So, it finally happened. Myself and my chap caved in and purchased a Wii last night. We’ve both had one before, we were lucky enough to be working in Computer games retail when the Wii came out, so both of us made sure to get one right away. I remember getting back home with it, which was no easy task, as I’m sure you’ll all remember how limited in supply the Wii was! I had to get it out of work, to the bus stop, and then sit on an hour and a half bus journey back home with the elusive console. I remember it being like I had Willy Wonka’s golden ticket out on show for everyone to see. I must have been accosted by at least 5 people, eager to purchase themselves, or their family members a Nintendo Wii for Christmas. I was pretty callous at the time, after several months of trying to sell pre-orders i just sat there, frustrated, ranting on at strangers about how if they’d only made a pre-order, they’d be the ones sitting with the console right now – not me! But I appear to have gone off on a tangent, the point is, it was all very exciting.
So I got home and scurried up the stairs to my bedroom (much to the distaste of my mother, she just couldn’t understand why I was being so anti-social) and eagerly, yet carefully, unpacked my brand spanking new Nintendo Wii.
I was so excited, I’d gotten out an overdraft purely for this purpose. I loved Nintendo and I just HAD to have this console. I am very much a first person shooter girly, so the thought of using the Wiimote for such activities filled me with a warm fuzzy glee, and made me reminisce of the days spent in arcades with my brothers playing rail shooters.
The first time that beautiful blue light filled my bedroom, I could have cried. It was wonderful! I must have spent at least an hour making Mii’s of all my family. Fabulous.
2 months later I sold it for the price I bought it for because I was sick of waiting for decent games. “You sold it??” I hear you cry, “So soon??”
Yes, yes I did. As those couple of months passed, I sat, and I waited and waited for game releases I could get excited about. I had Zelda, but I was never the biggest fan of the series, so I played a bit and then I was bored. I was SO sorely disappointed. I looked at my Nintendo memorabilia and shook my head; “Where did it all go wrong Nintendo? I’ve always been so good to you! Why have you let me down!” So that was that, and the Wii was sold.
It seemed I was not the only one either – Wii’s were being traded in hard and fast. People didn’t like the wait.
As time went on, still working in Computer Games retail I saw a wide array of games being released on the Wii. It had gone from the wonderful machine I thought would fulfil my shooter urges, to something of ridicule. Each new release was a let down, and the general consensus on the console was that it was a “girls machine” or a “kids toy”. Disappointing. My loyalty to Nintendo wained, and the Wii escaped my realm of interest entirely.
Then, Wii fit arrived. I was on a bit of a bender for exercise at the time, my time working in Games Retail was fun, but it hadn’t treated my body well and after gaining almost 4 dress sizes I’d decided it was time to do something about it (But god, those pizza’s were nice ;D ). I had been using an exercise bike for half an hour every day like a good girl for over a month, and had managed to shift 2 of the 4 dress sizes.
But getting bum-ache and a numb brain on previously mentioned bike was wearing thin. Wii Fit seemed like the solution to my problem. Being the sort of person who likes to sit down in front of a console, start a game, and then finish it as fast as I can, the thought of getting Wii fit appealed to me. I could challenge myself! I’d feel motivated! I’d actually *want* to get of my hiney and do some exercise! Fabulous!
After a bit of excitement, the discussion about re-buying the Wii began. While Wii fit is awesome, neither myself, nor my chap could justify the £179.99 needed for the console just for wii fit. So, being the person who currently has the most spare time (relocation meant time off for me! ;D ) i took it upon myself to really delve into the now rather meaty catalogue of Wii games. House of the Dead? Resident Evil 4? No more heroes??? (FYI – I’m really having to try not to go off on a tangent about Killer 7 at this point, superb game!) Finally, the Wii appears to have blossomed and with that, the Wii was bought. Still in relatively short supply it seems, we went two places that didn’t have them, then found somewhere where there was but one lonely Wii left, and we got that.
The first thing I noticed when I got back home with it was the fact I just didn’t feel the urgency to unwrap this delightfully cute object. It sat on the floor in the lounge for about an hour while I decided going on forums and eating was more important. I then decided to heave myself up off the floor and actually set the thing up. Ugh, god it looked ugly when i switched it on. Having a very nice TV and next gen consoles has obviously spoiled me. I’ll have to invest in a better cable for the Wii stat! I made a Mii, got told I was in my 70’s by Wii Sports then switched it off because I was bored. I then did the domestic thing (yes, I chose washing up over playing on my new console) then I engrossed myself in writing a little essay, then I went to bed.
It seems, the slow releases of good games for the Wii really tarnished how I’d felt about it. As i took one final look at my gaming rig before bed, I looked at the machine with a sense of broken-heartedness, I wanted to love it again, but I just couldn’t trust it.
This morning, after going on my exercise bike, I stumbled into the lounge, the curtains were shut and there it was. A gorgeous blue light illuminating the room and I felt my love for the machine once again. Hurrah! I’m so excited. Now to figure out whether or not it’s worth buying another Wiimote to play Cooking Mama…
But I wonder, going back to my earlier point, If other people were trading in and selling their Wii’s like I did, does everyone who comes back to the warmth of the blue light feel the same?
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