My "Wii Party" experience

botticus

botticus

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Friday night played host to my Wii party in the aptly-named "party room" off the apartment lobby. It was a nice upgrade from my 27" TV to the 60" unit there. When all was said and done, there were probably a dozen or so people (only a handful of which had any sort of gaming experience under their belt) who had a chance to try it out over the course of a few hours.

As anyone would expect, we started off with a healthy dose of Wii Sports. Bowling was by far the most well-received. Tennis was also a good one. Golf, while enjoyed by those who played, isn't the most spectator friendly, so that wasn't played much. Everyone picked it up after a few minutes and was able to be fairly competitive.

Rayman was popped in just to showcase the bunny hunt (it would have been a lot more enjoyable, but that fucking door-closing mini-game is impossible, so I haven't unlocked shit yet) and one of the rythym games.

Red Steel was showcased near the end to satisfy one of the few "hardcore" gamers in the crowd. Unexpectedly, I destroyed anyone I matched up against, and the target person didn't enjoy it too much as he "hates console FPS," but surprisingly, even a few of the girls who had never touched an FPS on any platform were able to pick up the controls after a few short minutes. I wouldn't go anywhere near saying they were good, but they had a grasp on the essentials.

Outside of the party, Madden was the real winner. One of my old roommates and my fiancee's brother played it for about 3 hours until 1am. Controls were pretty easy to pick up after running through a few quick series. The roommate enjoyed this version much better than the PC version that he's played a bit. My fiancee's brother never liked any of the Madden games he had played (PS2 or Xbox), but he played near 10 hours of this one over the weekend - he crashed on the couch Thursday and Friday night).

All in all, Nintendo has a real winner on their hands. Wii Sports is the perfect game to include in the system, though a second controller set would really make it the perfect out-of-the-box solution. Once Wii Sports gets old or loses the draw for an everyday play, if they can keep up with solid software support, there won't be any reason for the Wii to be a "failure" in any sense of the word.

I just wish Nintendo started handing out commissions to early adopters. I guaranteed them at least three console sales, maybe more. One to a big techie nut who was pretty much planning on getting one anyway after the first price drop; one to a newlywed couple who play WoW religiously (but that's the only game she has ever played); and one to my fiancee's brother once he gets a job and saves up for one.
 
That's awesome. I too was able to showcase to Wii to my family this weekend. My parents and family loved it. My cousin who also had the system brought over his remotes and we were able to tryout some 3-player tennis and mini-games.

My sister and her husband seemed to like the system alot too, and considered purchasing one for themselves. I had also convinced them and my other sister on DSlites a few months ago. Hopefully the Wii catches on too!

The ability to share my hobby with other friends and family members that normally aren't interested is fantastic. It makes it that much more meaningful. Games for everyone for Christmas this year! (One sister is into cooking, and the other one is a doctor. I wonder what DS games they might enjoy...)
 
I also hosted a party over the weekend. 9pm-4am(no one wanted to stop playing!) Here's what I posted on another forum:

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Had a Wii party last night. Not including me there was one non-gamer(my sister) and 5 skeptical 360 junkies, a couple of whom figured we would be playing Gears after an hour. That did not happen. :lol: Fortunately, with all the praise I'd given the system and with a bit of research of reviews online, two of my friends were opening their minds before they came, and actually bought their own Wiimote and nunchuck so we could have 4 players. Rock on!

It was a smash. First up was fiddling with the Miis. They thought it was fun and cool, but this is more of an alone time thing and there were people itching to game so the Mii Channel didn't last long.

WiiSports came next. Starting out, the skeptics all wanted to sit and play and it soon became obvious(with a little peer pressure) that the only way was to stand. Once they got that "I don't want to look like a jackass" out of their system, it was a blast. Tennis was a huge hit. We had one guy playing the net actually jumping trying to hit the ball. It was hysterical. The whole experience was great for laughs and opened everyone up to letting loose and playing the way it was meant to be played. Bowling was another fave, just because everyone could play. Everyone tried every sports game and loved them all, but since the others are two players we moved on to MonkeyBall.

