Wii Play (Wii)

...to purchase my first Nintendo Wii game since the launch of the console. As if it hasn't been hard enough to find the Wii console in stock, there's one game that has also alluded many customers due to the fact that it comes with a 'free' controller - and that game is none other than Wii Play.

If you're looking for a game that's going to keep you busy for hours, and be a real joy to play, then you are wasting your time on Wii Play really. ...
...realms of play that the Wii was intended for really - multiplay. Considering separate Wii controllers ('Wiimotes') can cost around £30, and I bought Wii Play for £31.99, I believe the reason that this game sells out so much is because it is excellent value. But is it really a game with a free controller? I would say it's more a controller with a game that is only worth about £1.99 anyway.

Arriving a few days after ordering, it came ... more

Filling out surveys and the such on the internet really helps when it comes to treating yourself to products off the internet, and having accumulated a lot of money in HMV e-vouchers I decided to purchase my first Nintendo Wii game since the launch of the console. As if it hasn't been hard enough to find the Wii console in stock, there's one game that has also alluded many customers due to the fact that it comes with a 'free' controller - and that game is none other than Wii Play.

If you're looking for a game that's going to keep you busy for hours, and be a real joy to play, then you are wasting your time on Wii Play really. The selling point for me over other games I could have bought was the fact that it came with a free controller, and having only got one controller, having a second controller would open up the realms of play that the Wii was intended for really - multiplay. Considering separate Wii controllers ('Wiimotes') can cost around £30, and I bought Wii Play for £31.99, I believe the reason that this game sells out so much is because it is excellent value. But is it really a game with a free controller? I would say it's more a controller with a game that is only worth about £1.99 anyway.

Arriving a few days after ordering, it came in a parcel envelope bigger than usual due to the fact that the packaging for the game is not the same as anyother video game. Wii Play comes in a cardboard box with a picture of a Wiimote in a hand as well as loads of little other random images that apply to the game in some way, e.g. there is a picture of a tank and there is a tanks minigame. The right hand side of the box is cut away so that when you walk past in store you will see the Wiimote sticking out in your face in all its glory. The Wiimote is excellent packaged in its little plastic case as well, it's almost a shame to get it out. Interesting the cardboard box has a little rounded triangle shape (you'd know what shape I meant if you saw it), which allows retailers to hang Wii Play up in their shop, when usually with games you will find them lined up along a shelf.

Taking Wii Play out of the box, thankfully they have given the game a fully fledged DVD-style case, when they could have gotten away with just putting in a paper sleeve of something to that effect. Very impressed that Nintendo decided to splash out, so that it can line up with the rest of your games and not look any different from the rest. The front of the plastic case if very similar to that of what was on the cardboard box, in that it has hands and little images associated to the game. The blurb on the back of Wii Play reads, "Have Fun with the Wii Remote!" and that is the main idea of the game, it's pretty much just a practice game to teach you how to use the Wiimote. In other words, they made loads of demos for people to see how great the new controller they developed is, then saw a way to market them to make money as a separate game.

I have been quite negative about the game thus far, but it would be unfair to say that none of the minigames are fun -- but they are just that, mini games and give you no real hunger to play them -- not like a Zelda or a Mario game, that are the same price but without the controller. Nine minigames make up Wii Play, what an odd number, but at least they didn't stop at something stupid like three.

SHOOTING RANGE

When you first turn the game on, it is very similar to the way Wii Sports begins. You have to press A and B together to start the game, select how many players are playing and also select your Mii that represents you (that's your little person that you can edit so it looks like you, it's a brilliant little idea that is fun for all the family - all 5 of us have a Mii, so read my review on the Wii console if you find yourself hungry for more details). Once you've done all this you will find yourself on a screen with your Mii standing in the middle and loads of other Mii's walking around behind him or her. Around your Mii are the nine different games, but you have to play each game in order going from left to right. I like the fact that you have to play the first minigame before you can move on to the next, makes you try them all and gives a feeling of achievement when you 'unlock' them, not that it's hard to do so - all you're doing is playing them.

The first game is the one I was most interested in when I first heard about the game, and that's the shooting range. Sadly, there is only 5 rounds to this and each are very short. This requires a steady hand, as you aim the Wiimote at the screen to show where you want to shoot and press B to perform the shot. It feels very natural. In the first round you are shooting at balloons of different colours, although they are all worth the same amount of points. Then you shoot at targets, and in this round you will find bonus targets that are worth more points, and targets with your face on will deduct you points if you shoot them. Round 3 sees you shooting at clay pigeons, and the quicker you hit them the more points they're worth (I believe the points change from 5 to 3 depending how quick). Fourth round sees cans falling from the sky, which you can hit a maximum of 5 times. Each hit is worth the same amount of points as the hit number it is, for example if you are hitting the same can for the third time you will get three points. The final round is the most hectic of all, where you find little Mii versions of yourself pop up in the field on the screen. UFO's then come and try and take your Mii's away, so for all the Mii's you manage to save from getting taken away you get 10 points. It's crazy, but a really clever idea and a fitting end to the shooting range minigame.

