Wii Sports

by: Stan229

My First Review!

Review

Theres no such thing as a free lunch...Or is there?

Not since the 16bit wars have Nintendo given out a free game packaged with its console...until now. Wii Sports is a free game consisting of five different sports, designed to show the remote's capabilities but does it score an ace or get a double fault?

As said above Wii Sports consists of 5 different sports each showing a different way to use the Wii Remote. And it didnt even cost you a penny. The sports in the package are too shallow by themselves but when mixed together they provide a fun and entertaining experience. They include Tennis, Baseball, Boowling, Golf and Boxing. Most games can be played alone or with three other people and are a perfect compliment to the Wii console, providing some harmlessly intense multiplayer action.

Tennis

The tennis is a real ace

Tennis is the first sport you will encounter (if you play through them in order) and is also one of the simplest. You can play 1,3 or 5 set matches and thats pretty much where the options end. During the match you play as the front and back players which sounds worrying but after playing for a while, the movement feels completely natural. There is also some hidden depth in the gameplay that will keep long time gamers happy. You can twist the wii remote as you flick it to add a touch of spin to the ball. The direction you twist causes the ball to either spin to the left or to the right. Simple. Actually..no. Getting the spin right is surprisingly difficult and on some occasions I found myself missing the ball or hitting it out of the court. Obviously the multiplayer is much more enjoyable than the single player. The learning curve is small and after about 5 minutes, all your friends with be laughing with glee having pulled off a speed serve. Single player can get pretty repetitive as you just end up continually facing opponents. I feel it could have done with a tournament option or something along those lines to vary it a little.

Baseball

Ah the classic colours of the....erm......oh never mind.

Baseball is perhaps the weakest sport in the package. Thats by no means to say that its bad....just not as good as the others. Basically you play 9 inning matches taking control of either the pitcher or the batter. The fielders are left for the computer to control which is a shame because it relies heavily on luck whether your miis will catch it or not. As the pitcher you basically flick the remote to throw the ball. The faster you flick, the faster the ball goes. Holding A or B whilst throwing will unleash a curveball. As a batter your job is to whack the ball as far as you can. Easier said than done though as it can be frustrating to strike a clean hit with the ball. On one occasion I found myself on a sixth consecutive foul ball. However getting that "Out of the Park" cheer is no doubt very satisfying.

Bowling

Bowling is one of the best sports in the package.

The next sport available is bowling. Like Tennis this one is very simplistic for the right reasons. The whole sport consists of choosing your line for the ball to go down and making a bowling motion with the Wii Remote to throw the ball. However also like Tennis Nintendo have found that special balance between accessibility and depth. Timing is crucial because the earlier you lift, the more the ball will curve. You can also add spin to the ball by flicking the wii remote. Whats best about it though is that four players can enjoy the game together whilst only using one remote.

Golf

The golf game really hits the fairway.

Golf is probably the most in depth out the all the sports available. There is only one 9 hole course on offer which is a let down however the game takes in wind speed, direction, power, wrist movement and slopes which provides plenty of variables to make the game enjoyable. The course is separated into 3 sections, each with 3 holes: Novice, Intermediate and Expert. It can get quite frustrating sometimes when taking a shot as sometimes the computer cannot sense the wrist movement very accurately making putting very difficult. However again, this can be played with 4 people only using 1 Wii remote and is a welcome addition to the roster.

Boxing

Take it from me, the boxing is REALLY tiring!

And finally last but not least, Its Boxing. Out of all the sports Boxing is the one that will give you the most workout. You use bother the remote and nunchuck for this one and throw jabs, punches or uppercuts to your opponent and attempt to KO them within three rounds. Blocking a performed by holding the remote and nunhuck up in front of your face and swaying from side to side. Sounds good. But its let down by some flaws in my opinion. The punching just isn;t precise enough and in multiplayer it just ends up becoming luck related as the fight soon becomes a simple brawl with no tactical elements involved. Single play is dull and lacks any replay value.

There is also a training mode which consists of mini games designed to help you improve your technique on the five different sports. Some are quite addictive while others on the brink of being pointless. A Wii Fitness option is also thrown into the mix but it is nowhere near as elaborate as Wii Fit. Basically you are given three mini games to complete from the training option and the computer decides how well you did and awards you with a Wii Fit age. Simple.

Overall Wii Sports is a great game to introduce friends to the Wii's motion sensing controls. It will provide hours of fun in multiplayer but the single player is dull and lacks replay value after you get the pro status. But for a free game, you cant get any better than this.

What I liked
+ Its FREE
+ Motion sensing controls work!
+ Multiplayer is a barrel of fun

What I disliked
- Some sports ended up being more luck based
- Single player is forgettable
- The sports lack any options