Girl Meets Geekdom

Since it seems that people are still complaining about the Wii, I figured I’d throw in my two cents as well.

For those of you who don’t follow the game industry, Nintendo announced late last week that their new console, the Nintendo Revolution, with its uniquely designed controller that will revolutionize gaming, will now be called the Wii. (Pronounced “wee”)

Immediately after the announcement, the internet universe exploded with complaints, heated debates, and even hints of a conspiracy theory.

What I want to know is, how did something as cool as the “Nintendo Revolution” become the “Wii?” Here’s what the official Nintendo Revolution/Wii website had to say:

Introducing Wii.

As in “we.”
While the code-name “Revolution” expressed our direction, Wii represents the answer.
Wii will break down that wall that separates video game players from everybody else.
Wii will put people more in touch with their games … and each other. But you’re probably asking: What does the name mean?
Wii sounds like “we,” which emphasizes this console is for everyone.
Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate. Just Wii.
Wii has a distinctive “ii” spelling that symbolizes both the unique controllers and the image of people gathering to play.
And Wii, as a name and a console, brings something revolutionary to the world of video games that sets it apart from the crowd.

So that’s Wii. But now Nintendo needs you.

Because, it’s really not about you or me.

It’s about Wii.

And together, Wii will change everything.

“Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak???” Yeah…needless to say people of English speaking countries will remember it as slang for “urinate.” In fact, when you first look at the word, it’s not even clear how it’s pronounced. I personally thought it was the “why.” And correct me if I’m wrong, but “wii” doesn’t even have a character in the Japanese writing system. In fact, it’s not even a sound in Chinese, and you have four tones per phoneme to choose from!

And then there is the issue of coolness. I mean, let’s face it, video games are already associated with a sort of geekhood that isn’t exactly the epitome of “cool.” At least the PS2 and Xbox tried to fit into that culture. Being a huge Wii fan almost feels like your asking to be teased. Now just sit back for a moment and pretend you’re back in grade school. Now think about all the jokes you can make about the nerdy kid who plays too much Wii. I rest my case.

The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that director Brett Ratner just does not like the X-Men. Why else would he take a perfectly healthy franchise, so brilliantly conceived by his predecessor, Bryan Singer, and completely and utterly destroy it?

X-Men 3: The Last Stand has the largest ever Memorial Day weekend opening. In the trailer, we see glimpses of Angel, Beast, a mutant “cure”, and above all, the return of Jean Grey as the “Dark Phoenix.” The fact is, it was too good to be true. Everything in X3 seems artificial. For those familiar with the X-Men series, the film’s story makes reference to the Dark Phoenix and Apocalypse plotlines, strung together by overly computer-graphics dependent action sequences, and emotional character development artificially charged through repeated death and losing-of-purpose-in-life.

In the end, this really wasn’t a film, it was a spectacle for the fans. With Bryan Singer, you walk away with a sense of the characters, the weights they carry, and all the beauty and subtly of who the characters are. X3 is all about the money. They inserted all the X-Men things that Bryan Singer missed to trick fans into going to see the film. I’m sorry to say, Angel and Dark Phoenix were complete cop-outs. In fact, remember that fire we saw in Jean Grey’s eyes in X2 foreshadowing Phoenix? Well…they forgot the fire. Instead they decided to make her really ugly and wear a poofy dress. And that Sentinal they promised? You only get to see a head.

I’ve also never seen such a bad use of visual effects. Seriously, the film felt more like a Siggraph technical demo rather than a movie. It really was 100 minutes of particle effects. I felt like I was being punished for screwing up the particle effects on the final project for my graphics class. It was like, every scene of the movie, something had to be incinerated, or floating around or something out of the ordinary. If they cut out some of the effects, maybe they could’ve paid someone to actually think of something cooler for Phoenix to do…or say.

X2 set up such a promising sequel. This was just upsetting.

D Movie
B- Action
C+ Visual Effects
F Character Development
D Story