::space:.TUNA:..

This year, Nintendo has amazed fans and critics alike with it’s revolutionary new console, the Wii. The Wii sports an innovative new controller design called a wiimote, which looks like a remote control. Wii games use the control in different ways, it can be used as a virtual sword, tennis racket, fishing rod; it’s possibilities are literally limited to game developers’ imaginations.

Nintendo has taken a huge risk with the Wii by completely avoiding competition with other video game console makers, Sony (makers of the PS3) and Microsoft (Xbox360). Their aim seems to be to widen the market by making games that are more fun to play in groups and parties, and to revolutionize the controller to appeal to audiences that aren’t comfortable learning complicated controllers. Although this may seem like a risk, it is actually quite ingenious. It pretty much looks they will be able to dominate sales on everything outside of the male aged 18-30 group (quite a big group).

As a reviewer of the Wii, I made absolute certain to understand as much as I could about this much-hyped system. However, the truth is, I never played a Wii, or have even seen one in person. Originally, I intended to wait outside of Fred Meyer in Corvallis with Mr. Spacetuna himself to get my hands on one, but a couple of problems prevented this from happening.

1. There were a lot of over-excited smelly video game nerds waiting in line.
2. It was really cold out there.
3. I don’t have a TV so even if I got one, I wouldn’t be able to play it.
4. While waiting in line, I got a call about a party back up in the Portland area.

Since no review would be complete without expressing the experience of playing, I will now make up some things about playing the Wii.

As soon as I plugged in my Wii I felt a strange presence overcome me, as if my very soul had begun a new level. The walls around me had turned into a eerily uniform brick pattern. I felt the urge to punch them with my bare hands, and as I did, mushrooms and coins started sprouting from them. Suddenly, a giant pirhana plant sprouted from the Wii! Without being able to control myself, I hurled the wiimote and it turned into a blazing fireball. Upon being hit by the firey wiimote ball, the plant turned into a floating sign which said, “200.”