"Wii Remote (w/Wii Play)"

Wii Remote (w/Wii Play) is a FANTASTIC package to add to your Wii collection.

The Wii Remote is a sleek and stylish white controller which looks like old papa's TV remote, but is about three times smaller and many more times lighter - making it a cinch to wield as a virtual sword, handgun, sex-toy, or modern NES controller when held horizontally.

There are very few buttons on the device: a conventional d-pad, two little action buttons (1 and 2), two very little non-action buttons (+ and -), a home button (specially made for E.T.), a big fat universal A button and a finely curved B for the trigger underneath. Did I say "very few buttons"? Well, relatively speaking - master A and B and pointing the remote at the TV (should be easy, right?) and you'll have menu browsing fully sussed out. Playing complex games that require attachments, like the Nunchuk, and full use of all mapped buttons is a different story, but this is where Wii Play comes in.

There are 9 minigames in all, all of which are designed to make you more adept at handling the Wii Remote. They include: Shooting Range; Find Mii; Table Tennis; Pose Mii; Laser Hockey; Fishing; Billiards; Charge!; and Tanks!

Statistics show that more than 50% of minigames in any compilation are duds (p<0.05). This is true of Wii Play and the only ones worth replaying are 2--player Shooting Range, where you see who can juggle airborne cans the fastest; 2-player Find Mii, where you have to pinpoint target Mii's amongst a crowd of randomised ones; 2-player Charge!, where you race to the finish riding on cows, jerking the Wii Remote up to make them jump obstacles; and 1-player Tanks!, which requires the Nunchuk attachment to precisely control a miniature tank and blow up stuff with bullets, rockets and carefully placed mines; this is a pretty addictive game spanning 100 missions (multiplayer is unfortunately restricted to the initial 20), with a good deal of enemy types, power-ups and medals awarded for long-lasting performances - one of my girl friends loves playing this for hours (while procrastinating) to amass ridiculously high scores.

But Wii Play wasn't meant to be a killer app – some say it's just a tech-demo, but that's because, well… it IS just a tech-demo, tailor-made for Wii noobs so that they don't inadvertently lob a grenade into their mouth by accident in a WWII shooter or similar. The fact that you also get a sexy Wii Remote (only with the package deal, though) cements this product as a must-have, despite the main game's dubious quality and longevity. In other words, once you no longer giggle like a girl every time the cow is launched up a few feet by your waggling, you can dispose of Wii Play without feeling hard-done by with regards to money spent – the controller is worth about 80% of the total price.

Whether or not you can endure another crap (or not so crap – depends on personal taste) collection of minigames is moot; Wii Play w/Remote gives you a bonus Wii Remote which we all could surely use: as a second, third or fourth controller; a back-up in case someone spoils one by throwing it at the TV (AKA an idiot); or as a prop used to illustrate your nerdiness in a direct-to-Youtube production. And to be perfectly honest with you, Wii Play itself isn't half bad – at least it's more entertaining than the Chintendo Vii.

VERDICT – 7.5/10 The Remote gets an 8.5; the game a 5.5 – no maths involved

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/19/07

Game Release: Wii Play (w/Remote) (EU, 12/08/06)