Mii Familia

Ah, the Mii. Nintendont's answer to the question, "Is this videogame machine intended for girls or boys?"

For those too apathetic to click through for a straight explanation, the Nintendo Wii allows you to create little Fisher-Price-like avatars called "Miis". The little Mii characters you create may make cameos in the Wii games you play, such as "Wii Sports" and "Wii Used to Have a Life". (As well as the upcoming "Wii Are Totally Queer".)

I've created Miis to resemble Axl Rose, Marilyn Manson, Trent Reznor and Stanley Tucci. You can alter their height and weight, customize with a host of facial features, yet it is a bit of a challenge to really make them stand out. My Jay-Z Mii is nearly indistinguishable from my Kanye West Mii. (Insert racist thoughts here.) It's a Mr. Potato Head sim.

There isn't much substance beneath any of it. The Wii is a fun party gag, but right now it's built on mini-games, 30-second shots of simplified gameplay. Shallow tricks.

Having spent time with all three consoles (gadget slut that I am), I'd have to say the XBOX 360 gives you the best overall system. A great game system. Best DVD player I've got. And even without purchasing the external HD-DVD drive, you can download and watch HD movies. Best online functionality of the three, by a mile. You can download and play free demos of 360 games, as well as a growing list of classic arcade games.

The PS3 is an awkward, overpriced, bulky Frankenstein monster, smashing together elements from the Wii and 360 without the elegance of either. Weighs a ton. It's a essentially a good Blu Ray movie player with some gaming functionality TBD.

All that said, there's something to be admired in the Wii. It's the cheapest next gen system (albeit with the worst graphics by far). And yet, the shift in focus to appeal to "non-gamers" has really done wonders for it. People who don't play videogames want to play with the Wii. In a landscape filled with First Person Shooters and Fantasy Role Playing Games, the Wii is trying to carve out some unique gaming experiences.

Dunno if it'll grow into something meaningful, but it's good for a little jerking around, if you're into that...

OFF TOPIC, I'd like to make animations like this with little effort. I'm sure I can scrounge together the tools to make something like this on my computer, but I don't think there's a program out there that automates it to the degree that my laziness requires.