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I just purchased a Wii from the Nintendo store here in NYC as a secret present for my daughter as she is finishing summer school tomorrow and I wanted to congratulate her on a massive turn around in grades. I want to appear as all knowing as possible with this new fangled contraption so does anyone have advice in terms of games to get. I know there is not much of a selection but I am most interested in games that are fun, really show off the abilities of the Wiimote and are age suitable for a 10yo. Also any set up advice for the console in terms of things to watch out for, do's and don't's, etc would be much appreciated.

Raymond Raving Rabbits? Wii sports included in the box is also a good bet.

I would suggest Mario Party 8 and Big Brain Acadamy. These are family type games that will let you play along with her. Plus they are pretty fun.

1st. Fuck you for actually being able to find one.

2nd, games - Mario Party, Zelda, and Super Paper Mario seem to be the most obvious that would be suited for her age range and take advantage of the controller setup. Perhaps Trauma Center, although I'm not entirely sure how suitable that would be simply due to its nature.

My Wii had a horrible problem with dot crawl when using the cable that came with the Wii. In part, that's probably due to the monitor I'm using, but replacing the cable with a component cable helped. It also allowed me to run the Wii at 480p.

Oh, and grab a copy of Wii Play. It comes with an extra Wiimote, so you're really only paying $10 for it.

For sheer humor value and an easy way to show the uses of the Wiimote, pick up Wario Ware. Basically all Wiimote-themed minigames, like vaccuming a rug or stabbing a piece of cake. It's actually quite fun.

Ace Pace wrote:Raymond Raving Rabbits? Wii sports included in the box is also a good bet.

Raymond? LOL


Anyway, I'd second Rayman Raving Rabbids. It's not difficult, and it's hilarious. It's pretty much designed as a comedy game with insane retarded cartoony bunnies trying to take over the world. A ten year old would definitely enjoy.

Wario Ware is also a humorous game like Rayman.

Pick up Wii Play; the game is really, really short, but it includes a $40 Wii remote so you can play multiplayer, so it's worth it.

Most ten year olds enjoy Mario Party, but that depends on whether she intends to play multiplayer or not.


Excite Truck is the best to get if she likes racing, if she doesn't, forget it.

Does she like games like Zelda?

Beowulf wrote:My Wii had a horrible problem with dot crawl when using the cable that came with the Wii. In part, that's probably due to the monitor I'm using, but replacing the cable with a component cable helped. It also allowed me to run the Wii at 480p.

Using an LCD? Composite is ugly stuff if you have an LCD.

If the console's for a ten year old, high image quality is probably not going to be on top of her list of priorities though.

I'd second the suggestion for Rayman, the games are fun, varied, and very often hilarious.

Vendetta wrote:

Beowulf wrote:My Wii had a horrible problem with dot crawl when using the cable that came with the Wii. In part, that's probably due to the monitor I'm using, but replacing the cable with a component cable helped. It also allowed me to run the Wii at 480p.

Using an LCD? Composite is ugly stuff if you have an LCD.

Dell 2407WFP.

As I've never played a Zelda game I can only guess from what I've seen its a standard adventure type game in a fantasy setting. She liked Final Fantasy - by that I mean she liked watching me play it (VII and X) so if it has exciting cinematics and fights then she would probably like it especially if you get to wield the wiimote like a sword. She's not into anything like racing games but she LOVES first person shooters.

I can't believe I'm saying this in a Twilight Princess shirt, or at all for that matter, but I'm going to caution you about Twilight Princess.

Don't get me wrong: it's the best game for the system imho, but it's very dark for a Zelda, and has a Teen rating accordingly. I'm not going to say don't buy it, but just be advised.

If you want to do multiplayer, Wiiplay may not be a bad option since, as stated, it's only ten bucks over the cost of the included Wii Remote.

Warioware, Rayman Raving Rabbids, and Super Paper Mario are probably the best buys for the age you're talking about.

It may also be worth it, if you want to go over the top, to scoop up a Gamecube controller and memory card, since that broadens your options considerably. With a Wii Points card, you can dig into classic stuff like Super Mario 64, Zelda: Ocarina of Time. There are other games that don't need a Gamecube controller or Classic controller, such as Sonic 2 and Super Mario Brothers. There was also a Virtual Console (the Wii classic game download service) thread just posted, you may want a look.

The Gamecube option also opens up the entire Gamecube library to you, which includes Super Mario Sunshine, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (a very different game from the aforementioned Super Paper Mario,) Zelda: The Wind Waker, Pikmin 2, and others.

Also, dig into the Mii channel the minute the box is opened, it really personifies Wii Sports.

Stravo wrote:As I've never played a Zelda game I can only guess from what I've seen its a standard adventure type game in a fantasy setting. She liked Final Fantasy - by that I mean she liked watching me play it (VII and X) so if it has exciting cinematics and fights then she would probably like it especially if you get to wield the wiimote like a sword. She's not into anything like racing games but she LOVES first person shooters.

If she's an FPS junkie, then definitely invest in the Metroid Prime title when it's released. All the good stuff about FPS games with relatively minimal gore, so it should be fine for her age group. Zelda's also typically a bit more immersive with gameplay mechanics than Final Fantasy, which means you're doing a lot more than selecting commands from a drop down menu during a battle.

Also, remember that the Wii is backwards-compatible with the Gamecube. So I'll also suggest:

Super Mario Sunshine -- This was often blasted for not being a big leap above Super Mario 64, but that doesn't make the game any less fun.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker -- If you think Twilight Princess is too dark or mature (and even if you don't), you can't go wrong with this game. Beware that some do find the sailing long.

