Official Wii/DS Q/A thread. FAQ in first post! Game reviews in second post!

[becca-becca]

We are having a dilemma as to which games to buy. My DS10 has talked my DD8 into asking for the WII from Santa. That and 1 game each is all they are getting for Christmas, with a few practical gifts from us. I am having a really hard time deciding. So far, we just have the basic WII system. We have not purchased anything else. We will get the WII play as part of the system, just to have the 2 remotes. However, from here I can't decide what to do. DD8 does not really play many games. She has played a little on SpongeBob on PS2. (How DS10 has talked her into this, I don't know). She thinks she wants Boogie, but I am afraid that will be a waste. I read a post where one of the original Raymon games would be good for a DD8, but what is the exact name of this game. What is DDR and is it a long lasting choice or one that will get old quickly? Any other suggestions?

As for DS10, his all time favorite game has been the Star Wars Legos games on PS2. He has both of them. Do you think the new game coming out will be good on WII? My DH wants to get Metroid for him, but I think DH really is the one that wants it. Would Zack and Wiki be a better choice for him or Mario Galaxy? As far as I know, he has never really played Mario games.

Also, both kids bought Nintendo DS with their birthday money, so if any games are better on DS, they can ask for those from some of their relatives ( I read that Zelda is better on DS than the WII version).

I was also looling at Carnival for myself and Big Brain Academy.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Gillian]

I asked my mom to pre-order Guitar Hero for my husband for Christmas and she didn't because she thought it was stupid and he wouldn't really want it. Why would I tell her to buy it for him (she asked) if he wouldn't want it? Well, there was the time I told her to get him Crocs as a birthday present. But after a few weeks he put them on and he loves them now.

Anyhow, now I have to track down GH myself. She's getting him an ipod instead.

 

[natenapril]

Call of Duty is the best war game. I would not suggest Guitar Hero since at least 2 out of the 3 kids are too young for it. (It is rated T for Teen due to lyrics and things, but I think it's too hard for anyone younger than 6 at the very least).
Get Wii play for a second wii-mote. Each person wanting to play needs a wii-mote when playing party games like Mario Party or Wii Sports.

Welcome to the thread!

Guitar Hero would probably be for my DH as well I looked for it yesterday but it is sold out in the palces I tried. I may order it from Target.

 

[harleyquinn]

I don't know if anyone can answer this question but I ordered a Wii off of Amazon today. It showed that it was in stock when I bought it. Now my confirmation shows a ship date of 11/13 which an arrival date 11/20-11/27.
What is the chance that I will actually get a Wii? I know that Amazon is notorious for selling out of stock items then canceling the order. I am afraid that I will stop looking for a Wii then end up without one come Christmas...

I'm sorry, I can't help, but there is a thread about this. It seems like a lot of people are in your shoes. I think you will eventually get it from Amazon, but I would keep looking and cancel with them if you can.

Happy Halloween Everyone! Happy Halloween Sarah!

Now, when do we get to see your costumes??

Um... My costume didn't work at all, so we went as barbarians. I'll post a pic if you want.

I've been thinking of getting Guitar Hero for my DS10 for Christmas. Do you have an opinion on whether it would be better to get it for the Wii or PS2. Target has a PS2 bundle on sale this week were you get two guitars with the game for $89.99 while the Wii is the same price with one guitar. DD almost 8 is really into guitars and wants to learn how to play one. I did get her the toy version of the Bratz Rock Angels plug n play guitar last year that she thought was pretty hard. Santa also brought her a pink guitar that she stums and sings to and just pretends she knows what she is doing. She has a blast making up songs.
I just wasn't sure what the difference on the GH was between the Wii version and PS2 version. I have primarily been getting new Wii games for him but he still loves his PS2. I wasn't sure if it was better to have 2 guitars if one might be too hard for the 8 year old. Of course, if I got this, I'd have to throw in '80's rock for some songs from my era!!!

No one can learn how to actually play a real guitar using GH or any of the other similar games. Actually, people who play the guitar say that they have a really hard time with GH, because it is nothing like a real guitar.
So if she wants to really learn, she needs a real guitar and lessons.

I would probably buy it for the PS2 for the second guitar if you can still get it. Most places are sold out.

Any through on the DWTS game and Guitar Hero? Thinking of getting both so should I get a dance mat or just reuse my DDR mat.

I haven't heard anything about the DWTS game, but I would buy the bundle that comes with the mat. It's usually only a little more expensive than just the game and then maybe you can have two players.

GH doesn't use a mat at all.

So is the system not like the typical other systems where you need a card to save game prograss, or is the memory built in??? So we can actually play evey game on there and not need the card, ,..... well that is kool to know, thanks for he info, maybe i will skip it as i doubt that they will be downloading anything, thier main draw is guitar hero...hehehe

Yep, the system has built in memory. It doesn't have a lot though, so eventually something will give. But it'll be a long while, so don't worry about it.

