What to buy?

[deanalc]

Thanks to everyone who responded with ideas on where to buy. Now I'm
looking for ideas on what to buy. I am thinking of the Wii just
because it seems more exotic than the XBox or Playstation, and I like
the way it's been used by seniors as well as kids and teens. I am open
to rethinking this, however.

What games should I purchase as a starting set? We will probably buy
Rock Band because of the four player option and the uniqueness of the
game. What else is good? I have never used the Wii and don't know what
kinds of games come standard. Is there anything you've used that went
over really well (or didn't go over at all) in a library setting? I
prefer coop play to tournament style.

Thanks again for your advice!

Deana

[Gillian Wiseman]

We have very good response to Supersmash Brothers Brawl for the Wii, also Wii sports (which comes with the Wii) is very popular with all audiences. We're thinking about picking up the Wii Mario Kart game; another good choice would be DDR (there's a version just come out for the Wii, I think). We have DDR for our playstation2 and it stays continuously in use during game days.

I have Link's Crossbow Shooter for the Wii, and it has a multiplayer option. It is a fun game, a bit violent, but no more so than Supersmash in my opinion. The kids seemed to like it pretty well when I brought it in, but it didn't hold their interest as much as the Wii Sports boxing did!

Raving Rabbids was a dismal failure, and I suspect the Mario party type games would not be very popular, either.

Hope this all helps...
Gillian Wiseman
Electronic Resources Librarian
Waco-McLennan County Library
(254)750-5944
gwis...@ci.waco.tx.us

[Chris Pinner]

The only potential downside for the Rock Band choice on the Wii is the lack of downloadable content.  While for many games this isn't a big deal at all, EA/Harmonix have actually been really good about putting out a large variety of new songs and even now albums that can extend the life of the game once the original (pretty large) list of songs gets exhausted.  It's just something to note that the ps3/360 versions of the game take good advantage of.

[Keri Adams]

A quick comment on the DDR currently available for Wii: if your teens
really like DDR and have played before, they will probably not love
the wii version; the songs are terrible! If your teens haven't really
played before it would probably be fine.

I bought Rock Band for PS2 for my library (could afford a PS2 but not
xbox 360). My husband told me there were rumors that they would
release an expansion disc for ps2 that included the songs available
for download elsewhere. A quick google turned up this:
http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/05/wii-ps2-rock-ba.html which
confirms it although the title will be a standalone title, and not
require the original rock band disc.

Keri Adams
YA Librarian
Johnson Public Library
Hackensack, NJ

*Find out when your favorite author has a new book out!*
http://www.yalit.com
http://www.kerilynnadams.com

[Erwin]

I'd go for the Wii. Cheaper, more accessible, very kid/teen friendly.
The only problem is finding one! Definitely get Super Smash Bros.
Brawl -- it's a big favorite at my library. Guitar Hero III is also a
great draw. I'm about to do a Mario Kart Wii tournament this Wednesday
and it's gotten quite a bit of buzz. In fact, for both Mario kart and
the GH3 tourney I'm planning for next week I've had to start a waiting
list because the signups for both have exceeded the number of
participants we can logistically accommodate.

If you do decide to get GH3, I recommend using a regular TV and not a
digital projector because the latter has an annoying delay caused by
the projector processor which affects the gameplay's rapid fire
accuracy. My experienced teens can't stand the delay when they play
GH3 and have asked that I set up a TV, even though the screen is much
tinier than the projector's image. For other games, the delay isn't an
issue, however.

Don't get Mario Strikers Charged. Although it looks like a great
multiplayer soccer-style game, my kids got bored with it after the
novelty wore off.

The other nice thing about the Wii is that, unlike the other consoles,
it comes with a free game: the ever popular Wii Sports!