Nintendo Wii.

Nintendo just recently released their new system called the Nintendo Wii.

This system is not played not by pushing buttons but by motion sensing. I was lucky enough to have the chance and pick the system up on the day of release (11/19/2006) and spend a lot of time playing Wii Sports, a game that is included with the machine. This system is said to appeal to people of all ages, young or old.
This idea was put to the test during the Thanksgiving gathering I had with my family, putting family and friends in tennis match ups or friendly bowling competitions
The games itself are very simplistic, but that doesn’t mean its not fun! The games mimic real life sports, Tennis, bowling, baseball, golf and boxing. What makes these simple sports game different from other sports games is the fact that you play the game as you would real life. So in if you play Wii Tennis, you will have to swing the controller (forehand and backhand). For golf, the way you swing your controller determines the strength of your swing. And this idea pretty much goes along with the other sports too.

So how did the Wii stand up to the age test? I’d have to say the system was indeed made to suit people of all ages. The little kids at the party were able to grasp the control very easily and they are pretty good at the game too! Embarrassingly enough a 7-year-old girl was able to beat me with some impressive high scores. (of course I let her win, wouldn’t want her to cry…)
And when my grandmother held the controller, she did struggle a bit to understand how it works, but ultimately she was learned how to play it, but didn’t do so well in the scores, still very impressive considering that she never play games!

So overall the system seems to be a huge hit with the family, kids can’t wait to play it and adults have fun trying to compete in it. No more video game couch potatoes, its time to get up and play!
If you haven’t tried out the system already, I highly recommend you go out and try it. And if you think this system is only for kids, wait a bit and you will see some very cool games coming down the pipe!

-Vincent Fan