Nintendo Wii ($250) In a video-game market dominated by first-person shooters and a focus on stunning visuals, Nintendo dares to be different with its latest console, the Wii. A system built around motion-sensing controllers, the Wii prides itself on its unique games and revolutionary ideas.
“Wii Sports,” a game included with the system, showcases the console’s motion-sensing abilities. Although the game is far from a visual wonder, it features a unique brand of game play not found anywhere else. Using the Wii remote, players can participate in virtual games of tennis, golf, baseball, bowling and boxing. Swing your arm as you try for a hole in one. Rotate your wrist as you try to put some spin on your bowling ball. Or raise your fists as the boxing match begins between you and your roommate. Once players find themselves sweating and out of breath from swinging endlessly at their opponent, they will realize the engrossing environment of the Wii. Other games available include fan favorites “The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” and “Madden NFL 07.” In addition to the revolutionary game play of the system, gamers will be pleased with the Wii’s price tag. The system is a bargain when compared to competing consoles. If first-rate graphics and superior hardware are your primary interests, get a Playstation 3. But if you are looking for something fresh with a focus on the games themselves, look no further. The Wii is the future.
Konami Karaoke Revolution ($19.99) Karaoke Revolution is an interesting switch to sing-along gaming in Konami’s line of “revolution” games like Dance Dance Revolution. Unlike D.D.R. and Guitar Hero, where being able to do the real thing does not help much in the game, Karaoke Revolution takes actual vocal ability. A meter on the screen scrolls the lyrics to each song with relative pitch and duration. The meter also has an arrow that detects and displays the player’s vocal pitch. The performance is rated from “lousy” to “great” and the better a player does, the more the crowd cheers. High scores earn gold and platinum records while low scores can get a player booed off stage. Each time levels are beaten players unlock new outfits, new levels and new characters. But there are not many songs to choose from and the game caters to lovers of modern pop and classics such as Cher, Kelly Clarkson, Van Halen and Janis Joplin, leaving alternative music lovers out of luck. The game is disappointingly short, but once beaten there are extra features and videos to view and a classic karaoke mode for endless self-humiliating fun. Karaoke Revolution Party also is available for $19.99. Konami also produced Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol available for $39.99. And with the help of CMT, Karaoke Revolution Country is on sale for $19.99. Microphones for the Play Station 2 and Nintendo Gamecube are also available for $19.99 each.
Playstation Guitar Hero II ($89.99) Most people can only fulfill their desires of rock stardom by sitting in front of their mirrors and violently strumming the air or grasping the shower nozzle and belting the lyrics to “Don’t Stop Believing.” Now there is a much easier way to imagine oneself on stage in front of thousands of screaming fans by simply standing in front of the televisions strumming a guitar controller, which is slightly less embarrassing than air guitar. “Guitar Hero II” for Playstation 2 follows the success of more hands-on video games such as “Dance Dance Revolution,” putting everything, including a controller that is shaped like and functions similarly to a real guitar, into the hands of the gamer. The game offers a career mode, in which the player can capture sponsorships and play gigs, unlock songs and buy new guitars. Also offered are a practice and a quickplay mode as well as a multi-player mode, which allows players to play together, each taking a different guitar, whether it be bass, rhythm or lead, or allows players to compete against one another for ultimate glory. The game expands on the original game’s soundtrack including such classic tracks as “Free Bird,” “Heart-Shaped Box,” “Message in a Bottle” and “Cherry Pie,” all of which are astoundingly fun to play. The controller is shaped like a guitar with five buttons on the neck, identified by color, a toggle switch used to emulate a guitar string and a whammy bar. The buttons are represented as hollow circles on the screen with the notes represented as solid-colored circles dashing towards the hollow ones. The player is forced to strum the guitar and hold down the correct button as the circles converge. As awkward as that sounds, it is actually one of the most innovative and entertaining video games on the market, sucking the player into a world of rock ‘n’ roll stardom and never letting go.
—–Contact Travis Andrews, Michael Mims and Casey Boston at entertainment@lsureveille.com