Wii Sports

Nintendo, the former king of our beloved industry, has begun to prove that theory is wrong. The hype and hoopla surrounding Nintendo Wii is not just a bunch of hyperbole. It contains a real, innovative piece of hardware that is beginning to shift our industry's way of thinking. One of the games doing that is Wii Sports. Included with every Nintendo Wii, this is the first time Nintendo has packed a game with a new console since 1991.

They didn't do this to drive sales. Where has all the hype been focused? Zelda. They knew we'd buy the Wii anyway, whether it came with a game or not. They didn't do this to say thanks to the loyal fans – though we sure deserve it after all that we've been through (just thinking about the delay era makes me cringe).

They did it to show everyone – right out of the box – exactly what Wii was capable of. And there is no game that is more prepared to do that than Wii Sports. 

Re-creating the Real World

Only one of the Wii Sports games uses the nunchuck attachment: boxing. The rest were designed solely for the remote, which is to be swung in various ways that mimic the real-world action of the virtual sport you're playing. At E3, Wii Baseball was one of the most surprising selections. Its innovations are no less impressive today.

Holding the remote with both hands, you stand in front of the screen and wait for the pitch. As you wait you'll notice that the batter on screen is a little jittery. Now hold yourself completely still. Hmmm, what's this? He's stopped moving. Twist your wrist a little and the virtual batter will twist his. Tilt the remote up or down and the batter will react accordingly.

When the ball is finally thrown, swing just before it hits the screen. Assuming your aim – the angle that you're swinging at – is accurate, the ball will be hit and a potential homerun achieved. You don't have to swing with all your might, but the game does detect speed. Lighter swings will not lead to the same results as a harder one.

Pitching is conducted a little more generically. Hold the remote upright and swing downward. Speed is important, as is the angle of your pitch. But it's nowhere near the depth or complexity of batting. 

Wii Golf provides the most challenge, delivering a swing system with success dependant on your ability to hit the ball with the proper speed. Hit it too harshly (by swinging too powerfully) and the ball could end up in the gutter. It is especially important to watch your speed while putting. Aim the remote down, tilt your arms back a little bit, and swing forward. I haven't played miniature golf in over 15 years, and have never tried the real thing. I would assume that an experienced golfer could jump right into Wii Golf and start scoring. But for me, it was very difficult.

Wii Tennis is the easiest sport in the game, but Wii Bowling is truly the most mainstream. It has equal parts of usability and pick-up-and-play functionality, but is still somewhat of a challenge. Anyone can grab a Wii remote, swing and get a strike. That does not mean this is a cakewalk, though it does ensure that those who rarely or never touch video games can get something out of it.

More experienced players will notice that the amount they twist their wrist while swinging the ball can influence how it travels down the lane. There are a few tough single-player challenges to overcome. The game will place pins in specific locations and ask you to knock them down in one hit. As you progress, short walls will be added to test your maneuvering skills. You have to move the ball around the walls to get to the pins.

Wii Boxing is just what you'd expect and a little more. Having the remote in your right hand and the nunchuck attachment in your left, the player can punch his opponent by punching toward the screen. This is not perfectly accurate – punching high or low does not trigger an entirely accurate punch from that direction. But you do have quite a bit of control over where your punches land, and you have complete control over how well your fighter is blocked. You block by holding both controller pieces close together. Move them up and down to block various parts of your body, or tilt both of them to either side to evade a punch or two. 

Lastly there's Wii Tennis, a decent party game that doesn't give the player enough control over their actions. Your goal is to swing left or right and under or overhand, based on the direction the ball came from, and whether or not you'd like the ball to be returned lightly (high) or harshly (low). You don't control player movement – that's done automatically. You just sit back and wait for the ball to come. Swing. Wait for it to come. Swing...

As an added bonus, Nintendo included training options for each (like the described bowling challenges), as well as a Wii fitness challenge that rates your Wii Sports age. Your age is based on how well you play the game. The process can be repeated daily to decrease your "age."

Gameplay: 8.5
Unreal! Wii Sports is a one-of-a-kind collection that literally draws every player into the experience. You don’t press a button and fool with a timing mechanism to bowl – you actually bowl. You hold the remote upright, pull it back, and release the ball as you approach the lane. Likewise, you aren’t swinging thumbsticks to golf and hit homeruns. Sure, that’s fun, and it was innovative for a while. But now, with the Wii remote in your hands, you’re swinging a controller to perform these moves. The result isn’t merely a different kind of experience – it’s a more realistic one.

Graphics: 6
These graphics are nowhere near what the Wii can accomplish. That said, they are effective in this scenario. I wouldn’t want to see them repeated, but as a fun freebie that’s packed in with every Wii, and as a game that’s as responsive to our motions as this is, who can complain? As Nintendo constantly reminds us, they’re only graphics. Gameplay comes first.

Sound: 7
Simple, generic tunes that are strangely fitting to this game’s simplistic graphics and environments.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Wii Sports was designed to be a game anyone can play. Golf is the most challenging – Tennis is the most basic. All five have their ups and downs. You won’t become a master of any of them overnight.

Concept: 8
The idea of Wii Sports is simple: five games that re-create the experience of a real-world sport. The innovation comes from how accurately each sport is represented. Tennis is the least effective of the bunch, but Golf, Baseball, Bowling and Boxing are extremely impressive.

Multiplayer: 8.5
The best mainstream party game collection ever made. Wii Sports provides immediate novelty fun for everyone. Bring this game to your holiday gatherings, grab four Wii remotes (if you can find ‘em – they’re selling out quick), and watch as your friends and relatives pile in front of the TV to check out and hopefully play what is the beginning of the next generation of sports games.

Overall: 8.5
Mario. Tetris. Mario World. Wii Sports. These are the four games Nintendo has chosen to include with four of their game consoles. In terms of sales and longevity, Wii Sports won’t do for Nintendo Wii what Mario did for the NES. Wii Sports won’t be played by as many people as Tetris. It is, however, a killer, innovative showpiece that will draw in anyone who witnesses all that it can do. Sure, it lacks goals and can be beaten very quickly. But the ultra-responsive technology and high multiplayer replay value are far greater than any other party or sports game collection. Excite Truck is good, but this is the one that should’ve been packed in Wii kiosks all over the country.