Wii Sports

"Universal appeal makes Wii Sports so much more than just a demo"

When the Wii was properly unveiled at Nintendo's 2006 E3 expo, gamers worldwide were pumped to see how Nintendo's revolutionary controller would work. The Wii remote was to be held in a single hand, and the buttons weren't mapped around the fingers for easy button access. Instead, Nintendo's controller relied on a new feature which was to be implemented in its games – the remote's full motion-sensing capabilities.

Swing the remote and hit a ball on screen as if you were holding a real bat. Throw the ball to the batter himself in an overarm motion and watch it come out of your hand onscreen. The Wii remote could pick up all of these different motions and reenact them on the television screen. The game which did this the best was Wii Sports – a tech demo title sold with the Wii (except in Japan) which would show new players how the remote worked. As they soon found out, it worked remarkably well.

Five games in one
Wii Sports delivers its wii remote tutorials to you through five incredibly deep games of Tennis, Baseball, Bowling, Golf and Boxing. Each game uses a different action or actions when using the remote. Golf sees you drive the remote through an imaginary ball as if you were holding a club. Tennis lets you use the remote as a racquet and supports topspin, backspin, lobs and drop shots depending on how you use the remote. Baseball allows you to either swing the remote as a bat, or make an over-arm action to pitch a ball. Lastly, Boxing makes use of the Wii remote nunchuk attachment, so you can swing punches at foes using both hands. All of the games feel really great and add a brand new field to video gaming. They're great as tutorials to get you started with the Wii, but if you're looking for something which will last you a bit longer, then there's more than a few ways to sort the weaker games from the cream of the crop.

Start with Tennis and you'll be truly amazed by the Wii's capabilities in motion sensing control. The game is played as a doubles match, and if you're going alone you'll control both characters on your side of the net with your Miis. The game moves the characters to the ball automatically – all you need to do is swing the remote with proper timing and precision. Whilst it can be a bit tough on the first few tries, after giving the game a couple of minutes you'll be able to pull off lobs, drop shots and spin depending on how you swing the remote. Start with the buttons facing upwards, then swing and finish with them facing down – you'll perform a top spin shot on screen, giving you much better accuracy and power. Delve deeper and you'll soon be able to aim your shots at specific points on the court depending on where you end up pointing to. There's a huge amount of depth to the game and it feels very realistic overall. The only problems are when the controller doesn't pick up your movements correctly and swings the racquet when you're lining up for a shot instead. Thankfully these moments don't occur too often, however they're quite annoying when they do.

Baseball next, and you'll find that whilst it certainly is very appealing the first time, the experience won't last you nearly as long as tennis. One player will pitch the ball by making an overarm motion and holding down either the A or B buttons alone or together to add spin on the throw. The other player holds the remote like a bat and swings with correct timing to hit it. The position of the batter's hands after swinging will determine which direction the ball is hit in. The problem with the game is that, apart from batting and pitching, there's nothing else to it. The game automatically decides how far the batter runs depending on how far the ball was hit and how long it stayed on the field before being picked up. The fielding is also done by the computer, making the fun of the game significantly less than it potentially could have been.

Bowling is next, and is arguably the best of the lot and the single game you'll be most likely to come back to again and again. After lining up your shot using the control pad, lift the remote up, hold B, then roll the remote down an imaginary alley and let go of B as if you were letting go of the ball. The speed of the ball depends on how fast you swing your arm and release, and you can add spin by twisting your hand during the release. It's extremely simple and easy to pick up, but it's incredibly well done as well and feels like ten times the amount of fun you'd get from real bowling – minus the clown shoes. This is the one game which your entire family is likely to pick up and enjoy, as it's really simple and easy to play and fun at the same time.

The fourth game on the roster is golf, and whilst it is quite deep compared to some of the other games, it won't provide you as much fun as bowling. After lining up your shot and picking your club, you can step side on to the ball and swing the remote as if it were a golf club. The problem is that the power of the shot isn't dependent on how fast you swing – rather, the size of your swing. You'll also find that balls will often end up in the same spot if you and a friend are using the same angle when hitting the ball, as the game doesn't detect many different levels of shot power. There may be nine unique holes to play on, but overall the game just doesn't feel like something worth coming back to.

