Wiik At The Knees?

It's almost two weeks since the Nintendo Wii finally launched throughout Europe and, while marking the console's complete arrival across the world's major regions, unit sales for the strangely elegant piece of hardware are fast approaching 1.5 million. And that number is all-the more impressive because the Wii has not yet been on retail release for a solid month (it was America's launch taking place on 19 November).

Yet, while there's certainly no denying the initial attraction of Nintendo's machine given the company's ever-faithful fan base, the Wii's 'cheapest next-gen console' label, its availability, and its undeniable non-gamer curiosity factor, does the Wii actually deliver on Nintendo's far-reaching promises? Does it indeed "...change the way you play", and will its long-term performance transcend any easily overlooked sensation of seasonal novelty value and gaming gimmickry?

Rivals and open detractors have thus far labelled the Wii as little more than a 'child's toy', a kiddie entrant into a wildly competitive marketplace that boasts Blu-ray and HD-DVD entertainment hubs for the living room, not just cutting-edge videogames. But to do so is to perhaps to forget the very foundations of gaming. Yes, the Nintendo Wii is a pure gaming machine, and therefore its appeal (and markedly more accessible price point) is geared more overtly towards not just the young, but also pennywise/non-informed parents and those who don't necessarily care for groundbreaking digital video formats. And why is it being deemed as a fault for the Wii to NOT embrace anything more central than the gaming that we all love so much? Let's not forget that the PlayStation 2 and Xbox were games machines first, and DVD players second; therefore, by rights, they were (and still are) 'child's toys'. Yet Sony, and to a lesser degree Microsoft, seem intent on belittling the Wii for not being a muscle-bound machine that exists as a wide-ranging media hub in tandem with its gaming attributes.

The simple fact of the matter is that while there are three hardware manufacturers offering videogame consoles to the masses, for the very first time there are now two categories of hardware to choose from: the pure explosive power and breathtaking aesthetic draw of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 - both, on evidence, occupying the same performance plateau - and then there's the woefully underpowered Nintendo Wii. Before examining the Wii more closely, let me first be very clear on the fact that the Wii is clearly NOT a next-gen machine in terms of 'obvious' power; the graphics provided by its Hollywood chip arrive as only a slight improvement over the premium visuals offered up during the lifetime of the GameCube. Some will doubtlessly see this as a failure to deliver on Nintendo's part, but that's an argument and an opinion that will differ from gamer to gamer, and will certainly be open to argument based upon what they (namely you and I) want from their individual gaming experiences.

The Nintendo Wii entered my gaming life on Europe's launch day (08 December), following some hasty driving into town to pick up one of only four pre-ordered units available in the dedicated game store. It should also be noted that two unlucky souls loitering at the counter - actively harassing the poor store clerk for units that simply did not exist - flanked my hasty retreat to the car park and showered me with exorbitant offers of cash when they saw the Wii Sports Pack clutched to my chest. Armed with a steely resolve against offers equating to more than double the retail price, along with a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and Red Steel, I bid the tearful unfortunates farewell and headed for home - and the gaming unknown.

If there was ever a packaging design that functioned like a William Morris window into the quality of what lies within, it's that belonging to the Nintendo Wii. Rather than the standard protective polystyrene bookends and separate peripherals section, the Wii and its handy stand, Wii Remote, Nunchuk, sensor bar, Wii Sports DVD case, and manuals are housed superbly (yes, superbly) in two draw compartments that slide free of the package casing. Obviously, the Wii's packaging has absolutely no bearing on the worth of the console proper, but it's worth mentioning simply because it complements the overall design of the complete system - which is something rarely seen in a 'child's toy'.

The most startling physical aspect of the Wii is its size. It's tiny. It's been reported many, many times prior to the Wii's retail emergence that it's approximately the length of a single DVD case, and about the thickness of three. Yet, when placed on its stand, the Wii is actually a little bigger than that, but it's still amazingly compact, and certainly much smaller than any other launch videogame console you'll have ever seen. Also, considering it's essentially little more than the size and shape of an in-car CD system, the Wii is surprisingly stylish and robust, and certainly much more attractive than the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. The same can also be said for the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, which are both unusually lightweight, yet oddly comfortable considering they're such a departure from the standard-issue game-pad controller. Connecting and calibrating the unassuming sensor bar is as easy as plugging it in to the rear of the Wii and centralising it either above or below the TV...and then you're pretty much ready to go.

But before we do 'get going', let me first appease any curious hardware geeks in the audience by opening up the Wii's subtly hidden compartments and exposing the compatibility and functions they duly provide. Outside of the two uncovered USB 2.0 ports on the rear of the machine - for access to WiiConnect24/Wii Shop - - there are three little snazzy flap compartments. The first of these is located on the face of the Wii and houses the SD Memory Card port (also for miniSD and microSD cards when used with their respective adapters), and also a controller synch button - the Wii Remote has a second and both must be pressed simultaneously when synching additional controllers. The other two compartments are located atop of the Wii and contain four GameCube controller ports, and two GameCube Memory Card ports for when players wish to dip into their GameCube library via the Wii's total backward compatibility feature.

