out what it wants to be.
But the Wii is a masterpiece in the coherence and aesthetics of its design, inside and out. . . and it is not only giving us some really cool gaming innovations, it is delivering an entertaining, original experience all the way around. The thing is just $250; it is no wonder that it is the best selling console of this generation, and will continue to be.
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And just a quick word on a particular game; I got a couple in the mail for Xmas the other day, one of which was Resident Evil, Umbrella Chronicles. Best on-rails light-gun style game EVER. A very cool, often overlooked style of game, but often superficial--which is not the case here. If you like this type of game at all, and also like the Resident Evil games, this is a MUST play game. Get the Wii Zapper, which also is the best $20 you'l spend this year on a peripheral (and comes with a cool game of its own--Link's Crossbow Training.) Umbrella Chronicles looks phenomenal, and plays like a dream.
I had never noticed that the Mii's, if left alone, start interacting with each other, and it got me to thinking about how really different and polished the Wii is compared to any other console I've ever owned. Compared to last gen consoles, it's definitely offering more than just a controller gimmick.
The reason I had an Adolph Hitler Mii was because I created it for one of the contests on the "Check Mii Out" channel. The theme of the contest was "World's Biggest Bully." Other Mii contests so far have included Cleopatra, The Tooth Fairy, and Mario Without His Hat. Sure, maybe this is more geared towards kids, but despite the laughter I'm sure this will draw from some, I think it's kinda fun to kick back for a few minutes, get into a creative mindset, and whip up a Mii. And its fun to check back in and see what other creative people have come up with.
The Wii is a very cool system above and beyond just gaming. Ps3 may be feature rich, and deliver additional entertainment value as a hi-def movie player, but Nintendo's system has an aesthetic coherence that is unmatched by its rivals, and it delivers fun and style throughout.
The "channels" idea is just barely tapped, but what is there so far is very well done. When I fire up the system to game, I've found it's my favorite way to check the weather now. I wake up early and game before work anyway, and its not only convenient but cool. From the music, to the ability to spin the globe and zoom in and easily check the weather whether out of curiosity where some distant friend lives. . . it's just. . . cool.
Same with the news channel. Great source of news, and its designed in a way to give you spatial and geographical sense of the news by tying it into the globe.
Ps3 (and 360 I would assume) lets you surf the internet, but Ps3 anyway, it doesn't hold a candle to the Wii. And I find it useful, especially for things like Youtube. Quick example: the other night we were watching the Anthony Bourdain Xmas special, and he was hanging out with Queens of the Stoneage. Which reminded me of this really cool music video they made that my wife had never seen, and that I'd been wanting to show her. The Wiimote is sitting by the other remotes, I pick it up, and a few seconds later we're watching the video, posted at Youtube, on our television via the Wii.
The 360 seems to be the most sloppily designed and aesthetically incoherent system, despite the clear strengths of its online gaming functionality. The Ps3--design-wise it's the PsP for the big screen, which is actually pretty cool. . . but who knows what it's going to be like once Home is released. Regardless, Ps3 still feels like a console in its larval stages, with constant updates, still trying to figure out what it wants to be.
But the Wii is a masterpiece in the coherence and aesthetics of its design, inside and out. . . and it is not only giving us some really cool gaming innovations, it is delivering an entertaining, original experience all the way around. The thing is just $250; it is no wonder that it is the best selling console of this generation, and will continue to be.
--------------------------------
And just a quick word on a particular game; I got a couple in the mail for Xmas the other day, one of which was Resident Evil, Umbrella Chronicles. Best on-rails light-gun style game EVER. A very cool, often overlooked style of game, but often superficial--which is not the case here. If you like this type of game at all, and also like the Resident Evil games, this is a MUST play game. Get the Wii Zapper, which also is the best $20 you'l spend this year on a peripheral (and comes with a cool game of its own--Link's Crossbow Training.) Umbrella Chronicles looks phenomenal, and plays like a dream.