What Do You Think of the Wii?

Santa brought wii last year. It is a big hit. Not only do my kids and husband play...so do i on the occasion :) It is absolutely worth the money in my opinion. I am also thinking about getting wii fit for myself. There is so many options for the whole family from preschool games to adult. You will not regret it :)

I like the wii the best. my 2 year old loves to play baseball on it and it keeps them active also. No just sitting in one place holding a controller. Most of the games you have to get up and move so it keeps them somewhat active. And it is fun for adults too. My husband and I have competitions all the time.

Truthfully, the Lego video games are much better on X Box. We have both Wii and Xbox and after the initial fun of the Wii wore off the boys pretty much only play the XBOX. Actually all the games they like run better on XBOX: LEgo Star WArs/Batman/Indy Jones, Guitar Hero, NHL 10, MAdden FB. IMO the Wii is more fun for adults. I HATE video games but had a lot of fun when we first got Wii playing tennis and snowboarding and such. You could also look into getting him a DS which will play all the LEGO games.

I haven't owned a game system since Atari 20+ years ago so I can't give you a comparison, but I can tell you our family loves Wii! In my opinion it is versatile. You can play traditional arcade type games and also games that get you up off the couch and moving. Right now our favorite games are Wii sports (especially bowling and boxing), Carnival games (ring tosses, skee ball, shooting galleries, etc) and Wii Fit (exercise and balance games). My nieces like the dance games. There are also brain games that are fun. My kids are 4 and 5 and we have had Wii for more than a year. It was difficult for them at first, but they are much better at playing the games and learning new ones. I especially appreciate this game system during the long cold winter when we don't get outside much. It helps them expend their energy and I can get in some workout time without have to leave the cozy, warm house. For as much as we use it and for the many reasons we use it, I feel it was worth the money.

I am not a huge fan of video games, but my older kids have had them. I am a huge fan of buying games that absolutely age appropriate for them. If they're not 13 or older, they do not get teen games, and then I still monitor what games they are. Unless they're 18, they don't get "mature" games. So do what the age suggestion and if you're not sure, look up some info and demos on games to get more info on them.

With that said, we got our now 14 year old a Wii last year for Christmas. He already had a 360 and a Dreamcast. Our 22 year old son had game systems as well, varying. The Wii is our favorite by far. The games are generally all the same for all systems, but the Wii will keep the child moving. Many times our son will be standing when he plays the games, not lounging in his rocking game chair. Find games that take some more movement. Bowling is fun for the entire family, believe it or not! You'll get hooked on the Wii because it's not traditional where you're just moving your fingers around. When you bowl, you will be making bowling movements! Same with any of the sports games like baseball. It's worth the investment and they knocked the price down again for the Christmas season.

Do put time limits on the playing time. Use it as a reward for a good day and don't be afraid to take it away as a punishment for a bad day. Video games are a privilege, not a right. And don't let what other parents allow their children to do and play dictate what you do with your children. If you hear that your son's friend who is 7 or 8 is allowed to play Teen games, make sure their parents know that your child is NOT allowed to play them. They have age suggestions for a reason, and you can override those suggestions and still not let them play. We do that here.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

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WOW you have to go buy one it is the bomb...it gets them fit and the whole family get involved in it and it keeps them playing for hours. go to game stop adn buy used games they are worth it.
good luck now go get one!!!!!
T.

I am unfamiliar with the Lego game but most of the games, including the one that comes with the system when purchased, are very interactive and require the person playing them to be up moving around vs. sitting on the couch like most of the other systems. If you do decide to purchase the wii system I would also seriously consider investing in the wii fitness. It is a fitness board that connects with the wii console and contains a variaty of games that focus on fitness and balance. I have a wii and a wii fitness for our family (I have 2 boys ages 3 & 4 ) and we absolutely love it and play it as a family almost on a daily basis. Good Luck!

We just got a Wii a couple of months ago, and my 4 1/2 yr. old son loves it. Like with any game system, you have to make wise choices about what games you purchase. I would never buy a Wii or any games in the retail market. I purchased our game bundle on eBay, brand new, for a much better price than QVC, HSN, or any retail market had them. Same with the games. The games for Wii are much more active than a standard gaming system, which I like. You can get some educational games as well, you just have to look around. Like someone else said, if you know someone who has a Wii, see if you can go to their house and try it out.

