Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Wii

What are your favorite two-player Virtual Console/WiiWare games?

coraline — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:47:28 -0800

[WiiFilter] What are your favorite two-player Virtual Console/WiiWare games? Looking to find some fun two-player games for me and my boyfriend to play. I haven't been in the Wii Store for a while and am a little overwhelmed by all of the choices.

Of VC/WiiWare multiplayer games, I currently have and enjoy Dr. Mario, Bomberman '93, Bubble Bobble and Super Smash Bros - this also gives you an idea of what kind of games I like. (Also really love Mario Kart Wii, but of course that is not in this category). My boyfriend also likes shooter and strategy games, and I would also love some larger adventure type games which are fun to play together, so I guess it's all over the place. But since the Wii Shop games are so cheap, I'm open to trying out almost any game which has a great two-player mode.

Not VC/WW, but Wii-related question: I'm thinking about buying one of the Boom Blox games, but should I go for the original one or Boom Blox Smash Party?

Wii worth it?

vronsky — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:51:36 -0800

The new Super Mario game has made me want a Wii. I've played some of the sports games with my nephews and the motion aspect gets old quick for me. So my question is, are there any games that are just button mashers that I might enjoy? Does it even make sense to get one if I really only want to play old school type games on it? (I thought Super Mario Galaxy was boring for example).

Wii group games?

Anonymous — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 14:40:18 -0800

Buying a Wii game for my parents. They have the sports and resort games, I'd like it to be something that multiple people can play, ideally at a party, as that's when they use it the most. Great group Wii games?

Oui Wii ?

fantasticninety — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 09:45:38 -0800

Is there a version of the video game American Idol with French songs? I was singing on the Wii with American Idol last night and was wondering if there was a French version of this game (or an equivalent where you sing French songs with the notes and you earn points singing them correctly).

This would be for the Wii.

Christmas Karaoke for the Wii!

TurquoiseZebra — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:45:29 -0800

Looking for a karaoke game for the Wii, or barring that, a Karaoke machine. Basically we want to mix things up at the family Christmas gathering this year and do some Karaoke. But! We just want to do Christmas music. We've got the Wii so that's why I thought it would be a good idea to use the Wii if there's a game that has Christmas music. Or perhaps it's possible to use the Wii as a Karaoke machine? Not sure about that.

Or I'd like recommendations for an inexpensive Karaoke machine. Looking to spend as little as possible as this will probably be used this one time and not again.

I hope I've explained this and been clear enough. Thanks in advance for your help!

Best video game blogs?

kmz — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:59:35 -0800

What are the best video game blogs out there today? We've had a Wii for a while, so I'd been reading Joystiq's Nintendo subfeed. We just got a 360, so I'm switching to their whole feed, and also thinking about Kotaku. Outside of those two, what are the best news/review type gaming feeds to read?

Video game suggestions for a preschooler who loves Braid

nanojath — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:16:09 -0800

Beautiful, open world platformers for the pre-school set? Does such a thing exist? Also open to general video game recommendations for the 5-7 age range. My 5 year old son spotted me playing Braid and was immediately drawn into the world of this game. He has a budget of "screen time" with various elements of reward and negotiation but I like him to have a decent amount of control over how he spends that time as long as he stays within our set boundaries of content. He's wanted to play Braid a lot but he's pretty much wrung all the pleasure he can out of it.

The thing is, what he seems to like best about Braid is the art, exploring the worlds, and the characters that pop up. Though he took to the platformer mechanics very naturally, he can't negotiate difficult jumps and such, too much enemy danger frustrates him, and of course the time manipulation puzzles are beyond him. Since the focus in Braid is the puzzles rather than the worlds themselves there is not much to explore: the worlds are pretty small and brief.

It made me wish there could be a more open-world sort of platformer game that was focused on exploration and discovery rather than stomping enemies and making tricky jumps. Natural as this sounds to me it seems to be a tall order of the game design world but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask.

I'm generally finding it tough to find good games for him at this age. He is becoming bored with the super-simple point and click and scroller fodder we've found at websites like PBS Kids or for his increasingly dust-gathering Leapster 2 handheld. Too-high difficulty curves and too violent content are my main problems with the next level up. I don't mind a game requiring my assistance (reading, explaining, helping on difficult moments) but he gets satisfaction out of self-motivated success and when the game is too difficult, confusing or text heavy it tends to end up with him sitting in my lap watching me play. I'd really like things with a fair bit of content that aren't so crush-enemies or get-to-the-end-goal-oriented.

In addition to the Leapster 2 (which I've been kind of underwhelmed by the software for, which tends to combine too-easy and somewhat buggy games with too-advanced and pasted-on-feeling educational content) we have a newer iMac, a Wii and a Nintendo DS (which I plan to give him when I upgrade to the DSi by and by). I don't want to buy any more platforms or computers. Suggestions of good games for the younger player on these platforms are welcome.

Wii games for all ages

sonofslim — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:24:47 -0800

I'm thinking about buying a Wii for my family this xmas. What are some titles that my parents (mid 50s) might enjoy playing with my niece and nephew (ages 3 and 5)?

Wii might get a Wii.

BlahLaLa — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:46:06 -0800

What do I need to know, nowadays, about buying a Wii? I've seen several other threads on this topic, including this one, but it's almost six months old, and I know these things can change rapidly.

I pretty much hate video games, but my 6.5-year-old son and 50-something husband both love them. Son wants a Wii, a DS, and a Playstation, but that's never gonna happen. I'm thinking the Wii, since it doesn't leave him hunched over just focused on his own thing (DS) or staring at a TV screen moving only his thumbs (Playstation). (Forgive me if I'm being too mean about video games. I just don't get 'em.)

So Santa may be bringing a Wii this holiday. What do I need to know about buying one now? What accessories are must-haves? Are there different console versions? Game suggestions? Do I need to worry about game ratings for the Wii - - any games that are too adult for a kid, or are they all kid-centric?

We're a slightly luddite family -- no cable, no satellite -- but someone did gift us a fancy big TV. I'm thinking that's all you need to hook it to, right?

Please advise this slightly surly, anti-gaming Mama.

i am fat and happy, and want to be less fat and more happy

radiosilents — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:58:01 -0800

lazy slacker who dislikes people wants to start home fitness routine. the wii and some "move your butt" titles are less money than, say, a nordic track, but... what's the best return on investment in in-home fitness equipment for the money?

i understand that motivation is the primary concern, and i think that not having to sweat in front of other people will resolve my lack of drive.

i'm not terribly overweight or terribly unfit, but i'm not exactly running marathons, either. i'm looking for an entry-level experience that will possibly inspire me to want to pursue further avenues.

a wii + some fitness titles w/ a balance board will run somewhere around the $350 range. the excercise equipment i've been looking at online (treadmills, recumbent bikes, the aforementioned nordic track) seems to start around $700 and go up rapidly from there. i also know that a step, some freeweights, and one of those giant ab balls would give me all the workout i need, too, if i knew how to properly use them all, but i'm also not sure rolling around with a giant ball is quite where i'm at yet (though i admit it looks intriguing).

what do you have in your house? how happy with the results have you been? how much did it cost? how long have you been using it?

i'm also interested in people who have integrated the wii into their fitness routines, and what impact they think it's had on their overall fitness. i've googled quite a bit and seen some of the opinions out there, but i'm always interested in what the hivemind thinks.

i see an awful lot of friends with expensive equipment that they use as a coat rack or "place to stack things". i'd like to avoid that, so i suppose a followup question would be what equipment would you NOT recommend? what failed you, let you down, didn't work as advertised?

Why won't my Rock Band guitar sync for the Wii?

tumbleweedjack — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:34:48 -0800

On Rock Band: Beatles Edition for the Wii, my guitar keeps losing its sync to the USB dongle. It'll sync, and then a short while later, it'll lose the connection and the USB dongle will start flashing its light. It doesn't seem to make a difference how close I stand, it keeps losing the connection! Is this a manufacturing issue or something else?

Yahoo! Mail on Wii + USB keyboard = what gives?

FarOutFreak — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:56:39 -0800

Anybody out there checking and writing e-mail on the Wii Internet Channel with a USB keyboard? Is anyone out there successfully using the Wii to open Yahoo! Mail (or any other web mail client, for that matter) and using a USB keyboard to write e-mail?

I just recently updated my firmware and the Wii Internet Channel to make use of USB keyboard support, and I was able to log on to Yahoo! Mail by clicking with the Wiimote and using the keyboard to logon. But when I tried to test typing up an actual e-mail on the form, clicking the Wiimote on the form area and pressing A wouldn't enable me to start typing using the keyboard. Clicking on fields for username and password would bring up the keyboard interface on the Wii, but as for clicking on the post area, I can't see anything that indicates that I can start typing away, and after pressing on a few letters, nothing did register onscreen.