 

[harleyquinn]

We are having a dilemma as to which games to buy. My DS10 has talked my DD8 into asking for the WII from Santa. That and 1 game each is all they are getting for Christmas, with a few practical gifts from us. I am having a really hard time deciding. So far, we just have the basic WII system. We have not purchased anything else. We will get the WII play as part of the system, just to have the 2 remotes. However, from here I can't decide what to do. DD8 does not really play many games. She has played a little on SpongeBob on PS2. (How DS10 has talked her into this, I don't know). She thinks she wants Boogie, but I am afraid that will be a waste. I read a post where one of the original Raymon games would be good for a DD8, but what is the exact name of this game. What is DDR and is it a long lasting choice or one that will get old quickly? Any other suggestions?

As for DS10, his all time favorite game has been the Star Wars Legos games on PS2. He has both of them. Do you think the new game coming out will be good on WII? My DH wants to get Metroid for him, but I think DH really is the one that wants it. Would Zack and Wiki be a better choice for him or Mario Galaxy? As far as I know, he has never really played Mario games.

Also, both kids bought Nintendo DS with their birthday money, so if any games are better on DS, they can ask for those from some of their relatives ( I read that Zelda is better on DS than the WII version).

I was also looling at Carnival for myself and Big Brain Academy.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

The game is Rayman Raving Rabbids. It's really fun and not super in depth so she might like it.

I think Boogie is a waste. She might really like DDR, but she might not like it at all. Some kids will just play it and play it, but a lot will just let it sit.

In addition to Rayman, I think Super Mario Galaxy would be a good choice. Everyone needs their first big Mario game and your DS will love it too. It looks really amazing.

I'm not sure that someone who has already played the old Lego games would really want the new one. there is extra stuff and it will be different on the Wii, but I don't know if it's worth it.

Again I would definitely get Mario Galaxy #1. Metroid is rated T for Teen due to violence (it's really not that big of a deal to me, but a lot of parents care). Zack and Wiki is really fun though I foresee a lot of kids getting stuck on puzzles and giving up. Don't let them do this!! They can just use the 'cheat' and me to help them!

Zelda is completely different for each system. I suggest you get DH and DS Zelda for the Wii and get DD the one for the DS. Both games have enough save slots so they can all have their own games, you only need one cartridge.

Your DD will be more likely to take to her DS(it's statistically proven--girls are more likely to play the handhelds), which isn't a bad thing. She can play that while others play with the Wii. There are a TON of great girl games for the DS--Nintendogs, Animal Crossing, Super Princess Peach. I could go on and on.

So for their one game each:
1. Mario Galaxy for DD (and DS)
2. Star wars, Metroid or Zelda for DS

 

[CourtasanSatine]

Check, buy the extra mat for the DWTS game(Dancing with the Stars goes DDR)

Same thing for the GH bundles(for the extra guitar)? Anyone know which edition would be a good starting point?

 

[The_Horned_King]

I've been thinking of getting Guitar Hero for my DS10 for Christmas. Do you have an opinion on whether it would be better to get it for the Wii or PS2. Target has a PS2 bundle on sale this week were you get two guitars with the game for $89.99 while the Wii is the same price with one guitar. DD almost 8 is really into guitars and wants to learn how to play one. I did get her the toy version of the Bratz Rock Angels plug n play guitar last year that she thought was pretty hard. Santa also brought her a pink guitar that she stums and sings to and just pretends she knows what she is doing. She has a blast making up songs.
I just wasn't sure what the difference on the GH was between the Wii version and PS2 version. I have primarily been getting new Wii games for him but he still loves his PS2. I wasn't sure if it was better to have 2 guitars if one might be too hard for the 8 year old. Of course, if I got this, I'd have to throw in '80's rock for some songs from my era!!!

My Suggestion to this is the following....the ps2 version would allow you to have the second guitar and go back and play the old versions...however both guitars are wired.

The wii guitar is wireless, and after playign with both I would prefer that over teh wired version. Just my opinion though,

Check, buy the extra mat for the DWTS game(Dancing with the Stars goes DDR)

Same thing for the GH bundles(for the extra guitar)? Anyone know which edition would be a good starting point?

Not sure what you mean by edition?

 

[vmickey]

Thanks DisneyArk and harleyquinn! We may take a look at Lego Star Wars too. I think I can twist my DH's arm to get him to start playing Mario Party 8!

 

[donnajon]

Well, DS10 said tonight that he had seen his older cousin play Guitar Hero and he wasn't interested so I guess I'll save that $89. I did go to Target tonight and they had GHIII for Wii, XBox and PS2 so if anyone is still looking, check Target - they had a lot but they were on an endcap.
I probably would have gone with the Wii as it is wireless and they would have done better with that. That was the difference between the two that I was wondering about.
Thanks for both of your responses - and I figured DD wouldn't learn how to play guitar on them, just wasn't sure if she would be able to play the games. Doesn't matter now - I'll wait a few years and I'm sure they will want them.

By the way, Toys R Us has Meet The Robinsons and Pirates of the Carribean for the Wii on sale Friday 5p - closing and Saturday 8am until 1 (I think) for $19.99. A good deal if anyone needs them.

