Eleven months before Sony and
Microsoft unveiled their own motion-based controllers and cameras, Nintendo
announced an unexpected upgrade for Nintendo Wii: MotionPlus. This tiny adaptor,
which was to be plugged right into the bottom of the Wii remote, promised to
increase the Wii’s responsiveness to a level we thought (hoped) the console was
going to achieve at launch in 2006.
Regardless of the potential for this
new technology, we all know what happens to console upgrades. Just look at the
Sega CD and the Sega 32X. Rather than risk a similar disaster with the
MotionPlus, Nintendo took a simpler route and bundled the adaptor with a game
they knew the world couldn’t live without – Wii Sports Resort, the long-awaited
sequel to Wii Sports. Nintendo fans are likely to remember a similar strategy
for the N64 Rumble Pak, which came packaged with Star Fox 64. But this is much
more than a rumbling device. Though it’s still unclear how far it can be taken,
the MotionPlus does not disappoint. As a result, Wii Sports Resort does not
either.
Unlike the forthcoming Wii Fit Plus,
which is merely an upgrade to the original, Wii Sports Resort is indeed a
full-fledged sequel. Featuring 12 different sports (and various mini-games and
play styles within each of them), only a few of them have been seen before. The
majority – Archery, Swordplay, Wakeboarding, Power Cruising, Basketball,
Cycling, Table Tennis, Canoeing and Air Sports – are brand-new.
Archery and Swordplay are easily the
most standout additions, as both feature gameplay mechanics that would have
never been possible without the MotionPlus technology. During Archery, the
player must literally hold the Wii remote and Nunchuk as they would a bow and
arrow. This means that the Wii remote transforms into the bow (right-handed
players hold it in their right hand), and the Nunchuk transforms into the arrow
(hold the Z button and gradually pull your left hand backward). As you do this,
a small circle appears on screen. Everything inside the circle is clear and the
picture is slightly zoomed in; everything outside of the circle is slightly
blurred, keeping the player’s eyes focused on the target. If you move the
remote, the circle will follow, matching the degree that you move as well as
your speed, all in real-time.
In practice, it seems pretty darn
simple, but considering where we were before the MotionPlus, this is no doubt a
significant step forward. Even more important than that is how Archery, with
these basic, true-to-life motion functions included, controls well enough to
positively mirror the real thing. It doesn’t eliminate the need for the actual
sport – nothing virtual will ever achieve that unless we’re all jacked into
computers like in The Matrix. But it is an extremely cool alternative.
Swordplay is great because it’s the
first time players will ever see what it’s like to use a virtual sword that
feels like the real thing. No matter how fast or ridiculously you swing the Wii
remote, Swordplay responds with expert realism. None of the attacks are
pre-programmed (as they are in, say, the first Red Steel), but the game is smart
enough to know the difference between a high or low swing, a side strike, and an
upward spin.
The goals aren’t too complex (basic
one-on-one battles challenge you to knock your opponent off a circular platform;
another mode gives you an onslaught of opponents that must be struck one to
three times each). Still, Swordplay is incredibly fun and addictive and makes
Wii Boxing – though cool for its time – seem like a mechanically flawed joke.
Power Cruising, a new-age, highly
simplified take on Wave Race 64, is another impressive addition to Wii Sports
Resort. Physically, it’s a tad shallow. Your only goal is to race through a
series of rings (slalom course) or beat a friend to the finish line (versus
mode). These features wouldn’t do much for other racing games. In fact, they
might be laughed at. But when you test out the control style, the only thing
you’ll be thinking is, “Man, I wish this was a new Wave Race.” In short, the
control advancement from thumbstick to 1:1 motion steering is almost as
significant as going from F-Zero’s D-pad controls to Wave Race 64’s analog
stick. Power Cruising is played by holding the Wii remote and Nunchuk sideways,
mimicking a jet ski’s handlebars, and it feels great.
Wakeboarding could be thought of as
somewhat of an offshoot of Power Cruising, as it’s another water sport that
makes great use of the MotionPlus. Holding the remote sideways (as if you were
about to play some simple NES game on the Virtual Console), players are able to
maneuver through the waves with the ease you’ve come to expect from a Nintendo
game. Jumping is as easy as flicking the remote upward – a move that feels
appropriate, not gimmicky, as it often does in other Wii titles.
Canoeing is the third water sport,
and it, too, will be remembered for its control scheme. This one takes a bit to
get used to, perhaps more than you’d expect for a Wii game from any developer.
But once you get into to the flow of swinging your remote through the air (as if
you were plowing through water), the sport becomes very fun and natural.
Wii Basketball is a cool novelty
that will grab the die-hard Wii Sports crowd and never let go. More than the
rest, this sport demands that you use your imagination because, like it or not,
holding a Wii remote is never going to feel like holding a real basketball. If
you can ignore that – and the fact that you have to pretend to throw a basket
while pushing your hands upward – you’ll end up having a lot of fun.