I couldn't see any settings as far as what could enable me to start typing on the mail form, so if anyone is able to do this, please enlighten me on what your setup is, and if I'm missing anything in particular as to how this might be done.

Can we wii together?

pearlybob — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 07:47:56 -0800

What is the easiest way to set up a multiplayer game "room" for a group of kids who all have Wii's? My homeschool co-op is trying to set up a way for the kids to have a "game night" and be able to play video games together, from their own homes. Most of the kids have wii systems and from the research that I've done, the wii doesn't do this as easily as the xbox. We would like to be able for the kids to all sign into a private room (or some equally secure equivalent) and play together. Does the wii have places to do this without every child having to buy the same game? Privacy and security is the first priority, then cost. I'm sorry that my question is kind of broad but I don't know much about what the wii system can do and my research is just getting me more confused. Figured I would throw out my end goal and see if the hive can help me get there. Thanks!

How can I strip a USB cable?

pwnguin — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 14:24:57 -0800

How can I strip a USB cable? I'm cooking up some IR LEDs powered by USB, but I'm having a hell of a time with getting the power and ground cables stripped. I'm using the smallest hole on the tool (20 gage?), and I'm not sure if it's too small or too big -- it cuts into the insulation but takes a lot of effort to pull free, and the wires come with it.

Anyone have tips for getting this done? Better technique or a custom electronics tool?

wii tv?

scruss — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 05:23:15 -0800

Television recommendation just for running a Wii? We don't have a television, but recently got smitten with playing Wii games. I've never bought a television before, so what am I needing? Not looking for something huge or expensive.

(Through reading comments, looks like trying to get my nice but surplus-to-requirements Viewsonic VGA/DVI widescreen monitor would be a lot of work and ultimately rather unsatisfactory. Would that be right?)

Decode this morse code for me?

Mwongozi — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:36:44 -0800

Calling radio geeks! Can you decode this morse code for me? It's from the new game Wii Sports Resort, and I'm sure it's an Easter Egg. In the Island Flyover mode, whenever you fly near the lighthouse (accidentally constructed at twice the normal size, don't you know), you get this recording played to you with no explanation.

I've used some gentle noise reduction to make the engine noise quieter.

3rd Party HD cables -- did wii make a mistake?

AlbatrossJones — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 17:52:02 -0800

[Wii_Filter] Does it matter of HD component cables are first-party vs. third-party? I've hooked up my Wii to my 40 inch Sharp, and while I know the Wii isn't going to make any stunning graphical leaps with a change of cables, is it possible that using Nintendo's "official" component cable would produce a higher-quality picture? And before I hear a lot of hate from Xboxers/PS3ers, yes, I know that hooking your Wii up via HD cables is not a "game-changer." But I know there's some improvement -- I'm just trying to gauge if I made a mistake by going 3rd party ($$$ saving).

Wii Games for the one-handed?

donut — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:25:13 -0800

Wii Games for the one-handed: I broke my wrist last friday and now I have plenty of free time. Can anyone recommend some good games for the wii which don't involve very much movement and can be controlled only by the wiimote (and don't need the nunchuk)? Thanks. :)

Wii warfare goes Pop!

freya_lamb — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 06:54:39 -0800

Despite being a very gentle soul my dad loves Vietnam films and I'd like to get him a first-person shooter game and gun to use with his Wii. I know next to nothing about Wii, accessories or combat-genre games so help would be appreciated! I've seen Call of Duty and a couple of others but I'm not sure if they'll be apt. He's 62, longsighted and not keen on Reading The Manual so finickety campaigns, complicated weapons or games with steep learning curves are pretty much out, unless they can start slow. Mission options should revolve around 'Kill baddies' or 'Rescue prisoner' type stuff with very basic strategy. Team activities are good too.

Other caveats:

* He's not keen on Zombies/fantasy/horror
* Modern combat in exotic locations preferable to WW1 & 2
* Simple narrative in realistic settings(e.g. not futuristic/space)
* The game needs to work with a WII remote gun accessory
* Options for multiplayer with older grandkids

So, is there something out there that will appeal? Any recommendations gratefully received!

Guitar Hero 3 (Wii) filter: Can't defend Lou's whammy attack!

VeniceGlass — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:22:12 -0800

Guitar Hero 3 (Wii) filter: Can't defend Lou's whammy attack! Can't believe I need to post this, but Lou is killing me on Easy level. Moving the whammy bar doesn't seem to do anything at all to defend the whammy attack and the meter just drains down no matter what I do - am I missing something?

