PlayStation and Nintendo 64 arrived, there was this unfortunate belief that
game innovation had been maxed out. Many gamers and developers felt that the
future of gaming would rely on graphical innovations. It was assumed, now that
we’ve gone into the third dimension, that there is nowhere else to go. We can
only get better versions of what we had. The leap from 16-bit 2D to 32-bit 3D
will never be matched.
Nintendo, the former king of
our beloved industry, has begun to prove that theory is wrong. The hype and
hoopla surrounding Nintendo Wii is not just a bunch of hyperbole. It contains
a real, innovative piece of hardware that is beginning to shift our industry’s
way of thinking. One of the games doing that is Wii Sports. Included with
every Nintendo Wii, this is the first time Nintendo has packed a game with a
new console since 1991.
They didn’t do this to
drive sales. Where has all the hype been focused? Zelda. They knew we’d buy
the Wii anyway, whether it came with a game or not. They didn’t do this to say
thanks to the loyal fans – though we sure deserve it after all that we’ve been
through (just thinking about the delay era makes me cringe).
They did it to show
everyone – right out of the box – exactly what Wii was capable of. And there
is no game that is more prepared to do that than Wii Sports.
Re-creating the Real
World
Only one of the Wii
Sports games uses the nunchuck attachment: boxing. The rest were designed
solely for the remote, which is to be swung in various ways that mimic the
real-world action of the virtual sport you’re playing. At E3, Wii Baseball was
one of the most surprising selections. Its innovations are no less impressive
today.
Holding the remote with
both hands, you stand in front of the screen and wait for the pitch. As you
wait you’ll notice that the batter on screen is a little jittery. Now hold
yourself completely still. Hmmm, what’s this? He’s stopped moving. Twist your
wrist a little and the virtual batter will twist his. Tilt the remote up or
down and the batter will react accordingly.
When the ball is finally
thrown, swing just before it hits the screen. Assuming your aim – the angle
that you’re swinging at – is accurate, the ball will be hit and a potential
homerun achieved. You don’t have to swing with all your might, but the game
does detect speed. Lighter swings will not lead to the same results as a
harder one.
Pitching is conducted a
little more generically. Hold the remote upright and swing downward. Speed is
important, as is the angle of your pitch. But it’s nowhere near the depth or
complexity of batting.
Wii Golf provides the
most challenge, delivering a swing system with success dependant on your
ability to hit the ball with the proper speed. Hit it too harshly (by swinging
too powerfully) and the ball could end up in the gutter. It is especially
important to watch your speed while putting. Aim the remote down, tilt your
arms back a little bit, and swing forward. I haven’t played miniature golf in
over 15 years, and have never tried the real thing. I would assume that an
experienced golfer could jump right into Wii Golf and start scoring. But for
me, it was very difficult.
Wii Tennis is the easiest
sport in the game, but Wii Bowling is truly the most mainstream. It has equal
parts of usability and pick-up-and-play functionality, but is still somewhat
of a challenge. Anyone can grab a Wii remote, swing and get a strike. That
does not mean this is a cakewalk, though it does ensure that those who rarely
or never touch video games can get something out of it.
More experienced players
will notice that the amount they twist their wrist while swinging the ball can
influence how it travels down the lane. There are a few tough single-player
challenges to overcome. The game will place pins in specific locations and ask
you to knock them down in one hit. As you progress, short walls will be added
to test your maneuvering skills. You have to move the ball around the walls to
get to the pins.
Wii Boxing is just what
you’d expect and a little more. Having the remote in your right hand and the
nunchuck attachment in your left, the player can punch his opponent by
punching toward the screen. This is not perfectly accurate – punching high or
low does not trigger an entirely accurate punch from that direction. But you
do have quite a bit of control over where your punches land, and you have
complete control over how well your fighter is blocked. You block by holding
both controller pieces close together. Move them up and down to block various
parts of your body, or tilt both of them to either side to evade a punch or
two.
Lastly there’s Wii
Tennis, a decent party game that doesn’t give the player enough control over
their actions. Your goal is to swing left or right and under or overhand,
based on the direction the ball came from, and whether or not you’d like the
ball to be returned lightly (high) or harshly (low). You don’t control player
movement – that’s done automatically. You just sit back and wait for the ball
to come. Swing. Wait for it to come. Swing…
As an added bonus,
Nintendo included training options for each (like the described bowling
challenges), as well as a Wii fitness challenge that rates your Wii Sports
age. Your age is based on how well you play the game. The process can be
repeated daily to decrease your "age."
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Gameplay: 8.5
Unreal! Wii
Sports is a one-of-a-kind collection that literally draws every player into
the experience. You don’t press a button and fool with a timing mechanism to
bowl – you actually bowl. You hold the remote upright, pull it back, and
release the ball as you approach the lane. Likewise, you aren’t swinging
thumbsticks to golf and hit homeruns. Sure, that’s fun, and it was innovative
for a while. But now, with the Wii remote in your hands, you’re swinging a
controller to perform these moves. The result isn’t merely a different kind of
experience – it’s a more realistic one.
Graphics: 6
These graphics
are nowhere near what the Wii can accomplish. That said, they are effective in
this scenario. I wouldn’t want to see them repeated, but as a fun freebie
that’s packed in with every Wii, and as a game that’s as responsive to our
motions as this is, who can complain? As Nintendo constantly reminds us,
they’re only graphics. Gameplay comes first.
Sound: 7
Simple, generic
tunes that are strangely fitting to this game’s simplistic graphics and
environments.
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Wii Sports was
designed to be a game anyone can play. Golf is the most challenging – Tennis
is the most basic. All five have their ups and downs. You won’t become a
master of any of them overnight.
Concept: 8
The idea of Wii
Sports is simple: five games that re-create the experience of a real-world
sport. The innovation comes from how accurately each sport is represented.
Tennis is the least effective of the bunch, but Golf, Baseball, Bowling and
Boxing are extremely impressive.
Multiplayer: 8.5
The best
mainstream party game collection ever made. Wii Sports provides immediate
novelty fun for everyone. Bring this game to your holiday gatherings, grab
four Wii remotes (if you can find ‘em – they’re selling out quick), and watch
as your friends and relatives pile in front of the TV to check out and
hopefully play what is the beginning of the next generation of sports games.
Overall: 8.5
Mario. Tetris.
Mario World. Wii Sports. These are the four games Nintendo has chosen to
include with four of their game consoles. In terms of sales and longevity, Wii
Sports won’t do for Nintendo Wii what Mario did for the NES. Wii Sports won’t
be played by as many people as Tetris. It is, however, a killer, innovative
showpiece that will draw in anyone who witnesses all that it can do. Sure, it
lacks goals and can be beaten very quickly. But the ultra-responsive
technology and high multiplayer replay value are far greater than any other
party or sports game collection. Excite Truck is good, but this is the one
that should’ve been packed in Wii kiosks all over the country.
