The first Wii Sports ushered in a new generation of video games with the Nintendo Wii.  And now Wii Sports Resort aims to do the same, but does it revolutionize Wii gaming like the first title?  James and I summarize the best and worst sports in WSR below.

Wii Sports Resort – Row 1 (Swordplay, Wakeboarding, Frisbee, Archery)

Swordplay

Swordplay is one of the more in depth sports in Wii Sports Resort, and as such, it’s one of the best sports in the game. It’s split up into 3 different modes: Duel, Speed Slice, and Showdown. Duel can be played with a computer player or with a friend. The game is simple, knock your opponent off of the platform within the time limit. Controls for Dueling are pretty simple, you can either swing the Wiimote+MP to attack or you can hold the B button while rotating the Wiimote to block attacks. So if you want to block attacks from above, you’d hold B and hold the wiimote/sword horizontally. While the controls are simplistic, there’s so much depth to the motionplus’ sensitivity that you’ll find yourself acting like you have a real sword in your hands!

Speed Slice is the next mode and here you’ll actually get to wield sharper swords than in the duel since you’ll be chopping through a number of different items. Basically the premise here is to chop objects in a certain direction, faster than your opponent. The referee will throw objects to both you and your opponent (these could be watermelons, pencils, cupcakes, etc.). They’ll land in front of each of you with an arrow showing which direction to cut the object. So you have to quickly see the correct direction to slice and then slice away before the other person. It’s pretty fun and can get very competitive.

The last mode is called Showdown, because you’re in control of your Mii character as you traverse different areas on the island facing off with other opponents with swords. Your character will move for you, so all you’re concerned with is slicing and blocking your way through some 30 enemies. It’s probably my favorite mode out of all the sports and it’s a good indication of what we could see in a new Zelda for Wii (hopefully!).

Wakeboarding

Wakeboarding is a pretty fun change of pace from some of the other sports. It’s controlled using the wii remote turned sideways (as if you’re holding the rope handle coming from the boat). Basically you turn the remote side to side to cut across the wake and perform various tricks. You can cut out really wide to get better air but all of the tricks are done automatically. You basically just lift the remote when you get to the top of the wake to jump and then balance the board before you land on the water again. This sport only has the one mode, but there are 3 difficulty settings. Expert is really challenging but also a lot of fun!

Frisbee

Frisbee is what I would consider a ‘flagship’ sport for Wii Motion Plus. You really see how much Motion Plus can change Wii games for the better. The first mode is Frisbee Dog, where, you guessed it, play fetch with a dog. You through the frisbee just like in real life and get as close to the target as you can. There are also more advanced times where balloons are added where you get extra points when popping the balloon and still making it in the target. The other mode is Frisbee Golf, which is a TON of fun! You can play up to 4-players, and this can be done with only 1 Wiimote/MP. There are 9 new courses as well as the Classic courses (and some secret levels as well). Frisbee is definitely worth playing…a lot!

Archery

The last sport on the first row is Archery. This requires both the Wiimote/MP and the nunchuk. It’s controlled by taking the Wii remote and holding it up vertically like you would a bow and holding ‘A’. Then you press and hold ‘Z’ on the nunchuk and pull the nunchuk back like you’re pulling the arrow back on the bow. You’ll then see that the screen focuses into a small area just like you would if you’re closing one eye concentrating on the target. Then all you do is release ‘Z’ and watch the arrow fly to the target. Sounds easy right? Well, not so much. It’s very difficult to master this and get a bulls-eye every time because they increase the distances as you progress and also add wind and moving targets! But the challenge is really what makes Archery fun! You can also play with 4 players and even try to find some of the hidden targets!

Wii Sports Resort – Row 2 (Basketball, Table Tennis, Golf, Bowling)

Basketball

When I first saw that basketball was one of the sports in Wii Sports Resort, I was a little skeptical. But after playing many an hour of the two gameplay modes (3-Point Contest and Pick-up Game), I’m hooked! The first mode for basketball allows up to 4 players to compete in a classic, 3-Point Contest. The rules are simple, make more 3-Point shots than your opponents, or try and get a high score if you’re playing alone. There are 5 spots around the 3-Point line with 5 basketballs. Four of which are worth 1 point, and the last ball in each spot is worth 2 points for a grand total of 30 possible points. The game gives you a 60 second time limit as well.

The Pick-up Game is a 3 Minute, 3-on-3 game where you and/or a friend can play against a computer team. The pick-up game still just uses the Wiimote and you can dribble, pass the ball, shoot, or dunk. It’s fairly easy at first, but you’ll find as you level up that you’ll have to double clutch and use other strategies to win.

Only the Motion Plus/Wii Remote is needed for both modes and they’re very challenging. The MP picks up even the slightest tilt as you throw the ball in the air, so you’ll find that a subtle touch and a little spin is the best way to make shots. But the challenge is also part of the fun!

Table Tennis

Probably my favorite sport besides Swordplay, Table Tennis shows exactly how accurate and amazing Wii Motion Plus can be. The MP acts as the handle of a normal Table Tennis paddle and everything you can do in real life, is emulated very well onscreen. You can put any sort of spin on the ball–top, side, and chop-shots for under-spin. It’s very simplistic, but there is SO much depth to it. That’s a lot of the benefit that Wii MP provides—many of the sports are simple in theory, and the Motion Plus gives so much realism that the experience never feels stale.

