Wii or DS?
 

Okay so I got about $350 in Christmas money that is burning a hole in my pocket and I have come to the conclusion that I want to either buy a DS or a Wii (or pay some bills :(). Now I already have a PSP(which I hardly use because of lack of games), a Xbox360(which we use a lot because of awesome games) and a PC (which I just poured a whole bunch of money into for the best games) so I am not lacking in handheld or console systems. Let it be known that I absolutely loved the GB, GB color, Neo Geo Pocket, and GBA.

My question is, what do you think I should spend my money on? I am kind of leaning towards the DS because while the Wii seems cool, the novelty does wear thin after awhile and I can't really name 5 games that I would want for the Wii but I am sure the amount of good games will increase in time. The DS also has more games that are reminiscent of older RPG games from like the SNES which I love. The DS is also cheaper, so I could buy more games for it and still have extra money than with the Wii.

So, tfp forum goers, what is your opinion?

get a DS bundled with other games. Or get a wiiiiiiiii if you have enough friends/family that want to share the fun.

What about just getting a ps3 instead? haha! :hyper:

If you regularly have two or more people at your house who are unskilled gamers, including many young women, older men and women, or children, a Wii is great for you.

I'm not dogging on the system at all, but there are very few "serious" games for the Wii. My father owns one and owns (amazingly) the majority of the games available for the system. They're all collections of mini-games, platformers, or novel uses of the Wii-mote and nunchuck. As you noted, there are very few deep and/or expansive games, especially if you're a PC/Xbox360 gamer.

Metroid Prime 3 aside, there is nothing comparable to GoW, CoD4, Halo3, Oblivion, Battlefield2 or Bioshock on the Wii.

If you're a mobile gamer (and it sounds like you might be, as a PSP and GBA fan), then the DS would be pretty good for you. There's some very amusing games, and despite the ridiculous amount of Zelda clones, the new Zelda for DS is quite fun - stylus boomerang throwing FTW.

I'd look at trading in the PSP and some cash for a DS, and then spending the rest of your Christmas money on bills. They'll haunt you forever, otherwise. :)

thanks for the replies. I live with a roommate and my fiancee and all of us play games pretty regularly. We do tend to have parties with many drunken people though, but that could be a recipe for disaster. :rolleyes: And while I would trade my psp in, I, well umm, have a custom firmware that let's me play my emulators. The lack of deep, immersing games on the Wii is the only thing that is deterring me. I guess I could hold off on it and purchase one when more good games start coming out.

Also, I am an old school gamer and my SNES is my favorite system of all time. I long for 2D side-scrollers, classic RPGS, and top-down 3rd person adventures (excellent avatar, BTW, JinnKai). That's why I think the DS might be a better choice for me.

So I was wondering, would anybody be able to list the top games for each system for me or link me to a place that would have them so I could get a better grasp at what I am looking at?

Mario Galaxy for Wii is effing brilliant--completely deep and immersive, despite being a platformer (usually my least favorite gaming format).

"Top" is a pretty subjective description, so I'm going to go with a mix of my opinion and the 'expert' opinion--

Wii:
Guitar Hero 3 (I'd get this for 360, if you don't already have it)
Cooking Mama (Pretty fun, especially for parties. Sushi is hard as hell to make)
Metroid Prime 3 (Fun railshooter / FPS, but it definitely wasn't very impressive graphically)
Super Paper Mario (Kinda fuckin cool - ability to 'rotate' Mario into 3D to walk AROUND the pipe, rather than jump on top of it)
Super Mario Galaxy (Amusing, but just another N64 Mario World in 3D)
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Not out, but slated for Feb. - I love the Smash Brothers series, so it's a pretty big incentive for the Wii)
Zelda Twilight Princess (Cute, novel use of Wiimote for fishing, etc. Nothing terribly special, imo)
Wii Sports (Not overrated. Very good easy fun for drunken visitors, etc)
Trauma Center (There's two out now - fake surgery. The second one has co-op surgery. They were definitely good for a few hours of fun at a time, especially if you like laughing at anime psuedo-story between operations)

Those are the best I can think of. Like I said, not terribly immersive.

DS:
Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (like I said, quite fun with stylus action. A bit kiddie and a bit dumbed down, but still fun)
Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (in terms of 'platform exclusives' this one takes it. I love the FF series, and this one looks pretty fantastic, including graphically. I think about getting a DS just for this game, but I'm *NOT* a mobile gamer at all) - they're also slating III and IV re-re-releases.
Brain Age (definitely a bit hokey, but fun if you like timed math/logic puzzles.)
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker (Kinda a Pokemon in the DQ world, pretty cool)
Star Fox Command (You said SNES, so I had to throw this one in. It'd be another space shooter if it weren't for the Star Fox influences. Good time waster)
Drawn to Life (Novel use of stylus; it's like mario, but you have to *draw* your way through the levels - tools, boxes, characters, etc..)

