There’s no better reason to get physical in front of a TV than Nintendo’s latest sports game, the Wii Sports Resort.
JUST CRUISIN': While it looks fun at first, the controls in power cruising make it difficult to pass through checkpoints.
FINALLY there’s a good reason to dust off the Wii again. It has been three long years since the title that launched millions of consoles was released so it was only fitting that it received a worthy successor in form of Wii Sports Resort (WSR).
The original Wii Sports has been attributed to the rousing success of the Wii. Bundled together with the console, it was a fun and innovative title that allowed anyone, even their grandmothers, to pick up and play videogames.
While the Wiimote’s unique control scheme helped to define the Wii Sports experience, the controls were by no means perfect. In the wake of this sequel, Nintendo has released an all new peripheral called Wii Motion Plus, which promises to deliver more accurate and true to life 1:1 motion control.
But is WSR little more than an over glorified tech demo than a fully realised retail game? Read on to find out.
Out of the box
Getting started, you’ll need to plug in the new Wii Motion Plus accessory into the Wiimote, a simple operation that shouldn’t take you more than two minutes to complete.
Although there’s only one Wii Motion Plus accessory included, many of the games such as archery, frisbee and bowling can be played by sharing one remote with several players.
It doesn’t take long before you see the benefit of the Wii Motion Plus as it easily makes classic games like bowling and golf control so much different in WSR.
Not only is it easier to throw a bowling ball in the game, you also have a higher degree of control over your shots, allowing you to curve and spin your shots.
Golf in WSR also handles more realistically thanks to the new controls. Putting feels more accurate now though regular golf swings are more difficult to perform now as you’ve got to keep your arm straight while swinging. Just like in real golf.
Step into the sun
Much of WSR takes place on an beach resort called Wuhu Island, a location lifted directly off last year’s Wii Fit.
FETCH, FIDO!: Frisbee throwing in another fun activity where you take turns throwing a frisbee at a designated area while your dog runs to fetch it.
All of the game’s activities are centred around the island taking place on land, sea and even up in the sky. You can get a sense of how large and vast the island really is when you take to the skies in the flying mini games, which also lets you explore the island at your own leisure.
Flying around the island, you can see places of interest like the swordplay arena, bowling alley, basketball court cycling circuit, and even the smaller islands used in golf.
Visually, WSR doesn’t make any attempt at upgrading Wii Sports’ graphics. It still maintains the cartoonish look of the original with Miis (Nintendo’s version of avatars) running around during events and as background spectators. Admittedly, the Miis do slightly better and sport more detail in their Hawaiian floral shirts.
The environments this time look and feel more open with more outdoor arenas that are more vibrant and eye-catching compared to the original.
Despite its rather plain looks, WSR succeeds in creating a pleasant environment with beautiful scenery and colourful animated Miis running around the arenas either participating or spectating. You’d almost wish you could be there in person to soak up the sun.
Lots of variety
The main draw to WSR is its collection of 12 mini games – chances are you’ll find a game that you’ll keep coming back to. Each game features several different modes of play that you unlock as you progress.
EN GARDE!: Swordplay demonstrates the amazing accuracy of the Wii Motion Plus and is extremely fun to play at the same time.
Most of the game’s line-up consists of completely brand new games that are designed to take advantage of the new Wii Motion Plus add-on. Among the games, Swordplay stands out as the most impressive display of the new accessory’s improved controls.
That said, there’s more to Swordplay than simply waggling your Wiimote to beat your opponents. Using the Wiimote, you swing at multiple angles to get around your opponent’s defences as well as block incoming attacks — so it's a game of both strategy and reflexes.
Archery is another standout sport that almost accurately simulates the action of shooting with a bow and arrow. True, you don’t have to pull back hard to fire an arrow but there’s a lot of depth into the game. You’ve got to take into account the direction of the wind and the arc of your shot to reach long distance targets.
Another favourite of ours was Table Tennis, a great game that closely simulates the act of playing the real game. While it is a simplified version of the game, i.e. walking is controlled automatically, you still need to focus on swinging your paddle to hit the ball.
Switching sides on the paddle (or bat) is an essential part in playing the game and it feels surprisingly responsive as you can spin the ball in different directions depending on your stroke.
While the overall game is good, you are limited to playing one-on-one matches against an AI opponent or a friend in split screen mode. It is a shame there’s no option of playing a doubles match in the game.
PING AND PONG: In order to win at table tennis you've got to think quick and act fast.
Not to be outdone by other sports, Basketball is another reinterpretation of the sport that we found enjoyable. Having played the real game before, I can confidently say the Wii Motion Plus almost accurately reads a proper jump shot motion, so sinking a basket is pretty close to the real deal.
The three-point challenge is a lot of fun though I can’t say the same for the pseudo three-on-three match that takes way too many liberties with the rules of the game.
Frisbee-throwing is another sport that capitalises on the improved Wii Motion Plus controls where it accurately tracks your hand movement. The resulting throw very much takes into account the angle, strength and timing of your throw.
It really isn’t as simple as picking up the control and throwing though. I had to spend a couple of minutes in the practice mode to work on my throw. But once you get the throwing motion down, the game can be a lot of fun.
Frisbee Dog and Frisbee Golf are two fun modes that you may find yourself spending many hours on. In fact, Frisbee Golf could almost be a whole game by itself judging by how high its replay value is.
PEDAL POWER: Cycling has you race through various tracks around the island.
Not so great
For all the great mini games in WSR, there were definitely a few weak ones in the pack that just aren’t all that fun.
Generally, I didn’t like the water sports (canoeing, wake boarding and power cruising) games. Wake boarding felt too simplistic and involved little more than jolting the Wiimote up and down while swinging side to side, while power cruising was an exercise in frustration as you have to pilot a jet ski over choppy waters to pass checkpoints in the quickest time possible.
Cycling also didn’t do it for me. The act of flailing my arms wildly in the air didn’t really instill a sense that I was pedalling a bicycle. On top of that, it was also difficult to steer and shake the Wiimote and nunchuck at the same time.
Also, playing in splitscreen mode with another player, splits the screen vertically — this severely cuts your field of vision and makes it difficult to see what’s ahead of you.
Conclusion
If you’ve been itching to try out the new Wii Motion Plus controls there’s no better excuse than to pick up a copy of Wii Sports Resort.
It is a great party game that is meant to be played with others, even those who have never picked up a controller before. The game offers a great variety of games that anyone who enjoyed the original will surely love.
The Wii Motion Plus add-on definitely plays a big part in delivering the best the game has to offer. One can hope that WSR’s implementation of Wii Motion Plus will inspire third-party developers to create more unique and innovative games in the near future.
In a nutshell, there’s little reason not to get this excellent title for your Wii collection. WSR is a great value-for-money mini game collection with enhanced controls that will keep you coming back for more.
Pros: Large variety of mini games; accurate Wii Motion Plus controls; high replay value.
