Wii Sports
A home run for the Wiimote
If a hit like Zelda doesn’t take full advantage of the Wiimote, then what game could possibly perform such a task? The answer is Wii Sports , a title that ships with the console and is clearly built from the ground up with motion sensitivity in mind. If you’ve got a few friends coming over and a couple extra Wiimotes, this is the game to pull out to show off the console’s unique abilities. But, can this single gameplay element make for a well-rounded game?
First off, you’ll notice very quickly that the developers sacrificed visuals in order to best implement the Wiimote. However, the graphics are so “retro”, it’s as if the game’s makers are swinging the Wiimote alongside you screaming, “Yeah, the graphics stink, and we don’t give a rat’s a**!” Unlike Zelda , the visuals in Wii Sports are not simply muddy or without clear resolution; instead, they’re designed very basically from the get-go, meaning characters are, in some cases, literally nothing more than a torso and head. Take Wii Sports baseball, for example. A shortstop will field a ground ball as any real life player might – except he’ll do so with no legs, arms, neck…in fact, the guy’s basically only got a pear-shaped upper body, face and glove suspended in space. Although batters have a few more appendages, overall the graphics are still odd and not very next gen – yet it’s completely in-sync with the “in your face”, meat-and-potatoes visual style of the Wii and its games.
You won’t need steroids for Wii baseball
Wii Sports certainly sounds better than it looks. The audio is in line with many of Nintendo’s previous sports multiplay extravaganzas, meaning it’ll pound your eardrums with kiddish but refreshing bells and whistles. If you’ve played Mario Party or any of the original NES sports titles (Soccer, Ice Hockey, etc.) you know what we’re talking about.
Of course, the strongest aspect of Wii Sports is its gameplay. Although many of the mini titles within the overall package are somewhat shallow, each offers a very basic model that is simply fun . On the surface, some of the games actually take traditional elements out of the player’s hands; in tennis, you don’t physically move your player, in baseball, there’s no fielding. Despite these seemingly huge limitations, the fundamentals that remain – like pounding a backhand or swinging a bat – are the most interesting ones, and that’s what makes Wii Sports such a valuable addition to the Wii’s lineup and a good choice for included software.
Wii tennis could definitely use more Kournikova
Like many games of this type, Wii Sports is built for multiplayer. The single player experience, although fun, is simply a bit too easy. Opponents scale up in difficulty as you progress, but they’re never going to psych you out with a devastating third-strike splitter in Wii Sports baseball. You’ll need a pal to do that.
Overall, Wii Sports both turns back the clock and showcases a revitalizing new gameplay element. Its retro style will appeal to casual gamers and those who remember the bare-bones approach to sports Nintendo once took with its original NES titles. It’s also the best place to show off the Wiimote.