Wii Sports Resort

Wii Sports Resort

Sequel to the game you bought the Wii to play brings 10 new events, boosted by a more accurate controller.

Where were you the first time you saw Wii Sports? It’s the kind of question we feel is worth asking at dinner parties, like asking older relatives where they were when we put a man on the moon. Wii Sports is nothing short of a phenomenon. We were there in LA when Nintendo showed Wii Tennis being played for the first time. We were instant converts. This was going to be huge. And it was (despite many critics).

We’d say that every fun-loving household needs a bit of Wii Sports in its life. But can we say the same thing about the sequel? Probably not – but try telling this to your young children when it comes to their next gift occasion. And you can forgive Nintendo the rather immodest fanfare to greet its arrival, such as a complete take over of New York’s Times Square! This is the game that will continue selling Wii consoles over the Christmas period worldwide.

The 10 new events plus enhanced Golf and Bowling are fun of course and broadly speaking unsophisticated. Here’s the list before we move on: Frisbee, Power Cruising, Swordplay, Table Tennis, Air Sports, Basketball, Archery, Cycling, Canoeing, and Wakeboarding.

Just as you don’t need to be Tiger Woods nor Amir Khan to collapse into a heap of giggles playing Wii Sports, you won’t need to be a world champion archer or cyclist to ‘experience’ Wii Sports Resort. On the whole the presentation feels more luxurious, and the events themselves are still fun but still flimsy.

So our biggest question mark over Wii Sports Resort is back to the issue of this being essential or not. We’re fine celebrating a fabulous family game that ships free with the console, but to spend £50 on more of the same is a stiffer proposition. Especially so if your household already owns “It’s My Birthday” and / or “Carnival Games”, etc.

What those games don’t offer, however, is the Wii MotionPlus accessory – a gizmo that improves the accuracy of gesture-controlled gameplay. This benefits Golf, Bowling and Basketball to some extent, by taking into account the twist of your arm going into the shot or swing. It also helps with Frisbee throwing we guess but can’t be sure – you’re still guessing rather than feeling for something uncannily lifelike.

With the remaining events we feel that whatever has been added thanks to Wii MotionPlus could just as easily be absent, because when you’re wildly stabbing at the air to swing a sword or paddle a canoe, any sense of accuracy goes out the window… along with your remote if you’re not careful. Wii MotionPlus is not the revelation we hoped for. Arguably Wii Sports Resort isn’t the perfect vehicle. If you like your golf, however, we suggest you give EA’s Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 a whirl – the Wii MotionPlus really does make a difference in that game.

Wii Sports Resort is successful because it is a lovingly produced, good natured addition to any family Wii collection. Having a little doggie to go fetch your Frisbee is pure Nintendo magic, and secretly we’re itching to get back onto Swordplay and beat our high score in ‘War’ mode. Wakeboarding and Power Cruising remind us of how much we miss an updated version of Wave Race on Wii – the water is indeed lovely.

At £49.99 RRP you might feel slightly burned bringing home Wii Sports Resort, though it is a superior distraction to most mini-game compendiums on Wii.

4 out of 5