Wii Sports (Wii)

Author's product rating:   

Gameplay/Playability	Excellent - great gameplay & playability
Graphics	Good graphics
Sound	Excellent - makes full use of my speakers
Value for Money

Advantages:	Hours of fun, great multiplayer action, get the best out of your Wii remote
Disadvantages:	Limited sequences for single player gameplay

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

If you're thinking of purchasing a Nintendo Wii then you will want to know what the included Wii Sports pack has to offer. Wii Sports is bundled with every Wii console and includes a compilation of 5 multiplayer games consisting of Tennis, Bowling, Baseball, Golf and Boxing. All game modes offer you the chance to set records by getting the best possible score every time you play.
The games are designed to bring out the best in the Wii remote in terms of performing swings and throws etc. They are also designed as being fun party games so don't expect too much of a single player mode on these as this is better kept for dedicated sports games.

Miis
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The first thing you should do before playing the game is to create your own Wii character referred to as a Mii. This is something you can do from your console's main menu and is not part of the Wii Sports pack. Once you have created your own look-a-like you can then select them from within the Wii Sports game. By doing this your scores are recorded next to your Mii. Winning games increases your score average, with 1000 points giving you Pro status. Record scores are also recorded against your Mii. If you intend on playing with multi-players then you need to enable extra controllers and characters prior to starting each game. You can also change individual settings for left or right handed players and even save them to your character which is useful.

Tennis
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This is the first game you will see on the game menu and consists of a doubles match where you control both players with the choice of first to 1, 3 or 5 games declared the winner. In single player mode you are up against a computer doubles pairing consisting of different skill levels depending on your ability. Basically, if you keep winning then you start to play harder opponents and visa-versa. In 2 player mode you can play against a friend in split screen who will have their own Wii remote. I've not played 3 or 4 player on this game as I don't have that many Wii remotes, but I gather that its 2 a side for 4 player.

As you would expect, when hitting the ball you swing the Wii remote as if you had a tennis racket in your hand. This includes forehand and backhand strokes, serving aces, swerving and smashes near the net.
For anyone playing this for the first time, you literary have to use the Wii remote as if you were really playing, as you will find yourself missing return shots if the ball goes to your left and you swing to your right-hand-side. You will find yourself running all over your living room hitting shots the first few times you play, but you will soon realise that this is not necessary as it is all in the wrist as they say.
This is one of the best games on Wii Sports and offers endless fun. One of the downsides to this game is that you can only play as doubles and there is a lack of a career type mode, but then I suppose if you wanted to take your tennis skills further you would buy a dedicated tennis game.

Bowling
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Along with tennis this is another of the best games in the compilation. The game consists of a typical bowling lane where players take it in turns to roll their bowling balls down the alley and knock over as many pins as they can. For those who are not very good at bowling, "No they don't have barriers on the gutter"! Again, this game is all about the wrist action on the rolling, getting it right determines the spin, curl and speed you get on the ball. Before you take your shot you can align your character's standing position and aim direction. As the game is motioned to that in real life, after you press and hold the back button you hold the Wii remote in front of you then pull it back behind you and thrust it forward to release the ball. Depending on the slight twist to the left or right of the Wii remote at the end of the throw determines the curl to the left or right.
This game gives you the opportunity to perfect your own techniques for performing strikes and in no time at all you can become a pro and beat all your friends convincingly.

For single player mode this just consists of trying to get the highest score you can from 10 sets of pins. Your single player score is recorded so you can keep trying to improve your average and become a Pro by hitting the 1000 point mark. Two or more player modes enable you to play against your friends. The key to winning is obviously getting as many strikes or half strikes as you can, but hitting a strike on the last throw gives you the chance of an extra throw, increasing your points total even more.
You can't really fault this game one bit and it is certainly my favourite out of the compilation. If there was a downside I guess you could say that maybe there should be a tournament mode for single player.

