The Voice of Mom

Ready to play? The Wii has changed the way people play video games, getting the attention of moms, dads, kids, grandparents and more everywhere. With the instinctive controls and the interactivity — and the ability to play with up to four people on many games — it’s also quickly becoming the new party game

I love our Wii. While I don’t really play video games often, it is so much fun to play the Wii together when we have company over. These are a few of our favorite games for two to four players.

• Wii Sports
  This one has tennis, baseball, bowling, boxing and golf. I really like the bowling and baseball. I find with the tennis, it is harder to figure out how to hold the controller to hit the ball. But don’t waste your money on the Wii Sports Pack with the baseball bat, tennis racket, and golf club. It’s easier to just use the controller.
• Mario Party 8
  This one is sort of like a board game format. You try to get your player around the board to collect the stars and avoid booby traps. There is one game on there that is reminiscent of Monopoly. You go around the board putting money on hotels to make them yours. There are mini games for you to earn money and you roll dice to see how many spaces you can go. I don’t like the little top hat guy though. He makes weird noises and laughs a lot. I rather him talk too.
• Sonic and the Secret Rings
  I really like this one for the party games. We usually go to the Pirates Coast. You play mini games to see how far your pirate ship moves. My daughter likes pirates so she likes this one. I like pretty much all of the sections on this game though.
• Mario Kart Wii
  I have loved this game since I had it for my N64 (all the kids say what?) and I STILL have that! This is even more fun though! I like the little wheels for your controller to snap into. There are a bunch of characters that you can unlock as you complete your individual races to use for your multi-player races and battles. I prefer doing the battles, especially Coin Runners. It’s just fun  to run around and beat up on your opponents I think. You can play 2-player online with players around the world if you have a wireless connection.
• NASCAR Kart Racing
  This one is alright. I like the real people and cars to choose from. You sort of work in pairs to sling-shot pass one another until you pass other people. In between races, they’ll show the racers ‘talking’ but they’re mumbling and you have to read the dialogue at the bottom. I think they should’ve had the racers record sound bytes to use in there since they’re using their full body images. I personally rather play Mario Kart.
• Super Smash Bros.
  I like games to beat up on your opponent without the guts and gore. They have Zelda, Pokemon, Mario, and many more. True gamer fans would probably recognize and appreciate the star cast of characters. There are lots of boards to choose from and you unlock more characters the longer you play.

If you have any suggestions for other Wii games to play, leave a comment! I’d love some recommendations for great party games!