What's the best game system for Rock Band?

Space Kitty — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 22:15:02 -0800

The Beatles: Rock Band - help! So after reading this thread, I realize I must have this game. I want to pre-order ASAP so I don't end up waiting forever or paying a premium because it's completely sold out. The problem?

I've finally got to decide which game system to go with: Wii, X-Box, or Playstation. I swear I'm not trying to start a PC/Mac flame war - but I don't know the relative strengths/weaknesses of the systems, or even what qualities will be important to me. I trust the collective intelligence here - how do I pick?

Obviously, I'm not a gamer, but I've enjoyed Rock Band, Katamari Damaci and DDR in the past. I've had a great time playing the Wii but don't know how well Rock Band translates to that system. Your experiences, shopping regrets/triumphs, anything you wish you'd thought of sooner all welcome here.

Thanks!

never meaning no harm

Antidisestablishmentarianist — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:34:43 -0800

What is the best auto racing simulation? I currently have no gaming equipment. After reading this comment, I decided to hone my driving skills with a simulator. Thing is, I have no equipment other than a mac laptop. In a way this is a bonus because I am not tied into any particular solution.

What I want: the most realistic competitive driving experience I can get. I don't care if I need a PC, a PSx, a Wii or ?? The only real reason I would really buy a gaming system, or a PC, would be for this. A great selection of real tracks would also be excellent, I plan to drive competitively on some midwestern circuits, and the preparation would be very helpful. Autocross and rally or rallycross tracks would be nice.

I plan to buy a specialized seat, a force feedback wheel, and a big TV.

So, what is the best driving simulator not taking tracks into account, and what is the best one if you want a wide array of real tracks? Availability of an online gaming experience would be an appreciated extra.

thanks in advance for what I know will be good advice.

Help out a Wii newbie.

bluedaisy — Sat, 30 May 2009 02:43:48 -0800

We're getting a Wii! Help me figure out all the parts and pieces to buy for my husband, sons, and me. We live overseas and will be back in the US this summer. I want to get a Wii and enough games and accessories to entertain us for a year, to avoid any regional issues with buying games overseas.

I'm hoping to find games we'll enjoy as a family and, for the adults, individually.

My boys are 4 and 6 years old. I'm more interested in games we can all enjoy and won't be too difficult for my 4 year old, rather than games they'd play on their own. What games are best for us to play as a family? Will my 4 year old be able to do the sports games? And what stuff do I need to go with those games? (Bonus points if the games involve super heroes.)

My husband likes computer-based strategy games like Civilization and Baldur's Gate (and we have a Mac now so his options have been limited). Are there any Wii games he'd like?

I think I'd like the Wii Fit for me.

What other advice and recommendations do you have for us? Thanks.

By the way, I did see this thread and this thread and this thread.

Cubello strategy?

Matt Arnold — Tue, 26 May 2009 19:33:38 -0800

Tips for Nintendo Wii Ware's Cubello? When it comes to strategy guides for Art Style: Cubello, the web has failed me for the first time.

Is Bonus Time truly random, or can you influence it by clearing larger clumps of blocks? Do the slot machine symbols give me any information I can use?

How do you avoid getting stuck with a color that is only on the other side of the Cubello? Rather than to add a block you can't match and will have to clear, is it wiser to wait and let the Cubello hit you, to get rid of the block?

In the endgame, is it better to clear any set of four that you can (ignoring a lone outlier of the same color)? Or instead set up to try to clear 100% of a color's remaining blocks in one hit?

Hello Cleveland! Are you ready to rock? And by rock, I mean click really loudly.

Rock Steady — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:41:14 -0800

A couple of Guitar Hero: World Tour (Wii) instrument silencing questions. Now that I live in an apartment and my video gaming set-up shares a wall with my daughter's bedroom, I need a way to not wake her up and keep my neighbors happy while I continue to rock out (for certain values of the word "rock"). To wit:

1. I have seen numerous drum pad silencers for the Rock Band drum set, but none for the GH:WT drum set. Does anyone know of any, or will the Rock Band silencers work on my drums (I realize they won't do any good on the "cymbals")?

2. Can I somehow disable the click that the strum bar on the standard GH:WT guitar makes? I am willing to take the thing apart, if I must, but I'd like some detailed instructions if I am going to do that.