Nintendo WiiI finally got my Wii about 2 weeks ago. Does it live up to the hype? Does it live up to my ridiculously high expectations? To answer in a word, absolutely. Everything on it has been meeting my expectations. The interface is slick and easily navigated. I think the channels idea was great. I haven’t had the chance the mess with the photo channel (no pictures on the console yet) but I thoroughly enjoy the other channels. My favorite channel is the news channel. But I also really like the weather channel, internet channel and obviously the download channel.

This brings me to the Virtual Console. By the time I got my Wii there were plenty of games available to grab my interest. The download interface is simple but still has an appealing flare to it. For example the progress bar is actually Mario running across the screen and depending on his action, you know far along the process is. Granted you only know it in increments of 25%, but that is good enough for how small the downloads are. Having the VC games right there when you boot up the system is so handy. I exit out of my Zelda game and go right into 15 minutes of the original Mario. It may sound odd, but not having to change out a disc is so nice.

How about the actual games and new control scheme though? That is the most important part. Well, I spent the first week switching between Elebits and Wii Sports. I love Wii bowling and it proves the controllers greatness in my mind. I also dig tennis, especially the training modes. I got so hooked on Elebits that Zelda sat waiting. The game was fun and original and could only really be played with a Wii-mote. After multiple hours of playing, this game would hurt my hand from the constant shooting. This makes me worry about fps games on the system but you should never have to shoot that much in a game. It is almost constant in Elebits. However I beat Elebits in a few days and I’ve been playing Zelda the past week and a half.

Zelda is so wonderful. I’m one of those rare people who liked Wind Waker better than Ocarina in Time. So I was skeptical to love this game. However, I have to say it is the best Zelda game ever. On it’s own it is a great game. It has great items, characters, story line, action, everything. But what takes it over the top is actually the controls. I think anyone who got the Gamecube version is missing out. Throwing your fishing line with the remote feels so natural. I really like using the remote to aim, and think they did a great job putting together combos to pull of Links special moves.

One of my favorite things about the Wii-Remote is actually being able to use it with one hand and the other hands controls being a separate unit. I don’t know why controllers were ever held by both hands the way they are. The nun-chuck attachment feels so natural and very ergonomic. I love that I can browse the web with my Wii-remote and eat dinner with my other hand.

All in all, I see why this system is so popular and cannot stay on shelves. I was lucky enough to make a friend at EB games who held one for me. If you have the slightest interest in video game, you should get this system. If you are a hardcore player, I recommend this along side a PS3 or XBOX 360. But you cannot miss out on this system. It really did end up being like the code name “Revolution” suggested, revolutionary.