Everything about the Wii is intrinsically simple and instantly accessible. The fact that users must always point and direct their Wii Remote (Wiimote) at the screen to navigate all of the hardware's functions means that its onscreen menu buttons are pleasingly huge (and certainly difficult to miss). The system's main screen offers up several different 'Channels', which include the Disc Channel, that displays inserted game details and is the gateway to gameplay; then there's the Mii Channel, where users can create countless personal avatars to be used in games such as Wii Sports. The Photo Channel can be used for the importing and tweaking of personal snapshots and video files; the recently activated Weather Channel offers up global online forecasts (why?); and finally there's the Wii Shop Channel, where users can redeem purchased Wii Points in exchange for various Nintendo goodies including classic game downloads to be played on the Wii's Virtual Console.

But now, beyond the unusual aesthetic elegance of this odd little box, let's cast a keen eye of appraisal over its integral performance, and the much lauded, much scrutinised, and much discussed Wii Remote and Nunchuk control system. In short, gameplay performance in titles such as Wii Sports and Red Steel is initially extremely unsettling because use of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk is so prevalent. But, much like any new physical mechanic, control soon becomes fairly second nature with the application of patience. The sporting disciplines in Wii Sports provide a well-balanced introduction to the (as yet) untapped promise of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk system; and I say 'promise' because the human movement-to-onscreen avatar interpretation is not always precise and consistent. The game occasionally relies mightily on players forgiving its inaccuracies by allowing the exertion and interaction to wash over them like a glitch veil. And this is often an allowance happily granted thanks to the sheer fun factor delivered by spinning bowling balls around lane barriers, pounding a punch bag against the clock, and returning a never ending stream of tennis balls - all events in Wii Sports' training mode, which is markedly more fulfilling and a much better workout than its somewhat hollow main games.

Wii Sports' in-game avatar control is conveniently handled by the hardware's A.I., leaving only looping well timed arm swings and frantically jabbed punches as the player's sole contribution; yet the game still emerges as the perfect accompaniment to the innovative and ambitious control system - and Nintendo scores highly for bundling it with the Wii to help gamers gently acclimatise. However, games like Red Steel and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - quote-unquote 'real games' - push player adaptability significantly further, and it's here where Nintendo's hopes of attracting more 'non-gamers' may ultimately fall flat. Seasoned gamers (and I count myself as one) will struggle with Red Steel's player movement, whereupon the Wii Remote is used to physically 'look around and aim' while the Nunchuk's single analogue stick provides line-of-sight movement.

However, it's not the tricky movement that forms the possible problem where genuine mass appeal is concerned - it's the button integration. You see, the majority of non-gamers don't shy away from the games themselves, they shy away from the complexity of button-heavy controllers, and though the Wii Remote and Nunchuk both remove certain instances of physical button presses through their actual movements, there are still five face buttons and a low trigger on the Wii Remote, and two front buttons and a top analogue stick to contend with on the Nunchuk. And, after putting the controls through their paces on Red Steel and Twilight Princess, I'm led to believe that Nintendo is only going to win new consumers through the simplicity of games such as Wii Sports, Rayman Raving Rabbids, Wario Ware: Smooth Moves, Elebits, and Mario Party 8. Almost any and all forthcoming action and FPS titles are still likely to deter those beyond hardened gamers when and if the Wii's novelty value finally wears off.

That's not to say the Wii Remote and Nunchuk don't introduce an addictive and intriguing element to modern gaming, because they do. In fact, they effortlessly redefine it, and, in some respects, it would be an absolute travesty if Nintendo's Wii didn't end up being written into the gaming history books as a creation as important and as influential as the PlayStation because of the completely new experience it provides. Hacking and slashing with the Wii Remote and performing Link's special moves in the beautifully crafted Twilight Princess is never anything less than fabulous. Mowing down wave after wave of Japanese gang members while holding an Uzi (and the Wii Remote) in a side-on Tarantino-style stance is typically ego-boosting in Red Steel. And actually feeling beads of hard-earned sweat running down the centre of your back in Wii Sports is something not often felt by the ever-widening girths of most couch-bound gamers these days.

The Nintendo Wii is unique, and it is without doubt a fine example of a pure games machine, and a fantastic and groundbreaking invention is its own right. Pure gaming is where its considerable strengths lie as of this moment, and that's where they will lie in the future - even though it does offer a similar download function as seen in the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and there are rumours of a DVD-equipped Wii arriving some time during 2007. However, the future path-and final destination-of the Nintendo Wii is entirely dependent on what Nintendo and its third-party games publishers produce now that the launch buzz is slowly subsiding, and how well they accommodate the non-gamer demographic the Wii is supposedly geared toward. As things stand, the Wii has made a huge (seasonal) impact, but its execution must be tightened, its attributes and ambitions must evolve, and its potential must by maximised in order to help the Wii carve its rightful place in the pantheon of hardware legends. To be frank, anything less would be a tragic waste of opportunity, and don't for one moment assume that the Wii's hugely successful launch and the PlayStation 3's current lack of retail units means that Sony's hardware behemoth won't soon be on the blood-soaked warpath to mercilessly wipe the floor with both Nintendo and Microsoft. But, regardless of Sony's monumental market presence, the future is there for Nintendo to grasp, to form, and to shape...and it simply cannot afford to let such a priceless opportunity slip beneath the ominous shadow of next-gen consumer apathy and the advances of unfulfilling processing power.