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Wii Sports Resort Review for Nintendo Wii

Wii Sports Resort Review for Nintendo Wii

It’s been nearly three years, but Nintendo has finally put together a new Wii Sports title. They had been working on this one for a while, but they wanted to make sure the functionality was perfect, especially considering the inclusion of their new device, Wii MotionPlus, which should bring more precision and stability to the Wii’s motion-sensing controls.

Wii Sports Resort screenshot

Wii Sports Resort is a fully fledged game, rather than a test of the new controls. In fact, it’s so complete it includes 12 sports, some of which you might not have even imagined they’d include. The sports selection is quite varied, and in case you were wondering, these are the 12 challenges included in the package: Swordplay, Wakeboarding, Frisbee, Archery, Basketball, Table Tennis, Golf, Bowling, Power Cruising, Canoeing, Cycling, and Air Sports.

As you can see, Golf and Bowling are back again, but this time with somewhat more precise controls. Wii MotionPlus seems to work well, although I’d say it’s not incredibly noticeable in some of these games. For example, the new Bowling is almost the same as it was before. It does feel like it detects your wrist movements a little better, but being used to the old ways, it’ll be tough for people to change their strategy and the way they throw the ball. The results are a little different though, so I guess it’s just a matter of practicing and getting used to it.

Perhaps where you can most readily notice the actual accuracy of the new Wii MotionPlus is in Swordplay, a game where two players can compete in a duel to see who’s more agile with the sword, pushing the other player off the stage. Wrist movements seem to respond 1:1, and the game actually knows how you’re swinging the sword and if you’re doing it towards one side or the other, or even up and down. Speed Slice is another challenge within Swordplay, and it has users slice things up in the direction marked by the onscreen prompt. Two players can do it at the same time, as long as they both have a Wii Remote with the Wii MotionPlus attachment.

Wii Sports Resort screenshot

All the games require the new add-on, and while some of them (such as Bowling) let up to four players take turns with the same Wii Remote, many of them require the use of two or more Wii Remotes with MotionPlus if players want to play simultaneously. If you don’t have them, then only one person can play. This is not a big deal as long as the other players are willing to share and take turns, but it’s a shame that games like Table Tennis, Power Cruising, Cycling, or Canoeing can’t be played at the same time unless the Wii owner has more than one Wii MotionPlus. It seems like the device should be cheaper or Nintendo should have included two of them with each copy of Wii Sports Resort, as it’s obviously a family game for more than one player. In such times of crisis, people aren’t about to spend $75 or even $100-$125 for a complete Wii Sports Resort experience!

Controller add-ons aside, the games offered in Wii Sports Resort are fun to play. I especially enjoyed Power Cruising, which you control by holding both the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk horizontally, as if they were the handles of the motorboat. You can accelerate by holding either A or B, and steering is done by moving the controllers slightly left or right. You can even get a quick boost by twisting the Wii Remote backwards. Everything feels right on, and the slalom course is very fun, especially when playing against someone else. Wakeboarding seemed to be the most difficult sport for me, as I never seemed to jump off the wake at the right time, and Frisbee wasn’t all that easy either, but this one most likely because I’ve just never been good at it. Other than that, Basketball was very fun, especially the 3-Point Contest, where you get one minute to get as many balls through the hoop as possible. Who doesn’t like to play hoop challenges once in a while? The Pickup Game is not as engaging, but it lets players dribble, pass, and shoot while playing simultaneously.

Wii Sports Resort screenshot

I also really enjoyed Canoeing, where you hold the controller vertically and use it as a paddle to row left and right until you get to the finish line. It’s quite similar to the real thing, minus the strain in the arms. I wish it was that easy in real life! Cycling is, of course, done with the arms rather than the legs, but it’s surprisingly intuitive. Pedaling is done by alternating moves between the Nunchuk and the Wii Remote with the correct timing, and in order to control the bike you just smoothly move your arms left or right as if you were holding the handlebar. You can bike in three different set-ups, and three more are unlocked after you race for a while. I won’t mention every single game, but you should know they’re all fairly easy to control, and some are more engaging than others, depending on your taste.

Wii Sports Resort screenshot

Games such as Golf, Cycling, and Power Cruising include a few different scenarios where you can play, but they’re all part of the game’s main island theme. Admittedly, Wuhu Island is a lot more attractive than the setting in the first Wii Sports, but I guess the game could have used some more details, variety, and especially sharper visuals. The presentation as a whole is still really nice, but we’re ready to see some upgrades in the graphics department, rather than the same old visuals with “jaggies” and pixelated textures. It definitely looks better on a smaller screen, but more and more people have big HDTVs nowadays. On the other hand, the inclusion of Miis almost makes up for it; they’re always welcome in these kind of casual games. The Miis wear flowery shirts in their favorite color, and there’s an option you can turn on that downloads popular Miis from the Check Mii Out channel into the game. Otherwise, you’ll find a mix of your console’s Miis or premade ones.

The new background music suits the game. It’s basically the old tune from the original Wii Sports, but with a lot more depth and instruments you’d expect to hear in an exotic island concert. Also, there are new tunes within the different challenges, and some of the old sound effects have been reused, while new ones have been added. The first Wii Sports felt a bit like a low-budget test game, while this one seems to have higher standards as far as content, overall presentation, and gameplay.

For a night of casual gaming with friends and family, Wii Sports Resort is great. The inclusion of Bowling and Golf is an added plus, as it would stink to have to swap games in order to play them. If you’re in the mood for Wii Sports Resort, eventually people will ask for these old favorites, so you might as well have them on the same disk! All in all, players should be happy with this new offering, as long as they know what to expect. It’s an upgraded version of Wii Sports containing two of the old games and ten new ones, with multiple unlockable challenges within them. Just remember to pick up at least an extra Wii MotionPlus when you get it. It’s the only way to get the full multiplayer experience!

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.7 Graphics
Wuhu Island is cool, and the Miis are all dressed for the occasion with flowery shirts. However, the graphics still look a bit pixelated, especially on bigger screens. 4.7 Control
Most games are easy to play. Controls are even more intuitive than in previous Wii titles. What’s best is that most challenges are actually fun! 3.9 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Previous Wii Sports tune has been reworked to fit the tropical theme. New melodies throughout the game are also very nice. 4.0

Play Value
Wii Sports was a must for Wii owners, as anyone could pick up and play those games. Wii Sports Resort is also very fun to play with people, and it’s an added experience with new games, more precise controls, and good ol’ Wii Bowling and Golf.

4.1 Overall Rating – Great
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Wuhu Island has so many things to do, there’s never a dull moment. A dozen activities await visitors: Archery, Frisbee, Basketball, Cycling, Canoeing, Power Cruising, Table Tennis, Air Sports, Bowling, Swordplay, Golf, and Wakeboarding.
  • The activities use the precision controls of the Wii MotionPlus accessory to help players come much closer to the physical reality of engaging in the actual sports. Every real-world action, whether it’s a perfect drive on the fairway or a slice off the course, is meant to be faithfully replicated.
  • Each activity has multiple fun challenges designed to keep visitors coming back for more. Basketball players might compete in a three-point shootout or jump into a three-on-three pickup game. Archery enthusiasts must aim for the bull’s-eye across ever-increasing distances and obstacles.
  • Different activities use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers in different ways. For example, players hold the Wii Remote like a paddle in Canoeing, while in Cycling they use both arms to “pedal” with the two controllers. The Wii MotionPlus accessory picks up every nuance of motion and translates it onto the TV screen.
  • Depending on the activity, players can compete solo or against other players. Some activities even let players team up to work cooperatively.

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