Nintendo Wii - Ongoing question thread

[MrEco]

So as some of you may remember, I've mentioned before that I planned to buy a Nintendo Wii. Well, thanks to Ebay, I've got one in almost brand new condition. Some visible scratches and smudges, but still works fine. And, almost as important, it's both black AND one of the Gamecube compatible 001 models (Did mah research. ;D).


But now I've got a couple questions for y'all, in no particular order...


Is it alright to put the Wii on it's side? The one I bought didn't come with the stand, and I don't feel like shelling out money for a bit of oddly shaped plastic if I don't absolutely have to. If so, is there a particular side that's better to put it on?

Second, is Xenoblade Chronicles really that good? Cause everywhere online I'm seeing it sold for like $90 - $100 for used copies that don't even include the box. Honestly, unless it's the second coming of Christ, I'm thinking about passing this one up.

And last, well, any general advice you can think of that you thinks important? Or perhaps and games for the Wii that you think are must plays?

[alienjesus]

Is it alright to put the Wii on it's side?

Yes.

If so, is there a particular side that's better to put it on?

I'd imagine you should put it so the siny side of the disc is underneath, but I dunno if it makes any difference.

Second, is Xenoblade Chronicles really that good?

It's pretty damn good, but at that price it's really whether you think the game has enough value to you.

And last, well, any general advice you can think of that you thinks important? Or perhaps and games for the Wii that you think are must plays?

I'll leave the must plays part, as there's probably a hundred threads full of suggestions about (or alternatively, you can have a dig through my collection on my backloggery, link in sig). Other than that, I don't really have any major advice. If you want to play SNES games on virtual console, a classic controller is pretty much essential, but that's about it. Enjoy the system.

[muhanad]

He pretty much answered everything

For the games theres so many top games lists and threads that it'll be no problem finding the best games

[Xeogred]

I've barely even dug into the Wii myself, but I was talking with others about it more recently... I think it's obviously the best Nintendo system since the N64, maybe even the SNES. When you research enough, their truly is a lot of good gems out there for it it seems.

Xenoblade is my least favorite Xeno game story/plot wise, but it was a blast for 80 some hours and has the best JRPG OST I've heard since the SNES/PSX era, hands down. Not even close on that one.

Skyward Sword was awesome as was Super Mario Galaxy (still gotta play 2, which sounds even better). Both finally had full orchestrated OST's, I thought the music might dip here, but I forget Japan still often places a big emphasis on MELODY with their music in everything. So the OST's blew my face off. Skyward Sword probably has the best credits theme I've ever heard, I felt like I conquered the universe.

Not to say buy it for music or anything haha, but the Wii is legit.

MetalJesusRocks has a lot of vids on Wii gems, maybe check those out for starters.

[flojocabron]

the stand comes in two parts, the gray base and a clear round one.

Google image it. Then, if you find one somewhere you can buy it. Its kinda unmistakable once you do find it.

The gray base gives the upright wii a different angle. The round base gives it more stability, not that it needs it. Maybe the round base is for kids so it wont tip as easily.

The stand does make the wii slightly taller, so you may have a problem when putting it into the entertainment center.

check random boxes and cables in the electronics department in thrift stores, to see if you find one.

[Ziggy]

Is it alright to put the Wii on it's side?

"On its side" as in lying flat horizontally? Yes. And in fact, it might be better to use it this way, as is always the debate with consoles that can be oriented vertically or horizontally.

If so, is there a particular side that's better to put it on?

Yes, the "bottom" of the Wii has four rubber feet. They designed it so that it could be either vertical or horizontal. Lying horizontally, the GCN ports should be on the left side. Looking at the front, the disc slot should be above the power, reset and eject buttons. This is the correct way to orient the console, otherwise the discs will be upside down and you don't want that.

Second, is Xenoblade Chronicles really that good? Cause everywhere online I'm seeing it sold for like $90 - $100 for used copies that don't even include the box. Honestly, unless it's the second coming of Christ, I'm thinking about passing this one up.

There's a reason why so many fans petitioned Nintendo to bring it over to the USA, it is a gem of a game.

Xenoblade Chronicles is arguably the BEST visuals on the Wii. The locations in the game are absolutely breath taking. It's actually one of the most beautiful games I've ever seen.

Gameplay-wise, it's a great game. I haven't played any other Xeno games before, the reason being is that heavy cut scenes and seemingly endless gameplay kinda scare me. Xenoblade has a good amount of cut scenes, but never long enough to start pissing me off. And while you can get something like 70+ hours (I forget how much people have reported) a large amount of the game (side quests mainly) can be ignored. I feel like it's also the perfect game to take breaks from, which I usually find impossible to do with RPGs. IIRC, there's a log that bullets all the important stuff from the story line, and there's always an arrow pointing you in the right direction. This doesn't detract from exploration tho, if you fancy that. I'm ~35 hours into the game and haven't played it in a while, but I will get back into it again. I turn it on and play for 15-30 every so often. It only takes about 5 minutes worth of playing before I remember everything again.

And last, well, any general advice you can think of that you thinks important? Or perhaps and games for the Wii that you think are must plays?

The first thing you should do is get the console online and up to date. I don't know what firmware version came on that model Wii, and it's possible that the user never went online with it. The current and possibly final firmware version is easily hackable, so no worries there. I don't know what kind of bug fixes, if any, where in the firmware updates, but I do know that some games require a later firmware version (although they'll have the update on the disc). One noteworthy update though is the one that gave us the SD card menu. It allows you to store channels (and Virtual Console games) on an SD card.

After that, go on the Wii Shop Channel and download all the free stuff right away. Stuff like the Wii U transfer tool, Skyward Sword save file update patch, YouTube, Hulu, Amazon and NetFlix channels, the updated picture channel, etc. They're all free. I just suggest getting them now in case down the road is too late. Personally, I don't have the YouTube, Hulu or Amazon channel as I never plan to use them. But definitely grab the other stuff.

Nintendo has already shut down some Wii services, unfortunately. The Weather Channel and News Channel were more gimmicky than anything else, so you're not really missing much. The Nintendo Channel was pretty neat though. And I very much miss the Everybody Votes Channel. I believe the Check Mii Out Channel also no longer works. And the message service too, so you can't send or receive messages or gift games anymore.

Get a Classic Controller Pro, if one didn't come with the console. The original Classic Controller is alright for some things, but the Pro controller is really important for some games.

As for games, that's all up to tastes, but...

Xenoblade Chronicles, although I haven't beaten it yet, has been one of my favorite experiences on the console thus far.

Goldeneye is definitely in the top five. The single player mode was great, but the online was fantastic. And this is coming from a guy that became fed up with FPS games almost never plays online. We have an official Goldeneye thread with friend codes posted. If you're interested, I would suggest jumping on this one sooner rather than later as the servers wont stay online forever. This is one of those games you need the Pro controller for, as the original one doesn't work as well. You could also use a GCN controller with some disadvantages, or a remote and nunchuck if you wanna aim at the screen with the remote.

Kirby's Return to Dreamland is another in my top five, and possibly top three. I loved playing through this game so much, I ended up playing through it back to back. Once co-op with my brother, than again on the harder difficulty after you beat the game. Then I 100%'ed it. My brother and I also spent hours alone playing the mini games, Ninja Dojo in particular.

And if you like side scrollers... New SMB Wii and Donkey Kong Country Returns were also excellent. I'm not sure why I enjoyed Return to Dreamland more, but these two were still very good games. Kirby's Epic Yarn and Wario Land Shake It are also fun side scrollers.

I'll mention Muramasa separately, as it's a lot different from the side scrollers mentioned above. It's a sort of RPG beat 'em up (or hack 'n slash, maybe?). I wouldn't rank it as high as Xenoblade, but the visuals in this game are amazing. It's a hand drawn art style with very nice colors. Every screen looks great.

If you like Mario Kart, get Mario Kart Wii right away. This was the only other Wii game I've ever played online, and a lot of fun it is. But again, with Mario Kart 8 coming out who knows how long you'll be able to play it online. So get on it now, while you still can.

Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2... 'nuff said.

Epic Mickey is definitely worth picking up, IMO. It's $16 new on Amazon right now, so I would think you could get a used copy really cheap. It's a 3D platforming adventure game. The painting adds a twist. Watch a video to get the idea. It's kind of a fresh idea for gameplay, and although I haven't finished it yet, I thought it was a lot of fun and worth your time, even if it's not one of the best games on the console.

Anyway, those are some of my favorites so far. It's funny, I say "so far" even though I've owned a Wii since launch and it has been succeeded already. There's still plenty of games I haven't had the time to play or get yet, and I'm sure plenty more I haven't discovered yet. That being said, congrats on getting a Wii !

[MrEco]

Cool, thanks for the help everyone. I had no idea about that free downloadable stuff, so I'll check it out. No interest in things like an Amazon channel, but I'll look through the stuff.

And, yeah, I know I could search a million different places for game recommendations. But figured it couldn't hurt. lol

[BogusMeatFactory]

Everyone has indeed answered the system positioning question, so I thought I would throw in my opinion on some must have games. For me, some of the must have games come in a variety of styles.

