Wii Rally

There were probably a few Christmas trees this season that were devoid of at least one present: a Nintendo Wii. The Nintendo Wii was in short supply this holiday despite efforts by Nintendo to increase production. Many people are continuing their search for a Wii and hope to find one within the next month. While Nintendo has increased production of Wiis, it can still be quite challenging to find a store with any in stock.

Procuring a Wii within the next few months will take patience and perseverance. There have been Wii sightings in stores during the holidays. I have heard of people purchasing one at Target, Wal-Mart, and even Sears. I’m unsure if the stores know just when the Wiis will come in. After hanging out at our local Wal-Mart a good bit(buying groceries, shopping, etc) it seems that Tuesdays and Fridays are the best days to find new electronic merchandise. One day I saw Wiis in the cabinet but they shouldn’t have been there and would go on sale that following Sunday. I guess their Sunday flier would advertise having Wiis in stock.

I would offer this advice to anyone looking for a Wii with no luck: do not pay an outrageous price through eBay or some other venue. The supply will catch up to the demand. It might take a few months of looking but don’t give up. Make sure friends and family know you are looking for one, and they should contact you when they find one, preferably while they are still in the store or within at least an hour of spotting one.

With a little patience and some luck, 2008 might start off on the right foot with a purchase of a Wii.

Got all of your shopping done? Then check out what’s new for the virtual console this week.

BLADES OF STEEL (NES, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone-Mild Violence, 500 Wii Points)

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble (Super NES, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points)

Rolling Thunder 2 (Genesis, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone-Violence, 800 Wii Points)

There are some must have Wii accessories that should, in my opinion, just come packaged with the system. They are really useful and quite handy to say the least.

5.Wii Zapper will be compatible with several games plus it comes with Link’s Crossbow Training and is a downright bargain at under $25. Crossbow Training will give you plenty of practice with the zapper.

4. Wii Classic Controller or the GameCube controller can be used to play virtual console games. The classic controller will give Wii gamers that sense of familiarity when it comes to button mashing. Besides, even though the Wiimote is a very cool controller, nothing compares to the classic style for certain games.

3. Wii Controller Glove will not only help your Wiimote stay clean but will also help you grasp it. Plus gloves comes in a wide variety of colors, making it easy to distinguish which one belongs to whom.

2. Wii Organizer Stand makes it easy to organize everything Wii. The stand has a place for the Wii itself, cords, games, and controllers. Once you’ve spent 30 minutes looking for a Wiimote, an organizer stand will look better and better.

1. NYKO Wii Charge Station will ensure that you can always have battery juice. There’s nothing more depressing than wanting to play the Wii to learn that the batteries are dead. The NYKO charging station comes with two rechargeable batteries designed for the Wii and can charge two Wiimotes simultaneously.

Honorable mention would have to be a Wii carrying case because it’s so much fun to play Wii with anyone. The Wii makes great entertainment for a party or a night with friends. A carrying case can help manage all of those wires, Wii stand, and sensebar. I prefer the slingback-type of Wii carrying case compared to the messenger bag.

While the Wii itself is a great video game system, a few added accessories wil ensure that you get the most playing fun out of your Wii.

Some Florida libraries are hoping to attract more teenagers to the library by adding a Nintendo Wii. It shouldn’t be a revelation that a lot of teens play more video games than they read. Librarians hope this innovative approach will get teens to want to read more.

Each weekend the libraries will hold events that surround playing cooperative and team building games on the Wii. Since only so many teens will be able to play the system at once, other teens will have to mull around waiting for their turn. They might pass the time talking with their friends(quietly..after all it’s a library) or they might even pick up a book to thumb through.

It’s an innovative idea that might work. If they can get some game strategy guides onto the shelves then there is a better chance that at least some type of books will be looked at or even checked out.

Have you seen this crazy eBay auction for Guitar Hero III for the Wii?

The $90 game and controller fetched over $9,000. But like every outrageous auction on eBay, there is a story behind it that must be the reason several people bid that much for it. Apparently a father spent a lot of time hunting down Guitar Hero III for the Wii as a Christmas gift for his 15-year-old son. He was really excited when he found the game. When returning home from shopping, the father found his son and two of his friends smoking pot in the backyard. This action placed his son on the naughty list and to teach him a lesson, the father decided to sell the present on eBay.

It sold for $9100.01, and the buyer is not that online casino that seems to buy every crazy auction item that comes along. Who knows if the winner will pay. Since this auction has garnered the national spotlight, being the high bidder could be very good for traffic for your own listings.

It seems the father and son are doing OK. In fact, the father wanted to pull the auction because of privacy issues for his son, but his son told him not to. It will be interesting to see if the high bidder pays and if the son gets Guitar Hero III for Christmas from some third party. I have some advice for that Dad: hold out for Rock Band to come out on the Wii. Your son will love it a lot more than Guitar Hero III.

Science fiction dominates this week’s new offerings on the Wii Shop.

Cybernator (SNES®, 1 player, rated E 10+ for Everyone 10 and Older - Mild Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points)

Alien Storm™ (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, rated E 10+ for Everyone 10 and Older - Mild Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points)

Monster Lair (TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM, 1-2 players, rated E for Everyone - Mild Cartoon Violence, 800 Wii Points)

The Donkey Kong monster truck made its debut earlier this month at a Monster Jam event in Minneapolis, MN. The truck inspired be the beloved Nintendo icon will be making an appearance at several Monster Jam shows around the country.

