Stories About Wii

Get Up and Wii

The Wii really was quite the most wonderful system. If you don’t know what console that is, it’s most likely the white one that’s sitting in a box in your attic, next to a fitness board and several remotes.  In my gaming career this really was the console that brought everyone together. It did the impossible which was make gaming simple and accessible again for the entire family and friends. While also releasing plenty of games to appeal to a variety of gamers.

So for today’s article I wanted to mention some of the games I personally  enjoyed pulling out for game nights. Along with some small stories associated with them.

A Puzzling Encounter

One of my closest friends when I was younger is severely sight impaired. While not totally blind she has great difficulty seeing properly. This has always been a big challenge when it comes to gaming. The Wii was the preferred system as often games leaned more into the casual and didn’t require perfect eyesight to enjoy them. The game she loved to pull out most when I came to visit was Boom Blox.

It had Steven Spielberg’s name slapped on the cover, of all things. I always called this game reverse Jenga. As the main mode was destroying these well constructed block-y towers. It’s a ton of fun for everyone. The best part was the action was large enough for my friend to fully enjoy it.

Mario is always a Winner

It was always hard to find a game to bring me and my brothers together. We’re all quite different in our own special ways. I was kinda the black sheep as I was not into rugby or football. So when it came to gaming, most games my older brother wanted to play were football based. I hated these games, but I played them because it was a genuinely enjoyable experience spending time with my brother. Every once in a blue moon however, a game would come along that we all enjoyed. New Super Mario Bros Wii was that title. It had the familiar 2D Super Mario Brothers formula, only now you could share it with up to 4 people on screen at once. Even my younger brother would join in, making this one of the few games I ever finished with 3 players at once. We got so into it we insisted on going through all the levels and collecting all the big coins.

A Sonic Surprise

Some would argue Sonic hasn’t exactly had the best run of games on the Wii. But one game that surprised me on a game night I once held was Sonic and the Secret Rings. The single player is a bit meh. It was a early Wii title where Sonic consistently ran forward and you steered him with the Wii remote. It was finicky like a lot of Wii motion control focused games. The multiplayer though proved to be a surprise hit with friends. There were various party multiplayer games for up to 4 people that were just quick and casual. Not perfect, but it proved a huge hit. Probably because everyone was on the same playing field. Literally anyone could win not necessarily just the experienced gamers. The most important part was people were having fun.

The Team Up Game

Who would have thought we would get a video game where Sonic and Mario would compete against each other. I thought the Sega vs Nintendo space time continuum would explode! Well it didn’t and Sonic also ended up in Smash Bros brawl. But Sonic and Mario at the Olympic Games was a fun casual sports game. Reminded me of a more friendly Track & Field. I once visited an old friend in London years ago and he was having a small get together. This was the game chosen to entertain the guests. And it was quite the hit.

Almost everyone was just a casual gamer and they all seemed to enjoy the simple waggle controls of the Wii. What made this particular story special is I thought my friend and I had grown apart since I was living up in Cambridgeshire and he was down in London living it up. But after the guests left we played this game just the two of us with bots. He revealed during this session how important my friendship still was. Despite moving on and living apart our friendship was as strong as ever. This game reminds me of that.

Happiness for the Old

I wanted to save my favourite story till last. Through my work I sometimes visit care homes. Often care homes are associated with sadness and an awkward atmosphere. But one visit proved that wrong. I walked past a common room and saw a large group of older people gathered round a small television. They were all standing and acting like they were at a live sporting event. I just about got a glimpse of two of them playing Wii Sports with the remotes. They were playing the golf game. I asked one of the carers about this and she informed me the console had been donated to the care home years ago and it was quite the hit with the residents. What stood out most to me is, it wasn’t just the players having fun. It was everyone in the room. Something so simple had brought people together in joy. In the end isn’t that exactly what gaming is about?

I have many more stories like this but maybe I’ll save them for another day. But for now feel free to share your Wii memories in the comments below. Otherwise don’t be afraid to share the joy of gaming with friends and family. It just might create some wonderful memories.