Yep gamecube games work fine in Wii's theres a flip up panel on top covering Gamecube controller ports (required to play gamecube stuff)
For multiplayer each console has a code you need to share to allow people to connect to it.
Pretty much it was due to some indie devs not handling certificates properly XNA was updated and the troublemakers recompiled to fix it.

wii is good for classics, you can play lot of arcade, snes, sega master system, nintendo, mame emulators on it legally (you need to purchase games online).. plus zelda games, metroid, the mario, etc.

sony has the best graphics, their motion controller is a bit sloppy but you have some great party games like worms and other good titles on the PSN. remember that sony is really anal about DRM and that sort of stuff so think about it.

xbox is somewhere inbetween these two, it fails to provide the graphics of the ps3 and it fails to delive the content and motion control of the wii, there is no flagship games except maybe forza (you like car games? .. cause ps3 has grand turismo to compensate)..

I would not buy the xbox

If it's for your little brother, I'd say a Wii. It's always a safe bet, because it has the usual roster of Nintendo games (Plataforming Marios, Sport/Party Marios, a couple of Zeldas, etc.).

I would also recommend it if you don't want to play multiplataform releases, because those are only watered down versions of the PS3/360/PC ones, so you won't miss a thing if you play them on PC.

In the games department for "hardcore" gamers, this is the worst choice, though. There are some adult-themed ones, but the ratio is 1/100 if compared with the other two consoles.
As for the games you want:

-Racing: Mario Kart, Excite Truck (I really don't like this genre, but Id say 360/Ps3 is a better choice with more variety)

-rail shooters/FPS (House of the Dead, Red Steel 2, Metroid Prime triology,Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Skies )

-Fun, casual sports games (Wii sports, Mario Football, Mario Party, Rayman raving Rabbits... Wii is very prolific in this area)

-platformers (Mario Galaxy, New Super Mario Smash Bros, Rayman Origins)

Conlusion:

Pros: unique games, many and fun casual games, price, motion control
Cons: abysmal multiplataforming, worst graphics, very poor hardcore choices, no future releases (Wii is quasi dead)

Ah, I see. Good to hear.

I will add a proviso to this "in first party games/those primarily developed on PS3" sadly most games are lead designed on Xbox to avoid the headache that is CELL. Hence most games actually look better on Xbox

Many people at my office have all three consoles or at least two. The 360 is by far the most used of the three. Kinect is actually pretty fun and could be more than a gimmick, but the game library sucks making it mostly useless .Hardware failures are non-existent at this point, the online experience is by far the best and many of the games run smoother than the PS3 counterparts.

Right now, the best thing about the PS3 are re-releases of old classics in HD. I don't really care about this feature because I do not go back and play older titles on consoles as often as the PC. The PS3 also has a number of great exclusives like Uncharted, which you will not find a comparable on the 360.

The Wii is my binge system. I play the hell out of a game and then never touch it for months on end. The feedback with my coworkers is roughly the same on this.

As far as kids go with my coworkers and myself, preference for kids under 10 is to play Wii. Over 10 choose the 360. Most people that are playing PS3 around me are in their 20s to 40s. I hope that helps.

I nearly made my decision, and then I saw this D:

Is the lineup for Wii really that bad? I don't think I'm going to buy many games on the Wii, but I am going to be disappoint if it's analogous to paying $200 for "a fixed set of games".

The WiiU comes out later this year

Infact expected console releases...
WiiU - holidays this year
Xbox 3 - holidays next year
PS4 - ummm apparently not even on the drawing boards PS3 was a massive overspend for Sony they are expected to try and keep it for at least 3 more years possibly more...

Yeah ! , it were something like that that popped into my head too reading the post......
;-)

I think Reggie at Nintendo promised one more surprise for Wii, but being WiiU released this year (no official date, could be postponed), it has not much of a life ahead.
And the lineup isn't bad; it's unique, thanks to the first party games. I'd say you look some game reviews at IGN or Gamespot, and see if you like them.
On another note, Wii has a great shop for old releases from older consoles. If you count all the great past Nintendo games, it's not a bad purchase at all.

Maybe you already knew this, but it has a rather disgusting twist at the end. I suppose if your brother is old enough to laugh it off...

Just throwing out a few ideas here.

My son who is 10 was bought a Wii 2 years ago and he now never plays on it. Even when we connect it up to the TV in the front room for Mario Kart or things like the Rabbids hes just not interested in it at all.

You could possibly look at a XBox and a Kinect if you have the space. We have quite a big front room and cant get 2 player easily due to the whole space restrictions, have to move the coffee table out the way and move the sofas back to the wall. Once this is done though we can play the party games in pairs.

My son and daughter are more interested in the Kinect than the Wii. The 360 can also grow with him, so at the min my son is playing things like the Lego titles, racing games, FIFA etc. In the next year or so we can look at a few more mature type titles for him, not talking CoD etc but things like Final Fantasy. Stuff that is appropriate for his age.

There are a lot of weird rumours going around lately concerning XBL's terms and conditions and about hackers stealing XLB accounts and Microsoft subsequently closing them down and not re-instating them to their respectful owners - albeit, all of their purchases were lost.

I have a PS3 and I am very content with it, but they tend to break down usually.

I just checked Wikipedia for the Wii U, and am disappointed to find that it's not backward compatible with the GC. Hm.

This is a threshold moment, Johnny. To get the current gen Wii, or not to get the current gen Wii. That is the million dollar question D:

Get a second hand Wii. There are, as far as I know, no known serious hardware issues with the console, so getting a second hand console should not be a big problem (unlike getting a second hand 360, which requires you to find out which version you are getting). Plus, a second hand Wii should be relatively cheap.