Tales of Symphonia -- A fun action-style RPG.

Skies of Arcadia Legends -- A good example of how sometimes fun is seperate from innovation. The story is cliched as hell, but is so fun, most people ignore it.

Warioware is probably the ultimate spaz game. You literally have five seconds to figure out what you need to do and do it. It's a great deal of fun, but if you and your daughter like to get involved with playing a game, I'd absolutely recommend Super Paper Mario or Zelda.

Also, you should set up the internet connection, grab the latest firmware update, and download all the extra channels (if they're still free). That way, when you give it to your daughter, she can leap right in to creating Miis and playing whatever games you decide to get (other than Wii Sports, of course).

Warioware is more addictive than crack. Also more fun.

Stravo wrote:As I've never played a Zelda game I can only guess from what I've seen its a standard adventure type game in a fantasy setting. She liked Final Fantasy - by that I mean she liked watching me play it (VII and X) so if it has exciting cinematics and fights then she would probably like it especially if you get to wield the wiimote like a sword. She's not into anything like racing games but she LOVES first person shooters.

Well that's sad for you...

Yeah, think Final Fantasy, but real-time, not turn-based. Combat is not especially difficult (I might have died once in the game in 40 hours of play) but it is fun and the puzzles can be mindbending.

Wario Ware
Super Paper Mario
Elebits
Rayman Raving Rabbids
Excite Truck

We just played for 4 hours straight breaking to eat and that's it. Amazing gaming experience. I was really surprised how sensitive and accurate those controls are. Although I suspect the Wiimotes may devour batteries. I'll have to stock up over the weekend.

I have to give a HUGE thumbs up to the Wii as an awesome console. The set up literally took minutes. Three plugs and you were done. Sensor bar was a breeze to set up and getting a hang of the Wiimotes took only a few tries. My daughter is already beating me at bowling and tennis but I'm soundly whooping her butt in golf. Really looking forward to many more gaming moments with this beauty. And let me add that it is SMALL. I have it tucked away in a small slot next to my TV. It is worth every penny I spent.

Now to see how it works with other games.

If you haven't gotten this, get it. Fuck PS3 and X360. This here will get even your parents playing with you.

Stravo wrote:
If you haven't gotten this, get it. Fuck PS3 and X360. This here will get even your parents playing with you.

Convince Nintendo to start producing an acceptable amount of the consoles so there won't be anymore shortages and I'll be getting one on payday.

Four hours? Stravo, your shoulder is going to be KILLING you tomorrow.

Stravo wrote:We just played for 4 hours straight breaking to eat and that's it. Amazing gaming experience. I was really surprised how sensitive and accurate those controls are. Although I suspect the Wiimotes may devour batteries. I'll have to stock up over the weekend.

I have to give a HUGE thumbs up to the Wii as an awesome console. The set up literally took minutes. Three plugs and you were done. Sensor bar was a breeze to set up and getting a hang of the Wiimotes took only a few tries. My daughter is already beating me at bowling and tennis but I'm soundly whooping her butt in golf. Really looking forward to many more gaming moments with this beauty. And let me add that it is SMALL. I have it tucked away in a small slot next to my TV. It is worth every penny I spent.

Now to see how it works with other games.

If you haven't gotten this, get it. Fuck PS3 and X360. This here will get even your parents playing with you.

Shit. I didn't get to suggest cooking Mama. That's a cool game for a 10 year old girl. My neighbor got it for his daughter and she's ga ga over it.

Praxis wrote:

Ace Pace wrote:Raymond Raving Rabbits? Wii sports included in the box is also a good bet.

Raymond? LOL

Uh...can I claim I was tired?

Stravo wrote:We just played for 4 hours straight breaking to eat and that's it. Amazing gaming experience. I was really surprised how sensitive and accurate those controls are. Although I suspect the Wiimotes may devour batteries. I'll have to stock up over the weekend.

I have to give a HUGE thumbs up to the Wii as an awesome console. The set up literally took minutes. Three plugs and you were done. Sensor bar was a breeze to set up and getting a hang of the Wiimotes took only a few tries. My daughter is already beating me at bowling and tennis but I'm soundly whooping her butt in golf. Really looking forward to many more gaming moments with this beauty. And let me add that it is SMALL. I have it tucked away in a small slot next to my TV. It is worth every penny I spent.

Now to see how it works with other games.

If you haven't gotten this, get it. Fuck PS3 and X360. This here will get even your parents playing with you.

I've only really played it semi-casually since getting it in November(although I did a complete play through of Twilight Princess and Resident Evil 4, and about half way through Super Paper Mario) and have only changed the batteries twice. I think Spanky and DPDP timed it and got 38+ hours out of the batteries that came with the controller. So no, batteries are not a huge issue.

On how it works with other games that seems to be relative. Some of the game producers have admitted they went in half assed on the ports. From what I've heard the controller works beatifully on every game it was made to work on. Only the ports seem to have control issues. And Resident Evil 4 seems to be a big exception on that front, and hopefully will be a trend setter for how to make a port to the Wii(they accually use the advantages of the controller to a point that it noticibly lessens the difficulty of the game).

One thing I noticed about the battery life:

I had some of my Wiimotes sitting idle in a drawer for a couple of months, and when I went to use them, the batteries in them were dead. So it's probably a good idea to take batteries out of the remotes if you're going to be leaving them alone for an extended period of time.

There's still Wii shortages in the states? Weird - no such shortages in Australia that I can find. I don't think the Aussie market is really that interested in the Wii, I suppose.