Bonus points are also avaliable in each round, as pigeons fly across the screen hitting them will get you extra points. You also get bonus points for hitting combos, and these are awarded when you shoot and miss, how many bonus points you get varies depending on how many hits you make without missing. This means it's always a good idea to take your time when shooting, and not just shoot constantly and aimlessly. Playing this on multi-player is fun as well, and has little differences like you getting points for hitting your opponents face on a target and having the option to save your opponents Mii's from getting taken away by aliens.

FIND MII

Well a shooting minigame doesn't really teach you anything, nor does it make your brain work that hard, so that's why the second minigame is designed to get you thinking. At the beginning of each round you are given a task, which will usually be something like find the two lookalike Mii's. You will then be shown a crowd of Mii's, some of which are your own designed ones, and you will have to use your Wiimote to aim at them and then press A to select them to say, "Yes, they are the ones with something in common." If you select the wrong Mii by accident, you can deselect them by clicking on A with them again. Whilst doing this the timer is counting down, and you accumulate more time by doing things well, much like an arcade style game. If you do something wrong, you will find your time drops even faster.

Other missions in the game include things like finding the Mii you are using, and as you progress through the rounds the scenery changes. You will start finding your Mii's swimming and floating around in orbit. These are all designed to make it harder, and it works well as I am yet to get to the end of the game - although I'm not sure there is an end, as it could easily be a neverending game. Whilst it isn't very fine on one player, and forces you to concentrate hard, I find it to be much more fun on multiplayer. It can make it easier as well, because once your opponent clicks on one lookalike you will know who you're looking for and might be able to beat your opponent to clicking the other lookalike meaning you will share the points.

TABLE TENNIS

I was expecting this to be quite like the tennis on Wii Sports, but it is really quite different. Wii Play seems to be more about getting you used to using the Wiimote, whereas Wii Sports is about making you stand up and do some exercise. All the games on Wii Play can be performed sitting down. To play table tennis, all you have to do is move the controller from side to side and your bat will move to hit the ball. It's quite hard, and the bat is very responsive to the controllers movements - perhaps too responsive. Your first mission is to have a rally of 100 hits, but once you've achieved that the mission is to just keep rallying and you can get to any number. For every 10 hits you get, another little Mii will walk over to the table and watch your game. It adds to the pressure well.

On multiplayer the table will turn around every now and again, so if you're finding it hard playing from the back of the table you do not need to fret as you spend an equal amount of time on either side. Every now and again you will find your opponent hits the ball harder than usual, and I think this all depends on where abouts you hit the ball with your bat - nothing to do with the pressure you are putting on the Wiimote itself. Whilst it is good fun for a while, it does get tedious, and the noise of the ball hitting the bat can get on everyones wits. It will clear a room that's for sure.

POSE MII

Can't say I like this minigame at all, using A and B you can flick between three different poses that your Wii can make (standing normally, legs apart and some really random pose) and using the controller you have to move your Mii around the screen to fit into bubbles. This minigame is designed to teach you how to tilt the Wiimote accurately, and you will find yourself having to change the way you hold the Wiimote to fit your Mii into poses. As the rounds go on the more bubbles you'll get, and you'll find yourself having to change poses within the round rather than from round to round. Shiny bubbles can stop the clock, so they're really helpful. There is a perfect bonus for every round you go without 'dropping a bubble' and once you've dropped three the game is over.

Much like Find Mii, this game is more fun in multiplayer. The bubbles are different colours depending what player they're for, although you can steal your opponents bubbles to accumulate more points for yourself, however if you drop bubbles of your own colour because you're too interested in getting friends it means you won't get your perfect bonus but your friend will. A true test of the 'tilting Wiimote' experts.

LASER HOCKEY

The idea of air hockey on the Wii is a brilliant one, but there's something about laser hockey that just doesn't live up to what you would hope it would be. It's all very bright and has some strange techno music playing throughout. Hitting the putt off the sides is the key to getting past the computer, because they're truly not that advanced. You can find yourself losing or drawing though if you're not careful, and that will mean you get zero points. The only interesting progression talking point is seeing for yourself how many goals you can get within the time limit, as there is no extra levels to progress to. Shigeru Miyamoto, a big player in Nintendo, has said that the physics engine used to calculate the velocity and position of shots in extremely advanced. I'm impressed, but it's a shame the game isn't fun.

On multiplayer I can't say it's any different, or anymore fun, than it is on one player. It's all about playing with a steady hand once again so that the putt doesn't fly everywhere, and if you're playing against unexperienced Wii users this can be a white wash.

BILLIARDS

I absolutely hated this at first, not being a fan of snooker or anything in real life I didn't think I would like this one bit, plus I didn't know the rules. It's actually 9 ball, so you have to hit the balls in order or you'll lose points. You lose points for doing stupid things like potting the white as well, but believe me it happens (well to me it does).

