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Wii Sports Resort
Release Date: June 25th, 2009 (Japan), July 23rd, 2009 (Australia), July 24th, 2009 (Europe), July 26th, 2009 (North America)
Reviewed On: Nintendo Wii
Also Available On: N/A
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
ESRB Rating: Everyone - Cartoon Violence
PEGI Rating: 7+ - Violence
OFLC Rating: General
Four years ago, Nintendo unveiled their newest console: the Wii. With it came the promise of full interaction with your games, using your physical movements as a controller. To demonstrate exactly what was in store, Wii Sports was shipped with every console sold. While it may have seemed like great fun to many, those who were expecting perfect motion-sensing technology were disappointed.
It has been nearly three years since Wii Sports was released, and now Nintendo is giving the game and the technology a second try. Armed now with the Wii's latest peripheral, Wii MotionPlus, Wii Sports Resort aims to provide gamers with plenty of new and exciting mini-games. Is Wuhu Island a paradise, or should Nintendo head back to the drawing board?
When you're on an island, why not jet ski?
Gameplay:
Building on the concept of short and sweet mini-games originally introduced in Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort serves quite an impressive package. Increasing the game count from five in the original title to twelve in this iteration, nobody can say Nintendo has cut things short. What makes the inclusion of the twelve games even more impressive is the level of depth involved in each. Where Wii Sports left you with only one or two game modes for each mini-game, Resort offers many different modes, each providing a unique experience.
While classics such as bowling and golf have returned, much focus will be given to the new games; these include canoeing, archery, swordplay, and Frisbee to name a few. Swordplay feels very fluid and is perfectly responsive, controlling much better than Link did in Twilight Princess or anything Red Steel has to offer. Perhaps the most enjoyable game mode in Wii Sports Resort is Swordplay's horde-like mode where you fight off a group of computer-controlled enemies. Frisbee behaves as you would expect, as you simply throw a disc and let your dog catch it. However, the intensity picks up when you can play a full 18 hole game of disc golf. Archery is one a small group of games which involves the Nunchuk; using both hands you load your bow with an arrow and fire at a target. Of the games mentioned, Canoeing is the only one which feels a little weak. The Wii has difficulty determining exactly what is going on if you accidentally flick one wrist when trying to go in the opposite direction.
By calculating distance and wind speed, Archery is implemented perfectly.
The games listed above are perfect examples of how Resort is and is not supposed to work. Other games packaged include basketball, table tennis, power cruising, wakeboarding, cycling, and air sports. Cycling aside, these all behave as you would expect. Unfortunately, these games are not nearly as enjoyable as some of the others listed above.
All the success Wii Sports Resort is bound to enjoy can be attributed to Wii MotionPlus. This little add-on has delivered on all fronts, providing gamers with as close to a perfect experience as you can get. For the best example of this, play a round of frisbee and watch as your Mii's wrist moves in-sync with your own. The first time I did this I was simply amazed. Any complaints given to the controls are simply due to poor control schemes on Nintendo's part, and cannot be blamed on MotionPlus. Perhaps the most obvious of these cases is Cycling, where you beat the WiiMote and Nunchuk as if they were feet on bike pedals. It doesn't quite work. Small details aside, Wii Sports Resort serves as the perfect showcase for MotionPlus.
Canoeing comes equipped with a fairly steep learning curve.
Graphics:
While the gameplay is fantastic, it is the visual design of Wii Sports Resort which feels a tad disappointing. Where the simplistic style of the original title was seen as not being important due to it being a bundled game, it seems as if the folks at EAD were a little lazy this time around. I don't mean to say it doesn't look good; that simple look retains the charm it once had, but it feels as if more could have been done. One visual aspect that positively stands out is the water surrounding the island, which looks nearly as impressive as the ocean found in Crysis. Don't let that little compliment fool you, those expecting a visually stunning title best look somewhere else.
Audio:
The audio may be the most challenging component to critique for Resort. On one hand, all the little sound effects thrown in grow very old very quickly, with no depth to the sound cues. On the other hand, the soundtrack, as simple as it may sound, is one of the catchiest I have heard this year. These little tunes have been running through my head for a few days and I can't really complain.
Swordplay will provide you with hours of entertainment.
Summary:
Nintendo has finally delivered on what they promised all those conventions ago. With Wii MotionPlus in hand, Wii Sports Resort is undoubtedly the most interactive experience the Wii has to offer. Combining fun mini-games with smart control schemes, this is one game you won't want to stop playing. Had the graphics been improved, and some mini-games received a little more polish, this would have been one of the best games on Wii. Nevertheless, it is still a wonderful game and anyone who owns a Wii should give it a try.
Gameplay: 9/10
Graphics: 7/10
Audio: 8/10
Total Gaming Network Rating: 8.7/10
Graphics: 7/10
Audio: 8/10
Total Gaming Network Rating: 8.7/10
~ThQp