There is Little King's Story, a pikmin style strategy game where you run a kingdom and lead your followers into battle. What makes it awesome is the charming art style, humor and very strange, surreal undertones.

I also would suggest dokapon kingdom for a mario party meets Dungeons and Dragons game. It is a lot of fun to play with other people and the mechanics are a blast.

There is also Zak and Wiki: The Quest for Barbaros Treasure, which is a really fun, very animated puzzle game that uses the wii motion controls in a tight and entertaining way. It is dripping with charm.

If you are into fighting games, Tatsunoko Vs Capcom is an incredibly challenging and entertaining game. It plays a lot like Marvel Vs Capcom 3 and has a great cast of characters that play very differently than other members of the roster.

Along that same line, I suggest getting the Samurai Shodown Anthology as well, with the pro controller, it is a great collection of all the Samurai Shodown games. A must have for a fighting game aficionado.

That is all I cna think of off the top of my head. Its late, I am sure I can scrounge a ton more up.

good luck and enjoy the Wii!!

[Violent By Design]

I'd have to look into what types of games you like, but no, Xenoblade isn't worth 100 dollars. There are barely any games I'd pay 100 dollars for (outside of some real valuable collectors items), and Xeno isn't one of them.

Xenoblade is cool and I stopped only about 15 hours into it (I'll go back to it, got stuck on a boss and decided to go do the summer challenge), but meh....I really don't give a shit about "large rpgs". Xenoblade is really the perfect example of an RPG that is large for the sake of being large, even more so than Skyrim. Also, I was really let down with Xenoblade's graphics, personally I never got why huge open world games get so much credit for their graphics, when open world games typically don't look good due to lack of detail. Skyward Sword, Monster Hunter and Mario Galaxy are much more pleasing games to the eye in my opinion.


The Wii has a lot of games, a few google searches and you'll have more than your fair share of games to collect. I think the 3 best games that I've played on the Wii are

1) Donkey Kong Country Returns
2) Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition
3) Super Mario Galaxy 2


I haven't played it myself, but I'd def check out Dokapon Kingdom like someone else suggested. Been telling my friend to get that game for months since he has a few dudes over to play 4 player mode. Little King's Story is also a game I've had laying around for a while, but it looks like a lot of fun.

Brawl is a great game if you need a fighters fix. Not as good as Melee, but certainly worth playing. Mario Kart Wii is Mario Kart, it's pretty uninspired, but it has the best online play that the Wii can ofer (especially since they closed down Monster Hunter).


Personally, I'd skip Mario Galaxy 1 and Goldeneye. Galaxy 2 is just a lot better than Galaxy 1, though Galaxy 1 is only 20 bucks new. Goldeneye I thought was just horrible to be honest (no offense to who ever suggested it). Bad controls, no vision, nothing unique about it. If I'm going to play a shooter on the Wii, it'll probably be a railshooter like Dead Space and what not.

I'll probably dive back into the Wii come the fall since I have a lot of games I'd like to play. I'll see if any other titles break my top 3 (which were in no particular order btw).

[Ziggy]

Cool, thanks for the help everyone. I had no idea about that free downloadable stuff, so I'll check it out. No interest in things like an Amazon channel, but I'll look through the stuff.

Well to be clear about what I said, the "Amazon channel" I spoke of is actually for Amazon Instant Video. It's not for shopping on Amazon LOL.

When you go to the Wii Shop Channel, after you click "start shopping" the main menu has three main sections. Virtual Console, Wii Ware, and Wii Channels. Go to the Channels, and IIRC every single one of them is free.

You might as well just grab all the free stuff even if you don't plan on using it. Better to grab them now and have them in case you ever decide to use one but it's too late.

Virtual Console is self explanatory, but you might also wanna look into Wii Ware games. There's a lot of great stuff on there. If you haven't played it already, Cave Story is excellent and well worth the purchase. Castlevania The Adventure ReBirth was probably my favorite. There's also Gradius ReBirth and Contra ReBirth, all worth getting if you're into those games. And if you like Arkanoid, there's a nice version of that on there too. Sonic 4 Episode 1 is on there too, but it's better on a PS3 or 360 if you have one. Aside from the obvious resolution draw back of the Wii, Episode 2 is not available for Wii Ware. On the PS3 or 360, if you purchased both episodes it unlocks "Episode Metal." Yeah, I purchased Episode 1 originally on the Wii and was pissed when I found out Episode 2 wasn't gonna be on the Wii. I ended up purchasing it again on the PS3 so I could play the extra Episode.