One of my favorite things about the Wii is that it tracks not only your progress in games (ie. tells you if you are improving in the sports games, if your accuracy is improving in some of the other games), but it gives you the gaming history and it cannot be erased. It will tell you who played, what game they played, and how long they played each time the unit was turned on. We use it as a family and love it. We do limit the time our son plays with it. We also have a VSmile that is collecting dust because our son has simply outgrown it. I was hesitant to buy a Wii since our son is so young, but it is one of the best purchases I've ever made. I've never been a video game person either, but I have enjoyed the Wii. You can get just the game system for about $200 now, even in retail. Don't fall for all the extra add on items such as the packages that have the steering wheels, tennis rackets, golf clubs, etc. They aren't necessary since the Wii remote does everything needed. If you decide to purchase a Wii, you can add that stuff later and pretty cheaply as a separate purchase if you look online. QVC and HSN will allow you to make payments, but even though I'm a fan of both, they WAAAYYYY overcharge for what they're selling when it comes to Wii. If you have any questions about what the Wii does, please feel free to contact me privately. We live at McGuire AFB, so we're not too terribly far from you. Good luck!

Hi L.:

My kids weren't into video games either, but Santa brought the Wii last year, and not only do they love it, we(parents) love it. We play a lot as a family, and the Wii Fit has games that are exercise, and they still love it. Go to local wholesale store(ie Costco) or QVC.com to pay the lowest price. Its a good investment if you can afford it. And if you do splurge for the holidays, let your children know this may be the only gift they receive.

I am so NOT a video game person, but I love the Wii system. The main reason....the whole family can enjoy group type games! Bowling, golf, tennis, surfing, snowboarding......it is great fun! Another fun advantage, and it may not seem like much to adults, but you build your own little Wii person for some of the games! It is so cool to see our little renditions of ourselves doing the video game... kids love this! My 3 year old even enjoys it and is just getting to understand how to use the controller! I am going to buy him the Preschool Jumpstart adventures for Christmas I like it so much! Truly, if you are going to spend money on a gaming system, this is the one you want!

It is an excellent game system.....my son got it last xmas at age 4 1/2 & he is amazing at it....he loves mario cart, star wars, sports,tony hawk, etc.......he doesnt know how to read but somehow learned how to navigate thru it......i am not a gamer & played once, but i am sure this winter i will get into it more.....its come down in price too.....i say this would be an awesome family xmas gift :)

Our family has had tons of fun with our wii. We play tennis, boxing, and all sorts of games together. It is great fun. My 3 year old even plays it. I highly recommend it.

I would rather that my 7-year-old do other things, but he's obsessed with games, like lots of kids. The Wii is the only game that I would be remotely excited about having in my home. Not because I feel it encourages fitness, but it does have them moving around more than other gaming systems. I have a friend that has a Wii and every Friday night is "family game night" and they all do bowling or some other game on the Wii. You could also look into buying the games used to save money - I know they're expensive. If you think you could turn it into a family affair and that everyone would have fun, then why not?

Go for it! It is worth the expense! My 2nd grade son begged me for a Wii after playing it a a couple of his friends' houses. I checked around, and almost every 2nd grade boy in his class had a Wii at home. We bought it and now everyone in the family plays. Star Wars Lego is great - players need to use strategy and also fix problems. Many of the games encourage the kids to work together as a team or interact a lot (during a competitive bowling contest), so it is surprisingly great at encouraging social development! Enjoy.

Updated

Go for it! It is worth the expense! My 2nd grade son begged me for a Wii after playing it a a couple of his friends' houses. I checked around, and almost every 2nd grade boy in his class had a Wii at home. We bought it and now everyone in the family plays. Star Wars Lego is great - players need to use strategy and also fix problems. Many of the games encourage the kids to work together as a team or interact a lot (during a competitive bowling contest), so it is surprisingly great at encouraging social development! Enjoy.

Hi L.,

I LOVE Wii!!! My niece and nephew have it, and everytime we come over we have Wii tournaments using the Sports games that come with the system. It is SOOOOOOOOOOO much fun, and best part, it keeps you active. I am 36, and after a couple hours of playing golf, tennis, and bowling, I had to take a much needed break.

My niece and nephew are 12 and 14. The system is fairly easy to use so I think it would be fine for a 7 year old too.

I am usually not a fan of video game systems for children. I think they should be outside playing and socializing, but Wii keeps you so active. It is wonderful!! Wii's are now $199.00 which is less than it used to be, but still pricey. It comes with some games, so you do not really need to purchase any additional games except maybe the Lego one that your son is asking for.

