Nintendo Wii celebrates 1st birthday

by Ross Miller on Nov 19th 2007 1:30PM

Two days after we blew out Sony's candles celebrating the PlayStation 3's first year or existence, Nintendo reminds us that its latest console the Wii turns one today. And with age hopefully comes more experience and knowledge - such as knowing how to keep up with the console's demand.

All this week, Nintendo Wii Fanboy is celebrating the console's birthday, starting off with a game giveaway including the hidden gem Zack and Wiki, potentially the last complex game for the Wii. In the interim, dear esteemed and unbiased Joystiq readers, how would you grade the Wii's performance so far?

[Image credit: Kristy and Eva's Flickr account]

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Tags: birthday, mario, nintendo, nwf, wii

Reader Comments (73)

From a subjective point of view: A+.

I'm having tons of fun with it, even if the Wii is not considered as 'cool' as the other consoles.

From a more objective point of view: B.

I think it's fair to say that it hasn't quite reached its full potential yet, but I am hopeful that it will eventually.

It's so delicious and moist...

here we go again ;p

Look at me still talking when there's science to do...

Well happy birthday to Wii! and....

When I look out there
it makes me glad I'm not you...

Zack & Wiki is a gem that has gotten lost/forgotten in the deluge of great games this season.

I found my copy Sunday.

Wii cake > PS3 cake

The cake is a lie.

It's difficult to not be 'tobias', but I'd give it a solid A.

It has collected a bit of dust this past year, but I simply can't get enough of Super Mario Galaxy. Even with Ratchet & Clank competing for my time, Mario is currently getting more attention.

I am very much looking forward to what the next year brings.

Well... I'm a Nintendo fanboy (yes, really) and as always, I only use the Wii for Nintendo games and exclusive third party games (Z&W, Trauma Center, and a lot more games) but I will never buy a multiplatform game on the Wii.

I have my 360 for exclusive games and multiplatform games, so, I don't miss anything.

And the other console out there, well, there are no still something that truly worth $500 (don't count the 40GB version, 'cause it kinda sucks), but eventually I will pick one of that consoles when its about $300 dlls.

I hope you're joking about excluding 3rd party titles. If not, then you are part of the problem, not the solution.

He said exclusive crono.

I bouth a lot of third party games on the Wii (Monkey Ball, Elebits, Trauma center, sonic and the secrets rings, resident evil 4, z&w, rayman, and more) but only if they are exclusives.

I can't buy a multiplatform game (like for example The simpsons game) if I know that the 360 will have more value (HD, achivements, better online)

The Godfather game is a multiplatform game that is definitely best on the Wii.

My Bad. I misread his comment.

There's something I don't trust about a blue cake

THE CAKE IS A LIE!!!

I personally hate the new control scheme and feel it's not only unnecessary and the single greatest fad ever produced for a console. I also want only one game on it so far, SSB:B and probably won't buy the console unless it gets a megahit I'm interested in.

But, I'll give credit where it's due, you've done a damn fine job Nintendo.

P.S. Please keep taking all the shovelware so the 360 and PS3 can concentrate on the epic games. ;p

BOO-urns.

With the batshit crazy high development costs for the 360 and PS3, shovelware games wouldn't be going to those systems anyway.

Nintendo has been having the usual problems with 3rd party developers, which was especially apparent the first 6 months or so of Wii's life cycle. Although probably a result of bad reputation and poor sales of the Gamecube (especially in the States), Ninty's tradition of bad relations with developers seems to finally get better. Next year will really prove whether or not the whole Wii concept was a good choice. As always, it's all about the games.

Can you FUCKING believe that I haven't seen a SINGLE Wii in any stores since it launched? NEVER EVER EVER! I'm in Houston BTW. And a few 360s and PS3s.

Funny, my friend in Houstan says he constantly has to talk his girlfriend out of one everytime they see one in stores. So apparently they ARE findable.

Well, in NYC you can find them, but they have $50-$100 markup due to demand. They aren't even displayed most of the time. This isn't your franchise stores, this is mom/pop shop selling them at the markup. You cannot find it for the standard retail price anywhere here.

Hey im in houston too.

Best place to try is Walmart.

Sunday mornings.

Trust me.

I've only seen them in Minnesota on one occasion. Admittedly I haven't really been looking, I'll just show up early Sunday morning when I pick mine up. Have to wait until after that amazon poll, sure, it's a snowball's chance in hell, but why not?

Also, Happy Birthday Wii!

I would say that the console has been dong very well for itself. The sales have been consistantly good, and I cannot remember the last time anything was one of the most popular christmas items for 2 years running!

The games out so far have been mostly good, however there is the slight problem in there being so little games in the first place! If Nintendo really want to stay dominant, they will have to get more games out!

They also need to get a LOT more quality 3rd parties. What's the point in having lots of 3rd parties making games for your system when they're going to churn out games like 'Chegger's Party Quiz' (it's a real game, look it up).

A+++++++++++

It birthed potentially the greatest game of all time, according to Gamerankings [Galaxy].

Among the other great games. :D

I've had a great time with my Wii over the past year. A lot of people complain that there hasn't been a lot of new AAA titles, the virtual console more than makes up for it. If I haven't played it, it's new to me. Plus, if you really can't find any new Wii games, there's a wealth of Gamecube games to play during the down time.

Yes, do enjoying rebuying your old SNES games for 10 bucks a pop and playing those whilst you wait for Nintendo to bring out their next good game. Zelda.... Metroid.... Mario Galaxy....

