Wii Sports Resort (WSR) might share a title with Wii Sports, which was bundled with the Nintendo Wii in 2006, but it is light years ahead of its predecessor in terms of quality. Instead of five sporting events, WSR boasts 12, almost all of them winners. They include: swordplay; wakeboarding; frisbee; archery; basketball; table tennis; power cruising; canoeing; cycling; air sports; and golf and bowling, both returning from the original Wii Sports. All events make use of the Wii MotionPlus add-on, which is necessary to play the game, and therefore respond much more accurately to player movements.
Like the games in the first Wii Sports, those is WSR are not created equal. Table tennis, which mimics the real deal alarmingly well, is the best of the bunch. Players can even put topspin on the ball by rotating the Wii remote as they swing. Swordplay, archery, and power cruising are also excellent, and find creative ways to use the remote and nunchuk. In archery, for example, the remote is gripped vertically, simulating the center of the bow, and the nunchuk is drawn back, simulating the cord. The weakest sporting events are canoeing and cycling, both of which feel like a chore.
Not only does WSR boast more events than the original, but it just looks, sounds, and plays better. The graphics are hardly high definition, but Nintendo did the best with the technology available, producing bright, clear, and diverse environments and models. The water effects are especially good. Mii characters are back as the stars of the game, but this only adds to the fun. It's a lot more fun to wallop a cartoon version of your best friend than some random avatar.
But let's stop comparing WSR only to Wii Sports, because it compares favorably to the best the Wii has to offer. WSR is the kind of game that reminds us why video games are so popular, so fun, and so enduring. It's enjoyable to play alone, insanely fun with a group of friends, and produces new and unexpected results each time it is played.
Score: 9.5
Not only does WSR boast more events than the original, but it just looks, sounds, and plays better. The graphics are hardly high definition, but Nintendo did the best with the technology available, producing bright, clear, and diverse environments and models. The water effects are especially good. Mii characters are back as the stars of the game, but this only adds to the fun. It's a lot more fun to wallop a cartoon version of your best friend than some random avatar.
But let's stop comparing WSR only to Wii Sports, because it compares favorably to the best the Wii has to offer. WSR is the kind of game that reminds us why video games are so popular, so fun, and so enduring. It's enjoyable to play alone, insanely fun with a group of friends, and produces new and unexpected results each time it is played.
Score: 9.5
Wii Sports Resort is by far my favorite game for the Wii. My aversion to video games often stems from the fact that most of them cause me extreme anxiety. Aside from Monkey Ball, Mario Kart, Professor Layton and of course Monkey Island, most video games have me button mashing angrily or sweating so much that the controller looks like it's been given a recent bath.
ReplyDeleteWii Sports resort hast the complete opposite effect on me. Perhaps it's the calming waters at WuHu island or maybe it's the endorphins from the often aerobic activities, but WiiSports resort has a decidedly positive effect on me. Of course, the fact that I've finally found a video game in which I can do better than Evan is also a plus (Basketball anyone?).
The only thing about WiiSports resort that I dislike is that every time I'm done playing I feel like I should be on vacation in a tropical locale and I realize that I'm not.