Fans of Wii Golf will love this Wii
Sports Resort upgrade, which adds true motion swinging that forces you to swing
your remote like you would a real golf club. You won’t believe how precisely the
game responds to your movements until your ball goes flying in the wrong
direction.
Wii Bowling has also been upgraded,
though not necessarily in the ways you’ll expect. Mechanically, very little has
changed. This can only be blamed on the developers’ fear of change: why adjust
what millions of people already love? The problem with that fear, of course, is
that we’ve now got a rehash on our hands. Undoubtedly, the spin function has
been tweaked – you’ll have to bowl more smoothly and with greater determination
than in the previous edition, which allowed players to win with a quick flick of
the wrist. But the game still feels the same. In fact, the only significantly
cool thing about it is the 100-pin mode, which adds 88 pins to the sport for a
more exciting (and more challenging) game.
Air Sports, the long-awaited
offshoot of the airplane tech demo from E3 ’06, gives every average Joe the
chance to experience what they’ve been missing out on all these years.
Unfortunately, that’s about all they get. While Nintendo could have easily
designed a flight/combat game around the aerial mechanics, the developers went
in another direction, implementing ultra-simple (fly around for no specific
reason) and somewhat silly (a dogfight that’s all about popping balloons, not
about shooting down your opponent) mini-games. The skydiving feature is cool,
but it too feels like a tech demo. Both are worth playing, but no one should buy
this game solely for them.
On the simplest end of Wii Sports
Resort you’ll find games like Cycling, Frisbee and Table Tennis. The latter is
definitely more intuitive than Wii Sports Tennis (from the original Wii Sports),
which didn’t give you complete control over your racket. You do have that
control with your paddle. But it’s still a very basic sport – or, really and
truly, a very basic mini-game. Your only objective is to hit the ball back over
the net. The Nunchuk isn’t used, which seems like a serious loss; this would
have been a great opportunity to let the player move around the table in real
time. It’s fun but won’t hold the appeal of anyone but the diehard Wii Sports
Tennis crowd.
Not surprisingly, Frisbee is about
as complex as it sounds: swing the Wii remote to throw the plastic disc. The
goal is to throw it in the direction of the balloons (pop them for points) and
in the direction of your dog, whose overly cartoony appearance fits right in
with the Miis. Like the rest of the sports in Wii Sports Resort, the MotionPlus-enhanced
mechanics are the best part. They make the game play wonderfully, even though
it’s barely more than a novelty. Frisbee Golf, on the other hand, is much more
interesting.
Of all the sports, Cycling is the
only one people are bound to avoid. It probably sounded cool on the drawing
board, and just might have been if Nintendo had crammed a full-size exercise
bike into every Wii Sports Resort/MotionPlus package. Without it, you get a game
that handles well but feels awkward; steering is precise but pedaling must be
done by shaking your hands up and down. It isn’t much of a workout and becomes
boring very quickly.
Wii Sports Resort isn’t a massive,
blow-your-mind-a-minute sequel that’ll revolutionize the way future sports games
are designed. But it is very creative and entertaining, adding new layers of
controllability to sports we’re used to experiencing with D-pads and thumbsticks.
With one MotionPlus included in every box, the $50 price tag is the best deal of
any mini-game collection for Wii.
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Gameplay: 8.0
On the whole, this simple sports game collection won’t blow minds. But there
are individual sports within the Resort that feature a level of controller
freedom and interactivity that you have never experienced before.
Graphics: 6.0
The first Wii Sports got away with so-so visuals, leaving the developers
with few reasons to make the sequel look any better. Consequently, Wii Sports
Resort is just slightly more attractive than the first.
Sound: 7.0
Swordplay is the only sport with a good score, but the overall sound of the
game is definitely acceptable, if not enjoyable from time to time.
Difficulty: Easy
Wii Sports Resort is purposely easy so that anyone can play.
Concept: 7.9
The idea of introducing new sports is a no-brainer. The way they’re
implemented within the game (and with the Wii MotionPlus), however, is pretty
impressive.
Multiplayer: 8.0
While not every sport produces a stellar or highly addictive experience,
those that do (such as sword fighting and Power Cruising) are compelling enough
to ensure that this game’s life will be as long as the first.
Overall: 8.0
Wii Sports Resort is both a fun game and an excellent taste of things to
come. Wii MotionPlus doesn’t disappoint. The tiny, $20 peripheral (you get one
free with the game; the rest are sold separately) is everything it’s cracked up
to be – when placed in the hands of developers who know what they’re
doing. Anyone who enjoyed the first Wii Sports should not live without this
sequel.
