plugged in

June 30 2:20 P.M.

You play it. Your mom plays it. Your grandma plays it. Heck, the whole family plays it at the same time. When does that ever happen?

When it's Wii Sports, that's when. Pre-packaged with the Wii, the original motion-controlled sports program is a bona fide smash and the best-selling game of all-time.

Of course, it helps that no one had to pay a dime for it, although that can't be said of its sequel, Wii Sports Resort. Shaping up to be the next blockbuster for Nintendo's insanely popular system when it arrives July 26th, Wii Sports Resort adds new exciting mini-games to the party, including frisbee, archery and basketball, and comes bundled with the next evolution of the Wii's motion technology, MotionPlus. Plugging into the back of your existing Wiimote, the MotionPlus attachment adds a higher level of precision to your movements, tracking the tilting or turning of your wrists to a degree the original Wii could not.

Yet technology only goes so far. The real question is, "Are the games any fun?" We've been enjoying some hands-on time with a near-finished copy, so here's a breakdown of the dozen new games-within-the-game (with accompanying video, of course).

The Good

Swordplay

Two Miis enter, one Mii leaves. Everyone's first instinct when grabbing a Wiimote is to swing it like a sword, and Nintendo finally lets us channel our inner gladiator in Swordplay. The gameplay is fast and fun, mimicking your slashes and parries as you take on AI fighters or friends. Going crazy with Swordplay's horde mode equivalent has you facing off against multiple enemies, though their skills are a bit lacking. While frantic fencing can often confuse the Wii sensor, one quick press on the controller and you're back in the fight. It's by far the best example of the innovations behind MotionPlus.

Basketball

A favorite here in the Yahoo! offices, Basketball is a trash-talking treat. Go for a three-point challenge and try to sink 5 racks of balls with one eye on a dwindling timer, or dive into the 3-on-3 mode and add a little insult to injury with a few dunks. Shooting hoops in this mini-game is less about style and more about timing, so if you get a rhythm going, you'll do just fine.

Archery

We realize “competitive archery” doesn't sound like a hoot, but here it's a total blast. You hold the Wiimote like a bow, draw back an arrow with the nunchuk, and simply let loose to snag a potential bull's-eye (if you're lucky!). But it's more than just point and fire, as moving targets, howling wind and good ol' gravity work together against you. Probably the most realistic simulation in all of Wii Sports: Resort.

Frisbee

One of the best mini-games offers two different styles of play: Frisbee Dog and Frisbee Golf. In Frisbee Dog, you and your Nintendog-inspired pooch will hit targets to score points, while Frisbee Golf lets you take advantage of those disc-throwing skills to sink shots with up to four friends. The frisbee handles really well and responds accurately to your throws. If you've got the skills, you can lob it so it banks along the lay of the golf course, or throw it low and watch it rise to reach a target. Frisbee feels so natural, in fact, that you'll definitely want to make sure you wear your wrist strap, or risk a Wiimote embedded in your television.

Table Tennis

Fans of Wii Sports' original Tennis will be right at home with this version of ping pong. Thanks to the smaller playing field and the precision of MotionPlus, realistic spins, slices and slams are a huge part of the game. Flick your wrist for some topspin, or prep a spike when the other player lobs the ball too softly; it's all here, and it might be the most accurate representation of table tennis we've ever seen.

Golf and Bowling

Two of the more popular games in the original make a return, but now, they get the MotionPlus treatment. While bowling is relatively unchanged apart from better spinning and some new mini-games, golf sees a vast improvement. For better or worse, MotionPlus tracks your swings very accurately, which can mean the difference between a straight shot towards the pin or a slice into the drink. Remember how impossible it was to putt in Wii Sports golf? Now it's a dream, though again, MotionPlus is so good, it may mimic your problems with your short game in real life.

The Not So Good

Wakeboarding

We're not exactly sure how you could improve on Wakeboarding in Wii Sports Resort without making it unnecessarily complex (i.e. a Tony Hawk game), but the game itself just feels a little routine to us. You twist and turn over waves to achieve point-earning tricks, but the tricks perform themselves and you mostly concentrate on landing straight versus eating surf. Having a game mode that doesn't actually task you with performing the task is a bit of a letdown.

Canoeing

Finally, all the excitement of canoeing without any of that boring natural scenery. Positioned as a race, Canoeing forces you to row your single-oar boat to the finish line while avoiding lily pads and grass. Hmm...we appreciate the attempt, but the lack of solid water feedback makes it feel a bit bland. Moreover, we look really silly playing this one, and we just don't need any more Wii games that make us look ridiculous.

Cycling

In Wii Sports Boxing, you pump your hands to punch your friends. In Cycling, though, you'll have to pump your hands to simulate riding a mountain bike through multiple races. If you love racing games that require your arms to act like your legs, you'll love this one. To us? Too much exertion for too little game.

The Indifferent

Power Cruising

Taking to the water again is Wii Sports Resort's Power Cruising mini-game, which puts you in the seat of a virtual waverunner as you compete through slalom courses or multiplayer races. Using both the Wiimote and nunchuk, you'll need to tilt your way through the course, revving the engine along the way to give yourself a speed boost. The game plays well and looks nice for a Wii game, but is missing the kind of clever enhancements (as in Mario Kart) that make casual racing games fun. It's also really light on the MotionPlus controls.

Skydiving

Once you pop in Wii Sports Resort, you'll be greeted with this sport, which helps you get acquainted with Nintendo’s new motion-sensing peripheral. As you fall, you catch onto other Miis and take pictures with them for points. It's cute, but without a lot of staying power, though if you've downloaded a lot of celebrity Miis, you'll be even more entertained if you imagine them falling face first into the ground.

Air Sports

In addition to Skydiving, Wii Sports Resort has two other new air sports to keep you busy: Island Flyover and Dogfight. In Island Flyover, it’s just you and your single-engine airplane as you take in the sights of Wuhu Island, shooting down balloons for points or spotting as many landmarks as you can. Not exactly riveting stuff. The Dogfight mode is a lot better, though, as you can enter the Danger Zone with a friend, firing bubbles at each other to take down your balloon count. A decent diversion, but not really in line with the rest of the game's sporty lineup.

So is Wii Sports: Resort going to be worth it? So far, our answer is an enthusiastic yes. Though a few of the games are a bit clunky, the vast majority are new, different and full of the motion-control awe and wonder that made the original Wii Sports so much fun. There's almost something for everyone in this latest pack, except an additional MotionPlus sensor. Wii Sports: Resort comes bundled with only one, so for those looking to play with friends, you'll need to pick up extras.

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Posted: 30 Jun 2009

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