Monster Jam the game is also available for the Wii and feature 20 Monster Jam icons like Grave Digger and Blue Thunder. The Wii version is rated E and retails for $49.99.

Responding to the huge demand of Wiis and not enough supply, Nintendo president Reggie Fils-Aime has announced that consumers who pay the full price for a Wii by next weekend will be issued a rain check and will hopefully have a Wii in their hands by the end of January. Rain checks will be done in conjunction with Gamestop.

Meanwhile, employees at the Nintendo distribution center in North Bend, Washington are busy at work to meet the demand. An estimated 1.8 million Wiis are now being shipped each month.

It has been promised that a new shipment of Wiis will be in at least six major retailers this weekend, so there still is hope for those looking for the hottest console this Christmas to get their hands on one.

Because of the success and game play of the Nintendo Wii, 3DV, an Israel-based company, may have found a market for their 3D camera, the ZCam. The Zcam is a 3D camera for the personal computer that is so sensitive that even a flick of a finger can be a command. The camera can also sense depth, which gives a lot of game play potential for the Wii. Imagine running to escape some dire situation or having to creep across a high mountaintop.

The ZCam can actually put the players in the game. Early reports state the ZCam will be ready for mass production in 2008. No games have been announced that will use the ZCam. The sucess of the ZCam will largely depend upon game titles that support the device.

Apparently, people in the UK desperate for a Wii this holiday are traveling to France to buy one. The Wii is a hot Christmas item this year as it was last year. There’s few to be found in England, so those wishing to get one this holiday are making the trek to France where apparently there are plenty of Wii consoles for sale.

Let’s see. The furthest I’ve traveled for a Christmas present is probably 60 miles, and it was in state, definitely not out of the country. I guess traveling to France would be a better(and fun!) option than paying an outrageous price for one on eBay.

Did anyone catch the first few minutes of Boston Legal? It featured Denny and Alan playing Wii Sports, more specifically, Wii Tennis.

I was too busy to try to grab my camera to get a picture. The game was Wii Tennis that is part of Wii Sports that ships with the Wii. They played a two-person game that I believe Alan(James Spader) won. The Denny Crane(William Shatner) Mii was spot on. Maybe ABC will share it through the Check Mii Out channel.

It’s fun to see video games pop up in prime time.

Payday is a long way away, and I’m really wanting to buy a new Wii game. I’m limiting the amount I can spend to $20 for a new game. There are a few Wii games for under $20. Here is what I’ve found during my quest to spend money I really don’t need to spend right now.

Link’s Crossbow Training retails for less than $20 at Wal-Mart. It would be silly for me to buy this since I already own it but include it on the list for the sake of completeness.

Game Party features a mix of party games like darts, table hockey, and hoop shoot. Sounds like a nice title to make use of the Wiimote and an early frontrunner for my $20.

Cars is based on the Disney Pixar movie. It’s not the first game I found based on a movie for the Wii for under $20.
Surf’s Up is another movie-themed game as well as Happy Feet, Barnyard, Open Season, Spider-man 3, Shrek the Third, TMNT, Chicken Little: Ace in Action, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Ant Bully. The only one that remotely appeals to me is TMNT.

Rampage: Total Destruction also piques my interest. What’s not to like about playing a huge ape destroying a city?

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Double Agent might be intriguing but really not my favorite type of game.

The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy is a fighting game based on the popular Cartoon Network show.

Far Cry Vengeance is from the popular shooter series.

AMF Bowling Pinbusters is a bowling game that has more to it than the Wii Sports version.

Spy Games: Elevator Mission is another FPS that while may be a fine game just isn’t my style.

Mercury Meltdown Revolution is a cute puzzle game that will have you using the Wiimote to guide your ball of mercury around the playing area.

Ultimate Board Game Collection features plenty of board game fun.

Tamagotchi: Party On! is a 3D party game based on the Tamagotchi franchise.

BIONICLE Heroes is a game that is

While there are plenty of games for under $20 for the Wii, there are only a few of those that really appeal to me. At least it makes my choice easier.

Sport titles dominate this week of new offerings for the Wii. From boxing to basketball to bikes, there’s certainly a variety for sports fans. If sports isn’t your cup of tea, then selection is limited but at least it is there.

Showtime Boxing

Super Swing Golf Season 2

Indy 500 Legends

Kawasaki Quad Bikes

Kidz Sports: Basketball

Mythmakers: Orbs of Doom

Rig Racer 2

Three new games come to the virtual console this week. Pokemon fans will rejoice as the franchise makes its VC debut.

Pokémon Snap (Nintendo 64, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points)

Ghosts’n Goblins (NES®, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone—Mild Animated Violence, 500 Wii Points)

BASEBALL STARS 2 (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 900 Wii Points)

Also, Wii owners can send a gift virtual console game to other Wii owners. All you need is to have their friend code. Don’t worry about purchasing a game they already have. If you choose a game your friend already has, you will be alerted to this fact and sent back to the Wii shop to pick out something else. That makes holiday shopping super easy. Now if everyone on my list just had a Wii.

Look for these titles that have arrived this week to store shelves around the US.

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords

Godzilla Unleashed

Jenga

Alvin & the Chipmunks

The Golden Compass

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3