The build up to Metroid Other M continues with our boss video. http://bit.ly/d0CnlA

	Tetris Party Deluxe review ^{DS, DSI} Once more around the block
	New Kirby's Epic Yarn trailer Can you spot King Dedede?
	Metroid: Other M review ^WII Samus is back for some classic Metroid action
	Layton: Unwound Future ^{DS, DSI} We preview the final part of the trilogy

Login

Not a member yet? Click here to register!

Nintendo: Wii Reviews

The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess ^WII

Wii Play ^WII

Review

Wii Sports

90%

Format Nintendo Wii

Developer Nintendo

Publisher Nintendo

Genre Sports

9-Jan-2008 Is your first ever Wii game a strike or a gutter ball?

11 Comments

So launch day (or Christmas day, or a Sagittarian birthday) comes, you frantically wrestle the Wii out of its box and set the thing up. Then you spend five minutes or so in awe of how perfect the controller feels, how small the console is and so on. Then you rummage about in the box and find Wii Sports lying there, staring back at you and psychically imploring "play me, ONM reader". But the big question is this: is Wii Sports a genuinely enthralling game with a healthy lifespan, or will you spend an hour playing it and never bother picking it up again?

The first of the five games you'll probably play (due to a combination of the hype that's surrounded it and the fact it's the top game on the list on the menu screen) is Tennis, one of the easier games to get to grips with. Up to four players can play in any combination of doubles matches (either one-game, three-game or five-game matches), and if there aren't enough people to make up the numbers then either the Wii will control the extra players or someone can control multiple players.

In fact, you can control all four players on your own if you fancy seeing how long you can keep a rally going. (This is easier than it sounds as you only need to concentrate on swinging the Remote because the Wii automatically moves your players around the court to put them into position.)

The graphics are pleasantly tidy and every time you hit the ball you hear a satisfying 'clunk' emanating from your Wii Remote's speaker, making you feel like you've wandered onto Centre Court at Wimbledon.

The second game on the list is Baseball, which is no longer simply the home run contest that we've been playing for the past few months. It takes place over three innings and you take turns batting then pitching. Both work as you'd expect, with pitching a case of simply making a throwing movement and holding a button to determine the sort of throw you'll make (hold A to throw a screwball, B to throw a curveball and B and A together to throw a splitter; not holding a button will throw a fastball).

As for batting - well, if you can't guess how that works then you probably need someone to remind you how to breathe every now and then. Whenever the batter makes contact, the outfielders on the other team scamper about and try to catch the ball. If they catch it quickly you're out; if it takes them a while you'll get a single and your player will run forward a base; if it takes them longer you'll get a double; and obviously putting it out of the park will get you a home run. It's simple and addictive and anyone can master it quickly.

Then we have Bowling, which is equally enjoyable. Using the D-pad to line up your player and the direction they'll be aiming in, you simply hold the B button, make an underarm throwing motion and release the B button at the right time to send the ball hurtling down the lane.

Bowled Over
As with other games in this compilation, although Bowling seems simple enough it's actually got a fair bit of depth to it, and it's possible to spend hours experimenting with different throwing and spin techniques (releasing B earlier will cause more spin, as will turning the Remote as you throw).

Bowling's also potentially one of the longer games in the package, because four people playing a 10-frame game involves 52 throws, even if you assume everyone gets a strike every time. Which they won't.

When it comes to Golf, what was originally a basic demo letting you practise driving and putting has become a proper nine-hole course with three difficulty levels (basically, the harder you choose the windier it gets). When driving we found it slightly tricky to gauge how hard we were hitting the ball, but thankfully the option to take practice shots has been retained, meaning you can sort your power out and then try to copy that when you take your proper swing.

Putting, on the other hand, feels surprisingly accurate and we didn't really need to look at the power bar because we could just tell by looking at the screen how firmly we needed to hit the ball. In fact, of all the activities in Wii Sports, putting in Golf feels the most accurate.

Rounding off the package is Boxing, the only sport to use the Nunchuk as well as the Remote. Playing against a computer opponent is pretty much a no-go as the Wii-controlled opponent is thicker than a six-month-old bottle of milk, so whereas all the other games are perfectly enjoyable in single-player mode, to get the most out of Boxing you'll need to invest in another Wii Remote and a Nunchuk (and get a willing friend to play as well, of course).

It's all enjoyable enough, and it's good fun to bash your mates then duck and weave as they swing at you, but there's still a bit of a random feeling about the whole thing. Sometimes the game will slow down and go into a sort of Matrix-type effect which is lovely to look at but you'll not be too sure how you managed it. As a result the game's enjoyable not so much because it plays a good game of boxing, but more because you and your mate are swinging your arms about like crazed fools. It's the weak link in the collection but it's certainly not awful.

As an introduction to Nintendo's revolutionary new console, Wii Sports does everything it's asked to do and more. This will be most people's first taste of motion sensitivity, the Wii Remote's speaker, the Nunchuk attachment and Mii functionality, and it's all explained really clearly meaning everyone will be able to enjoy themselves and learn how to use the Wii without having to worry about technicalities.

A Sporting Chance
Maybe a month or two down the line you'll have put Wii Sports back on the shelf because the basic nature of the games means that once you get used to them there isn't much of a replay factor (although the training mode does provide a number of missions for you to complete). But if someone comes over to your house and asks to see how the Wii works, Wii Sports is the game you'll use to demonstrate. It's simple yet has a surprising amount of depth, and when played with
a group of friends is one of the best multiplayer experiences on the Wii. And it didn't cost you a penny.

Tom East

Wii Sports is the ideal way to get into Wii gaming. It's funny, simple and approachable, and gamers and non-gamers alike should get something out of it. Oh, and it's totally free.