Review: Wii Sports

Party gaming on the Nintendo Wii has arrived in the form of Wii Sports and it’s definitely loads of fun. Get your mates round, gather the family… it’s time to compete.

Bundled in with the Wii console (other territories didn’t get such luxuries), Wii Sports turns out to be a real surprise package. For those gamers that don’t purchase Wii Play, another title chock-full of mini games, this will be your introductory game to the Wii. First and foremost, Wii Sports allows you to grasp the fundamentals of the Wii-mote.

Wii Sports comprises of five different sports games- baseball, boxing, bowling, golf and tennis, and learning the basics couldn’t be easier. It’s just a matter of moving or swinging the remote to suit the game, almost like you’re miming the real-life controls. For example, in the game of Tennis, players grab the controller like a racket and swing – the game registers all the usual ground strokes such as forehands, backhands, volleys, lobs, slices, spin and power depending on how fast the user swings and at what angle.

Most of the included sports games only use the remote to control your Mii character, bar one. Boxing includes the nunchuk add-on combined with the remote and to play, you thrust either controller towards your opponent, mimicking a right and left gloved hand.

Some hardcore gamers may laugh at the simplicity of the games but there is a surprising level of depth with Wii Sports. In a not-so subtle nod to another Nintendo title, the brain age test in Brain Training, Wii Sports gives you a chance to work on your Wii Fitness. Here you’ll participate in a random series of training mode challenges, and based on your performance you’ll be assigned a fitness age

It’s pretty much a given- anyone who plays Wii Sports walks away with a grin on their face. The ease of controls and simple game design are attractive to non-gamers and gamers alike… they should be able to pick up the controls and gestures quite easily after a few turns. This elusive “non-gamer” market has been in Nintendo’s crosshairs for some time and it looks like they’ve clocked up a massive win. Just remember to create your own Mii character and have fun!

Developer- Nintendo

Publisher- Nintendo

Classification- G

Formats- Nintendo Wii

URL- Wii Sports