Not really 10 each, but those are the defining ones, imo.

Edit: and thank you for the avatar compliment; very few people recognize the most badass RPG hero in the history of RPGs, especially in his original guise - what the hell is this?

http://www.ffcompendium.com/chara/4a-cecilpaladin-f.gif

ok so you said they are re-releasing FFIV in 3D like they did FF3, and that sold me right there. I looked at what is to come in 2008 and it looks like SquareEnix is giving the DS a ton of love.

So I decided to look online and make up a list of games I would buy right this second (had I the money for all of them) for each system and here it is:

Wii:
Super Paper Mario
Mario Galaxy
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
(already have GH3 on the 360:))
with SSM: Brawl to look forward to

DS:
Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings
Children of Mana
Heroes of Mana
New Super Mario Bros.
Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass
Casltevania Dawn of Sorrow
Casltevania Portait of Ruin
Contra 4
With Dragon Quest IX, FFIV remake, FFXIII spinoff, a new FF: Tactics, and many more to look forward to.

Those are just lists of must have games (imo), there are more for each system that I would eventually buy but I just don't see the Wii as having many must have games (imo)

FFIV is my favorite game of all time. And I do remember laughing at the new Cecil portrait when I got it for the GBA. I love the FF franchise so much. The original Final Fantasy on the NES was the first video game I ever played and I was hooked right there.

So I guess my decision is the DS. The only qualm I have is that I would be so mad if they released a new handheld in short manner after I buy this DS.

oh well, I just realized that since I am left handed will this screw me over with the DS?

Games that require it (Zelda, Brain Age) have a configuration option right at the beginning which asks whether you are right or left handed. Brain Age is vertical (DS is sideways), so switching hands there is really important. You should be fine. :)

And yea, FF2 was the first game I ever played, so I'm similarly in love with Final Fantasy.

EDIT: Just saw this:

Careful, then..
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,13...1/article.html

They're talking about re-re-releasing the DS, in its third iteration. It's something to think about, especially if you'd be terribly upset by it. It's supposedly still in the works, but Nintendo has confirmed it.

hmmm, that is something to think about, thanks.

If you do decide to go with the Wii, get a Gamefly membership (if you don't have one already). Best money I spend every month, plus we've been able to keep the games we like, and it's a LOT cheaper than buying new Wii games.

For what it's worth, I love my Wii--and so does everyone else. It is very much a social gaming system--really brings people together.

I recommend the DS. Easier to get online... And games are free if you're spesh. =D *cough*

I have to say I find it hard to find a game which captures my attention and keeps it for more than an hour.
Wario - Master of Disguise
And oldies from the n64 and nes do though.
Duck Hunt and Tetris is what I play on mine. >.>

Have you played the Wii yet? It is an amazing party console, there are lots of great ways to play it with a group of people and a 24 pack ;). Also i expect a lot of new games will come out within the next year due to the shear number of consoles that have been sold. Developers know there is a huge market here and it just takes time to get good games out for the console. Porting doesn't work so well to the Wii because the game has to be designed around the control scheme to be really good.

Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 is supposed to be good. In particular, it controls great, which is something that cant be said of the dual stick solution.

It had Call of Duty 3 last year, but it wasnt very good.

Outside of that, there are plenty of games on the Wii which people just overlook when they make their broad statements about mini-games.

Fire Emblem
The 2 Trauma Center Games
Zack & Wiki
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core
Resident Evil 4 (definitive version)
Sonic (it gets hard)
Battalion Wars 2

The light gun/rail shooter games are definitely better on Wii because of the pointer:

Ghost Squad
Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles

And then you've got your first party offerings, already mentioned here.

Early next month you've got No More Heroes and Smash Bros. Brawl.

Don't forget Mario Kart! that one will be a major winner. Up to 12 people online (for free!)

You certainly are in the wrong business if you demand a certain level of graphics in your games and you are getting or own a Wii. Criticizing Wii games for looking worse than 360/PS3 games is like criticizing a dwarf for being short.

The first party offerings arent as easy to dismiss as you make it seem. (Check Gamerankings):

Comparing Mario Galaxy to Mario 64 is a good thing. Theres a reason its currently the #2 highest ranked game of all time.

Same goes with Twilight Princess as it relates to Ocarina of Time.

If Metroid 3 isnt pretty enough for you, you've probably bought the wrong system.

was this directed at me? I could care less about graphics, gameplay is my thing.

Yes I have played the Wii(my close friend has one) and the novelty has worn off for me on how super cool the nunchuck is. I want games with lots of depth though. Not party games that I could break out on occasion. Guitar Hero 2 and 3 are good for that, or my gamecube with all the mario parties. All this being said, i know I will eventually own a Wii, I was just wondering what I should spend my christmas money on. The DS has a lot more of what I want I believe.