Monkeyball followed. This didn't generate much interest. Almost all had played monkeyball before, but due to the nature of the minigames*, it just wasn't much fun. *when the games are good, they are great, but when they suck they really suck. Sifting through 50 games to find the good was a pain, so everyone tired of SMB quickly. We probably played more shitty games than good ones. Of the good ones everyone loved MonkeyTarget(always a pleaser) and the red light green light game. That was great for laughs. It was good for about 45 minutes just for everyone to try out a few different games, but I doubt anyone will be clamoring to play it when they come back. Instead they will be asking for...

Rayman. It was even bigger than WiiSports. We probably played this the longest. I'd played through 70% of the game already so most of the games were unlocked which helped the enjoyment factor a lot. The stamina games were the most popular. The ones where you repeatedly use the controllers as drumsticks in some form. The most popular game was the one where you hit the bunnies on the head with a hammer. Some of us had tears in our eyes from all the laughter. The runner up game was the carrot juice shooter. Another stamina challenge.

So Gears went forgotten by five skeptic 360 owners for 7 hours. :up: Two of them are definitely getting a Wii, and a third had that look in his eye. He has a couple kids so I see a purchase in his future as well. Way to go Nintendo. :up: One is still skeptical about owning a system and playing like that all the time. But all in all, everyone was pretty much sold on it.

So all in all the argument about getting tired after a short while and giving up is hogwash. 7 hours nonstop and no one wanted to stop. We kept egging one guy on to go pick up Madden at the WalMart near my house even though he didn't have a wii. :lol:

In essence Nintendo's new creed rings true. "Playing is believing."
 
Very nice! I also had a Wii-party on launch day. I invited my brother and a few friends over to watch footbal and play some Wii Sports during half-time. It was great! My shoulders were aching the next day, but it was all good.

As of today, my brother and one of my friends both got their Wii systems at the local Best Buy --- after lining up for it. The store only got 60 Wiis and quickly sold out. Their main problem is that they could not get extra nunchucks. All of the local stores ran out. :)
 
IRT : http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/25/a-wii-thanksgiving-test-on-the-family-part-2/

Im getting so sick of the "Wii". Ugh, its like every day there is a story, that is suppose to be life changing for nongamers.

"My grandma was there. And she saw the Wii and for the first time after 20 years she got out of her wheel chair and played Wii Tennis with my family. My mother cried and knelt down beside her as my grandmas old hands grasped the Wiimote, she was young again and life breathed back into her. The Wii has saved my grandma's life. And she pwned me at Tennis"

Stop with this shit. Its a crappy little console that lets you swing instead of pressing a button. If you used a regular GC controller and brought Wii Sports I garuntee everyone would be as intrigued.

Its just because its uncomplicated they like it. It isnt because its the next step in the evolution of gaming, its because its like pressing one fucking button to do something.

-_- Give me a break.
 
[quote name='DarkNessBear']IRT : http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/25/a-wii-thanksgiving-test-on-the-family-part-2/

Im getting so sick of the "Wii". Ugh, its like every day there is a story, that is suppose to be life changing for nongamers.

"My grandma was there. And she saw the Wii and for the first time after 20 years she got out of her wheel chair and played Wii Tennis with my family. My mother cried and knelt down beside her as my grandmas old hands grasped the Wiimote, she was young again and life breathed back into her. The Wii has saved my grandma's life. And she pwned me at Tennis"

Stop with this shit. Its a crappy little console that lets you swing instead of pressing a button. If you used a regular GC controller and brought Wii Sports I garuntee everyone would be as intrigued.

Its just because its uncomplicated they like it. It isnt because its the next step in the evolution of gaming, its because its like pressing one fucking button to do something.

-_- Give me a break.[/quote] Why must you hate the Wii, yet still anticipate its games?
 
but after all of that, did the wii get you any pussy? the answer is, and shall always be a resounding, NO!!
 
[quote name='DarkNessBear']IRT : http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/25/a-wii-thanksgiving-test-on-the-family-part-2/

Im getting so sick of the "Wii". Ugh, its like every day there is a story, that is suppose to be life changing for nongamers.

