A Salute to Nintendo: Part VII: Wii

WHO-HOO!!! The Wii! Since I have one, I know all about it! It is so awesome, and here's why!

Well, it also plays GameCube games, if you have a controller and memory card. Along with Wii and GameCube games, it can also play Genesis, NES, Nintendo 64, Super Nintendo, Turbo Grafx 16, and Master System games via the Wii Shop Channel, an online service that lets you play certain games. The true way to enjoy the Wii is with its 3 main controllers: The Wiimote, the Nunchuk, and the Classic controller. Let us learn more about these...

The Wii remote (left) is one of the most vital of the Wii's controllers. Its motion sensing and pointer function is one of the major functions of the Wiimote. On the top left is a Power button, which lets you (obviously) turn the console on and off. Below that is a 4-way D-pad. On the front below that, an A button, and on the back of the controller, a B button, or trigger. Below A are 3 buttons: the minus button, the Home Menu button, then the plus button. Below that, a 1 and 2 button, followed by the Player LED and the controller port. And, of course, there's a wrist strap.

Now, for playing Virtual Console (below) and some WiiWare (belower than Virtual Console) games, with some Wii games, you gotta have this. It can let you...uh, do stuff. In the bottom, there are 2 control sticks. Above those are the Select, Start, and Home buttons. To the left of that is the D-pad. To the right is the a, b, x, and y buttons. On the top are the L, ZL, R, and ZR buttons. The middle button doesn't do anything.

The Nunchuk is another attachment to the Wiimote. It features a control stick, and the C (top) and Z (bottom) buttons. It also has motion-sensing, but to a leeser extent than the Wiimote. It is mainly used so that a control stick can be used in games, because today most games are 3D. It's not the Nunchuk that you kill people with, but it's just called that, go ask Nintendo, not me.

Ah, WiiWare and Virtual Console. Let's talk about these. You buy them with Wii Points.

WiiWare is pretty much Wii games

that were put onto the Wii Shop Channel.

They sometimes use the Classic Controller,

though not always. Some use the Wiimote

and Nunchuk, or the GameCube controller.
They are usually 500-1500 Wii Points.

Virtual console games are classic games from

older consoles, like Super Mario Bros.

and Sonic the Hedgehog. They can be from the

NES, Super Nintendo, Genesis,

Turbo Grafx 16, Nintendo 64, and Master System.

They are usually 500-1000 Wii Points.

It also comes with a game, Wii Sports. It lets you play five sports: Tennis, Baseball, Bowling, Golf, and Boxing. You use the Wii remote as a tennis racquet, baseball bat, bowling ball, golf club, and the Wii Remote and Nunchuk as boxing gloves. It lets you use Miis (below) as sports players competing in events. It's pretty fun.

There are also these Avatars you can make of yourself called Miis. They are mainly used as playable characters, ex. Guitar Hero World Tour, Wii Sports, save icons, ex. Super Mario Galaxy

Well, that's about all with the Wii that I have to talk about. Coming up next the final installment in the A Salute to Nintendo series, Other Miscellaneous Consoles that Nintendo Never Bothered to tell Anyone About!

See you again next time!