Writer’s Note: This article originally appear in La Salle Univeristy’s student run newspaper The Collegian.

Also, it is important to note I was assigned to write this article for the Commentary Magazine of The Collegian. I do not in truth believe the Wii is any better a system than the XBox 360 or the Play Station 3. They are all pretty even in my opinion.

Wistful For Wii

By Nick Elmer
Collegian Editor
April 23, 2008

Games should be fun.

“Well, duh” one might say, and to that one I say get out of my article, but looking at the titles which are released during the previous console generation we see a growing trend towards complexity. Using games as a medium for fun is a concept which seems to have been lost to gamers.

Wii embraces this concept. While most titles feel like a second job now, the Wii stands proudly with its library of silly games and its “Come on, just TRY it” attitude. This is most notable in its collection of minigame-based titles. WiiSports and Rayman’s Raving Rabbids have the kind of tactile game play where even the old coot standing in the corner of the room watches and eventually requests “Hey, let me try that.”

Like every system, the titles are the real meat involved. The Wii approaches this meat with a sense of “Quality over Quantity”. So, instead of eating week old dead buffalo meat Wii owners get to chomp down on a squirrel made of cotton candy and children’s laughter.

While the only system that boasts previous generation backwards compatibility for all its models (meaning any Gamecube game can be played on the Wii), the Wii also has a strong line up and broad spectrum of games. Super Mario Galaxy is hailed as the greatest 3D platformer since Mario 64, the benchmark all 3D platformers are held to. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess helped ease players concerns about the motion sensor actions being gimmicky by seamlessly weaving them into its combat controls. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption also proves to Wii owners that a first person shooter can be everything we wanted it to be.

The Wii is also a system which can work with previously difficult genres of games for consoles thanks to its unique controls. Light gun games like Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles and House of the Dead 2 & 3 would have required expensive peripherals to play on other systems but the Wiimote is instantly a pistol when you realize there is a trigger on the back. Furthermore, the Wiimote’s motion sensor features make point and click adventure games (previously exclusive to the PC) like Zak and Wiki possible on your television.

The Wii’s greatest achievement so far is having people over 30 who have never played video games before think aloud “I wish I had a Wii”. By making a cheap, fun, accessible and unintimidating system Nintendo has reinvigorated video games as a whole. Up until this point, most games were created with the idea that its players already had a passing knowledge of previous games’ mechanics. Wii just assumes you want to have fun and maybe look like a goon in front of your friends.

This is why the Wii is the best of the current crop of games. No smack delivered to the other systems, but the Wii has managed the harness what we were always told video games would be when we were young: more interactive. When I was little I sat in front of my Super Nintendo, played Street Fighter II, and imagined a day when I could fire digital hodukens at Blanca. Now I can stand in front of my Wii, play No More Heroes, and wield my Wiimote like a light saber against dozens of enemies. We’re still not there YET but we’re close.

And being close to Blanca throttling is more exciting than complicated games.

Tags: House of the Dead 2 & 3, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Nintendo, No More Heroes, Rayman's Raving Rabbids, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, Street Fighter II, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Nintendo, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Wii, WiiSports, Zak and Wiki