The gaming revolution has begun, with Nintendo leaving the life-like renditions and uncanny simulations to the competition and trying to focus on the most fun, approachable aspects of video-games instead. Nintendo never fails to deliver true masterpieces in each generation, but their sporadic nature hasn't allowed for the Big N's return to the top of the industry this past decade. With that in mind, the Wii puts a lot of faith in the simple "party" games that take full advantage of the Wiimote and its unique features. Wii Sports already showed us how to get non-gamers frantically flailing their arms in front of a television and Wii Play follows in a similar vain, with a selection of 9 "instructional" games. It is a case of quantity versus quality, but as the deal is sweetened with the inclusion of a free Wii Remote, Wii Play just might be a bargain buy.
***The Overview***
Wii Play's mission is to transform players into masters of the Wiimote. The 9 games cover the extent of the controller's tricks, teaching how Pointing, Twisting and 3D Movement can affect your in-game actions. The games are progressively unlocked as more complex actions are required and, in the end, the mission is undoubtedly accomplished.But the question is, is getting accustomed to the Wii Remote so difficult as to require a dedicated product? Not really. Most of the Wii controls feel like second nature, mimicking actual movements you'd do in real-life and in-game tutorials always exist to clear up any confusion. That is, after all, the essence of the Wii's appeal.
Nevertheless, a Wii Play session is a welcome introductory step to the Wii, as the games actually are pretty fun, at least the first few times around, and they also promote some competition when 2 players go head on. As such, whenever interested friends come around, Wii Play is inserted into the mix sooner rather than later. That will keep it from gathering dust for quite some time, even if I'll unlikely re-play it alone.
***The Games***
As mentioned earlier there are 9 games dealing aiming, moving, clicking and twisting the Wii Remote. Here they are, in order of appearance:
--Shooting Range--
Reminiscent of laser gun arcade games and the classic "Duck Hunt", Shooting Range has you stationary in an open field as various objects fly in front of you. You point and trigger the Wiimote to shoot them and earn points. There is no ammo or reloading involved, so even if striking targets with your Mii's face incurs penalties and not missing yields bonuses, they aren't quite as substantial as to keep trigger-happy players from having an advantage over more cautious ones. It is extremely enjoyable, but unfortunately virtually nothing changes every time you play, so it eventually gets stale.
It might be worth noting that you are allowed to "dual wield" when playing solo.
--Find Mii--
Miis are the universal caricatures/avatars you create for the Wii to represent you and your friends. In this game, you point and click the Miis fulfilling the requirements set at the beginning of each level.
You might have to find to the 2 identical Miis, the fast Mii, the pictured Mii and so on and so forth until the time runs out. Things get more complicated as you advance, with more Miis, more movement and less illumination, but it's all pretty repetitive.
--Table Tennis--
You play Ping Pong, simply moving the Wiimote to position the paddle and waiting for the ball. Twisting your wrist adds curve and/or flames and despite the omission of some table tennis rules, it works pretty well. In single player the opponent never misses and you are simply asked to return the ball 100 times.
--Pose Mii--
You change "shapes" to your Mii using the button and trigger, while moving and twisting the Wiimote as needed to fit your avatar inside bubbles, ideally exploding them before they reach the bottom of the screen. Pretty fun, kinda like a less-varied Shooting Range.
--Laser Hockey--
An evolution of the immortal Pong, you get to move and twist the paddle in your own half of the court as you try to ricochet it past the opponent's goal. My least favourite of the bunch, maybe on account of the sloppy bouncing, but probably because I was hoping for laser-wielding hockey players.--Billiards--
You play 8-ball billiard. Some aspects of the game are skewed, as you don't automatically win when you pocket the striped 9 ball or have the ability to chip the cue. The number of the ball is added to your score in multiplayer and 3 points are deducted for fouls. In single-play the number of strokes you performed is taken into account instead. Failing to sink a ball *should* also count negatively. As it stands now, clearing the table with seven strokes in two turns scores higher but, in reality, it is worse than clearing it with 9 strokes in a single turn.
The controls are a nice interpretation and feel quite accurate, if too easy. An option to turn off the helpful trail that unveils the course and point of impact of your shot would have been very welcome. Still, if you like billiards, this is a pretty surprising treat from Wii Play.
--Fishing--
Fishing utilizes every Wiimote movement possible: You position your pole, wait for the fishes to bite and rapidly yank it upwards. Different fishes are worth different points, with Small Fries procuring penalties and a bonus fish worth double points, randomly designated as times goes by. Excluding Billiards, this is probably the game that requires the most skill and offers the most variation. I think it's pretty awesome, but maybe it's the cardboard graphics that remind me of a board game I had when I was a toddler.
--Charge--
A racing game, where you hold the Wiimote sideways and use it to steer your Cow. Your goal, however, is not to cross the finish line, rather to hit as many scarecrows and dodge as many fences as you can until time runs out. It's cool to see your Mii position itself to accelerate and decelerate the animal, but the track could have been much more populated.
--Tanks!--
This game feels pretty classic. You are placed in a maze-esque level and are required to eliminate all other tanks using shells and mines.
The plot thickens as you advance and more numerous and powerful projectiles are launched against you. Unfortunately, there are no continues and the levels are "set", meaning they come in the same order every time you play, but if you are a fan of arcade games you'll appreciate the challenge.
"Tanks!" is also the only game to, optionally, make use of the nunchuck attachment; you can use the nunchuck's analog stick instead of the Wiimote's d-pad to move your tiny tank around. Helpful, but not integral.
***The Value***
The whole last section can be summed up to "fun but repetitive". Wii Play doesn't have much in the way of depth; there isn't a serious solo lasting appeal in any of the games, save if you want to achieve gold metals for bragging rights.
The real value of the package comes in the form of the bundled Wii Remote. By itself, it is worth £30, leaving only £5 to be covered by the actual disc. Due to the nature of the Wii, a second Wiimote is pretty much essential and with Wii Play you also get, if nothing else, an "interactive tutorial" for the uninitiated. There are few video-game related things to buy with £5, you can, however, get a box of chocolates.
As a side-note, Wii Play can also effortlessly synchronize a Wii Remote with your Wii, in case opening some lids and pressing a couple of small buttons sounds like too much trouble. Two Industrial Alkaline batteries are also included, switching to rechargeable once they deplete is a solid idea.
***OVERALL***
Wii Play's 9 games do a great job showcasing the capabilities of the Wiimote and some are a pretty fun experience by themselves, even if most of their replay factor comes in the form of multiplayer. However, that experience is all too similar to the Wii Sports one that inescapably accompanies every Wii purchase and none of the games are must-haves, far from it. In that respect, Rayman Raving Rabbids is a much better buy for the mini-game oriented player. Thankfully, the fitting inclusion of a £30 Wii Remote changes everything, as £5 is a very fair price for the addition of the handful of pretty decent games Wii Play brings into the party mix. So if you are enjoying the light joy of Wii Sports and could always use the extra controller, you should definitely give Wii Play a look.
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Gee-wiz, I never expected this many "wee"s in a single review. Thanks for reading and we'll return with more Wii coverage next week!
Shall Wii Play? 
