Nintendo Wii-Collectible now? Good game system?

[Unbeliever]

I was somewhat surprised (probably shouldn't have been, but I've been out of the loop, I guess) that some prices spotted at Gamestop showed the Wii (not the new one, the old white one) with a bundle of 5 games at $80.00. And for the system without games, I'm seeing around $60 to $70? I had contemplated buying this system before, but never much thought about it in recent months. Is now a good time to pick up this system, with the Wii-U being out? One reason to get the older version is to play Gamecube games and use the controllers/memory cards as well. Even the "reduced price" black version is $130.00.

 

I usually ask this of everyone here, but in particular those that own a Wii system currently. Is now a good time to pick one up? I also heard tell that some games are being re-released at $20.00. I don't see them going below this price (the systems) anytime soon (maybe around Christmas, but I doubt it), but I've been looking and wondering if it is time to jump onto the Wii band wagon. How big a pain is it to set up Wii Connect? Any hassles there I should know of?

 

I have a Gamecube, and I love it, but I wanted to play some more "modern" versions of games at a cheaper price, and keep my Gamecube library for play as well. Are they producing any more games for the Wii in the future or has production stopped in it's entirety? Is the system prone to "disc read" failures? Is the online community for the Wii still thriving or is it dead?

 

Thanks for helping me answer these questions. Any help or advice from Wii owners (or the gaming community in general) would be most beneficial.

[Rex Dart]

It's worth getting a Wii just to play Muramasa, Mad World, and Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2.

[+HatNJ]

and the Homebrew Channel for emulators and more

[Unbeliever]

You know, I kick myself for not picking up that Wii I saw at a yard sale about 2 weeks back. Then all I'd be asking about now is games. Thanks, guys.

[xenomorpher]

Pick it up and soft mod it if you can, it's really easy. The homebrew and emulators for it are really good. You can get a lot of good games on the cheap now. Also may want to check out No More Heroes 2. I skipped out on the first game and opted for the second for the mini games and improvements. The Resident Evil games are great and the Goldeneye remake is well done too.

[Skarrj]

Get it for madworld/house of the dead. Then try to find xenoblade.

Edited October 4, 2013 by Skarrj

[Atariboy]

not the new one, the old white one

On the off chance you're aware of the Wii Mini that was discussed at length here a while back, that's actually the 3rd revision and apparently its only North American release to date has been in Canada.

 

Just cautioning you since the first two models were typically white, looked very similar, and were both released in the United States. But only one can play GameCube games. So if you've only paid passing attention until recently you could easily be unaware of that and get stuck with a non backwards compatible model.

 

Is now a good time to pick up this system, with the Wii-U being out? One reason to get the older version is to play Gamecube games and use the controllers/memory cards as well.

Definitely a good time to get one now. Prices are already on the rise for some of the rarities and the vast majority of worthwhile games for it will likely never be any cheaper than they are now.

 

If you own a Game Boy Player though, don't plan to eliminate your GameCube. There's no wortkaround to hook it up to the Wii like a USB adapter cable with the GCN extension port at one end with a USB connection at the other that gets plugged into the Wii.

 

How big a pain is it to set up Wii Connect? Any hassles there I should know of?

Getting your Wii online is extremely easy. If you want it wired you will need to buy a USB ethernet adapter for your Wii and it's essentially plug and play. If it's wireless, you obviously need to have it search for local WiFi and then select your router and input a WEP key and such just like anything else.

 

Many of the frills are already offline for the Wii. But several popular games still have servers and players, the Wii Shop is still online, the video apps like Netflix still work, etc.

 

And you're going to want to turn WiiConnect24 off probably. It keeps the WiFi on 24/7 and makes the system very hot. Even if you go with a wired connection, it will stay on unless you select to turn off WiiConnect24. And with their round of shutdowns, I don't know if there's even anything left that took advantage of that feature to send your system messages while it was turned off.

 

Are they producing any more games for the Wii in the future or has production stopped in it's entirety? Is the system prone to "disc read" failures? Is the online community for the Wii still thriving or is it dead?

There are still games on the release schedule. Wii will probably see something in the neighborhood of 15 domestic releases this year.

