Texas Gamer - Are Wii having fun yet?

The lobby of Nokia Theatre in Grand Praire was set up with about 10 Wii kiosks as well as a few DS Lite set ups scattered around the floor. But, one game had people waiting in line for at least an hour or so to get some play time..ZELDA! But before you read on, I should note that although these games were pretty far along in development, none of them were finals.

ZELDA: Twilight Princess: This will be the console's killer app and will be a major contributor to Wii's flying off the shelf this holiday season. While the control scheme was simple it still felt awkward at first and after about 15 minutes of play, I was just beginning to come to terms with the Wiimote and Nunchuk controller. It's such a departure from the way we are used to playing games. That doesn't make it a bad thing, just different, and it will take some getting used to, but I loved every minute of it! Swinging your Wiimote up, down, side to side to hack and slash through enemies was a blast and casting your line into the water while winding up the slack with the Nunchuk to land the big one was a perfect example of the creativity and potential of this new control scheme.
We all know not to expect the Wii's graphics to compare to the 360 or PS3 at this point, but they were still sharp, vibrant and full of color while moving at a smooth consistent frame rate.

Wii Sports: This is actually where I had the most fun and this game is a pack in! From bowling to tennis to boxing the control was responsive, accurate and intuitive. The only problem I had was looking like an idiot while dancing around the ring. This is truly a pick up and play title for anyone though, even if you have never touched a video game console.

Excite Truck: Was a little dissapointed with this one. You use the Wiimote as a steering wheel with the obligatory buttons for turbo, gas etc. It's not that there was anything awful about the game, graphics or gameplay, but I am already spoiled by the amount of interactivity with the other titles. Simply tilting the controller didn't have the impact as the other unique control schemes.

Some surprises for me.The sensor bar was not as big and ugly as the pictures I have previously seen led me to believe. The Wiimote weighed less than I thought, it felt like it could use a little more heft to it. And, the console is a lot smaller in person.

Overall I was quite impressed with the system and it's potential and based on the response of the crowd I think they were too. The downside is that these next 30 days are going to move slower than ever! Let the Wiivolution begin!