After playing this against my brother though, I suddenly decided I liked the game. Using the D-pad you can line up your shots, using B you can select where you hit the ball, and then by pulling the Wiimote back and pushing it forward you can hit the ball just like a real que. It's quite clever, but if you're laying back in your sofa you'll find it doesn't work as you can only pull your Wiimote back so far. A true party game.

FISHING

Ever since it turned out the Wiimote would be motion sensing, all the rage from Ninty has been about how great fishing using the controller will be. When will they realise no one really cares about fishing? They threw it into Twilight Princess because they thought it would be fun, and it's sure to pop up so much in the future. Having said that, this fishing minigame is quite fun in its own little way. You have to be quite careful with your positioning of the Wiimote, as that is how you move your fishing rod around. Dip it too low and fish won't bite, but you will probably find that when you first start playing this minigame your rod will be flying all around the screen.

There's these little grey fish in the pond that really get on my nerves, and if you catch them (you'll feel when something bites, then you have to lift the Wiimote up quickly to show you've got it) you lose 50 points. They will go for your bait all the time as well, so positioning is crucial. Different fish are worth different points, and you will also have a bonus fish that keeps changing that is worth double points - that's the key to being successful in the game. You will find that the bonus fish often start going crazy though, getting an exclimation mark over their head and swimming all around the pond, so that they are harder to catch. It's quite a calm minigame though, even though you are against the clock. It's exactly the same in multiplayer except you've got someone trying to catch the good fish before you.

CHARGE!

I was so happy to see they threw this in there. If I didn't buy Wii Play, one of the games I probably would have bought was Excitetruck. This minigame gives you a little taster of the mechanics behind racing games on the Wii. For this you hold the Wiimote sideways, and tilting it forward speeds you up whilst tilt backwards slows you down. If you raise the Wiimote up in the air quickly it will make you jump. This minigame sees your Mii riding a cow, and the aim of the game is to manuever yourself around a farm track whilst knocking down scarecrows for points. Moving scarecrows are worth bonus points. It's quite good fun, although it won't last forever, and the quicker you finish the course the more bonus points there you get as well.

Multiplayer is very similar, except the screen is split horizontally and you have to beat your opponent to the scarecrows or you will find yourself collecting very few points. Nintendo definitly could have done with throwing in extra levels of this.

TANKS!

This is the final game of the nine, and it's funny how the last two games have had ! thrown on the end of them, as if to get you all excited now you're near the end. Tanks is my favourite of the bunch, and sees you controlling a tank against other tanks. A plants mines that go off if someone goes near them, or they just go off eventually in the end anyway. B fires shots, that will bounce off a wall once so be careful your own shots don't come back and get you. Moving your tank is done with the D-pad, however it can also be done with the nunchuck controller. Personally I find it easier to use the nunchuck, however an extra nunchuck doesn't come free with Wii Play and will set you back £15, so if you're playing on multiplayer you may have to use the D-pad just to play fair.

As for the terrains you play on, they change as the game goes on and get harder. You will also go from fighting tanks that can't move to ones that can bounce huge rockets off walls about three times. It's crazy, and I'm yet to complete it but this is the one game that makes me want to go back to playing Wii Play. When you're playing against a friend, it's pretty much a race against them as it's the first person to blow up your computer opponents that gets the points. If you want to take your friend out of the race, you can always blow up their tank.

Overall it is clear that Wii Play has been made for its multiplayer aspects over its single player, as there is no mammoth adventure quest to complete. Little touches like when you select to play the game two player, two Mii's appear on the menu screen, show this. To keep you interested in the game a high scores board is built into the game, but that feature was a bit of a must - and your table only holds your own personal scores, not scores for the whole family. Nintendo likes competition, but it doesn't like to be too competitive. I think this is how the brand earns itself the 'kiddy' tag, thinking that a young child may get upset if their older brother wipes all their high scores off the table. Medals are also rewarded for doing particulary well in minigames, they range from bronze to platinum. Gold is fairly easy to achieve, although I'm yet to achieve platinum so I imagine you have to be almost perfect to do that.

Wii Play takes advantage of the Wii Message Board that is a key to your home hub on the Wii, just like Wii Sports does, it gives you messages telling you and the rest of your family if you've made a new personal best or something to that affect. Whilst it is a fun game for what it is, there is no way this would have sold if it wasn't for the free Wiimote. The game will not stand forever in time, and I have to take that into account when giving my final verdict on the game, rather than what supposedly comes free with it. I'm sure this won't be the last time Nintendo bring out a game with 'Wii' at the beginning, in fact I know 'Wii Music' is on the way, and it is all trying to teach you how to get the most out of your Wii - although after completing Zelda: Twilight Princess it is unlikely that this game can teach you much about your Wiimote that you didn't already know. Graphics wise we know the Wii is not capable of the same things as PS3's, but there is no real attempt to be graphically special here. The most interesting thing you will see when playing this game is a farm background as you play Charge. The final thing I have to say however is, if you want a new Wiimote you might as well splash out the extra few pounds on getting this game as well. 

...less