 

There weren't many online games to begin with and many of those had no crowd even when new or have since shut down like Medal of Honor: Heroes 2. But the popular games still are kicking. Mario Kart Wii seemed to have plenty of people just like always a while back.

 

I suspect that Super Smash Brothers and the last few Call of Duty releases are similar. Can't think of anything else off hand that is likely a safe bet for finding plenty of people to play with but there are probably a few others.

 

Any help or advice from Wii owners (or the gaming community in general) would be most beneficial.

I suppose be aware of Wii Motion Plus. It was an add-on dongle for the existing Wiimote and was eventually integrated into it with later Wiimotes. For about a dozen Wii games it was required with Wii Sports Resort (The sequel to the pack-in game) and Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword being the two most famous examples. And a handful of other games also had optional support for it but didn't mandate it.

 

So if you can, you're going to want a Motion Plus Wiimote with your system instead of the plain one.

Edited October 4, 2013 by Atariboy

[Rhomaios]

What I own and recommend:

 

Donkey Kong Country Returns

Goldeneye 007

Ivy the Kiwi?

Last Story

Mario Kart Wii

Metroid Prime Trilogy

Muramasa: The Demon Blade

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Okami

Pandora's Tower

Super Mario Galaxy 1/2

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom

Xenoblade Chronicles

 

I'm also selling a Metroid Prime Trilogy and a Xenoblade if you're interested, cheaper than you can get at GameStop.

[Unbeliever]

Thanks for all the answers to my questions. And thanks for the offer on the Prime Trilogy, but I don't have the system yet. Seems the cheapest route to go would either to be a) Go to Gamestop and see what they have for refurbished models or b) ask on here. I'm not ready yet (don't have the money for it yet), but I will be in a few weeks. Maybe by the end of the month. And thanks for all the game suggestions. I see no one mentioned Animal Crossing: City Folk. As much as I hate to admit it, I've been playing those games since 2002. However, since I've never owned a Wii, it's one I missed.

 

So, is this system prone to disc read errors? A friend of mine's kids has the system, they pulled it out one day to play it, and the discs won't read. It's been stuck in a closet as they "lost interest" in it, and I'm trying to see if he'll sell it to me, IF it works. Might just be dirty, but I've never heard of any disc read errors on the Wii. Could be something else entirely. My tech savvy for equipment is less than nothing.

[Pixelboy]

Disc errors can happen on any disc-based console. It just comes with the territory.

[HuckleCat]

So, is this system prone to disc read errors? A friend of mine's kids has the system, they pulled it out one day to play it, and the discs won't read. It's been stuck in a closet as they "lost interest" in it, and I'm trying to see if he'll sell it to me, IF it works. Might just be dirty, but I've never heard of any disc read errors on the Wii. Could be something else entirely. My tech savvy for equipment is less than nothing.

 

 

Only buy it if you plan on softmodding it, which I highly recommend. Doing so will allow you to use an external USB HDD, and you won't need discs.

 

 

Here...

 

http://www.wiihacks.com/recommended-faqs-guides-tutorials-only/96886-guide-softmod-any-wii.html

 

Just understand that this route, on a unit with a faulty drive, will require obtaining the games on a less-than-legal basis.

[Skarrj]

Id be interested in that prime trilogy

[Skarrj]

Disc errors can happen on any disc-based console. It just comes with the territory.

Quite common when kids are involved

[Unbeliever]

Disc errors can happen on any disc-based console. It just comes with the territory.

I know, but I have to say my Gamecube seems very reliable in that area (no disc errors, but I do understand it happens). My only question about this is the system was almost brand new. What did the kids do to have the discs stop being read? Maybe the discs got scratched? Has anyone else suffered DRM's on the Wii?

[Austin]

I would skip their console and buy a known working one. Wii systems are super cheap these days.

[Skarrj]

Yes..kids are hells minions when it comes to scratching discs.

Edited October 4, 2013 by Skarrj

[Unbeliever]

Something hard for me to fathom. When Dad (waaaaaay back when) bought me an Atari 2600 and some games, he taught me to take very good care of it. The mentality has stuck with every game system I've owned. It's why my Atari 2600 still works, I suppose.