All of this is kind of moot though, I have not been able to find one DS or Wii in the entire city. It's getting ridiculous.

Also, the gamecube version of Resident Evil 4 is the definitive version even if it doesn't have the extras.

You're right, because if I was playing metroid 3 it would be the best metroid ever made, on the SNES. :thumbsup:

got a Wii for Christmas. Lots of fun playing Sports on New Year's Eve, plus we have the Metroid Corruption and Mario Galaxy. Not much in these two games to distinguish them from other consoles. Mario Galaxy is a lot like ratchet & clank.
We have a couple of DS units and a PSP along with the PS2, PS1 & SuperNintendo (with the original metroid). Wii has imported a lot from the old SNS Mario Paint, and I find the whole Mario world to be annoying to start with so the system didnt endear itself to me. Waiting for som decent "motion" games to come out (like the PS2 Eyetoy hoverboarding).

I say save the money for now.

After having owned a DS, PSP, and Wii I would recommend buying Lumines for your PSP and then saving the rest of your cash for Lumines-rehab.

I already have Lumines and yes it's great.

So, I finally found a DS (they were sold out everywhere for awhile) and I got Zelda and Contra and I can already say that I made the right choice. Zelda is amazing and Contra is a blast (it's very reminiscent of hard, unforgiving Contra on the NES and SNES). The one thing is that now I want to buy more and more games, maybe I will try to get in some overtime at work to support my new habit.

Depends on if you have opportunities to play portable games. I work projection at a movie theater, so my DS is much, much more important to me than my Wii. Having the option to open up my DS and play anytime I want while I'm at work is great. Also, if you take a lot of roadtrips where someone else is driving, or spend a lot of time away from home, the DS is definitely the way to go.

Graphically, the DS isn't that impressive, but there are SO many great games, and they have something for everybody.

Like platformers? New Super Mario Bros is probably the best side scrolling platformer released in the past decade. Kirby's Canvas Curse is also amazing, and adds a completely new element to the genre that could really only be done on the DS, or possibly the PC and Wii if you have quick hands.

RPG? Final Fantasy 3 is great, and the DS is the only way you'll be able to play it in the US. And there's Etrian Odyssey and Orcs & Elves for the hardcore dungeon crawler fans. Oh, and Pokemon.

If you like puzzle games, Meteos is amazing. Puzzle Quest is also great, especially if you like RPG's as well (which I do).

I'm just gonna cut this short and say that you made the right choice in getting a DS, and there are just too many good games on it. I'm constantly having to restrain myself from buying DS games, I think I have over 20 games on there now.

...well i happen to have both..and i think wii is alot more fun..especially with friends or family ... it makes the evening so much more entertaining..
DS is okay, but when you are on your own...it gets a little dull...unless u are addicted to tetris like me...and trying to score high points..

=)

thanks for the reply, and thanks everyone else for their replies. A quick update, I totally love the DS. These games are my kind of games, very reminiscent of old school SNES games with so much better sprite capabilities and better graphics in general. That's what I was hoping they would have done more with on the PSP but it is trying to basically be a PSX. The PSP does have good ones though, Castlevania Dracula Chronicles X or whatever it is and FFT are good examples, but the DS has so many more games that are reminiscent of days of video games gone with modern graphics/controls.

About the Wii, there is no doubt that it is a great machine and I will eventually get one for that probably, but I have been playing my friends Wii for awhile now on Mario Galaxy and Zelda and damn those games are good, but they are some of the few games with substance that the console has. But at parties, the thing is a hit.

Also, I work in research and only have 2 experiments a week, the rest of the week I compile data and write, that all can be done in 1 day so I have plenty of time to play my DS :thumbsup:

Wii has online access too, which I am still exploring. Like the DS, you can link up over the internet with remote players.

Yeah, I really like the resurgence of great sprite-based games on the DS. It seems since the new consoles are capable of pushing billions of polygons per second, they generally refuse to pay attention to 2D graphics anymore. That's one of the main reasons I love the DS, it has a lot of great 2D side-scrolling action/adventure games that remind me of the old NES/Genesis/SNES days, when games depended more on being fun than pushing amazing graphics.

*Can't stand cell shaded Zelda*
PH makes my eyes water.

I recommended Wii for you

Problem is, I've been waiting most of my life for gaming that isn't 2d, or 3d. I want the Holodeck. I want it yesterday. And I want fun gaming along with it.

I would pay some bills.

Or buy a Wii. (But I have young kids in my house.)

QFT. I would love to see consoles trying to push insane limits on 2D side scrollers now. Just imagine what could be done. Castlevania: SotN was the last true great side scroller on a home console and look how that game was recieved.

I just bought FFXII: Revenant Wings for the DS and it's really awesome.

Also, I still got my bills paid. :thumbsup: