I recently became a Bzz agent. It’s a pretty cool gig from what I can tell. You have the opportunity to try out new products, sometimes before other people and sometimes with just a few extra benefits and access than other people get.

 A few weeks ago I signed up to try out Game Wave. As I had to pay for it (albeit a small amount compared to retail), I felt this was a good time to post another review. So here it is. 

I have a household that consists of two very competitive, impatient boys (ages 9 and 5) and a 2 year old girl, not to mention a workaholic hubby who doesn’t really like most games. I am always looking for a more effective method of getting everyone together.  We bought a Wii and for the most part everyone can participate (or in the case of my 2 yr old, participate in a manner that she’s happy with), but it’s still a huge hassle and so far we haven’t found many things we can all do (with the exception of  bowling). I was given an opportunity to try out a new product called Game Wave,  I say I was given, but in reality I paid 30 bucks for the privilege. Still, when I received the package today, I saw that it retails for $99 so I guess I got a deal.

At any rate, I opened the box today and was very impressed with the contents. It comes with 4 remotes standard in 4 different colors red, yellow, blue and green (the border not the remote entirely). I also received an extra 2 remotes (which can be purchased separately). I expected those 2 remotes to be duplicates of some of the previous 4 colors, but I was pleasantly and so was my daughter pleased to discover that the extra remotes came in extra colors, purple and orange.

Setup was beyond easy. The system comes with 2 types of cords, one is your standard 3 color set (red, white, yellow) as well as an Svideo. I suppose you can use both, depending on your type of  TV but for our Plasma TV we only needed the 3 color set. I plugged everything in, each plug going to it’s corresponding jack and finally into the wall and hit the power button. I pushed the open/close button, once, twice, three times after that I lost count how many times it took.  Eventually I was rewarded by the DVD opening and I was able to place one of my 3 disks inside.  Did I mention that the game system comes with 1 game standard? I got an extra 2 disks along with those extra remotes.

At this point I think it’s worth mentioning that part of what makes the Wii less optimal for a family of 5 (especially as my daughter grows older) is that as far as I can tell most games are only for a maximum of 4 remotes (or players). That’s what makes the idea of the Game Wave so great! You can play with up to 6 players at once, and this is not a turn based system, so no waiting around for your chance to participate. It’s not entierly clear to me at what age you can really participate and get something out of it, so I’m not sure if my 5 year old will enjoy it. My 2 year old will hopefully be able to “play” with the use of her purple remote, less the batteries of course.

From the Game Wave website:

The Game Wave™ Family Entertainment System brings a whole new approach to traditional games to players young and old, and of all skill levels. Game Wave™ games are fun to play and easy to learn. Best of all, everyone plays at the same time with their own remote; no more waiting for turns. Choose from an ever-expanding library of exciting titles - There’s something for everyone in our collection of puzzle games, word games, card games, trivia games and more!

The concept is so great. The idea of bringing familes together through interactive games with plenty of options, styles, and age ranges is something I can’t wait to try. I say this because upon loading up the disk I found myself staring at the main title screen. According to the manual this is normal. You put the disk in, wait a min for it to upload and then in theory the game screen comes up. I really wouldn’t know, because 2 different disks and 3 hours later, I have yet to see any such screen. If I click the setup button on the remote (multiple times) I am eventually able to get 3 options to show up on the screen.  The top one is the video format, full or widescreen mode.  I am able to switch to widescreen mode (from default full) and that triggers a reboot of the system, but once that is done I am left staring at the title screen once more.

There is a number for tech support that I called (evidently after hours) and left a message, we’ll see what they suggest and I will be sure to post their response, especially if I can get the system to actually work.

 

I’ll be honest with you, as I told my husband. “There is nothing about this system that I don’t like. They did everything right…I just wish it worked.” In the event that I get this thing working or get a working replacement I’d like to say it’s worth the money *I* spent on it. I’ve already spent a bunch of money over time trying to get a workable gaming method, so I wouldn’t spend $100. However, if you consider that all the other gaming systems are at least double that price, I think that it’s definately worth considering before you go to another of those pricier systems.  Of course none of this means anything if you don’t get a working system ;)