Whilst the rest of us play Crysis, Halo 3, Mass Effect, Uncharted, Resistance, Gears of War...

um, 8 bucks, actually, for SNES. And wii owners can enjoy crisis just as much as a 360 or PS3 owner: not at all except on the PC.

Rebuying? What part of "if I haven't played it, it's new to me" do you not understand? Gunstar Heroes, Castlevania IV, Bomberman '93, Actraiser, and Paper Mario are all great games I've never played before and cost less than even one of the games you've mentioned and got me way more game time. So you enjoy your by-the-numbers shooters, and I'll enjoy a game I've never played before, whether it's 10 years old or not.

"Whilst the rest of us play Crysis, Halo 3, Mass Effect, Uncharted, Resistance, Gears of War..."

Ever consider playing a game where you don't run and around and shoot shit constantly?

Oh, wait. No. Why would 'GunForHire' play anything else?

Sam's witty banter stopped me from mentioning Sin and Punishment.

=(

@my previous comment: yeah, i know mass effect and uncharted aren't FPS.

oh crap, my first comment didn't post. so my last post looks retarded.

Paper Mario was bought for $10 (£7.50) and it is more creative and has given me more hours of gameplay than many of this generation's games, so don't be a graphics whore and accept not everyone has played every old game or cares about their graphics.

It needs a hell of a lot more good games. I mean games that aren't rehashed ports either. So in other words, a lot more Mario's and Zelda.

No more :

- Cosmic Family
- Carnival Games
- Ninjabread man thing
- Endless Ocean
- My Word Coach

And so on, and so forth. Just enough bloody shovelware and crap ports already. There is almost nothing on Wii that 'hardcore' gamers can care about. This is becoming an issue for the DS, although at least it already has a stable of AAA titles on it. I mean really, who the hell wants to buy Sight Training. SIGHT Training.

I want to play games, not train my brain/sight/face/nose/hearing, or become a fashion designer, or play another godawful minigame collection.

"- Cosmic Family
- Carnival Games"

You know, these two probably aren't really that bad. They've been getting average scores between 5-6, and considering they're from no-name companies and reviewers went into the review expecting to dole out a 30, I'd call them minor successes within their genre.

I have'nt played Wii all that much this year (same with my xbox). But this certainly changed when Galaxy and the new mii contest channel came out.

What else did you expect from a console significantly cheaper than the competition and also weaker hardware/graphics wise and selling like hotcakes? A lot of shovelware, PS2 ports with motion controls tacked on to make a quick buck. And guess what? People are buying them like crazy as well.

While we're on the subject, can we please stop using the term 'hardcore?' There is no damn definition to the term, and it only serves to polarize gamers. 'Hardcore' and 'casual' only have negative connotations to the people who occupy the opposing group.

I'd give the Wii a B+.

It gathered dust for some time that I owned it, but thanks to Metroid Prime (1,2,and 3) and Super Metroid, I am using it a lot more.

I'm looking forward to NiGHTS and Brawl, and maybe MOH:H2.

I have played with the channels a lot but wish they were given more options.

That said I'm in NJ... I have never seen a Wii in a store, and half the people at my work want or have one, and they're all middle aged.

I wish there was a Zack and Wiki demo, that might convince me to get it. Honestly the puzzles looked easy to me on the trailers, so everyone saying they're hard doesn't make sense.

They're pretty easy starting out (the trailer only shows the 2nd puzzle) but I've already reached a point where I'm stumped.

Think about lemmings (if you've ever played them), the first 10-12 boards were rediculously easy, but they were damn hard by the end of it. Same with Zack and Wiki. Its taken several colaborative sessions (with my well educated friends) to figure out some of the puzzles.

Its not an easy game, and requires alot of thinking outside the box.

i play wii every week and it still gathers dust!
its just a dust magnet, wii cant help it weather we play with it or not.

lol

I'd give it an A, mainly on a cultural basis. Its popularity is massive and it has gotten more types of people involved in gaming. There's also the nostalgia factor of the VC, the layout/diversity/music of the Wii channels, and of course the Wiimote.

Regarding games, I'd also give it an A with the caveat that it is an incomplete grade. I have enjoyed the two Wii games that I have started and/or completed (not counting Wii Sports, which is great). Super Paper Mario is the only game I have completed, I have started Godfather, and I own but have not yet started RE4 and Super Mario Galaxy. There's just so little time to devote to the Wii when you factor in TV, movies, the Internets, stuff on other consoles (PS3/2, PSP, and as of two days ago -ulp- the 360), and attempting (with no success so far) to have a life outside of all of the above.

I would give it a C+ so far. Mostly for the lacking online and games. I was rather disappointed with Twilight Princess and am now waiting on games like Brawl and etc. I do have mario but I haven't played it much yet.

Its been a year. There are plenty of games to try out on Wii besides Twilight Princess.

I didn't say I haven't tried any other games.

So why is the only one you mention Twilight Princess. Thats implying that the last game you didn't enjoy on the wii was also one of the first.

I mean, your point might have been better if you had said "I was rather disappointed with Metroid Prime 3 and am now waiting on games like Brawl and etc." or "I was rather disappointed with Mario Strikers and am now waiting on games like Brawl and etc." or "I was rather disappointed with Ninjabread Man and am now waiting on games like Brawl and etc."

Otherwise, you sound like a troll.

Mario is awesome, BTW.

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Nintendo Wii celebrates 1st birthday

Reader Comments (73)

Posted: Nov 19th 2007 1:34PM (Unverified) said

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Posted: Nov 19th 2007 2:13PM Tez said

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Posted: Nov 19th 2007 1:44PM The Artist Formerly known as Jes said

Posted: Nov 19th 2007 1:47PM Vegeta has a ps3 said

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