Video Game Review: Sports for Wii

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Five fun sports games that will entertain you and friends

Cons: Not all games appeal to everyone

The Bottom Line:
Get up and moving

With a better sports game you

And your friends will love

What Better Way to Show Off the New Wii System Than with Wii Sports?

Usually, when Nintendo releases a new video game system, they bundle their newest Mario game with it.  That's why I was shocked to learn that the bundled game for the Wii was Wii Sports.  The first time I played it, however, I understood why.  This game really shows off what the Wii can do.

In case you've missed it, the Wii's controllers, called a Wiimote, are unlike anything you've seen before.  Yes, they do have buttons and a control pad area to move players around traditionally.  But they are motion sensitive.  The whole idea of this system is that you can swing the remote and affect what happens on the screen.  Considering I've been trying to do that unsuccessfully for years, is it any wonder I love this system?

So, for Wii Sports, instead of sitting down and hitting buttons, you are up on your feet swinging your arm to get the characters move.  And yes, you can tell the machine you are left handed, and it responds accordingly.  It's surprisingly fun.  There are five games here, although I tend to stick to three of them.

Tennis - This is the first game I ever played on a Wii, and it's a blast.  You're playing doubles, so you can play with up to four people at a time.  Or, if you've got less than that, the computer will fill in for the missing players.  You don't have any control over the movement of your characters.  The only thing you control is your swing.  By timing it correctly, you can hit the ball back to your opponent or just by him.  Personally, I like the fact that I just have to concentrate on when to swing and let the computer move me around.  Only rarely does it fail me.  Usually, when I mess up, it's because I miss timed a swing or my opponent returned it to a spot I'd have no hope of reaching no matter who controlled the movement.  You can play a match of 1, 3, or 5 sets, so it never takes too long.

Bowling - I love to bowl, so it's no surprise that I love this game; in fact, it's my favorite.  And it's really simple.  Just swing the Wiimote and let go of the B button to release the ball.  Here's where the game gets fun, however.  The Wiimote senses any curve of spin you put on the ball as well as how quickly you were going when you released it.  While I tend to throw it straight like I do in real life, you can get some wicket spin on it.  Again, you can play with any number of people from one to four, but since you bowl one at a time, you can all share one Wiimote for this game.

Golf - There's nothing like a nice day on the greens, right?  Well, if it's raining out, you can play 3 or 9 holes on the comfort of your living room.  This time around, press and hold the A button and then swing the golf club like a bowling ball.  You only need one Wiimote no matter how many people are playing, and you can play by yourself or with up to three friends.  When it comes time to putt, this one can get frustrating because it doesn't recognize small swings.  I often find the small putts are the hardest because no matter how I swing I hit them too hard.

My brother and I had Golf for the original Nintendo.  He pointed out to me that the holes here are identical to the ones from that old game.  Just a fun bit of trivia for you for free.

Baseball - It's you versus one friend or the computer as you battle it out over three innings.  When it's your turn to bat, you swing your Wiimote just like a bat.  Pitching?  Hit a button on the plus pad of the Wiimote and then swing it down.  Once the ball is in the air, however, you can't do anything but cheer on your fielders to make an out or your runners to get on base.  I find this one fun if I'm playing it with a friend, but against the computer it gets boring quickly.  I have had roommates who will play this one by themselves by the hour, however.

Boxing - This is the only sport in this game that requires the Nunchuck, an additional controller for the Wii.  Don't worry, you don't have to learn to control anything.  Instead, you hold the Wiimote in one hand and the Nunchuck in the other and go to town swinging at your computer opponent or your friend.  You can jab, punch, or block.  While I can break a sweat playing Tennis, you are pretty much guaranteed to start sweating if you play this for any length of time.  Who says you can't get a go workout playing a video game?

While this game is most fun when you play it against someone, they give you a challenge by yourself as well.  After each round, you are given a ranking based on how well you did.  If you did better than last time, you climb.  If you did worse, you fall.  The goal is to reach 1000 points and become a pro.  Sadly, you can lose that status if your ranking slips below 1000.  It's amazing how quickly you can lose any skill you have with the game.  After not playing it for a while, I find I start losing status quickly.  Bowling and Golf update your status any time since those are truly solo endeavors.  The others won't update if you are playing against or with your friends.  And your computer opponent keeps getting harder the higher your ranking climbs, too.

Those looking for highly realistic graphics should look elsewhere.  The graphics are cartoony by design.  In fact, you use the Mii you can create on the machine.  This cartoon version of yourself is the character you actually control for all these games.  The environments do look nice, but even they won't blow you away with their detail.

Likewise, the sound isn't going to blow you away.  There is minimal music; it's mostly sound effects of you grunting or the ball being wacked.  It gets the point across, and it matches the game.  Frankly, that's all I'm looking for.

The games themselves getting tiring?  There are some fun minigames that let you "train" for the big games.  My favorite of these is in bowling where they start you with the traditional 10 pins but keep adding a row of pins for every frame after that.  A precursor to the 100 pin bowling in Wii Sports Resort, I guess.

Wii Sports will get you up and moving, showing what this new system can do.  And it is a great game to play with any number of friends.  It's the anti-video game.