"My grandma was there. And she saw the Wii and for the first time after 20 years she got out of her wheel chair and played Wii Tennis with my family. My mother cried and knelt down beside her as my grandmas old hands grasped the Wiimote, she was young again and life breathed back into her. The Wii has saved my grandma's life. And she pwned me at Tennis"

Stop with this shit. Its a crappy little console that lets you swing instead of pressing a button. If you used a regular GC controller and brought Wii Sports I garuntee everyone would be as intrigued.

Its just because its uncomplicated they like it. It isnt because its the next step in the evolution of gaming, its because its like pressing one fucking button to do something.

-_- Give me a break.[/quote]
They're just jealous because PS3 sucks and it took 360 a year to get a good game that doesn't have as good of graphics as my 2 year old PC does.
 
[quote name='mrchainsaw']Why must you hate the Wii, yet still anticipate its games?[/quote]

I dont hate the Wii. I just hate those stories on Joystiq.
 
This weekend was popular for Wii parties. I got my first real look at the console today (playing for 5 minutes at a kiosk doesn't really count) and while I was impressed, I wasn't totally blown away. I wasn't really expecting to be blown away, in fact I guess I didn't know what to expect.

I enjoyed Wii Sports, particularly the bowling and boxing. I was worse at the golf than I am in real life, which is saying something. Creating the Mii's was almost a game in and of itself -- all six of us ended up with pretty good likenesses. Rayman was fun, but for the most part was a little too gimmicky for my taste. No Zelda, which is the title I'm most interested in and I'm reserving my final judgment until I get the opportunity to play that.

I really, really wish the nunchucks were wireless like the Wiimotes. Having that cord hit you in the face gets annoying after the second or third time it happens.

The graphics were better than I was expecting, after hearing so many people complain about them. I enjoyed the simplified look of Wii Sports, and I thought that the golf courses were really beautiful. Certainly not GoW or FFXII, but aethestically pleasing in its own way.

Multiplayer was a lot of fun. I'm primarily a solitary gamer, so playing with friends is always enjoyable, but the Wii definitely kicked it up another notch. We were oohing along with the crowd in golf, laughing as two of our married friends beat the tar out of each other in boxing, etc. Good times.

I think there's HUGE potential for the Wii. It's going to be very interesting to see what Nintendo has available over the next year or two.
 
[quote name='DarkNessBear']IRT : http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/25/a-wii-thanksgiving-test-on-the-family-part-2/

Im getting so sick of the "Wii". Ugh, its like every day there is a story, that is suppose to be life changing for nongamers.

"My grandma was there. And she saw the Wii and for the first time after 20 years she got out of her wheel chair and played Wii Tennis with my family. My mother cried and knelt down beside her as my grandmas old hands grasped the Wiimote, she was young again and life breathed back into her. The Wii has saved my grandma's life. And she pwned me at Tennis"

Stop with this shit. Its a crappy little console that lets you swing instead of pressing a button. If you used a regular GC controller and brought Wii Sports I garuntee everyone would be as intrigued.

Its just because its uncomplicated they like it. It isnt because its the next step in the evolution of gaming, its because its like pressing one fucking button to do something.

-_- Give me a break.[/quote]
haha! :applause:
 
[quote name='DarkNessBear']IRT : http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/25/a-wii-thanksgiving-test-on-the-family-part-2/

Im getting so sick of the "Wii". Ugh, its like every day there is a story, that is suppose to be life changing for nongamers.

"My grandma was there. And she saw the Wii and for the first time after 20 years she got out of her wheel chair and played Wii Tennis with my family. My mother cried and knelt down beside her as my grandmas old hands grasped the Wiimote, she was young again and life breathed back into her. The Wii has saved my grandma's life. And she pwned me at Tennis"

Stop with this shit. Its a crappy little console that lets you swing instead of pressing a button. If you used a regular GC controller and brought Wii Sports I garuntee everyone would be as intrigued.

Its just because its uncomplicated they like it. It isnt because its the next step in the evolution of gaming, its because its like pressing one fucking button to do something.

-_- Give me a break.[/QUOTE]

:rofl:

I usually ignore everything you say but bravo. That grandmother story is hilarious, you write that yourself?

This forum really needs some kind of a sticky for "OMG non gamers love the Wii read my story!"
 
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