Wii Sports (Wii, 2006)

First of all, for a game that comes bundled with the Wii, you get way more than most companies would offer. The games are all fun, despite the lack of depth in, say, baseball, which has only three innings.

My father, a man of infinite technological phobias enjoyed Wii golf, and actually asked to play a couple of holes when I was showing the system off to my siblings. He did pretty good, although putting can be a difficult endeavor to master.

My girlfriend, a woman who was accustomed to button mashing fighting games from watching her brother, took naturally to bowling and tennis. Although she enjoys making a Mii a bit more than anything else, it's fun to play a couple of sets on the clay and kick some Wii butt.

Baseball is fun, albeit limited. There are few pitches you can hurl, and fielding is left up to the computer. Even running the bases is out of your hands, but the batting mechanics feel good. It all comes down to timing.

Last, but not least, is boxing. The only sport that takes advantage of the Wii's "nunchuk" controller, you can either flail around wildly, actually really try to box, or flick your wrists to knock the stuffing out of people. Wii Sports boxing is better than that horrible Showtime game... Blech.

Either way, between the daily Wii Sports training you can endure, the fun and cool mini games you use to hone your skills, and the fantastic multi-player action, this is a game I will never sell. No matter what cool title I find myself coveting, I always find some time for Wii sports.

Wii Sports is the only game sold with a console at launch this generation, and it is a perfect way to introduce the new control mechanics. Anyone can pickup and play this game, and though mastering it is not easy it is not required to have fun.

There are five sports to play, and though they are not as involved as a game made solely for one of them that was not the intention with Wii Sports. The games are designed to help you get used to playing games a new way, and the selection of sports offered is well rounded to give you a wide variety control methods to experience. Wii Tennis, Baseball, Golf, Bowling, and Boxing are each setup differently, though all use the motion sensing abilities of the controller instead for the infrared pointer; though that is used for menu navigation.

One of the best aspects of Wii sports is its combination of being easy to pickup, and its multiplayer support. The game uses the Mii Channel that comes with the Wii for a personal in game character (be it a likeness of yourself or your best attempt at your Aunt Gertrude). This character tracks how you have done at any particular game in the past and gives you an overall rating for each. This can be done with a number of Miis, though you can only view the “stats” by actively using one. Everyone having their own character is nice, and the selection list goes by the most recently selected, a nice feature when you have a group over. You can set the controller for lefties though it defaults for righties, this is changeable every time you select a Mii that was not used the previous game.

Tennis is played with just the Wiimote, held like the handle of a tennis racket. Though you don’t use your free hand to toss the ball up (you use the Wiimote), like in real tennis timing is everything if you want a fast serve (though accuracy is done for you). After that most of the challenge is timing your swing to not only connect with the ball but to determine where it goes. The later your swing the more to the outside the ball will go, and of course the earlier you swing the more to the inside. You can both forehand and backhand swing, meaning you need a bit of room between folks if you play, particularly if you really get into it. Larger motions are not required, but with tennis it can make control a bit easier, as the angle of the front face of the Wiimote does have some effect on spin and the ball trajectory. You can play a single set at a time, or up to five. This sport is one that begs for a tournament option, but unfortunately one was not included.

Bowling is my favorite if the sports, partly because it is the most involved. You hold the Wiimote like you would a normal remote control, but of course you use it very differently. The motions are what you would expect for bowling, you bring the Wiimote in front of you vertically, swing it down and back like you are holding a bowling ball while holding the trigger, and then bring the Wiimote back forward, releasing the trigger as close to straight down as you can. If you release it early the game lets you know you dropped the ball but it does not count against you, and if you release it late you “loft” the ball. Twisting the Wiimote to either side while swinging it forward produces spin in that direction. You use the D-pad to move you Mii back and forth on the lane and you can press A to use the D-pad to change the angle you throw the ball at. This also seems to be the easiest game to pick up and play reasonably well, and you

Wii Sports is one of the best games to be included free with a new system. It is also highly under-rated. Most people probably would not have bought it if it was not included, but have come to love it after playing it.

As you probably know, there are 5 games included: Tennis, Baseball, Bowling, Golf and Boxing. What you may not know is that each game has side games you can play under the heading of TRAINING. I think this is where the game really excells.

There are 3 different mini games you can play for each sport that help make you better at the activity you are training for. For example, in Tennis, you can practice hitting balls over the net. The longer you play, the faster they get and after each 10 hits, you move up to the net for 5 hits. It keeps your high score and you can get 4 different medals for each activity...bronze, silver, gold or platinum. Another activity in tennis is hitting a target on a wall that moves each time you hit it. This is alot like racquetball and is my favorite game. It teaches you how to aim the ball by swinging early or late. One catch is that if you hit the wall in the same place too many times, it makes a hole in the wall that the ball can go through and end your turn. I have gone so long that there was a hole larger than the target. You have to try and aim away from the hole, but still be able to go back and forth across the wall.

