Wii Sports

"Wii sports is so simple, so addictive and so challenging when it works"

Wii Sports was released as a pack-in title for the Nintendo Wii. Intended to both show off the motion-sensing controls of the Wii it also shows the potential for sports games on the system. You get the choice of five sports: tennis, baseball, bowling, golf and boxing. All five have their own unique controls and challenges. The game goes for simplicity rather than graphical prowess and it performs fairly well. At its core Wii Sports is very simple but at times that works against it with shallowness becoming apparent at parts. The game stumbles at parts, excels at others and delivers a good experience overall.

Graphics: 6/10

Wii Sports doesn't attempt to wow anyone with its graphics. The only character models in the game are the Mii characters. If you've seen what those look like you have a good idea of what to expect. Very simple character models with limited facial expressions. It works, the game doesn't attempt to wow with technical prowess rather with innovative immersion. The environments look a lot better with the golf courses appearing lush and green. But they do show signs of complete simplicity or laziness depending on your perspective. I'll give an example, a series of dots being in the crowd as baseball games. Again, the game isn't about technical capabilities but rather what it brings to the plate in terms of controls and immersion.

Sound: 7.5/10

The game wins a lot of points for the Wii Sports theme. I don't know what it is; I just get a little nostalgic when I hear it. Even the menu screen has this eerie tone that really immerses you into the experience. They both sound like standard sports show themes which helps. The game is absent of voice acting aside from an announcer who yells things like “Nice Shot!” in golf or “Knockout!” in boxing. I would call the music as a strong part of the game and adds a good atmosphere. Sound effects though are fairly stock and are just there.

Controls: 7/10

For the most part the game controls very well. Seeing how the game hinges on the controls I'll break each sport and explain how well the controls work. First off is Tennis which controls fairly well and is surprisingly deep. You control a team of doubles (both of whom are your Mii character) as they face a rival Wii Sports team. You swing the Wii remote to swing the racket, very simple. What is amazing is if you twist your wrist while swinging you can change the angle of the returning ball. This adds a whole new layer of depth to the game. Baseball requires you to swing your arm to pitch and to bat, both of which control very well but as you'll see in gameplay there is a larger problem. Bowling is the best game in Wii Sports and arguably the most addicting. You hold the remote in front of you with the B button pressed. You make the motion of throwing the ball and release the B button to release the ball. You can position yourself beforehand to knock that stray pin and twist your wrist in mid-swing to spin the ball. It works so very well and is very immersive. Golf controls just as well as bowling does even if it's a lot simpler. You hold the Wii remote like a golf club and swing. The game records the strength of your swing and assesses a hook or slice depending on if you swung too hard. While it does add some challenge to the game it's not exactly realistic to the game of golf. The final game is boxing and boy do I have a lot to say. You need the nunchuck controller for this. You hold both the remote and nunchuck to your face as if they were boxing gloves. You tilt the remote and nunchuck forward to jab with your right and left hand respectively. Tilting in other directions will do uppercuts and hooks which is where the problem sets in. The game has a hard time determining if you want to jab or hook. This results in the wrong punch being used meaning your opponent now has a window for attack. When this happens it is infuriating. What is worse is that the remote and nunchuck also control how you lean in the game which it does not do very well. The boxing game has tremendous potential; probably the most in the game but it is not realized at all. Instead of demonstrating potential, it only shows it has potential.

The tennis, golf and bowling games control very well. Boxing is hit-or-miss while baseball is a waste. That's the controls in a nutshell.

Gameplay: 7/10

To be honest, the controls are the backbone of the gameplay and I found myself using all the gameplay pros and cons in that section. So I'll briefly give a small paragraph on each sport to indicate the level of fun I had.

Tennis is fun though the ball direction seems pre-determined. It's almost as if the game just expects you go make the swinging motion then takes it from there. You do have an amount of control over ball spin but for the most part you cannot “aim” where the ball goes. It's a pretty fun game at first but I found over time this flaw built up.

Baseball, unfortunately, lacks any depth whatsoever and is honestly a waste of time. The pitching is terrible; you can literally swing your arm blindly and strike someone out. The batting is mostly based on timing and a lot on luck. What's even worse is the players on the field are CPU controlled. When a ball is hit, the game takes over and assesses if an out, single, double or triple is deserved. There is just no skill involved in this game at all.

Bowling is just so incredibly addicting and I found myself trying to beat my previous score. It's a very fast-paced kind of game meaning you can get through a game pretty quick. Just position yourself and twist the wrist to get a good spin, it's so simple yet very challenging to get a high score.

Golf is the next game I found myself playing a lot simply because it works so well with the Wii remote. It works well as a way to practice your swing in the golf off-season (it won't replace the driving range but when it's snowing outside it's a good alternative). The game judges the strength of your swing and assesses if a hook or slice is required if you swung too hard. This is a bit of a problem because every golfer knows hard swings don't necessarily determine hooks or slices. There are some other annoying rules. Such as not being able to move your ball if a tree is in the way. The game is all about showing off the potential for golf games on the Wii. I must say there is potential.

Boxing is almost wasted potential because of the annoying controls mentioned above. While it is very satisfying to hit a series of punches it is annoying to have your Mii jab rather than hook. At best it's a love-hate relationship. I love this game when I am able to block and strike with complete effectiveness. I hate the game when my Mii performs the wrong action and gets me pummeled. Oh yes, and when the CPU leans out of my attacks and I am unable to lean in response. That's another large annoyance at higher difficulty levels: the CPU starts to use cheap tactics to get you.

How does it work as a party game? You experience will differ on the type of company you keep. But, from my experience, there was an initial period of enjoyment. But after a few games the shallowness become apparent and other games were played. That's really all that needs to be said, don't expect long-term multiplayer out of this game.

Final Score: 6.9/10
Rounded Score: 7.0/10

Bottom Line

The best way I can describe Wii Sports is it shows the potential for the motion sensing controls of the Wii. If it were a separate game it would be a waste of money. But, as a pack-in title for the Wii it does a marvelous job of introducing you to your latest purchase. By itself the game is so simple it dives into shallowness at times. There are moments where the game is incredibly fun, addictive and challenging. Other times it's boring and shallow. Many times it shows the basic mechanics of the touch screen controls…but nothing more. A fun diversion.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/20/07