[Austin]

Something hard for me to fathom.

 

Fathom it. And it's not just kids that treat discs poorly!

[Pixelboy]

 

What did the kids do to have the discs stop being read? Maybe the discs got scratched?

It may have something to do with the discs being inserted sideways. Inserting the disc without it touching the sides of the slot on the console is like playing a game of "Operation". Dzzzt!

[Unbeliever]

Hm. I didn't realize you needed to be "precise" when you inserted them. I was never good at that darn game.

[Unbeliever]

Update! Just bought a Wii gaming console (one Wiimote, the other controller, all the hookups for one player including the sensor bar) for $50.00 at Gamestop. System looks almost brand new, obviously well taken care of by the previous owner. Grabbed a copy of Animal Crossing: City Folk to keep me busy for a bit until the next game. And it is the system that is backward-compatible with the GC, so all those games will work on it. Very excited to now own this system for a super-low price!

 

So...what about the WiiConnect 24 being on? I saw makes the system super hot..any real reason to leave it on or not these days with less support?

[Atariboy]

I don't think there's anything that's even left that utilizes WiiConnect24 with the messaging service turned off and the news and weather apps closed down. There was never any real reason to leave it on before and there's absolutely none now.

 

I never had any difficulty inserting or removing a disc. I don't know why it is because none of my other systems ever followed this pattern, but my 60 or so games were all bought new with not a single used game. And I've never noticed any scratches or anything except for my copy of Boom Blox that slipped out of my hand as I was changing games once.

 

I don't think you need to be extraordinary careful doing it. But if it's a real concern, you could always install the Homebrew Channel and install your games to an external hard drive. But I keep my system horizontal in a nice stand that Pelican made and it has always been fine. Maybe keeping the system vertical is causing an issue for some?

 

Edited October 11, 2013 by Atariboy

[Unbeliever]

Well, my system is also horizontal, due to the stand never came with it. I heard that Gamestop has certain "conditions" with game systems being return...as you have to have "this and that" and controllers, etc. I don't believe the stand was a requirement for the return. The stand you have looks like something I will have to look into. My local Gamestop seems to be in total chaos at the moment. I chatted with the guy (wondering WHY there was only him there and not two clerks) about the state of his store, and he said everything is a little nuts, considering what they sell now (ipods, ipads, tablets, games, accessories, etc.). Probably a good thing to have a diversity, otherwise they probably would have gone under (locally) with just selling games, but I have to admit the store looks way too cluttered.

 

I was disappointed that they discontinued the weather and news, but I suppose if I didn't have two computers and other devices I would be more upset. I would rather the Wii just play games, anyway. Another question for the masses: How long are they going to support the games for the Wii? Probably since it's compatible with the Wii-U, that shouldn't be an issue finding games. Just wondering what others thought about it.

[Atariboy]

Well they've shut down some of their online services recently. It hasn't hurt games any yet but it certainly doesn't bode well for the future of the rest of it. But with the Wii Shop getting games until very recently and with the online games left still being popular like Mario Kart Wii and Wii U compatibility via Wii mode, I don't think the remainder is in immediate danger.

 

And they've announced that they're ending Wii production for Japan. Some are jumping on that and proclaiming that Nintendo has announced the end of all manufacturing. But they haven't said such a thing just yet. And with Japan only accounting for a tad over 10% of the Wii install base, the shrinking Japanese console marketplace, and Japan only accounting for about 5% of Wii's sold each week these days, I think there's life left there at least throughout 2014 for much of the world and there's a nearly new Wii revision available in Canada and Europe for further evidence.

 

And remember that Japan never got a Wii revision. They've had a dedicated manufacturing line making GCN compatible Wii's just for Japan ever since they discontinued it elsewhere. So even more reason to take this news with a slight bit of skepticism instead of proclaiming that Nintendo announced the end.

Edited October 11, 2013 by Atariboy

[AtariLeaf]

Get it for madworld/house of the dead. Then try to find xenoblade.

For those that like House of the Dead, I would recommend a little known game called Dino Strike. Just picked it up and it's pretty good. Hard but good.