You can play both 6-Point and 11-Point matches (hold 2 when it’s loading), and you can also play with a slipper instead of a paddle (hold 1 when loading)! It also features a 2-Player mode, but sadly, no doubles mode…Which is fine, it’s still a ton of fun to play and definitely one of the more detailed sports of the bunch.

Golf

Golf is one of 2 sports that is making a return from the first Wii Sports, which is not a bad thing at all. Golf now has the capability of dynamically adjusting for hook/slice based on how straight…or crooked your swing is. So instead of being a random ‘wobble’ on the swing indicator, you’ll now see a curve based on whether you tilted to the left or right with the MP during your follow-through. This makes golf a lot more realistic than the one in Wii Sports, but this doesn’t translate into a fun experience every time. I like the added realism, but it almost makes it more frustrating, especially when trying to unlock some of the ‘Stamps’ (achievements) in the game. However, they did add 9 more holes as well as some secret ones. Your options are now to play either a 3, 9, or 18-hole game. This is also 1-4 Players, just like in Wii Sports.

Bowling

The second game to see a return is Bowling. One of my favorite sports from the first game is now back and packs more motion sensing and new modes to try out! If you were already used to bowling in Wii Sports, there isn’t much different in its new incarnation. You can tell that the ball’s position is shown up better using MP, but overall, it’s a very similar experience to the first Wii Sports (which is not a bad thing). The modes included are: Standard game, 100-pin game, and Spin Control. Bowling is one of the most accessible sports, just like it was in the first Wii Sports. And out of all the new sports, I feel Bowling still has the best, most wide appeal for multiplayer. Everyone knows how to play and it’s just a fun party game. With the new 100-pin game, each frame now has, yep, you guessed it, 100 pins instead of 10. So instead of just being a practice mode in the first Wii Sports, it’s now a full-fledged game!

All in all, Bowling is still a great game, and the new 100-pin game adds a cool new way to play a classic.

James Wii Sports Resort Review (3rd Row of Sports)

When we drew numbers for what rows we would do in Wii Sports Resort, I probably ended up with the worst one, well at least for me. There Is Canoeing, Power Cruising, Cycling and the best one, Air Sports.

Canoeing

Canoeing is probably the most tiring sport in Wii Sports Resort. Imagine taking everything fun in canoeing; being out in nature, enjoying the water, and taking that out and what you have left is Wii Sports Resort Canoeing. Basically the Wii-mote is held vertically like holding a paddle. To move the boat it is pretty much common sense. Just think, how do I paddle in a canoe in real life? If the answer doesn’t come simply to you, then maybe you should not be playing this sport.

The controls in this sport are actually pretty good, and that could be the problem. The tiring effort of real canoeing is apparent without the fun of actually canoeing.

Power Cruising

Power Cruising has the problem of being the most boring sport of Wii Sports Resort. This sport uses both the Nun-chuck and the Wiimote, with each one held almost horizontally in front of you. Move them left to turn left and right to turn right. The more you lean the sharper you turn. To receive and extra boast just roll back the Wiimote in your hand like you are pulling down on the throttle.

The purpose of sport is to race around and try to get through all the rings before your opponent does. I found it a little more fun to spend the practice time going around and exploring the island.

Cycling

When I found out that there were different stages in Cycling I saw my dreams of racing the Tour de France coming true. There is a lot more to this sport then just wildly waving your arms in the air moving the left pedal with the nunchuck and the right pedal with the Wiimote. Like real life bike racing there is some strategy involved. There is a stamina bar, or 3 hearts, that once those are depleted, you have to stop and rest. The key to not depleting them is to draft behind other cyclists to rest, or letting off the pedals as you roll downhill.

Air Sports

Air Sports is hands down the best sport on the bottom row. In fact it probably falls into the top 3 of all Wii Sports Resort sports. There are two different parts to Air Sports; Sky Diving and flying planes.

Sky diving is simple but very fun. Somehow Nintendo has wrapped up the feeling of falling through the air without actually having your body fall through the air. The point of Sky diving is to grab onto as many people as you can to form up and take a picture with them. There is a little more to it than that, but I will leave it to you to figure it out.

The next section is the plane flying and there are two parts to this: Dog Fight, and free fly. In dog fight your opponents and you both start out with 20 balloons. The goal is either to fly through the rings that appear around the island to gather more balloons, or just shot your opponents balloons until they have less than you and then fly up and hide in the volcano until the time runs out.

The controls are simple. You hold the Wii-mote pointed at the screen and tilt it right to move right and you get the idea. You can also flick it right or left to do a barrel roll.

Wii Sports Resort is the best Motion Plus-specific title so far on the Wii and as such, should be in everyone’s library.  Some of the sports may use Motion Plus much better than others, but overall, it’s a great lineup.  The game comes with one Motion Plus adapter and with 12 different sports with tons of replayability, you’d be crazy not to pick this up!

Wii Sports Resort gets a 9.6//10