Hey, I contacted Nintendo Life through the contact messager, but I was wondering if I could get anyone's direct email. I'm new here (and live in the States), but would love to write for Nintendo Life. If anyone could help me out, just email me at caleb.rumley@gmail.com
Here's a writing sample:
Nintendo’s Wii Makes it’s Debut
Earlier last month I found myself in a tough predicament: either I wait in front of Target in Nanuet to buy the Wii, day one, or admit defeat and wait weeks for new shipments to come in. There was a friendly gathering in front of Target, and I managed to buy my system on day one. The Wii (pronounced “we”) costs $250 and has arrived from the creative minds at Nintendo, and it truly takes a step out of the ordinary and differs from the others.
The Wii has the most interesting controller to ever grace home systems in the history of games. Instead of a standard controller we’ve come to expect, you have a Wii remote. The Wii remote, or Wiimote as I like to call it, has a motion sensor along with a couple other buttons. You can plug in the optional nunchuk (a handheld analog stick) to control your characters in games.
Honestly, describing the Wiimote is difficult, but playing it is just so easy! A free game comes with every system, called Wii Sports. Wii Sports features tennis, golf, boxing, baseball, and bowling. Instead of pressing buttons, you swing the controller to mimic real life movements. To play Wii Tennis, you just swing the racket! It’s as simple as that and incredibly fun too. I would not have enjoyed Wii Sports as much if not for the fact that I have brothers and friends with Wii’s. Multiplayer is a complete blast that always leaves everyone smiling.
This simple learning curve allows even the most evasive of non-gamers to enjoy a game of Wii Tennis. Even my parents enjoyed swinging the Wiimote around. However, don’t think you have to wave your arms like a maniac like on the commercials on TV. You can just as easily flick your wrist as you can swing your arm in a huge arc to hit a virtual tennis ball.
Since the Wii is so easily identifiable by its unique controller, what else can you do with the system? A particularly enjoyable feature is the “Mii” channel. These little caricatures appear in games like Wii sports. You can create yourself, your friends, and even celebrities. Ever wanted to have a tennis match up between Jay Leno and David Letterman? With the Mii channel, you can!
Another feature I’ve been enjoying is the Virtual Console. With the Virtual Console, you can download games from classic systems (for a fee). Supported systems include the NES, SNES, Genesis, Turbo-Grafix 16, and N64. Pricing is between $5 and $10 for the different games. If you have a credit card and wireless internet, you’re good to go for a trip back into video game history with the Virtual Console. The selection is a bit weak right now, but I’ve enjoyed a few games from the service. New games are released every week.
Of course, all systems aren’t without downfalls. As of writing, there aren’t any online games available for Wii. Even worse, Nintendo has opted to use the “friend code” system where you have a 16-digit code that represents your system online. Online games won’t be available until January, so if you’re a big online gamer this might upset you. Oh, and if you don’t have wireless internet, you can’t connect to the internet without buying a $25 cable from Nintendo’s website that won’t be available until January.
Of course, the Wii is more innovative and is cheaper than the other consoles. But there is a drawback – the graphics on Wii are comparable to the Gamecube. Sure, Zelda: Twilight Princess looks great, but some of the other games hardly even compare to current PS2 stuff. Seriously, do developers just think that graphics aren’t important anymore with the Wii? It can pull of good things, especially with Zelda, but it’s no Xbox 360 or PS3, that’s for sure. If gameplay is more important to you than graphics, then you won’t mind the Wii’s graphical downfall.
That brings me to another subject: Zelda. Wii is the first system to ever launch with a Zelda game, and I have it. Zelda: Twilight Princess is, simply put, amazing. It’s the biggest Zelda yet, with over 70 hours of gameplay. I was worried about the controls before I bought it, but the game eases you into them and eventually they’re completely natural. In fact, I’d even go as far to say I’d rather play the game on the Wiimote and nunchuk than a traditional controller. I’ll have a full review in the coming weeks, so look for that soon. If you’re a Zelda fan, then you should definitely purchase it.
In conclusion, the Wii is a totally original system. If you’re worried about the controls, don’t because it just works. Wii is launching with Zelda, and there are a couple of other great games coming down the pipeline as well. Far Cry: Vengeance, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Wii Play are all releasing in the next few months. I don’t give systems ratings, because it really comes down to personal taste. However, I highly recommend the Wii. It’s more than a gimmick – it’s a revolution.