 

[harleyquinn]

Check, buy the extra mat for the DWTS game(Dancing with the Stars goes DDR)

Same thing for the GH bundles(for the extra guitar)? Anyone know which edition would be a good starting point?

Do you mean GHI, II or III by edition? Any of them are fine to start with, but until now there were no wireless guitars, which is honestly a huge factor (that I totally forgot about). I would go with the newest version since that is what everyone else is playing, but that's just me.

Thanks for both of your responses - and I figured DD wouldn't learn how to play guitar on them, just wasn't sure if she would be able to play the games. Doesn't matter now - I'll wait a few years and I'm sure they will want them.

By the way, Toys R Us has Meet The Robinsons and Pirates of the Carribean for the Wii on sale Friday 5p - closing and Saturday 8am until 1 (I think) for $19.99. A good deal if anyone needs them.

I didn't mean to imply that you were stupid or anything! MANY, many people think GH is just like the real thing and I just wanted to make sure you weren't one of them.

 

[fabfive]

Didn't I read somewhere that Pirates is a terrible game? I don't want to waste my $$ on something that the kids will loose interest in.

 

[harleyquinn]

Didn't I read somewhere that Pirates is a terrible game? I don't want to waste my $$ on something that the kids will loose interest in.

Actually, yep...I think both games are terrible. I almost said that, but, well...didn't.

Pirates is very unresponsive and kinda hard and Meet the Robinsons is just not all that great. Actually that's being nice.

But $20 isn't too bad unless your kid will only play it once. I think that's why renting games for kids first is such a good idea!

 

[harleyquinn]

Okay, Pirates got a 6.5 from IGN, you can read the review here:
http://wii.ign.com/articles/792/792126p1.html

Meet the Rodinsons got a 6.8:
http://wii.ign.com/articles/776/776312p1.html

Neither of those scores is actually terrible, so read their reviews instead of mine, since I haven't actually played either game!!

 

[amyhughes]

Hello all,

Thank you so much for starting this thread. I was completely lost on purchasing one of these for our family before someone pointed me in the right direction, so THANK YOU!

Any word on the lego Star Wars game and when it is due out for Wii. I think we are going to try and get a system for Christmas with GH, SWLego, and maybe one more game for all of us. Any suggestions would be great!

We are
Me (27 yo, loves Kingdom Hearts and Guitar Hero)
DH (Loved Assasin, God of War, and Guitar Hero)
DS#1 4.5 yo(Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, Spiderman)
DS#2 3.6 yo (Anything Disney like his Mom!)

Thanks In Advance!

 

[CourtasanSatine]

Any reviews on the DWTS game yet?

 

[Carolinagirl1063]

We got GH for the wii at TRU yesterday. They had plenty $89.99.

 

[dodukes]

Costco has the guitar heros for 79.99 ust to let everyone know.

 

[natenapril]

I bought GHIII yesterday at FYI for 79.99. Looks like they are in stock everywhere.

 

[harleyquinn]

Hello all,

Thank you so much for starting this thread. I was completely lost on purchasing one of these for our family before someone pointed me in the right direction, so THANK YOU!

Any word on the lego Star Wars game and when it is due out for Wii. I think we are going to try and get a system for Christmas with GH, SWLego, and maybe one more game for all of us. Any suggestions would be great!

We are
Me (27 yo, loves Kingdom Hearts and Guitar Hero)
DH (Loved Assasin, God of War, and Guitar Hero)
DS#1 4.5 yo(Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, Spiderman)
DS#2 3.6 yo (Anything Disney like his Mom!)

Thanks In Advance!

Lego Star Wars comes out TOMORROW!
I suggest if you're only going to pick up one game you go with a family game you can all play together like Mario Party 8. There's not too many games a 3 or 4 year old can do on their own. I definitely don't recommend Spiderman or Pirates for a almost 5 year old.

Now for mom and dad I suggest Mario Galaxy and Zelda for sure. I have a feeling your DH won't like much of anything on the Wii judging by his favorite games. Unless he is a big Nintendo fan too. There are very few games like GOW and Assassins Creed on the Wii. Especially those that aren't out on other systems with better graphics. I take it you have a PS2? Do you have an xbox? How big of a gamer is DH?

Any reviews on the DWTS game yet?

I haven't played it and probably never will. The best place to go for video game reviews is wii.ign.com

I bought GHIII yesterday at FYI for 79.99. Looks like they are in stock everywhere.

Yep, after that initial shortage, the game seems to be out there for all the systems.

 

[geetey]

I played a demo version of Mario Galaxy this weekend. VERY cool but the graphics were making my sister feel a little sick. It doesn't bother me when I am playing but I might not be able to watch much (I can't watch Mario Kart ). I am sure I looked pretty funny trying to turn my head so I could see upside down! This will definitely be under our tree for Christmas.

Zelda: Phantomhour glass for DS? from our family! VERY fun game. It is very reminiscent of the original Zelda but has such cool features, like being able to write on the maps! Love it!!