Great fun for anyone

by Shaan Ali Khan

Fun factor: Fun

Worth to: Buy

It’s not all fun in the sun, but the easy pick-up-and-play nature and great multiplayer experience of Wii Sports Resort makes it a must-have title for any Wii owner.

Wii Sports is probably the most successful game to-date. Not only is it the highest selling game ever, but it alone managed to sell the Wii to millions of households. Many of those households are still unaware that there’s anything else to play on the system, and they’ve been bowling for about two and a half years now. Well with Wii MotionPlus, Nintendo has finally released a sequel to their most successful pack-in title yet. Not only does it revive that easy-to-get-into nature of the first title, but unlike most mini-game collections, there’s a solid level of quality and replayable nature here that will make you want to come back to Resort again and again.

One of the best openings in videogames

The key thing about Wii Sports Resort is obviously the addition of the Wii MotionPlus attachment. Adding a distinct level of precision not found in the standard Wii remote, the gameplay possibilities suddenly become enormous. Or at least they better be if they make me watch that blasted instructional video after popping in that disc again. I understand Nintendo’s desire to cater to everyone, but forcing you to watch a 3-minute video that shows how to plug in a Wii MotionPlus (something that could be explained with ease in under 30 seconds) can feel incredibly condescending.



Once that’s over with, however, the game starts on a fantastic note. You instantly find yourself (or your Mii, rather) skydiving out of a plane. Clinging onto other Miis that may be on your system as you fall, you get a great demonstration of just how much precision the MotionPlus adds as tilting the controller directly affects your character. Witnessing the accuracy first-hand made me widen my eyes and simply state “Woah…”

After playing around with my falling character, doing twists, 180’s, spins, trying to essentially see how far I can go with this until I reach the limitations of what the attachment can do (and ultimately failing), and all the falling Miis open their parachutes, revealing the title logo: Wii Sports Resort. This has got to be one of the most effective openings I’ve experienced in a videogame.

And swing, and pivot, and lunge...

Right off the bat, there are 12 events to choose from. Many of which have alternate modes or difficulties that can be unlocked as you play through. The first on the list, and probably the best one, would have to be Sword Fighting. Using a similar perspective as Boxing in the first Wii Sports, the game is exactly what it sounds like. One-on-one competitions to try and knock each other off of a tall platform over the water are handled by swinging the controller around. Pressing the B-trigger will put you in a defensive stance, but you’ll have just the same accuracy as an offensive position. This mode was incredibly easy to get into.

Computer-opponents are easy enough at the start, barely putting up a fight, and wild waggling could do just fine for a short while. But as you progress up the ranks, you really need to start paying attention to your strikes, timing your moves, playing defensively with parries, etc. It’s simple for people who are picking up a game for the first time, but soon offers enough challenge that I was beginning to study how I fought and tried to better my technique as I moved on. It just felt right. It not only is an excellent demonstration of the Wii MotionPlus, but it just provides that addictive level of fun that made me want to get better.



There are two other sub-modes as well. Speed Slice will put you up against another opponent as the game asks you to strike an object in a certain way, and the winner being whoever does it first. It not only tries to improve your speed in striking, but your accuracy as well, something that you can take with you to the Duel mode. The last Sword Fighting mode will put you on a survival-type adventure where your Mii will move automatically through Wii Sports Resort‘s various landmarks on Wuhu Island (yes, it’s called Wuhu Island…), fending off attacking Miis. It’s a fun mode, and there’s a pretty curious level of satisfaction I had with bashing Miis with a blunt object. It was just fun.

What’s interesting is that the MotionPlus really only detects the tilt of the controller. It’s very possible to play the Sword Fighting games without swinging your arms at all, but instead only twisting the remote with my wrist. It doesn’t detect thrusts either, or its placement in a 3D environment. But knowing this full well, I still found myself making huge swings, really getting into it, lunging into some of my strikes etc. If there’s one sign a game can be engaging, that would be it.

Frisbees, archery, and… aerial dogfights

Of course there are other modes too. Another of the real standouts is Frisbee, which has two modes: Frisbee Dog, where you throw a frisbee for your adorable little dog to catch, and Frisbee Golf. Both are great examples of showing off the attachment’s capabilities. You’ll find yourself really planning out your throws, calculating angles, and finding a good level of satisfaction when a throw works just the way you intended.

Archery is interesting in that it also requires the nunchuk attachment, but it works really quite well. It certainly becomes difficult as you check out the higher modes, but it’s a decent take-turns kind of mode that’ll be good for multiplayer competition. One complaint I have, though, is that when bringing up my bow to get ready for a shot, my view would suddenly shoot off to the side instead of just facing directly towards the target. I was easily able to get back to a proper angle, but it’s really quite confusing as to why some shots, I’d be holding the Wii remote out in one direction to take a shot, but then way off to one side to take another.



