Wii Play

"It shows what the Wii can do, but it isn't very fun."

I can safely say that most people got this game for the free Wii remote. This makes sense, because a remote on its own costs $40, whereas this game and remote bundled together costs $50. That leaves a game of $10. But is it any good? Read on to find out.

Graphics: 6/10
If you're looking for brilliant graphics, you'll be disappointed. The animation could be a bit better, and the backgrounds are somewhat plain. Apart from that, the graphics are not actually too bad. Not great, but passable.

Sound: 6/10
The music in this game is completely average. Nothing special about it which stands out in my opinion, but it won't make you want to press the mute button either. The sound effects are pretty good, fitting the appropriate game quite well. I cannot comment on voices, because there are none in the game.

Gameplay: 5/10
The above score is taken as an average of all the minigames. In this game, you start with one minigame, and then you unlock more until you have all nine. Yeah, only nine, a mere fraction of what most party games have to offer. The purpose of the game is to show the remote's capabilities, which it does effectively. But are the games any fun? For a change, I will rate each minigame separately.

Shooting Range: 5/10
You know those shooting games that were popular in the 1980s? Well, this is essentially the same thing, except that the graphics have been updated, and you point with the remote. Among other things, you shoot ducks, cans, targets and UFOs. Most of it is just the same old thing. The only original one is where the Miis get abducted by UFOs which you must shoot, which is actually quite funny. Apart from that, you've seen it all before.

Find Mii: 7/10
A ‘Where's Wally?' type of game. You are given a number of different tasks, including ‘Find this Mii', ‘Find two identical Miis' and ‘Find the fastest Mii'. It gets progressively harder with each level. Completing the task nets you ten seconds; going wrong means you lose five. It gets repetitive after a while, but to start with it is actually pretty fun.

Table Tennis: 1/10
This is the worst game of the lot. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, you do not actually hit the ball! You simply move it to the right spot, and it hits for you, unlike in other games where you must swing yourself. Another thing, it is impossible to win. Rather than trying to beat your opponent, you aim to get as many rallies as possible. Regardless of how the shot is done, the opponent will always hit it back. Overall, this game is awful and just plain not fun.

Pose Mii: 4/10
I must admit, it is very original. In this game, you must switch through different poses, and then go at the right angle of the bubble portraying it to burst the bubble before it reaches the bottom. At first, it is really not so bad, but then after three or four levels things turn for the worse. If a bubble reached the bottom of the screen, you lose a life. Lose three and the game is over. The annoying snag is that sometimes the bubbles appear literally almost at the bottom of the screen, giving you all of about two seconds to react and burst it. It gets on your nerves very quickly.

Laser Hockey: 8/10
Remember Pong? This game is a bit like that, except you can move the paddle right and left instead of just up and done, and you can change the angle. In single player, it gets boring quickly, due to the predictable pattern of the computer. However, in multiplayer, this game is great fun, providing lots of entertainment for both players.

Billiards: 4/10
This is a basic version of snooker. The good part of the game is that the physics are very realistic. The balls collide and move in the way you would expect in a real game. The bad part, and it is really, really bad, is the complete absence of freedom. You are always forced to aim at the ball with the lowest number, even if another ball is in front of it. It really detracts from the overall experience.

Fishing: 2/10
Simply put, this game is terrible. Here is the reason why: whenever you put your bait underground, it is essentially down to luck as to whether or not the fish will grab at the bait. If they do grab at the bait, all you do it hoist the remote up, and voila, you have caught a fish. This game is pathetic.

Charge: 8/10
This game is the best of them all, and definitely the weirdest. You ride on a cow, and you have to hit scarecrows and avoid hazards, all the while trying to reach the finish. This game is especially fun in multiplayer. The only reason it does not have a higher rating is because there is only one course. However, this does not stop the game being hilarious and intriguing.

Tanks: 6/10
This is notable in that it is the only game which uses the Nunchuck. You control a tank, and you must shoot all other tanks while avoiding being shot yourself, all the while seeing everything from a bird's eye view. At first, it is a quaint little game, but in the later levels, the A.I. starts to get very cheap and frustrating.

Replay Value: 2/10
There is almost none at all. Even on the more fun games, you will most likely be bored of them very very quickly. Add in the fact that there are only nine, and you get a very short game indeed.

Pros:
Some fun games.
Quite good graphics.
You get a free remote!
Does what it intends to.

Cons:
Some horrible games.
Doesn't really stand out much.
Only nine minigames?
Minimal replay value.

Buy, rent or avoid: This is roughly the equivalent of asking if this game is worth $10. In the most basic sense, it is not. There are many other much better minigame collections for the Wii (Rayman Raving Rabbids, anyone?). Sure, they may be more expensive, but at the same time they are much more worth your money.

This ends my review of the first of many minigame collections for the Wii. Really, it was never supposed to amount up to much anyway, and it did what Nintendo wanted. The problem is that it simply is not much fun.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 06/02/08

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