Good luck with your decision. If you go to a Game Stop, you can test out some games on the system yourself and see how you like it.

L.

We got the WII last Christmas as the big family thing, and my two boys, 8 and 6, really love it, especially the 6 year old (he's VERY into games.) In March or so, we got WII Fit, and I'm the one who gets the most out of the exercise routines, though it's "game-y" enough that the rest of the family enjoys it too. We have a couple of lego games (an Indiana Jones and a Star Wars), and while I don't really "get" them, my 7-year-old really loves them. If you do decide to purchase, be prepared to spend money on the extras -- an extra remote so that two people can play, a rechargable docking station for the remotes, etc. It adds up fast. We had a bit of sticker shock. In the end we have 3 remotes, one two-remote recharging station, the wii fit, and probably 18 or 20 games. With the economy in the toilet last Christmas, we knew we wouldn't be traveling much this year, so we decided to make the investment in home entertainment and upgraded our TV at the same time. Good luck!

My son begged and begged for a WII. We got him one for Christmas last year when he was 8. He never plays it. He plays his PS2 or his computer games. Never touches the Wii. Wasted money if you ask me. Very disappointing.

They make lego games for other systems. We bought a used PS2 for a good price, the games are inexpensive and he plays it all the time. I would look at that stuff before buying the Wii.

I agree with the other moms. It is totally worth it. We have family game night with our Wii. We've had ours since my kids were 3 & 4 and they were able to play it then. It's great to have something that we all enjoy together. The grandparents even play when they are here.

If you have a Sam's club, BJ's or other club store membership they usually have great deals where they'll throw in an extra remote or two or an extra game to get you started.

Lego Batman, Lego Indiana Jones, Lego Star Wars...all available on multi platforms. So, you don't HAVE to just get the Wii. We have the PS3 and the Wii and enjoy different thigns about each one. First, if anyone in your house likes Mario games, then get the Wii. If Mario isn't an issue at all, then a Ps3 is fine, plus it plays Blueray Disks. The games mentioned above are alos available on the Ps2. Only Lego Indiana Jones 2 is at full price (not even available yet, comes out Tuesday?), but the others are at $19.99 as a "greatest hit" pricing. If you can't afford a new system, try craigs list, ebay, adn even Freecycle.

We got the Wii last May as a gift for my son after having surgery. He was bed-ridden for a week, and it was a very painful recovery. This was the BEST thing we could have done for him. He loved playing the games, and it kept his mind off of his pain for periods of time. We still play it all the time and absolutely love it! Our favorite game has been Mario Kart. We also like the Wii Sports that comes with it when you buy the game system. I just got a Lego Star Wars for my son for Christmas that I'm sure he'll love. I got that game for $9.99. If you keep an eye out for bargains, you can find some good ones online. I also got my daughter Sims Kingdom for Christmas for $9.99.

Luckily for you, they have just recently came down in price. They are still expensive, but more reasonable than they were when we bought ours. I heard that Toys R Us had them for $99 on a one day deal. Keep your eye out for offers like that.

Well if you are concerned about the expense, you could consider the Playstation 2 all games for lego do work with it with the exception I believe of the lego rockband. They PS2 is $99 now and the games can be hand fairly cheap off of ebay.
hth
V.

We got the Wii earlier this year for my older son's 10th birthday. WE LOVE IT!!! It is a great way for my 4 yr old and 10 yr old to play TOGETHER. They certainly play it enough and it doesn't collect dust in our house. I got the Wii Active (which I like better than Wii Fit that my friend has) and enjoy that workout as well. My 10 yr old is overweight so he benefits as well! Overall we are EXTREMEMLY pleased with it!!

I'm not a video game person, but I thought the wii sounded like fun! we bought the wii last year for christmas, and wii fit, and a bunch of other games... and they are all collecting dust.
If he isn't a video game person, I wouldn't waste the money... or at least don't buy it new. If you realy do want to get it though, look for them used on craigslist, or at gamestop. I think I also saw, maybe in the Toys R Us catalog that they are down to $99 now? I could be wrong though.

