I Got a Wii

Well I finally got my hands on a Nintendo Wii today. I called few stores yesterday and found that Toys R Us was expecting a shipment today so I made my way over to my local store first thing. Lucky for me they had about 35 to 40 in stock and I was one of the first 10 people into the store, so it wasn't a hassle at all. It is nice that the system is only $250 and that it includes Wii Sports, but what I didn't realize until today was that for each extra Wiimote you also have to buy the extra Nunchuck. The two combine are around $60 which is pricey for a game controller, especially when the only game on the Wii Sports disc that uses the Nunchuck is the Boxing game. I did suck it up and buy an extra one of each so that my wife can play too, but if I wanted to buy two more so that I had four total, I would have spent more than the system alone costs. Anyway, I guess I should just be happy I have a Wii finally, and maybe also that I don't have two more people to play with us on a regular basis.

Resident Evil 4 Coming to the Wii

Gamestop.com reports that Capcom has announced that Resident Evil 4 will be released on the Nintendo Wii this summer. I have yet to play anything for the Wii or even hold the controller, but this is an interesting move especially since you can already play the Gamecube version of the game on your Wii. Aside from the fact that you will be able to use a new control scheme, wouldn't a totally new Resident Evil game have a better chance for success? Don't get me wrong, RE 4 is a great game, but it has been around since 2005, and it has also been released for the Playstation 2 and is slated for the PC (which remains to be seen if it will ever materialize). I guess the real question is how much are gamers willing to pay for this version? If they are planning on selling it for $49.99 like most Wii games, I would have to think it would be hard to rationalize the purchase, unless you haven't played. Even if they decided to sell if for $29.99 or $19.99 you aren't getting that much new.

Next-Gen Console Wars!!!

Now that the holiday's are over, and all of the new video game consoles have been released, I wanted to take a step back and analyze each.

Xbox 360
The Bright Side: It has been out the longest. The graphics and gameplay of the second generation of games are as good, if not better than PS3's current offerings. Has the strongest financial backing (Microsoft).

The Dark Side: Microsoft! (For reason's that shouldn't need explaining). Less innovative than the Wii and PS3.

Playstation 3
The Bright Side: It is the most powerful of the next gen consoles. Sony has dominated the past two console wars.

The Dark Side: The Price Tag. $500-$600 is a lot of loot even if it is the cheapest Blu-Ray player on the market. Many people are fed up with Sony's high and mighty attitude.

Nintendo Wii
The Bright Side: The most innovative and unique of any console to be released since, well, Virtual Boy. It is by far the cheapest of the next gen consoles.

The Dark Side: The most innovative and unique of any console to be released since, well, Virtual Boy. No major graphical upgrade (is that a word?). Nintendo's lack of 3rd party support in the past.

Based on what I have seen so far, I believe the early favorite to win this generation is the Xbox 360. It seemed like there were more people trying to make money with the PS3 than wanting to actually spend money on one. I'm not convinced that the Nintendo Wii has the staying power to with the less than stellar graphics even despite early sales. The Xbox 360 seems to have created a nice cushion, and with killer apps like Gears of War out now, and Halo 3 in the future along with others, I feel it has the most potential to be the King of this generation.