Wii Sports Resort Review (WII)

Stay inside this summer

Are you in dire need of relaxation? Are you sick of being stuck in a dreary office block as the sun glistens outside? Are bored kids forcing you to dance like a performing monkey for entertainment whilst holding the sofa at vomit point? Never fear! Nintendo have come to save the day with one mildly priced trip to Wuhu island!

Wii Sports Resort is the follow up to smash freebie Wii Sports yet comes equipped with more activities, a small box of Motionplus and a price tag to boot. Though it managed to sway a majority of sceptics and gave retirement home inhabitants a new reason to live back in the day, the former was little more than a tech demo for the capabilities of the Wii Remote dressed in an undeniably fun package. Now with years to grasp hold of that realisation, a crate full of precision attached and the hunger for cold hard cash, the sequel needs to prove it deserves your blessed wallet’s grasp.

As soon as you dive into the 12 mini-games, a quick blast of each can quickly decipher which are going to be party hits and which are going to completely miss the mark and thrown into a dimension of gimmicks. It’s soon apparent that those which fully take advantage of the Motionplus accessory itself are those worth honourable mention when the friends are over for a little getaway abroad. The slightest of movements can be picked up by the Motionplus accessory, and all contributes to how successful you’ll be in your waggling endeavours. Its impressive detection capabilities make many of the headlining sports easy to learn and difficult to master. ‘Frisbee’ is a prime example of how the accessory takes into account every move you make, and how it can be your downfall if underestimated. The angle of your wrist, the angle of the remote, the power of the swing, any minor movements to the disc as it leaves your hand all combine to form an impressively detailed experience which never fails to challenge and entertain. Even simple control elements used in ‘Archery’ with the Wii Remote used to pinpoint your target and the Nunchuck to pull back the string of your bow make a truly convincing and enjoyable pastime, begging for multiple try-outs to perfect techniques.

Guarantees multiple playthroughs for as long as your vast supply of batteries will last.

On top of the new titles, a few of the predecessors’ classics find their way into the mix. ‘Bowling’, ‘Golf’ and ‘Tennis’ (Now with added table) all return with obsessive compulsive precision. More control over certain techniques that players can use means that you’ll be hearing less complaints about each sport ‘Not being like the real thing’. The paddle in ‘Table Tennis’ is appropriately modelled around the position of the Wii Remote, forming more opportunities for spinning balls and tricking opponents. ‘Bowling’ now manages to pick up every fraction of spin you place into each roll. ‘Golf’ strongly reinforces the fact that I suck more at golf than I first thought. It’s impressively realistic.

Unfortunately amongst the gems there are a few duds which prove to be either too dull or too unimaginative in comparison to what the rest of the game has to offer. ‘Air Sports’ entails holding the Wii remote like a paper aeroplane and directing it around through mildly tilting it in the air like it’s dinner heading for an infants gob. ‘Cycling’ is nothing but a test of both patience and endurance as your hands pump the pedals of your bike through rhythmically shifting your Wii Remote and Nunchuck up and down through courses too long for their own good. Perhaps someone with the biceps of a Bon Bon would see benefit in this arm exercise, but otherwise it’s just a poor addition to a pro-active line-up.

The graphics are just to be expected for a flagship Wii title released nowadays, simple yet accessibly pleasing. A combination of bright colours and surroundings that have had the corners filed down in fear of mild poking of extremities all add to the ‘Friendly’ game image. Though largely unimpressive, these familiar features all follow suit with many Nintendo games featuring player Mii’s, providing a strong case of ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ The emulsion colours do nothing to stand out, yet will quite happily lull in the target audience of grinning families and won’t offend the eyes of a drunken rabble of pals.

Said friends are needed to truly appreciate how fun Wii Sports Resort is. Single player is encouraged through the use of stamps to chronicle player achievements throughout all sports, but with no viable rewards they make for a fairly pointless addition. All activities focus on a primary gameplay mechanic which can be exploited by many score mongering vanity, but each comes with separate modes that cannot be done justice without an accompanying player. The competitive nature of ‘3-on 3 Basketball matches’ and attempting to defeat your opponent in a battle of lightning fast reaction in ‘Speed Slash’ all heighten the enjoyment that is to be had with Wii Sports Resort, and guarantees multiple playthroughs for as long as your vast supply of batteries will last.

Gather the right buddies and an appropriate number of Motionplus bricks, and you’ve got an undeniably addictive party game, yet the overall package only leaves you lumbered with one of the necessary precision cubes. As a single player fare, it’s certainly entertaining yet ultimately shallow unless you’re taking part in the leisurely pursuit of ‘Archery’ without obnoxious distractions. For those who are rich in Motionplus accessories or who can live with sharing just one remote through most of the activities however, Wii Sports Resort is more fun, better value and less encrusted in sewage than your local Butlins. Both title and accessory go hand in hand to provide an enigmatic vacation package, one which is sure to entertain and showcase the capabilities for games willing to take the Motionplus plunge soon.