One of the side activities on Bowling is picking up simple spares that increase with difficulty after each successful throw. A better game is where you only have to hit one pin, but there are barriers in the lane. You must be able to spin your ball, jump it over a close wall and aim with a little english on the side. It can be fun and frustrating as you figure it out through trial and error.

Anyway, you get the picture. The 5 sports are great, but the training activities add 15 more items to do, which are highly addictive.

One last thing...there is also a fitness section of the game. You can do this once a day. You get 3 activities to try and it measures you on speed, stamina and strength. The best you can get is 20 years old, which is harder than it sounds. It displays your age each time and tells you if you have gained any years or lost years. It can be embarrassing if your children consistently are in better shape than you. However it motivates you to improve and you can get a good workout, especially with Boxing and Tennis. Once you reach the PRO level, the game really gets tougher.

This is a great game and everyone in the family will enjoy it, regardless of their age. Nintendo scored big by including this with their new system. It shows off the versatility of the Wii and gets you used to the new controller.

As I said in the title... JUST TRY IT AND YOU WILL LOVE IT!

This is the best game out for the Wii. You wont be able to find it at most game stores, because it only came bundled with new Nintendo Wiis. You can find more than a few here on eBay, but they arent cheap.

The games are alot of fun and there is so much variery. Wii Sports comes with 5 games in one:
Tennis - You swing to serve and return the balls and you can put your own topspin or downspin on the ball. This takes a bit of timing to hit the balls where you want them.
Bowling - My personal favorite. Lets you put left or right spin on the balls, just like real bowling. How fast you "bowl" will depend on how fast you throw the ball.
Baseball - Another game that takes alot of timing. Batting is alot of fun and you can crank homeruns like crazy. Just watch out for the nasty change-up pitch.
Golf - Where and how far your ball go all depend on swing speed and accuracy. Putting will take a little time to get used to, but very entertaining. The downside is that, there is only one course you can play.
Boxing - You may break a sweat playing this one. You have to dodge opponents' punches and counter-attack when they are weak. You can jab, uppercut, or give a hook to knock em down. This is the only of the 5 that require the numchuck attachment.

This is a fun game and everyone and even little kids can get into the action. A great family game all around!

Wii Sports for Nintendo Wii

Nintendo Wii's Sports was a game that was
bundled with the Nintendo Wii.

The sports game is a combination of one to four
player games. The Wii remote and nunchuk are
used in a number of these games.

The games are:

Golf:

3D golf controlled by the Wii Remote. I find this
the hardest of the games as I am a golfer. As a result
I try to do my normal swing and I'm constantly swinging
to hard and hooking the ball. I also, like all other
gaming golf games, find the putting to be a challenge. :(
The first few holes are 3D renderings of the origional
Nintendo Golf game.

Tennis:

The tennis game is very fun to play. You can play as
a single or double.

Baseball:

I think my actual slow pitch swing has improved due to
playing Wii Baseball. I love the pitching and the hitting
aspect of this game. However, I find it stripped down as
you cannot field. :( In fact, if the AI fielder catches
the ball then you are automatically out. :/ The game is
realistic in the fact that when the computer throws a side arm
pitcher at you it is harder to hit! :) If you use the + symbol
as a pitcher you can aim the ball. I had a blast busting my
brother inside with a fastball into the hands! :)

Bowling:

This is a blast! This game hooked my 60 year old father
on the Wii. He has played 5 pin bowling in Canada and
has never 10 pin bowled before. He stands up, positions the
controller and proceeds to bowl 4 strike outs in a row.
Very realistic game and you can have 4 people playing it at a
time!

Boxing:

Clip in the Wii nunchuk and have fun. I love this game!
You can hit low, medium, or the high hit. Plus you get a work out
as you play! Really Fun!

You also have a training mode in which you can play three
different skill builders per mode.

You also have a Wii Fitness mode. Here you play 3 of the sports
challenges that focus on agility, balance, and speed. As
you play you can get your Wii Fitness age! You need to train
once per day in order to get this to work. My first age was 80!
Now I'm averaging in the mid 20's. ;) Not bad for a 33 year old. :)

Interesting Aspects:

You can play with your Mii that you created. Other Mii's that you
have on your system show up in the game as players or spectators.
As you gain skill level in games like boxing and tennis Mii's start
to show up in the crowd to watch you play!

Overall this is an excellent game to bundle with the Wii.
You are trained in the aspects of the Wii Remote's use. The
only critic I can find is some of the games are stripped down. :(
No fielding in Baseball and such. However, I'm assuming that
the other games that are actually ball games (MLB Baseball?) will
have this aspect.

5/5, an excellent free party game for yourself or friends!

Latsyrhc
Tamarack Collectibles