Lastly is boxing, which is the only game in Wii Sports which makes use of the remote's nunchuk attachment. Basically, by holding the Wii remote in one hand and the nunchuk in the other, you'll be able to fight your opponent by stringing punches together and trying to keep them from getting any back. Once they go down, the game will randomly decide whether or not they're out for the count or be able to stand up again. The game goes for three rounds and is easily the most tiring of the five sports titles on show if you put some effort into it. I also praise boxing for the fact that it can be played on so many different levels. Whilst it might be a more realistic experience to jab at your enemy with your left and give them the killer with the right, hand the game to your nephew or younger cousin and you'll soon find that swinging wildly works just as well.

Anything else?
If you don't have anyone else to play Sports with, you can go it alone in one of two different ways. The first is to try and plow through the five games alone for points. As you win more and more matches and get higher and higher scores, your opponents will be harder (in the case of baseball, tennis and golf) and you'll earn points depending on how you scored. Get a certain amount of points and you'll go pro for that sport. However, whilst bowling may give you a special ball for your efforts, the reasons for going pro in other sports are basically only for bragging rights – disappointingly there aren't any extra unlockables for going the extra mile.

The other thing you can do when by yourself is try out the training mode. Each game has three minigames you can test your skill at to try and improve your accuracy and power among other skills. Complete the tasks well enough and you'll earn yourself a shiny medal. Whilst the training isn't really enough to keep you going alone for too long, it's certainly a nice and welcome addition and certainly adds to the overall experience of the games.

Sporting Specs
In terms of visuals, Wii Sports is very borderline Wii. Graphics are very basic and don't really look like anything too spectacular. Mii models are shaped quite well and nicely rounded, but texture wise they're very plain. Backgrounds are quite bland and the texturing used is always extremely simplistic. Animation of characters is nice and especially pleasing when the character on screen performs the same movements as yourself. For a demo which comes free with the Wii, though, Wii Sports is exceptionally nice looking and although very plain, isn't something which is going to make you squint or burn your eyes completely.

Sound wise, Sports comes up nicely. The sound effects fit very nicely with the games and more often than not make you feel right in the game, from the crashes of pins in the bowling alley to the popping of tennis racquets as the ball is hammered from one end of the court to the other. It's all very nice and the sounds which are emitted from the Wii remote's speaker only add to an already excellent experience.
The game also sports a well done soundtrack. Each game plays its own tunes in the background of the game to lighten up the mood of the game, and the way it's done is terrific.

The one question left to ask is whether Wii Sports alone is enough to garner a lasting experience with the Wii – whether the title is able to keep you hooked on its own. The answer to that is no. Whilst the game is very charming and is regarded well for its universal appeal, it isn't a game experience which is going to keep you hooked for weeks. Wii Sports is neither a one-player experience or a multiplayer game you'll play for hours on end on that late Saturday night with a friend. It's a demo, and whilst it's excellent to play a couple of games against someone every now and then, it isn't something which will keep you playing for extended periods of time.

Final Comments
Nintendo hasn't included a free game with their consoles for quite sometime. Now that they have, there's nothing but reason to praise them for it. Wii Sports has an absolutely incredible amount of depth within its five games, and even though it may be a demo to show new players how to use the Wii remote, it's done surprisingly well. Anybody who picks the game up for the first time will be stunned by just how well the games work in tandem with the wii remote.

The problem is that the game unfortunately doesn't last, and if you're looking for a game which will survive the initial ‘oohs' and ‘ahhhs' – a true gaming experience, something that you'll come back to again and again, this isn't that game. Do yourself a favour and pick up Zelda when you buy your Wii – this might be a wonderful experience to behold, but it isn't something you're going to play for hours on end.

Presentation: 9
Visuals: 6
Sound: 8
Gameplay: 9
Replay Value: 7
Overall (not an average): 8

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/18/07

Game Release: Wii Sports (AU, 12/07/06)