Other solid ones are the Air Sports which include a more technical version of Sky Diving, but has an actual goal of timing photographs with as many Miis as you can hold onto. This also includes an Island Flyover mode where you’re piloting a small plane over Wuhu Island, pointing out landmarks, including the spot where you found yourself Sword Fighting. It helps make Wuhu Island feel a bit more like an existing entity, and it’s eerily charming to find as many of the landmarks as you can. And the last Air Sport would be Dogfighting… I’m as confused as you are. Simply take the Island Flyover and add in another player for you to try and shoot at. I’m not sure when that became a standard activity at resorts, but beyond how it sticks out like a sore thumb, it is a fun mode to play once in a while

Some old faces and a few throwaways

Some events return from the first game. Bowling returns with a little more ability to put some spin on your throws, which makes an already great mode just a little better. Golf returns as well, but I found myself having a much harder time than I did in the first game. That was until I got a bit more time getting the feel and altering my swing, ultimately improving my game. Still though, you’ll likely have more fun playing Frisbee Golf, or checking out Tiger Woods 10 (which is great by the way). Tennis returns in a slightly altered form of Table Tennis. Obviously it’s just Ping-Pong, but there is a much greater level of accuracy and precision involved. It’s not just about timing now, but about how you twist your wrist and angle your shots. MotionPlus really does add a greater level of control here.

Then there are some events that feel a bit less engaging. Basketball has you doing a throwing motion with the controller, but where the ball actually goes feels entirely up to chance. There’s also a 3-on-3 mode, but players will have a hard time figuring out what they really have control over. It’s not the most affective mode, but it does offer some fun for a while. Just don’t expect this to be the mode you’ll come back to often.



Canoeing (even though it’s mostly Kayaking) works, but it just feels tedious. Wakeboarding is sort of neat, but beyond trying each of the difficulties once or twice, there’s not a whole lot of incentive to try and get better. Though the game tells you the success of your tricks depends on how level you hold the controller, it doesn’t seem to be the case a lot of the time.

The two black sheep would have to be Cycling and Power Cruising (which is just Jet-Skiing). Cycling just has you shaking the Wii remote and nunchuk to speed forward in a race, perfectly emulating how you ride a bike (until you remember that you don’t pedal a bike with your hands). This mode just feels annoying, and while the idea of bike-riding seems perfect, it ultimately was just pulled off badly. Power Cruising is sort of in a similar situation. You hold the controllers like you would the handlebars of a jet-ski, twisting to throttle into a boost, while trying to go through various rings, etc. This would have been fun if you didn’t feel like you had so little control over what you’re doing. Ultimately, these two both feel like the real throwaways, which is quite a shame.

Wuhu! No online features! [/sarcasm]

By offering 12 events, Nintendo has given a good variety of sports to choose from, most of which do a really good job showing off the new peripheral. It’s hard not to play Sword Fighting and think of a potential Star Wars game, or to think of how shooting your bow might work in the next Zelda. The Wii MotionPlus really does add an extra level of control, and it saddens me that not many more games will be using the add-on this year.

The game’s presentation isn’t radically different from the first Wii Sports. There are some blocky models, and Wuhu Island won’t exactly “wow” you. But while Nintendo still maintained that simple look, there’s quite a lot of polish here. Little details like the depth of field when you’re focusing your bow and arrow, and all the people walking around Wuhu Island as you fly overhead help make the game still look and feel a bit more interesting. Side by side, you can tell which of the two titles is newer. It’s a shame Nintendo didn’t push the hardware much more. The Wii can do more than this. But nevertheless, the game does have a clean, solid look that still retains the charm of the first Wii Sports.



On the negative side, there really isn’t any online multiplayer support or leaderboards, which seems like a real waste. Sword Fighting would have been a great competitive game, as would Bowling or Dogfighting. This could really diminish the replay value if you’re someone that doesn’t have people over very often, but it will still be fun to bust out with friends for months to come. Nintendo did include a sort of achievements system in the form of “stamps,” but without any unified account or multiplayer support, you have to wonder, “What’s the point?”

Summary

Like the first Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort encapsulates everything the Wii does best: great games to bust out when your friends come over, while also providing experiences that other consoles just can’t emulate. While the lack of online functions is disappointing, there are a couple throwaway events, and I’m curious as to why some games weren’t included (Volleyball?), Wii Sports Resort is a great demonstration of Wii MotionPlus, and a great multiplayer title. Whether you are a core gamer or casual player, if you have a Wii, there’s no reason this shouldn’t be in your collection. At its heart, it’s simply just a lot of fun.