What is a Wii Mini and Who Would Want It?

Is anyone planning to get the new Nintendo console that just came out?  Sure, but which one are you talking about?  Only last year Nintendo released the Wii Family Edition.  Essentially what “Family” means is that you can no longer play Gamecube games, and the unit lays flat instead of up on its side.  Most recently, we have all seen, heard about, and maybe even gotten our hands on the Wii U.  This is the legit new console offered from Nintendo.  Parents beware.  If you go to the store and ask for the new Wii console, a third has been thrown into the mix.  December 7th, a day that will live in infamy, will also foster in the Canadian release of Nintendo’s latest installment, the Wii Mini.

The Wii Mini will have a stellar price tag of $99, but will severely cut back on features.  Not only has backwards compatibility with Gamecube games been eliminated, the unit will no longer support internet access.  This means the glorious Virtual Console will not be accessible.  The two things that could have suckered me into purchasing the 6 year old system will now be void.

At first I was intrigued, but now I am just disappointed.  That was until I looked over to my television set and saw a blast from the past known as the SNS-101, aka the Super Nintendo Mini.  Nintendo isn’t doing anything differently here.  Production will soon cease of all first party Wii games to make way for the new Wii U.  Respectfully so, the classic Wii game is a dying breed.  So it makes sense to come out with an affordable unit capable of playing their most recent over saturated market of games.  The holidays are the perfect time to snag even the Scroogiest of McDucks that STILL haven’t purchased a Wii console.  The SNS-101 was released in 1997 for $99 right when the Nintendo 64 was introduced.  This is a classic move straight from the Nintendo playbook, and the craziest part is that it will probably work.  Nintendo marketing has done an exceptional job over the last 30 years.  They wouldn’t still be relevant if they hadn’t.

So who is the Wii Mini for?

I recommend this as a family oriented gaming system, especially if you have young children.  Few would disagree that the Wii game library targets a younger audience.  Sometimes I find myself in this market.  Though I am tech savvy, I rarely participate in online gameplay.  I just like to put in a game and play.  It’s just me and the box.  In that regards, I actually kind of like the Wii Mini.  Regardless of features, a $99 price tag should prove somewhat appetizing to those that have resisted the Wii madness the past six years.  That being said, I say once again “Bravo” to Nintendo marketing.  The release of the Wii Mini will initially be limited to Canada.  If it succeeds, which I am projecting it will, I am sure it will find its way to all North American and European markets.  So if you bring this one home for the holidays, be safe.  Wii related incidents can be common, and are most definitely hilarious.

Warning: This is not the Wii mini

Doctor Who: 704 – ‘The Power of Three’

Rory and Amy find themselves in a bit of an impasse. They don’t know whether they should carry on traveling with The Doctor or just knock it on the head and get on with their average lives on Earth. Suddenly the world is covered with small black boxes, which have appeared out of nowhere and appear to be safe. Months pass with the boxes just becoming a part of everyday life until after a year has passed since they arrived, they start to become active. The Doctor, who has been keeping tabs on them since they landed, is being helped by the newly reformed UNIT lead by Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewarts daughter Kate Stewart, which is now more a scientific group with military power behind it.

Nintendo Has a ‘Wii U’ Launch Date! Courtesy of Soon-to-be Fired Marketing Rep!

According to Kotaku via Gamespot, the Wii U launch date has been announced! Problem is, no one was supposed to know about it. Oops. During a meeting with GameStop Managers in Texas, accessory maker PDP was making their fall lineup pitch and at the end, concluded to the managers that the Wii U accessories will be out before the Wii U launch date of November 18th. It didn’t take long for that to go viral. According to a couple of anonymous people (people who don’t want to get fired naturally, like the PDP representative guy I’m sure), they have confirmed this statement that someone dropped this bomb. Naturally, as with anyone realizing that they just gave away confidential information, they quickly changed the subject once they crapped their pants (that’s my assumption). The Kotaku article has a great he said/she said deal going on but I won’t bore you with those details as we dissect the true intent of this article in the next paragraph. Does anyone really care? For a new system launching, and perhaps it’s my old and outdated self because I haven’t been hip to the buzz in the video game world as much as I used to be, but it seems that there is a lack of excitement for this console. Don’t get me wrong, I want it like how a fat kid wants cake, but it is almost just out of loyalty to Nintendo. In my mind, there is no real killer app. Yeah, I’m going to enjoy Lego Undercover, the New Super Mario Bros. U, and Rayman Legends games but none of this is revolutionary. In fact, the last revolutionary game Nintendo has had a launch was Super Mario 64. I think the problem is that there is such a clamor for new technology that Nintendo has gotten away from the real charm of it’s brand: the first party games and innovation. It has gotten way too gimmicky, and while I love the potential of the tablet screen, I have yet to find a game that tells me this is why you need to buy this system. Especially since most of the launch gamesare just ‘upgraded’ versions of PS3 or Xbox 360 games I’ve beaten a year ago.

Seriously, why the hell is this game NOT a launch title. Look how pretty…

Time will tell, I will still always have faith in Nintendo and what they do but I do believe this is a critical crossroads for them. I guess we’ll find out what they are made of on November 18th. Which also sucks because I’ll be in the Philippines during launch. You’ve no idea how disappointed I am to miss the opportunity to brag about the Wii U during the first week of launch only to never be mentioned again after the novelty wears off.