Black Wii Launches In Japan And Europe
Posted by Nicky Williams | Under Product Reviews Tuesday Feb 9, 2010As a rule, video games are played in the bedrooms of teenagers. When they reach the age of ten or so, you buy them a games console (because all their friends have got one after all) and then they disappear into their room for lengthy periods, surfacing only for toilet breaks and to stock up on savoury snacks washed down with fizzy drinks.
However, that all changed when the Nintendo Wii console was released. The Wii was a console for the living room rather than the bedroom. There are a number of reasons for this.
In the first place, the Wii’s motion sensitive controller meant that the way games were played was much more intuitive. Games were easier to learn, no need to remember that button X is to jump, button Y lets you breathe fire and button Z executes a back-flip. In fact, Wii games are so easy to play that even adults can learn them in a matter of minutes.
Also, because of the physical element of Wii games, there’s some exercise involved. Not just Wii Fit – but virtually all of the Wii games involve a certain element of jumping around, much more so than the typical games found on other consoles. That needs a bit of space.
Another important factor is that playing games on the Wii seems to be a much more sociable activity than gaming on other consoles. You can compete against the computer if you prefer – but Wii games do seem to be much better when you play them as part of a group.
Maybe it’s because you are jumping around, waving your hands about like a lunatic that gives the Wii group appeal. Whatever the reason, the Wii is most enjoyable as a group activity.
It may sound corny, but the Wii is very definitely tremendous fun for both children and adults alike. Wii games can become a social event before you even realise it. They can help you to lose weight by exercising – but more important than that, they are great fun. The Wii has moved gaming out of the kid’s bedroom and put it right in the centre of the family living room.
Maybe that’s why Nintendo had such great success when they released a black Wii console bundle in Europe just before Christmas. It turned out to be an extremely popular choice with consumers, possibly because a black games console goes better with the TV, the DVD player, the cable box etc. Currently, the black Wii option is unavailable in the States – but it should be arriving soon.
See the black Wii – and have a look at some of the great Wii games available .