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What started out as a series of tech demos, has turned into a compilation of games complete with a free Wiimote. Wii Play is not as verbose as Wii Sports even those it has more minigames. The 9 minigames are as follows: Target Practice, Find Mii, Pose Mii, Table Tennis, Laser Hockey, Billiards, Fishing, Charge!, and Tanks!

Wii Play really focuses on helping people get used to using the Wiimote. The minigames highlight pointing, tilting, and general motions with the Wiimote. Wii Play also allows for Mii characters to play and gain medals in each of the minigames. Most of the minigames are very simplistic and really don’t offer too much of a challenge. Other games like Tanks! and Billiards offer pretty deep experiences. There are tons of levels and difficulty in the Tanks! minigame and Billiards offers a truly innovative Pool experience.

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Like I said, the game isn’t very deep, but it does give an idea of how the Wiimote is used for various motions and activities. It’s really a ‘gateway drug’ to the Wii if you will. It will hook the casual gamer and open them up to all the other games available on the Wii.

Visuals: Visuals are nothing special. They’re similar to Wii Sports in that they are very clean. A lot of the appeal in the game comes from the simple particle effects and reflections that add to the simplistic nature of the game.

Gameplay: The gameplay is great and shows why the Wii is able to attract gamers and nongamers alike.

Replay Value: You will play this game over and over again. It’s simple like Wii Sports, but that’s the beauty of it. You can be doing something as simple as controlling a tank on a little wooden board for countless hours. Wii Play capitalizes on the fun factor.

Wii Innovations: Wii Play utilizes the Wiimote and nunchuk pretty well. The motions are more compartmentalized—meaning instead of tilting and motioning together in Wii Sports, you’re simply doing each of those separately. In Target Practice, all you do is point and shoot. It’s simplistic yet fun.

Verdict: If you’re in need of an extra Wiimote, then Wii Play is a no-brainer. You get a Wiimote with a bargain game that gives a decent experience for the amount of money you actually pay for it ($50 game – $40 Wiimote = a $10 game).