It was one month ago on a freezing cold Sunday that I scored a Nintendo Wii. Even though I had only Wii Sports and Wii Play for most of that time, the Wii has occupied most of my gaming time over the month. At this point, I still find the Wii to be a fun experience, but I can't help but wonder... Is this thing really a step forward in gaming? The best way to answer that is to examine what I've played.

Wii Sports:

TENNIS doesn't use any buttons and is easy to pick up, but it can be difficult to aim the ball where you want it to go. Instead of having to aim with a control stick or something, you just have to hit it at the right time. If they ever make a Mario Tennis, they should allow you to hold down a direction on the D-pad while you swing to aim the ball. Then again, if they're going to do that, why not even use B to swing? What would be the difference there? Hm...

BASEBALL works somewhat similar to tennis: you don't have to press buttons, just swing the bat at the right time. For the most part, swinging works fine, but pitching seems a bit off. First off, even though it seems like my throwing motion with the Wiimote is always the same, the speed of the pitch varies greatly. I'm not sure if this is a problem with the game or the Wiimote or even me. It would also be nice if you could control where you throw the ball rather than always over the plate. All in all, I find the game to be too simple, but I think a regular baseball game could work fairly well on Wii.

BOWLING is something that's never really translated well to a videogame... until now. It's definitely my favourite of the 14 games in Wii Sports and Wii Play, though this may also be because I suck at real bowling. The throwing motion is quite a bit like real bowling, and you have to keep your arm straight if you don't want to spin the ball. It also doesn't feel like a dumbed-down version of the sport like Tennis and Baseball do. The drive to score a perfect game has kept me coming back, and the game has also been a favourite as far as multiplayer is concerned.

GOLF is good too. The swinging motion works fairly well, though sometimes making low-powered shots can be tricky. It kinda sucks that you can't apply draw or fade to your shot, but that's not really a big deal. The only real problem here is that there are only 9 holes. Still, I'm intrigued enough that I'll probably get Tiger Woods 2007 when it reaches the bargain bin.

BOXING hasn't really interested me for two reasons: I don't have a second Nunchuk, and the sport doesn't really interest me. I've tried it a couple of times and it works pretty well, so it would likely be fun for anyone who likes boxing.

Wii Play

I haven't spent too much time on Wii Play, partly because the games don't have as much depth or appeal as Wii Sports. Many people don't seem to like Wii Play for whatever reason, and bought it only because it's packaged with a Wiimote. Some of the little games included remind me of the great Game & Watch games of old, where you aim for a high score and the game gets faster the longer you last. Of course, the game is at its best with two players, as that's how it was intended to be played. It's fun to hold a competition by having a series of head-to-head matches across the nine games, especially if the other people are as into it as you are.

When I bought the Wii, I thought I'd be playing Super Smash Brothers Brawl at this time. Since it's been delayed for a month, I'm gonna need something else to tide (ha ha, pun) me over until then. So, the first real game I bought was Endless Ocean, which I got a couple days ago. Technically, it is my third game, but I consider Wii Sports and Wii Play to be mandatory. I haven't played much of Endless Ocean, so all I can say at this point is: wow. Just wow. Never have I felt an urge to explore a game since Super Mario 64. Other than a few spots above water, the game is simply beautiful. The controls are so simple and easy that even the act of swimming is fun for reasons that baffle me. It isn't the type of game I could play for long periods in one sitting, so coupled with Wii Play and Wii Sports, I should be good for another month. This game makes me wonder though; is this the future of Wii? If so, I'm excited to see what's yet to come.

Though I'll need to play more games before I can make any real judgment, my first impression is that the Wii isn't so much a step forward as it is a step sideways. It's a unique experience that will co-exist with traditional gaming rather than replace it. And there's nothing wrong with that at all.