Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Player (s): Multi-Player
Genre: Sports
Release Date: July 26th 2009
Score: 8.9
With twelve new family-friendly mini-games and Nintendo’s new MotionPlus add-on, should you run to the store and spend your cash, or should you be content and get your game on with Wii Sports? In Wii sports Resort, not only do you get Nintendo’s new Technology, but also a chance to test your luck at Archery, Power Cruising, Bowling, Basketball, Golf, Canoeing, Frisbee, Wakeboarding, Table Tennis, Cycling and Swordplay.
So what’s my take on Nintendo’s latest effort you ask? Well after spending some long hours on this one, the verdict is in. For the most part it’s a very fun experience, one that’ll keep you coming back for more. You’ll also want to get your family and friends so they can play with you, since it’s way more fun with company. But I had issues with the some of the mini-games and also the fact that I had to cough up more cash to get another Motionplus for the extended family. Here’s my verdict.
What Quenched my Thirst
First off, Motionplus works marvelously. Wii Sports Resort is a respectable example of that, hence paving the way for third party developers to take full advantage of the Wii, (finally something to work with!). Let’s talk sports shall we?
Cycling: When I was a teen (that’s a long time back), my first good gift was a bike. Cycling is one of my favorite things to do, so experiencing it in my living from, albeit virtual, was fun. Nintendo made sure of that. Here’s how it works: you hold the remote and nunchuk like they were the handles of a bike, then take turns swinging them down and up as if they were pedals. Steering is simple, just tilt both controllers back and forth. I love the simplicity of the game, it includes one or two player road races, where you test your skills against a gang of Mii and a head-to-head two player race.
Air Sports: Hold the remote like a paper airplay, lead it around to control a Plane or a Skydiving Mii. There are three modes in Air Sports: Dog Fight, Island Flyover, and Skydiving. What I enjoyed most about this one was the Dog Fighting mode, where you essentially fly around the Island with a friend, all while balloons follow. You win by trying to burst each other’s balloons. It’s loads of fun.
Frisbee: To play Frisbee, you hold the remote like a Frisbee, then snap it, just like you’d throw the disc, only you’re not throwing anything. The dog then runs and catch it. Your objective is to get as close as possible to the glowing circle. It’ll take a good bit of practice to master Frisbee, but once you have, the rewards are satisfying. You can also unlock Frisbee Golf once you’ve played Frisbee Dog.
I also enjoyed playing, Table Tennis, Basketball, and Bowling, but my favorite was:
Swordplay and Archery: Maybe it’s because I love karate movies, or maybe it’s just the feel of fighting without being hurt by your enemy. I believe it’s the latter. In Swordplay, you simply swing the remote like a sword, holding the B button to block in four directions. To attack you swing in the same directions. You could play two-player duels, a speed slicing contest and the mode which pits a player against an armada of enemy Mii as you find your way along the map. Swordplay is definitely the best game I played on the resort. The game comes with ten maps and can be played in reverse. Archery on the other hand has three different settings of difficulty. To play hold the remote in your left hand and the nunchuk in the right, pull back the nunchuk and release the Z button to fire. The controls are ultra sensitive which balances out the game, giving a more rewarding experience.
What left a Bitter Taste
Wii Sports Resort comes with only one Motionplus which makes it almost impossible not to spend cash on and extra one, two or more if you want to enjoy with you friends and family.
Also why are there so many calibration breaks? The game tells you to put down the controller for a few seconds on a flat surface so it can recalibrate, but this becomes very frustrating because of how often it demands breaks.
Golf was not much fun either, you’ll feel like you were playing Wii Sports over again because of how unchanged it is. No extra modes, nothing to make your ears peak. It almost feels like they slapped Golf on for more variety.
And as for the Water Sports, it felt more like work than fun. There’s Wake Boarding, Power Crusing, and Canoeing. Canoeing is also very mundane, i never got attached.
The graphics were almost identical to Wii Sports, although the visuals look brighter.
So should you go down to your favorite retail joint and pick up Wii Sports Resort? My confident answer is yes. From the very moment you land on the Resort, you’ll be hooked and won’t want to leave. Ignore the faults in this one, because the good overshadows the bad.
08/03/09 Ernice Gilbert
