I was lucky to get a Nintendo Wii for Christmas, and after a couple weeks with it, I have to say it’s a very impressive machine. That is, when it’s controllers are used properly. Super Mario Galaxy is in the top 5 of games I’ve ever played, and I’m not even that big a fan of platforming games. The level design is without peer, the graphics aren’t superb, but they fit the game to a T, and even the music is fantastic. Most of all, the controller is used inventively and intuitively. Metroid Prime follows Mario’s lead, although I don’t think the controls work quite as well. Standing in opposition here is Madden 08. This game’s use of the controller is terrible. Running the ball is a challenge, and throwing the ball is next to impossible. I can emphathize with their plight a slight bit, since the Wiimote just doesn’t have enough buttons to replicate the experience someone would get on an XBox360 or a PS3, but their compromise just doesn’t work. Next to that is inconsistency of the buttons needed to move through different menu options. Sometimes it the plus or minus buttons, sometimes the minus button is used for sorting players by a certain characteristic and the C or Z buttons are used. It’s just a mess, and it’s really something that should have been thought out better. Overall, when used properly, the Wii is a fantastic system, but is also a challenge for developers. A challenge that, so far, they have utterly failed to rise to. I certainly hope they get their act together, and with the amount of units being sold these days, it’s a pretty good bet that they finally will. I just hope that when they finally do they don’t saturate the market with party games like they’re doing now.