Tuesday, January 9, 2007 • PAGE 7 The Griffon News Lifestyles

Melissa Bitterman Guest Writer

For years now, because children and teen-agers are becoming more and more over-

weight, people have been giving their favorite pastime a bad rep; Nintendo has cre-ated a new system that seems to have solved that problem. One of the many new features that come with purchasing the Nintendo Wii, which debuted to unbelievably long lines on Nov. 19, is the interactive remote control and nunchuk. Both are wireless and control the actions on the screen by the movement of the user’s arms and body. “There’s not too much inter-action in the mid to lower body because you can do most of the activities sitting down,” freshman computer information systems manage-ment major Brett Weese said. However, users such as senior psychology and pre-med major Paul Cox have also said that sometimes it is hard to remain seated when they get into the game. “While it is true that the games can be played while sitting, it

is more fun to get off the sofa and move your whole body along with the game,” Cox said. “People really get crazy with it, and it is fun for everyone.” Cox also said that he believes that because of the constant move-ment that games like the Wii Sports (which comes with every console) could reduce the child obesity prob-lem going on in the United States today. “The boxing game alone made my arms burn the next day,” Cox said. “It is a great cardiovascu-lar workout as well. I think kids are more apt to do things when they’re having a good time, and I think Nintendo has accomplished this.” The Wii Sports bundle pack includes bowling, baseball, tennis, boxing and golf—all of which have been an instant hit, not just to teenagers and college students, but to adults as well.

Missouri Western alum John Grogan said the ten-nis and baseball games in the Wii Sports bundle real-ly caused him to work up a sweat. “I love the inter-active controller,” he said. “It’s the most fun I’ve had with a game sys-tem since the origi-nal NES. I’ve had a [Playstation 2] since they came out about five or six years ago, and mostly it has collected dust or functioned as a DVD player. I was hooked on the Wii Sports for about a week solid. The tennis

game is a blast, as is golf.” Since its debut, Nintendo has sold over 600,000 Wii consoles in the United States. Each unit goes for about $250, which is half of the price of the PS3. “I waited in line for about three hours at Circuit City for my Wii,” Grogan said. “[It is a day] that I will always

remember as the day I sacri-ficed my dignity to stand in line out in the cold so that I could indulge in one of the dis-plays of consumerism that has plagued this country for years.” The only downfall of the Wii is its lack of graphic stan-dards that other gaming sys-tems like the Sony Playstation 3 (released just a few days before the Wii) and the Xbox 360 have recently mastered. “So many game manufac-turers and software com-panies focus on nothing but graphics,” Grogan said. “Nintendo is being innova-tive by looking into the past.” Grogan speaks of the Nintendo Power Pad, a mat that is laid on the floor and can be used for such games as World Class Track Meet, Dance Aerobics, Street Cop and Super Team Games — all for the original Nintendo Entertainment System which was released in the early 80s. “Thankfully, we now know with the emergence of the Wii, the motion-sensing technol-ogy Nintendo pioneered over 15 years ago wasn’t wasted on the Power Glove,” Grogan said. “They got it right this time, though!”

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...changing the rules of the game

Top Wii games from

5. Super Mario Galaxy4. Metroid Prime Trilogy

3. Super Smash Bros. Brawl2. Super Mario Galaxy 2

1. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword