Wii Impressions

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One annoyance is the Wii friend code system. To enable messages to be sent between consoles both parties have to exchange their unique number, enter it and wait for verification. This effectively means that numbers have to be exchanged by phone or forums for most people, and there's no message saying when someone has entered your code and is awaiting you to enter theirs. It's clumsy and somewhat heavy-handed approach to internet security. Still once it's done it's done, and hopefully this won't restrict online gaming next year.

Nintendo have been heavily promoting the Virtual Console, and with good reason. Logging on it becomes clear that this will, in time, become a haven for older gamers who wish to play some classic games. Alarmingly, it takes upwards of 30 seconds to connect to the VC, however once in it seems to be an acceptable speed. Hopefully Nintendo can optimise this a bit. Navigating the shop is easy to use, and it's very much like iTunes. Choose a game, read a description, and download when ready. I had to add points using my credit card, and this was quick and painless. Downloaded VC games get their own Wii channel, and if you somehow fill your channels up, they can be transferred to SD card.

All in all my VC experience was solid, and Bomberman now sits on my Wii, allowing for up to 5 players using any combination of GameCube pads and Wii-motes. Two further internet channels are included; the news and forecast channel. These are currently inactive, with Nintendo presumably releasing them when the Opera browser comes out early in 2007.

Once you've finished messing around with the console's online functionality, its time to slot in your first disc. I'll briefly mention that the disc slot is a fantastic idea for a console - I've had one on my PC for a while now and they look and feel cooler, whilst not being as fragile. Discs slide in smooth and easy from any angle - even the smaller GameCube discs are swallowed up swiftly and efficiently no matter where you approach the slot from.

Wii Sports

As you're no doubt aware, Wii Sports is the pack-in title Nintendo has created to show off the controller's capabilities. But is it any good? Although the games are small, there's five of them, and each deserves a few words written about them.

Tennis
Very much the poster-boy of the Wii, tennis is instantly playable by anyone. Simply pick up the remote and swing as you would in reality and you're off. Anyone who plays this is instantly blown away just by how good it feels. Smacking a fore hand back just feels incredible, especially with the sounds coming out of the remote's speaker. Although you're restricted to doubles matches (either against the computer or friends), there's some depth as you learn how to place your shots and perform lobs. You'll need a big TV to get the most out of multi-player though, as the screen splits vertically to accommodate both parties.

Baseball
Holding the Wii-mote like a baseball bat feels natural and hitting a home-run is about as satisfying as it gets in gaming. Pitching is slightly less fun, but overall this is pretty entertaining when playing a friend. Unlike the other games in the collection, this has little depth though, and as such I found this the least played game in my house.

Bowling
Now bowling my friends is where everyone stands back and just goes 'wow.' It's unbelievable just how realistic this game feels. Playable by up to four with one Wii-mote, this quickly establishes itself as a multi-player classic, with rivalries formed, personal bests to beat, and mastery of spin all things keeping you coming back for more. The look of delight on someone's face when they bowl a strike is worth the price of admission alone. All in all this remains one of the highlights of the package.

Golf
I don't like golf, and I don't like golf games. I find the sport too slow when watching, and find games bogged down by controls. On the Wii though, I love it. After an initial period of caution, I fell in love with this game. By far the deepest of the pack, the controls are perfect, with everything from wind direction, gradient on the green and power on the ball all areas needed to be mastered. With nine holes, this is also by far the biggest game on Wii Sports. Another multi-player game playable by four using one Wii-mote, this is a gem at parties. There's a real blend skill and patience to this game, and it's something I can't get enough of.

Boxing
The only game of the bundle to use the Nunchuk, boxing is very much a love/hate affair. Initially seeming like a flailing arms game with little skill, as the difficulty ramps up it becomes apparent that winning requires some real training. Jabbing and weaving is tiring, but if you're into it, this is solid fun. Cracking a Mii in the face with a huge punch feels great, and the sounds made are particularly satisfying. I have one friend who can't stop playing this - scarily he's actually looking more and more menacing when he fights, so I don't foresee many arguments with him any time soon...

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