Was it worth it? In a word: Yes!

Here's one of those cutesy blog interviews where I ask myself questions.

Questions about the Nintendo Wii

I drove around, starting at 7am, trying 3 Targets, 3 Best Buys, 1 Wal-mart, 1 Toys R Us, a Sears and a CompUSA until I finally found a reasonable sized line (about 60 people) at the mall. I waited with my kids for about 3 hours, and finally got one.

Wow. What did you pay?

I bought the Wii, 3 extra Wii-remotes, 2 games (Zelda and Madden) and the last Nunchuk controller in the store for about $540.

Mostly adults without kids, ages 20-30. Plenty of hardcore gamers. Very few people brought their kids with them, but mine were fine. They played soccer using a water bottle for a ball in the mall while we waited...

The lines were pretty fun, with shared spirit, random rumors / war stories about looking for the Wii. People perked up a lot when the store manager came out and said we were "safe" to get a Wii.

OK. What about the Wii?

It's small, easy to set up - about 10 mins total - and fun. It's quiet. Graphics look great to me, but the controllers are the magic part. In case you don't know, they are wireless, you hold them in your hands, and you have to wave them around in various ways to control the action.

Why do you like it so much?

A few reasons:

• The controllers "level the playing field" so kids and adults can play the same games and have fun.
• It get the details right - one of the cool things is the "Build your own Mii" screen where you get to customize the face of your avatar.
• The built in sports games are designed to help you learn how to use the controllers, but they are also insanely fun.
• Even my wife had a great time playing it, so it truly is designed for everyone.

So what was your favorite game?

Tennis and Bowling are great - easy to play. Golf kinda sucks - cause you can't really control distance that well. Boxing had the boys going absolutely crazy. I had to hold the little one back because he'd get to close to the TV and flail about, nearly breaking something.

We played a little Zelda, and it looks fabulous. It's a lot calmer than the sports games. However we didn't really get past the "learn the basic controls" part yet.

And I tried Madden, which I've always found to be, well, maddening since the controls are too difficult to master. It has a bunch of practice mini-games, which I'm working on.

What about the Online Services - did you connect it to the Internet yet?

No. Unfortunately, I can't remember the damned password to my Wireless Router. So I'll have to figure that out this week.

So any downsides?

Not really. I could see people getting hurt using the Wii, though - either throwing out their shoulder, or smacking the person next to them as they swing the controller. It's a pretty physical game, and I'm actually sore today!

The nunchuk controller (that you use in your other hand) is too small for my hand, and if I played Madden Football all day using it, I'd have blisters.

You also need a decent amount of room in front of your TV, because you are up and moving and swinging your arms around.

So I should get one?

Absolutely. Go out and find one! The rumors in the lines were that the next shipment is coming in two weeks. It's a no-brainer - especially if you've got kids.

¶ 11/20/2006