Just a few days ago, I got back from (hopefully) fixing up my little sister's Internet connection, the lifeline to her family's Wii. The little white boxes are popping up like nobody's business in my family as of late, limited more by available cash or just plain in-store availability than by desire.
I take credit for kicking this Wii infatuation off. Back when I first got my console around launch—I'd bought it for Wii Sports Tennis, specifically—I lugged it and the four controllers I had along with me on a family outing near Christmastime. Of course, I brought Sports with me. Elebits came along for the ride, but didn't resonate nearly as well as Sports did.
Not long after, my other sister told me her husband had got a system from the denizens of eBay, which seems to have become par for the course lately. If my memory serves, my little sister's Wii was a chance encounter with a recently-arrived shipment at Meijer, not long afterward.
Since I fixed up my little sister's connection, my own system's blue light has been making my living room pulsate with a strange glow again. Messages bounce back and forth about matters both familial and gaming-related. When I showed up for Sunday coffee at Grandma's, my other sister asked me if calibrating Helix had helped me score any better (it really hadn't) and had some questions about the Internet Channel, which she'd recently bought.
It seems such a change from the days when we lived under one roof that it's sort of amazing. We had a Nintendo Entertainment System back then, but it was mostly my province. Sure, we all tried our hands at Super Mario Bros., but I had to beg for a second player for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II. Not even the mighty NES can compare with the power of Wii.
The really interesting bit is how this power is coming full-circle, though. My enthusiasm for Animal Crossing: City Folk has not exactly been legendary, a far cry from past anticipation. You can chalk that up mostly to the fact that it's still pretty much the same dang game over again, as far as we know, at least.
But something is happening here that might just make it our family Christmas present. The first part is that my daughter has just come of the age where she really, really adores the game, playing it on my old DS. The second part is the family, though. Whereas I can't bear the notion of trying to scare up some of my fanboy friends (who probably aren't interested anyway) for another run through the same old well-trod ground, bringing my family into it is another matter entirely.
Between us, our older kids are all starting to get to that age. On the other side of the family, many already are, and Wiis are starting to pop up there too. The prospect of bringing all of us, kids and adults, together into a shared world is pretty enticing. Couple that with the fact that if I do let my daughter on, I won't be connecting with the same friends I did with Wild World (you know who you are, and why I'm not letting you near my children)... it almost seems perfect. I'm going to give it a shot, leaning on Wii's power... and we'll see how it goes.
Initial reactions are positive, but I do have my work cut out for me. My other sister's still on the lookout for a Wii Fit—any Wii Fit—and swears she won't be getting any other games until she finds one.
I take credit for kicking this Wii infatuation off. Back when I first got my console around launch—I'd bought it for Wii Sports Tennis, specifically—I lugged it and the four controllers I had along with me on a family outing near Christmastime. Of course, I brought Sports with me. Elebits came along for the ride, but didn't resonate nearly as well as Sports did.
Not long after, my other sister told me her husband had got a system from the denizens of eBay, which seems to have become par for the course lately. If my memory serves, my little sister's Wii was a chance encounter with a recently-arrived shipment at Meijer, not long afterward.
Since I fixed up my little sister's connection, my own system's blue light has been making my living room pulsate with a strange glow again. Messages bounce back and forth about matters both familial and gaming-related. When I showed up for Sunday coffee at Grandma's, my other sister asked me if calibrating Helix had helped me score any better (it really hadn't) and had some questions about the Internet Channel, which she'd recently bought.
It seems such a change from the days when we lived under one roof that it's sort of amazing. We had a Nintendo Entertainment System back then, but it was mostly my province. Sure, we all tried our hands at Super Mario Bros., but I had to beg for a second player for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II. Not even the mighty NES can compare with the power of Wii.
The really interesting bit is how this power is coming full-circle, though. My enthusiasm for Animal Crossing: City Folk has not exactly been legendary, a far cry from past anticipation. You can chalk that up mostly to the fact that it's still pretty much the same dang game over again, as far as we know, at least.
But something is happening here that might just make it our family Christmas present. The first part is that my daughter has just come of the age where she really, really adores the game, playing it on my old DS. The second part is the family, though. Whereas I can't bear the notion of trying to scare up some of my fanboy friends (who probably aren't interested anyway) for another run through the same old well-trod ground, bringing my family into it is another matter entirely.
Between us, our older kids are all starting to get to that age. On the other side of the family, many already are, and Wiis are starting to pop up there too. The prospect of bringing all of us, kids and adults, together into a shared world is pretty enticing. Couple that with the fact that if I do let my daughter on, I won't be connecting with the same friends I did with Wild World (you know who you are, and why I'm not letting you near my children)... it almost seems perfect. I'm going to give it a shot, leaning on Wii's power... and we'll see how it goes.
Initial reactions are positive, but I do have my work cut out for me. My other sister's still on the lookout for a Wii Fit—any Wii Fit—and swears she won't be getting any other games until she finds one.