Baseball
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Arguably this is one of the harder games to perfect out of the compilation as the timing of your swing is the key to the perfect shot. The game consists of 3 quarters with each team swapping between batting and fielding after the batting team is declared 'All out'. Your team consists of made up characters including your own, but if you have created quite a few of your own Miis, then these will randomly appear as players on either team.
As the batting side you receive a throw from the bowler on the opposing team and whilst holding the Wii remote by your shoulder like a real bat, you swing as the ball reaches you as hard as you can in the hope of making a connection. Depending on where your swing finishes, this will determine the direction of the hit. Keeping the ball between the diamond marker lines is your first task to avoid playing a foul shot. Your second task is to try and find the stands to give you a home run or making the fielding players run as far as possible to get the ball, which allows you to reach 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th base. Putting these two techniques together is the way to go. If you hit your shots with little speed or distance then you are running the risk of the ball being caught by a fielder and your player becoming 'out'. When this happens you control another player on your team until they are out or move to bases and so forth. If you are very lucky then you might even hit an unstoppable shot 'Out of the park' which automatically gives you a home run, just like hitting it into the stands.
As the timing is the key, if you swing too early or too late then you get a strike against you. 3 strikes and you're out!

The running to bases is simulated by the computer according to the shot you hit so you don't actually control your player once you've hit your shot. When you change sides its then your turn to bowl for the fielding team.
Bowling techniques involve different button press combinations and the action of swinging the Wii remote in a downward action to perform fastballs, curveballs, screwballs etc to make it more difficult for your opponent to hit the ball.
When they hit the ball you don't actually control your fielding players, the computer simulates the catching of the ball if your opponent doesn't hit a good shot.
After the 4th quarter, the team with the most players home wins.

Single player mode is pretty much self explanatory, with the computer controlling the opposing team to either bowl or bat against you when changing sides. Getting more players home for a match improves your average score.
Two player mode will obviously let one player bat and the other field at the same time, swapping sides in between.
Single player mode is quite easy in this game when you get used to it, whereas multiplayer makes it more fun and challenging with perfected techniques.
They could possibly improve this game by allowing you to control your other team players better, such as making a run to a base or running to catch a ball.

Golf
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If you're not a fan of Golf then you may not like this game at first but this one has won me over after playing it a few times and getting used to the controls and it is now much more enjoyable.
The game consists of playing either a 3-hole beginner course, 3-hole intermediate course, 3-hole expert course or putting all 3 together and playing a 9-hole course with the aim of putting your golf ball at the end of each course to get the best possible under par sequence.
I would recommend playing the beginner course a few times to perfect your swing. The way you play a shot is dependant on the wind speed and direction which is indicated in the top right of the screen. You have the ability to move your player's direction of the swing to compensate for the wind and you then take a swing using your Wii remote as a golf club. Before you take your shot you can have a test swing as it will only take your shot if you hold down a specific button at the same time as swinging. For a perfect shot you need to not only keep an eye on the wind but also how hard you hit your shot using the meter on the top left of the screen. Hit your shot too hard and the shot meter will turn red and make a noise making you screw your shot to much to the left or right. Hit it too soft and you won't really get the golf ball very far.
As you swing the Wii remote like a real club, you pull the remote back behind you and then follow through in a forward stroking motion to hit the ball. If you don't follow through enough on the swing then you get a weak shot.
Assessing the golf course map on the right of the screen will give you an idea where to aim for in order to avoid obstacles such as trees, bunkers, water hazards, The Rough and out of bounds areas.
Your first shot is always the tee off shot using a driver which gives you maximum distance. Assuming you're then on the fairway from the tee off shot, you use an Iron or driver to get closer to the pin. For shots close to the pin but not within putting distance you get to use a wedge which is also useful from getting out of bunkers. On the Green shots then give you a putter to try and putt the ball in the hole. This part is quite hard the first few times you play as you have to judge slopes and hills and you always tend to hit it too hard or not hard enough. Practice makes perfect!

You don't actually pit yourself against an opponent in single player mode as your aim is to just get as much under par as you possibly can for your total at the end of the course. Better scores mean better averages recorded against your Mii.
Multiplayer mode enables players to take it in turns to have a shot on the selected course with the winner being the person who has completed the course with the least amount of shots.
This is one of the games you have to get into if you're not a golf fan but by the time you have perfected your shots you will love it.
The only thing this game lacks is an 18-hole course and the ability to play head-on against a computer opponent in single player mode.
This is probably my second favourite in line with tennis.

Boxing
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Boxing is the final game in the compilation and makes use of the Wii Nunchuck which is attached to the bottom of the Wii remote. For those who don't know what this is, it is like an extra controller which you hold in your other hand vertically. For boxing this acts as your left or right fist according to your preference.
The game consists of pitting you against another player over a series of rounds where you thrust the remotes in each hand like a fist to try and knock down your opponent. If you swing from outwards to inwards you create a hook punch effect, if you swing from downwards to upwards you create an uppercut effect and straight forward jabs throw punches straight in front of you. Blocking is performed by holding the Wii remote and nunchuck vertically by your face and you can even sway them from side to side to create a dodging motion and lowering them for a ducking motion.
When playing this game you tend to just ignore the blocking and go straight for the kill by planting as many punches on your opponent as possible.

For single player you face a computer player whose skill level is determined from your own, as the more matches you win the harder your opponent will be. When throwing punches you keep an eye on your power gauge which is recorded in the form of a circle containing coloured pieces; the more hits you take, the more pieces vanish from the circle and visa-versa with your opponent. When all these are gone that player will fall to the ground for a count-out. I believe the amount of time you are knocked out for is dependant upon the force of the prior shot, if it was a jab then they are more likely to get back up quicker, but if it was a hook shot with force then they may not get back up, which would give the other player the win by knockout. You can again, increase your score average by beating harder opponents and becoming a pro when you reach 1000 points.
Two player or multiplayer is great but you do both need to have nunchucks and unfortunately only 1 is provided with the console so you need to buy another one which will set you back an extra £15-20. In this mode you have split screen action and throw simultaneous punches and it tends to be the player who tires quickest who loses!

My only gripe with this game is that it is very difficult to plant an uppercut or side hook as and when you want it to even though you are performing the right actions, but apart from this most of the other moves seem to be spot on and it certainly keeps you more active than the other Wii Sports games.

Wii Training
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The game also includes 15 extra mini games which tend to be aimed towards training, hence the title Wii Training. A good example of one of these is the Golf target practice, where you gain points for landing you golf ball on a target (like a dart board) on a remote island surrounded by water. Some other games include Power Bowling where the amount of bowling pins increase for every shot up to 100 or so pins on a single lane which is great fun and the Boxing bags where you have to punch clear as many of these as you can in the specified time.
All these mini-games can be played multiplayer and provide the competition of getting bronze, silver or gold medals according to how well you do on each session. The more points you score the better chance you have of getting a better medal or the setting of a new high score.
I will leave the rest of these games as a secret as they are fun to discover and play for yourself.

Wii Fitness
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The Wii Fitness option gives you the chance to challenge 3 of the Wii Training games in a row which are chosen randomly at the start. At the end of the 3 games it gives you a fitness age score depending on how well you did. If you do poorly then you may well get a fitness age of over 65 which is basically calling you an OAP! The aim of this game is to get it down to as low as you can to that of your real age. The results of your fitness is displayed in the form of a graph so you can see how well you have done in previous months so you have something to beat.
The only problem with this feature is that it can only be played with your Mii character once a day, but you can choose as many other characters as you like.

Graphics & Sound
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The graphics for Wii Sports are just what you would expect from a fun Nintendo game; clear, smooth and colourful. The detail on your Mii characters are quite good apart from fact they don't have legs on some games and the background on the Golf and Baseball for example are pretty impressive with no blocky images.
I love the sound on this game, the menu music is quite catchy and the sound that comes out of the Wii remotes when you strike a ball or throw a punch are very realistic. When playing tennis, you could almost mistake the sounds for a real match at Wimbledon!

Safety
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Be sure that before you attempt to play this game that you give yourself enough space to swing the Wii Remote, clear all breakable objects away from you and ensure you have the arm strap and jacket on!

Recommended?
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It is estimated that Wii Sports only burns about an extra 2% more calories than other standard Wii games but I believe the figure is much higher than this. You can certainly feel your muscles ache after hours and hours of continuous play and this can only be a good thing. The tennis and boxing are certainly the more active games to play. All games collectively are great for multiplayer action and offer endless hours of fun. Even though I have purchased other great games for the Wii, I still find myself going back to this game time and time again.
As I've already mentioned, if you want more of a challenge and better one player action then you really need to invest in something like Brunswick Pro Bowling or Tiger Woods PGA Golf to get the best out of these types of games but what the Wii Sports package offers is a complete sports package that is enjoyable to play with your family or friends of any age. You can make this game even more enjoyable by buying the Wii remote sports pack which includes various attachments to your remote to include a tennis racket, golf club and baseball bat which makes it even more realistic.

I would certainly recommend this game to anyone looking to purchase a Nintendo Wii and it will not leave you disappointed like Wii Play.
Just remember to take a break in between playing and
don't throw a fit when your 6 year old cousin kicks your ass at bowling!