My Life With a Wii

My buddy Sam is the man!! He let me borrow his Nintendo Wii for a spell. I'm enjoying it tremendously, perhaps for reasons one may not expect.

I have an XBox 360. I love the machine. I love knowing that I'm playing a next-gen, state-of-the-art peice of gaming brilliance. There is not a game that I own for the 360 that I only moderately enjoy. They are all awesome.

The Wii is not a state-of-the-art machine. It is a glorified Gamecube, which was so five years ago! The graphics are somewhat dated. They're still good, but they're nothing compared to the behemoth that is the 360.

Why am I enjoying this console so much? Well, for starters, the games are really fun. I grew up on the Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Brothers. It's great to revisit these characters and find out that they are still fun to play with.

But here comes the unexpected part: My wife really enjoys the bowling game on Wii Sports. We actually can play together. I've been trying to get her to play with me for years. Cheryl, however, likes to play games like Zuma and Minesweeper. I like shooters, RPGs, and sports games. But we both really enjoy the bowling game.

Let me just say that I hate real life bowling with a passion. I'm no good at it, so I don't do it. But my wife and I compete pretty well on the Wii. I get to enjoy a fun activity with her, that surprisingly, involves some exercise. So now, we can talk, enjoy each other's company, and have some bonding time while engaging in an activity that we (finally) mutually enjoy.