I am not a gamer, but I am a fan of the Wii. It's actually cheaper than most of the other current video game systems and way more interactive. Your 7 year old will enjoy it; your 3 1/2 year old may not be ready for it yet. My nephew wasn't able to play it very well at that age, but enjoyed making his Mii (a character you design to look like yourself) and trying the games and watching his family play.
I have found that the Wii is great for family time. Many of my seventh grade students have Wii nights with their parents. Some families bring the system with them when they visit for holidays. Believe it or not, everyone has a good time, even mom and grandma who hate video games.
The Wii Sports game comes with the system automatically, and with an extra controller (which you'll want) you can get a game called Wii Play. These are very fun and get you moving. There are about 8 games to play in Wii Play (ping pong, air hockey, pool, duck hunt, cow racing, a Where's Waldo type game...), and there are at least 5 games you can play in Wii Sports (baseball, boxing, tennis, golf...)and different challenges you can do. In other words, the game doesn't just end when you beat it like so many other systems. Wii Play is my favorite set of games since it requires less hand-eye coordination :)
My husband loves Leggo Star Wars and Leggo Indiana Jones. I think they are more like traditional video games and that they don't use the capabilities of the Wii system. They are more sit down games, and I like the Wii system because it gets kids moving. I also find it annoying that you don't really build anything with the games. You just go through levels and every once in awhile, the computer rewards you by building something for you. I thought it would be more about carrying blocks around and building stuff, but it's not.
I actually got the Wii Fit for myself after the baby to help encourage me to exercise and lose the baby weight. I really like it too :) And again, I am no gamer and won't even bother with other systems or traditional level-type games.
*In reading the other responses, the people who don't like it seem to want a normal system, where you relax on the couch and play. And the kids who don't like it appear to be playing alone. So if your son will be on his own playing, maybe skip it or it will end up like your V Smile. I'd try to visit someone who has it and try it out.

Our kids are 14 and almost 10, and we did not have a gaming system in our home (intentionally) until last December. I was very much against them. We knew so many people whose kids were "addicted" to them, and we also saw nieces and nephews being incredibly rude while playing with their portable Gameboys, etc., when other kids were around. Our kids were and are very much into reading, pretend play, playout outside, etc., and when they were little they would do computer games on occasion...most or all of the computer games had an educational component. Then the Wii came out, and it seemed different than other gaming systems. We planned to get it for them in December 2007, but it was a hot item, people were selling it on eBay for twice its cost, or more, and we could not find one anywhere at cost. Our kids had no idea we were considering it. Over the course of the following year, they played it occasionally at friends' homes, and I got positive reviews from many people that year. We bought it a year ago, and the kids were thrilled. They do not use it too often, mostly because they are busy with other things (thankfully), but they love it. (I've played it a handful of times and like it, too.)

I noticed that the basic price has gone down from $250 to $200, and that Toys R Us had a $99 special this week...unsure if it's still on or what the "catch" might be.... Also, while there is the cost for the system, there then are additional costs for the games, some accessories you may want, etc. My in-laws split the cost with us (which ended up being about $350 or $375) for the holidays. Also, at places like GameStop, you can get used Wii games for a little less than the cost. I know sometimes they have a buy 2 used games get 1 free deal, but they've never had the games I wanted when they've had those sales! You have about a week to try them out and return them when they're used, so it's not a bad deal!

I think the key with the Wii, as with television, computer games and general fun computer time, and other gaming systems, is moderation. We've always limited our family's time when they were younger re these things, and at this point it is a non-issue as the kids grew up without video games, etc., being a crutch or a babysitter and have other things they like to do.

Good luck! Have fun with it!

my son begged me for a wii, and because i am a video game person i got one for us.
i really did not like it very much, i did not find it easy just to sit down and play it, you always have to be moving and waving your arm around, which i did not like.
my son barely played it, it was too hard for him to control and keep his arm still enough to be accurate.
i bored of the wii fit within days, i now have an x box and a dsi, both far superior.

We love our Wii. We purchased it last year for Christmas. My son (1st Grade) LOVES Mario Kart, Wii Sports and Carnival Golf. We did buy a few games that bombed, but know this--you can RENT the games at Family Video or such and have your son try them out to see it they are worth buying or not. We rented several (Price is Right comes to mind) that he was not interested in at all. Good to know. But as for the games he enjoys--worth every penny and we all like to do Wii Sports. Also, I just got Wii Fit Plus for MY birthday so I'm hoping to like that as well.
Wii Sports keeps the kids more active than the traditional couch potato video games. Another nice thing about the Wii, it keeps track of the amount of time your child plays it every day.

My children rec. the Wii for the "main" Christmas gift last year and they love it, especially my 9 year old. It is fun for the whole family, we all love to bowl or play tennis together. I am planning on purchasing the Lego game for this Christmas. They also do not "overplay", which was my main concern. I would love to have the Wii Fit for myself.