My, dare I say, all-encompassing early review of the silliest-named console in the history of ever: Nintendo‘s Wii.

With parents all around the world wondering on which toy they they spend their hard-earned money, there was little doubt in my mind that this should be the most well-researched review I had ever done. I really sank my teeth into it and even attended preview events, something quite above and beyond the call of duty for someone who isn’t a journalist or a fanboy.

I tried to be as informative and unbiased as I could, presenting the facts clearly and finally putting a lifetime of video-game expertise to some good use: making educated guesses on the future. Apparently the effort showed, the review was received extremely well and was featured prominently.

Forgive me if I appear pompous; I don’t think the review is a special piece of literature, but it is a big deal to me. It helped me make the transition to hobbyist reviewer to part-time journalist, so I have fond memories of it.

Anyway, the Wii went on to be a huge success and still remains the “it” gadget to have for yet another holiday season, to the utmost surprise of most analysts that found it lacking and wrote it off as a novelty. What was my position? Read the review to find out!

We ease into Nintendo Wii coverage by reviewing what went on to be one of its simplest, yet top selling, games: Wii Play.

Actually a collection of minigames, Wii Play came bundled with a Wii Remote, so even if most of the gameplay was lackluster, it still presented a deal that was hard to argue with.

Wii Play, along with the rest of my Wii-centered reviews, were apparently good enough to garner the attention of some higher-ups that provided me with a ticket to semi-professional game-reviewing.