Official Nintendo Wii Wheel

Brand: Nintendo

Product: Official Nintendo Wii Wheel

Summary: Great for racing games (see last week's post), so every player can use a steering wheel (Wii-eel?).

Price: About $10 to $15

Obviously: Requires a Wii and one Wii Remote per Wheel.

Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel

Brand: Nintendo

Product: Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel

Summary: Turn your Wii Remote into a a steering wheel as you take familiar Super Mario Bros. characters (and your Mii, too) down several fun race tracks! Compete with friends! This package usually comes with both the Mario Kart game and Wheel accessory.

Price: About $50

Obviously: Requires a Wii.

Star Wars The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels

Brand: Lucasarts

Product: Star Wars The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels

Summary: Use your Wii remote as a lightsaber and play through the animated Star Wars movie/TV series.

Price: About $50

Obviously: Requires a Wii.

LEGO® City Advent Calendar

Brand: LEGO®

Product: LEGO® City Advent Calendar

Summary: 24 mini LEGO sets to build (theoretically) daily throughout the holiday season.

Price: About $30

Parts from: Denmark, Hungary, Mexico, China, and the Czech Republic. (Or varies, depending on the LEGO Group's current mode of production - see press release.)

Castle Coin Bank

Brand: LEGO®

Product: Castle Coin Bank

Summary: A plastic-and-cardboard, dragon-protected device for you and/or your children's (preferably the latter's) loose change. Comes with a lock, two keys, a dragon's head, and a skeleton minifigure.

Price: About $15

Parts from: Denmark, Hungary, Mexico, China, and the Czech Republic. (Or varies, depending on the LEGO Group's current mode of production - see press release.)

Wii Virtual Console

Brand: Various Developers, Licensed by Nintendo

Product: Wii Virtual Console games (see further description on Wikipedia)

Summary: Download classic games from the NES, SNES, Sega Master System, Genesis, Turbo Grafix 16, N64, and other "obsolete" systems. While the technology may be outdated, the games are still classic (due to nostalgia or timelessness). Requires a purchase of Wii Points, either in Wii 2000 Points Card form or directly from your Wii.

Price: Between $5 and $20 or so dollars, in Wii Points. The Wii 2000 Points Card costs about $20.

Obviously: Requires a Wii. Some games may require the Wii Classic Controller peripheral (price: about $20).

WiiWare

Brand: Various Developers, Licensed by Nintendo

Product: WiiWare games (see list on Wikipedia)

Summary: Download games onto your Wii via an Internet connection, such as Defend Your Castle, TV Show King and Dr. Mario Online Rx. Requires a purchase of Wii Points, either in Wii 2000 Points Card form or directly from your Wii.

Price: Between $5 and $10 or more dollars, in Wii Points. The Wii 2000 Points Card costs about $20.

Obviously: Requires a Wii.

Vintage MF Collection Vol.1 (Minifigures)

Brand: LEGO®

Product: Vintage MF Collection Vol.1

Summary: Nostalgic minifigures from the late 70s to the turn of the millennium.

Price: About $20

Parts from: Parts from: Denmark, Hungary, Mexico, China, and the Czech Republic. (Or varies, depending on the LEGO Group's current mode of production - see press release.)

Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree

Brand: Nintendo

Product: Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree

Summary: A mini-game based title that strives to sharpen various brain functions; fun to play in groups of two or more.

Price: About $30 (recently lowered from about $50 at many retailers).

Obviously: Requires a Wii and two Wii Remotes, to maximize the number of players.

Wii Music to be Released October 20, 2008

Brand: Nintendo

Product: Wii Music

Summary: A "game" with reportedly over 60 instruments to air-play (air guitar, air flute, air timpani, etc.) with the Wii remote and various Wii peripherals. Unlike Guitar Hero or Rock Band, Wii Music focuses on creativity over competition. It is definitely a polarizing game in the Wii Series catalog and probably best played with other people.

Price: About $50

Obviously: You'll need a Wii, several controllers, several nunchuk peripherals, and a Wii balance board to maximize the usefulness of "game." Yes, all that needs a TV and electricity, too.

Death Star™

Brand: LEGO®

Product: Death Star™

Summary: Rereate virtually every Death Star interior scene from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi - and imagine new adventures beyond the big screen! Set contains 19 human/humanoid/protocol droid (C3-PO type) minifigures, two astromech droid (R2-D2 type) minifigures, and three other droids - all to help you take your imagination to another galaxy - a long time ago, and far, far away, to be exact. Building set contains 3803 pieces.

Price: About $400

Parts from: Denmark, Hungary, Mexico, China, and the Czech Republic. (Or varies, depending on the LEGO Group's current mode of production - see press release.)

Pick a Brick

Brand: LEGO®

Product: Pick A Brick

Summary: It's like your local hardware store, but with plastic interlocking bricks.

Price: Varies.

Parts from: Denmark, Hungary, Mexico, China, and the Czech Republic. (Or varies, depending on the LEGO Group's current mode of production - see press release.)

Upcoming Additions to the Wii Series: Music and Sports Resort

In the tradition of Wii Sports, Wii Play, Wii Chess (not yet released in North America), and Wii Fit, there are two upcoming Wii Series games for the Wii gaming system:

Wii Music, a rhythm-based game that uses existing Wii controllers and peripherals as ad hoc musical instrument-simulators, just like Guitar Hero or Rock Band - to be released in the fourth quarter of 2008;

Wii Sports Resort, the sequel to Wii Sports, containing new sports games and introducing the Wii MotionPlus peripheral - to be released in the spring of 2009.

We'll post new information about these and other exciting Guess Who's Toys? as new information becomes available.

Doc & Patient

Brand: LEGO®

Product: Doc & Patient

Summary: Doctor, patient, and hospital-related bricks (or whatever your imagination says they are).

Price: About $3.

Parts from: Denmark, Hungary, Mexico, China, and the Czech Republic. (Or varies, depending on the LEGO Group's current mode of production - see press release.)

Brick Separator

Brand: LEGO®

Product: Brick Separator

Summary: Save your fingertips with this handy brick and plate separator!

Price: About $1.70

Parts from: Denmark, Hungary, Mexico, China, and the Czech Republic. (Or varies, depending on the LEGO Group's current mode of production - see press release.)

Taj Mahal

Brand: LEGO®

Product: Taj Mahal

Summary: 20" by 20" by 16" model of one of modern wonders of the world! For advanced builders.

Price: About $300

Parts from: Denmark, Hungary, Mexico, China, and the Czech Republic. (Or varies, depending on the LEGO Group's current mode of production - see press release.)

Troll Warrior

Brand: LEGO®

Product: Troll Warrior

Summary: An orc-like troll, helmet, sword, small siege weapon, and a rat.

Price: About $3.50

Parts from: Denmark, Hungary, and the Czech Republic

Troll Battle Wheel

Brand: LEGO®

Product: Troll Battle Wheel


Summary: Three orc-like troll warrior-engineers pilot an ingenious war machine that's sure to run over the competition (three crown knights)!

Price: About $40

Parts from: Denmark, Hungary, and the Czech Republic

Troll Assault Wagon

Brand: LEGO®

Product: Troll Assault Wagon


Summary: A giant troll hauls a war machine (and a fellow orc-like troll), while two knights bravely (or foolishly?) try to stop the assault wagon!

Price: About $20

Parts from: Denmark, Hungary, and the Czech Republic