The Nintendo Wii has revolutionized the gaming industry, there’s no doubt about that, the other console makers are now trying to catch up with their own motion sensitive hardware like the Wii does. We all enjoy gaming, and the Wii adds much more to the experience, it lets you feel like you’re actually in the game, almost, at least you’re not just sitting there with a controller in your hand, you’ve actually got to get up and do things while using the Wii. The Wii MotionPlus was introduced a little bit ago and made the Wii controller more sensitive to the users movements, this is a good thing, and it really does add to the gaming experience making user movements copied in real time on the screen. Since it’s been released a couple games have come out and we can expect more soon that utilize the new attachment, the latest to be released is Wii Sports Resort from Nintendo itself. The original Wii Sports came bundled with the console and it included a variety of games that basically showed what the console was capable of, Wii Sports Resort though takes things to a new level with more interactive, entertaining and fun games being added to the line up. Wii Sports Resort is Wii Sports 2, but it’s much more than that, it’s more polished, the graphics seem to be improved upon, as much as they can be with the limitations of the console and the games are different, with a resort theme to them. I’ve got screen shots and movies for you of the games and of course my impressions, so read on…

Wii Sports Resort is a bundle, and it sells for about $50 depending where you look, not a bad deal considering you get the MotionPlus attachment, the game and a new cover for your controller.

There are twelve games listed on the main menu, but really there are more because some of them have one or two more games related to them, like Bowling has Standard, 100-Pin and Spin Control games as well.

Here’s a video of the menu:

In Wii Sports Resort you can also calibrate the MotionPlus at any time, all you do is enter the pause menu, click calibrate and set your controller down on a flat surface for a few seconds and it’s done.

Specifications:

Wii Sports Resort

Wii Sports Resort is an immersive, expansive active-play game that includes a dozen fun resort-themed activities. It maintains the wide-ranging appeal that attracted millions to the original Wii Sports. Wii Sports Resort is easy to pick up and play, but comes coupled with deeper levels of play that are sure to challenge even the most experienced gamers. Wii Sports Resort whisks players away to a resort that’s full of action, while introducing an unprecedented experience in physical reality. Wii Sports Resort comes bundled with a Wii MotionPlus accessory to provide players the most realistic, immersive experience possible – the slightest tilt, turn and twist of the Wii Remote controller is recognized. From the moment players skydive onto Wuhu Island,they’re presented with a huge selection of fun activities that everyone can play.

* Wuhu Island has so many things to do, there’s never a dull moment. A dozen activities await visitors: Archery, Frisbee®, Basketball, Cycling, Canoeing, Power Cruising, Table Tennis, Air Sports, Bowling, Swordplay, Golf and Wakeboarding.

* The activities use the precision controls of the Wii MotionPlus accessory to help players come much closer to the physical reality of engaging in the actual sports. Every real-world action, whether it’s a perfect drive on the fairway or a slice off the course, is meant to be faithfully replicated.

* Each activity has multiple fun challenges designed to keep visitors coming back for more. Basketball players might compete in a three-point shootout or jump into a three-on-three pickup game. Archery enthusiasts must aim for the bull’s-eye across ever-increasing distances and obstacles.
* Different activities use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers in different ways. For example, players hold the Wii Remote like a paddle in Canoeing, while in Cycling they use both arms to “pedal” with the two controllers. The Wii MotionPlus accessory picks up every nuance of motion and translates it onto the TV screen.

* Depending on the activity, players can compete solo or against other players. Some activities even let players team up to work cooperatively.

We’ll start with my favorite, I think, and that’s Swordplay. Under Swordplay you’ve got three games actually, Standard Duel, Speed Slice and Showdown.

The regular dual mode is you fighting against an opponent trying to knock each other off of the platform into the water below, basically you can swing the sword and block.

Speed Slice is a lot of fun, you play against an opponent, the referee throws two things up in the air and they land in front of you with a directional arrow on them, you got to slice the object in the direction of the arrow before your opponent.

Showdown is quite a bit of fun as well, there are several stages to this game taking place on different parts of the island, the idea is to hack and slash your way through a whole bunch of characters to reach the end.

Here’s a video of Showdown:

Next up is Archery, for this game you use both the controller and the nunchuk to play. The idea of course is to hit the target, there are three levels beginner, intermediate and expert. Beginner is basic while the other levels add things like moving targets, obstacles and longer distances. Archery is also one of my favorite games as well because I enjoy doing it in real life as well… not quite the same, but it’s fun nonetheless.

Next up is Wakeboarding, keeping with the theme of being a resort island, you’ll find a few water based games, and Wakeboarding in one of the them. It’s interesting, and the idea is to score points for doing tricks and getting a lot of air on the jumps. It’s ok to play, but not one of my favorites.

Keeping with the water theme we have Power Cruising, here you’ll pilot a Sea Doo watercraft, or at least what resembles one. The idea here is to navigate the obstacle course. In Power Cruising you’ll use both controls are well to give you the feeling of the handle bars of the craft. It’s a neat little game, but it can be hard to control the craft, I found myself over steering all of the time, it takes quite a bit to get accustomed to the controls.

The last water based game is Canoeing, or kayaking really. You use the remote like a paddle and paddle the canoe, not hard, just going through the course. With all of the games you can also not play them and just cruise around to explore a bit.

There are three Air Sports as well, two of them can be single player while the third is for two player only. The Island Flyover is just what it sound like, you can fly around the island, but the idea is to collect points of interest as well, and you can get a better view of the island. Controls are easy, just tilt and turn the remote.

The two player game is Dog Fighting, no pictures here sorry, but you’re battling an opponent in the skies.

The last sky based game is Sky Diving, here you jump from a plane and the idea is to form up with your fellow skydivers and get your picture taken, you get points for hooking up with them, the more you catch the more points you get. Here you just tilt and move the controller to control your Mii.

Under Bowling you’ll find three games, the first is essentially the same as the bowling on the original Wii Sports, not much new here.

The second is 100 Pin, and it’s exactly as it sounds, 100 pins are set up and you’ve got to knock down as many as you can, I found this to be actually a lot of fun to play.

Here’s a video of 100-pin:

The last is Spin Control, the idea here is to avoid the obstacles on the lane, they can be stationary or moving so you’ve got to apply spin to the ball to go around them and you’ve got to have good timing as well.

The next is Frisbee, and under that category you’ve got Frisbee Dog and Frisbee Golf. Frisbee Dog is throwing the frisbee to your dog to catch, but things can be added as well for bonuses, like balloons to pop. Controls for this take quite a bit to get accustomed to, they are very sensitive to the slightest movements.

Frisbee Golf is just what it sounds like, on a golf course with a frisbee, but there are no holes just a big target to hit. You’ll also get your choice of frisbees as well, sort of like different clubs for golf.

Then there’s just plain golf, if you’ve played Tiger Woods then this will be something new to you as it quite a bit different than that, very basic, but still quite a bit of fun.

Under Table Tennis you’ll find two different games, regular Table Tennis against an opponent and Return Challenge, they both look the same. Return Challenge though is a test to see how many you balls you can hit back to the server, he just keeps serving them until you miss or hit the ball out of bounds. It’s a fun little game overall..

Here’s a video of Return Challenge:

The next game is Cycling, and well it’s riding a bike around the island. You use both the remote and nunchuk to ‘peddle’ the bike, the faster you peddle the faster you go, but you’ll need to watch the health meter as your Mii can get tired.

Lastly we have Basketball, with two games, 3-Point Contest and Pick Up. 3-Point Contest is what it sounds like, you’ve got to make as many three pointers as you can within the allotted time:

Pick Up is a three on three game of Basketball that’s actually quite fun to play, you can pass, shoot, and block using the remote.

I’ve got videos of every game, but I didn’t include them in the review as it’s quite big enough, but here’s the links to them if you wish to watch and see how they look and play:

Wakeboarding
Frisbee Golf
Frisbee Dog
Golf
Canoeing
Bowling
Basketball 3-Point Contest
Archery
Table Tennis Return Challenge
Table Tennis Match
Swordplay Showdown
Swordplay Duel
Power Cruising
Speed Slicing and Intro
Cycling
Bowling Spin Control
Bowling 100-Pin
Basketball Pickup game
Airsports Skydiving
Airsports Flyover

The games are all great, and a lot of fun, there’s something for everyone in Wii Sports Resort really.

The only irritating thing about this game is the prompts or reminders, there can be several of them at a time and they can be downright annoying.

The MotionPlus really shows what it can do in Wii Sports Resort. I own Tiger Woods as well and to me it really didn’t seem like it added much to the game, but with Resort you can really see and feel the difference.

The graphics are decent, as good as they get for a console of this type and as one would expect. When I first got my Wii I wasn’t sure I liked the comical feel of everything but it sort of grows on you after a while.

Conclusion:
At first I though Wii Sports Resort was just going to be a bunch of games that basically show you what you can do with the new MotionPlus, sort of a collection of mediocre games, nothing special really, but I was pleasantly surprised by what’s there. Wii Sports Resorts is, I feel, a must have title for any Wii owner, it offers not only the MotionPlus but a whole slew of fun and enjoyable games for everyone. Granted not all of the games are great, but depending on what you like to do, you’ll find those games that you play more often than others, there’s certainly something here for everyone to enjoy.

Pros:
+Includes MotionPlus
+Lots of fun games
+Actually a whole lot of fun

Cons:
-Prompts and reminders can get annoying at times

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance