Top 10 pitfalls non-gamer parent need to avoid before buying this holiday

Being a first time Wii Parent this Holiday season, I’ve had the hardest time selecting games for my family. This is one of the reason Wiiparent.com was created.   Here are some of the things I’ve learned.

10. Don’t give in to what they want. 

Kids will beg and plead for the latest and greatest game, but you as a parent need to be the ultimate judge on what’s right for your family.  Educate yourself.

9. Not test driving the games.

If possible go out and try these games. Find some friends or go to the video game store.  You’ll soon find out that the Wii Fit is for you and your just not that musicaly inclined for the Wii Music.

8. Don’t buy the mini-game compliations

Save your money and buy some good ol’ board games that your family can enjoy. Bring back Monopoly or….UNO!

7.  Read the fine print

Keep an eye out for certain developers, particularly these four: Atari, Majesco, Midway or Gamecock.  They’ve made fun titles in the past, but they’ve been bombarding the market with horrible titles for the last several years.

6. Beware of the Nintendo Seal

Its not for Quality any more.  The Nintendo Seal of Quality is still used, with all Nintendo DS and Wii games bearing it on their packaging. However, it has recently been changed to read “Official Nintendo Seal” rather than “Official Nintendo Seal of Quality”.  There are talks out there to brining back the original seal, which stood for something.

5. Avoid games with bad grammar.

Steer clear of any videogame that pluralizes its title with a “z” instead of an “s.” These typically have been poor quality games.  Don’t waste your time.

4. Avoid game titles with the word Family

This is just a marketing ploy to get you to buy the game. 

3. Avoid certain under $20 or $10 titles.

You get what you pay for.  Cheaper isn’t always better.

 2. DO NOT TRUST THE EMPLOYEES AT RETAIL STORES

They lie!!!!!  They’re just trying to make a sale.  Use your resources (Friends, Family, & WiiParent.com)

1. Do not disregard the ESRB

 The most important pitfall to avoid by families is not keeping a close eye on ESRB ratings (or PEGI- Europe’s version of the ESRB. They too are urging parents to always check the video game rating (Press Release from ELSPA)).

Nintendo Wii Speak issues are now resolved

Woohoo!!!!! Customers are now able to contact NintendoCustomer Service to get their replacement codes in the event of lost, stolen, or sold Wii Speak hardware.

Nintendo is finally folding under pressure from its loyal customers

 

Beware who you Wii Speak too

The Wii Speak is one of the new peripheral that sits on top of your television with the Wii Sensor Bar, and allows online voice chat in games such as the recently unveiled Animal Crossing: City Folk.

The device captures audio from the room where it is placed and plugs into one of the Wii’s USB slots. It’ll retail separately from Animal Crossing, for $29.99.
But beware of fine print.

The device requires you to get a 16-character code. The code must be downloaded in order for you to get the “Wii Speak” channel. You’re like, “so what”. Well this is a one time download, which means DON’T LOSE IT, because it can’t be replaced. Along w/ worry about not losing the code how about you won’t be able to use this new device on another Wii system. You won’t be able to sell it, even better yet, you won’t be able to even give it away.

Come on, Nintendo what gives!

Buying a Wii shouldn’t be that hard, yeah right.

 

Woohoo, I have bought our first Wii! But can’t open it ’til Christmas! Let me tell ya, I’ve tried every which way to convince my wife, but no go. We’re waiting on Santa to deliver it on Christmas morning. Nonetheless, this was the toughest ordeal. As with any of these new gaming consoles the initial investment was toughest, but this one had the added benefit of being hard to find too. It reminded me of the funny line in

Disney Pixar – Toy Story. When, while driving around Al’s Toy Barn, Tour Guide Barbie tells them as they were driving down a Buzz Lightyear aisle “back in 1995 short-sighted retailers did not order enough dolls to meet demand”

That’s exactly how I felt. But now we’re coming up on the 2 year anniversary of the Wii release here in the States and the units are still hard to find in some places. Some retailer are starting to bundle them with other games/accessories, now driving the initial investment up. I bought ours at Bestbuy, which was the only place at that time which that had it stock, locally. But that’s not where I first started.
BUYING STEPS

1. Save some money – The first initial investment won’t be your last purchase. Just the basic Wii console retailed around $250 w/o taxes (included Wii Sports, 1- Wii Remote, 1- Nunchuck, batteries for the Wii remote, and a composite AV cable containing RCA connectors) add extra controllers, games, cables, etc.. You get the picture.
   
2. Shop around Online – Check online retailers sites for package deals or just the stand alone console. I used sites similar to http://wiitracker.com/, just to see what the prices were and who had the consoles in stock.
   
3. Pick up the phone – After browsing around on the web and when I was ready to buy, I called the local stores. Many of them did not have any units in stock and this was just a few months ago. Find out when they’ll get their shipment arrive.
4. Early Bird – Once you get the shipment information, try to get their early. I had a weird experience w/ BestBuy. When I finally settled on BestBuy I called ahead to check availability. I got the answer I was looking for they had units available, WOOT! The funny thing happened when I got to the store, about an hour later after calling, one of their floor sales guys in the gaming section said they were all out. WHAT!? Well, needless to say I kept my cool and asked them to call the manager or to check again. He decided to check again and sure enough they had a few units in the back.
   
5. Be Patient – Don’t settle, unless you really, truly are forced too. Keep calling and going to the local stores, you’ll see soon enough persistent will pay off
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TIPS

1. Target Shoppers Hack – Try locating on the price checkers that they have around the store. Enter the following Wii product code: 207-25-0001 and press the [ENTER] button. It’s supposed tell you how many Wii are on the floor or in the back stockroom. (unconfirmed)
2. Keep your cool – I’ve heard that our local Target gets their shipment in on Tuesdays. So when you get there try to remember that being polite goes a long way, when asking for help.
3. Rentals/Pre-owned – Rent games before you buy. It’ll save you alot money down the road. If you must buy, try going w/ the pre-own games.
4. Avoid the holiday rush
5. Becareful with ebay & craiglist

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STORES

• Target
• Blockbuster
• Costco
• Toys “R” Us
• EB Games
• BestBuy
• Sears
• K-mart
• Circuit City
• Walmart
• Sams Club
• GameStop
• Fred Meyer

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Good luck and please let me know what has worked for you and maybe what hasn’t.