Review: Wii Sports Resort

Wii Sports was arguably the most successful launch game ever, being bundled with the fastest selling games console certainly didn't hurt that. Some considered it little more than a tech demo, showing the Wiis capabilities, and to some extent they are right. But it's also a cracking game that lots of Wii owners are still playing now, over two and a half years after launch, I know I still stick it in my Wii for the odd game now and again. Along comes a sequel now though, and coincidentally a new add on to improve the Wiis motion sensing capabilities bundled with it. Is it another tech demo, how does the gameplay compare to the original, will you still be playing it in a couple of years? Let's see.

Tech Demo?

Firstly we'll answer the question of whether or not it is a tech demo for Nintendo's new Motionplus gizmo, and yes, of course it is, you can't push something like this without showing what it is capable of. Well,Nintendo has certainly made some good selections on the new sports to show off the Motionpluse's capabilities, and there's plenty of them too, with over double the compliment of sports of the original game.

The majority of these are new sports, but a couple make a welcome return with improved controls and extra features, those being bowling and golf. Of the ten new sports though there is something for everyone, some traditional sports, others less so, Frisbee throwing for example, but they are all good fun, and most come with several different game modes, all with multiplayer, but a couple of competitive modes lack a single player mode. There is one downside to this though, and that is financial, with the Motionplus costing at least fifteen pounds a go, you are looking at an outlay of nearly fifteen pounds to get the most of the multiplayer modes on offer.

Playing alone

There's plenty to keep you occupied on the single player side of things though if forking out for extra Motionpluses is not a good investment, and there's only three game modes you'll be missing out on out of dozens. The range of sports is also a lot wider than previously too and they aren't all as traditional as you'll find in the opening sequence with you skydiving in to the island resort where the game is played out. This isn't your only chance to take to the skies either, as you are able to pilot a plane too, either to fly around the island collecting markers for places of interest, or you can join a friend for some dogfighting action.

You can take to the water too, either in a canoe, a jetski or perhaps do a bit of wakeboarding, but the majority of the action takes place with your feet squarely on terra firma. The action is no less varied on land either where you can try your hand at more traditional sports like basketball or cycling, to more diverse sports such as archery or swordplay. As with the original game you'll find that some events are more physical than others, in this case the canoeing and cycling will be wearing your arms out, and other events take a bit more skill. I found the basketball the most difficult in that respect, having to make an awful lot of shots at the basket before I was reliably getting them in.

Playing Favourites

Everyone is going to have their favourites out of all the events, as will be shown on the main menu screen, where events are highlighted if they have modes you haven't played, or if you've been playing them more than others. So far swordplay is my favourite, with its three modes where you can either go one on one against an opponent, chop stuff up against someone, or face a whole horde of fifty sword wielding Miis, there's a lot of fun to be had there. I'd say it's probably the event that shows off the improvement the new Motionplus add on gives you, giving you very exact control of your sword, which you will need to parry when you're playing the immense showdown mode.

Another sport I've been playing more than the others is archery, it's not as involving as some of the other sports perhaps, as you are only playing against yourself really, but the Wiimote/nunchuck action to simulate the bow and arrow is just so perfect you'll want to play it over and over. Other events I've been enjoying purely for their pick up and playability are table tennis and the returning bowling, they're just perfect, no rules to learn, controls are straightforward, and there's lots of fun to be had. Now I know I haven't covered every sport, but I wouldn't want to spoil the fun of discovering them, and how to play them, for yourself, rest assured though everything is of a high quality throughout.

Last Resort?

To be honest this is pretty much a no brainer if you like Wii Sports, and that's most people really, the selection of sports is nice and varied, as are the methods of playing. The new Motionplus does exactly what it says on the tin, bringing more precise motion controls, and Wii Sports Resort shows that well,. Plus if you take in to account the cost of the Motionplus separately the bundle is very good value for money, if you are a Wii owner and don't buy this you are missing out big time.