Wii Sport
Wii Sports is included with every Wii for free. Actually a reason not to test the game: after all, everyone who buys the console gets it anyway. So why bother writing an article about it? Well, how about: Why is it so funny? Indeed, Wii Sports is perhaps the perfect game to show Wii’s merits over its competitors. And this, even if it has some small quirks. Let’s go through the five disciplines one at a time.
baseball
Don’t know the rules and basically find baseball pretty boring? It doesn’t matter: Wii Sports also has fun for people who otherwise hate the sport and you don’t even have to worry about what’s going on on the pitch. Nintendo has scaled baseball down to its two simplest elements: throwing and hitting.
In other words: one player slips into the pitcher role with the ball in hand, the other (or the AI, if you’re alone in front of the console) embodies the hitter who has to bring the ball onto the pitch with his bat. If he hits, the opposing team runs after the ball while the batter runs from base to base – both of which happen automatically. It sounds very simple, but at the same time it allows full concentration on said hits and throws.
And it works very well: Like a bat, the Wiimote really records every movement, no matter how small, with no noticeable delays; variations such as quick or sliced balls are allowed during the throw. In short, baseball feels pretty damn real. Up to aching shoulder muscles, if you overdo it.
8/10
bowling
Bowling is also not necessarily one of the most popular sports in our region, but at least almost everyone has probably already played bowling. In bowling there are ten pins instead of nine, the lane is the same width everywhere, the balls have holes and the count is a little different. But what does it matter? Grab the ball, throw it forward; it’s not really difficult.
Wii Sports implements bowling almost perfectly: while your virtual alter ego runs, you perform a throwing motion with the Wiimote like in a real bowling game. The game also records whether you are gently rolling the ball across the track or throwing it from halfway up. Objective observations tell me that this technique is particularly popular with women. So very close to reality. Professionals can also spin the ball by turning the Wiimote, which feels extremely natural even after a short period of familiarization.
When it comes to bowling, nothing is left to be desired.
9/10
speakers
In theory, boxing seems to be made for Wii: you take the nunchuk in the left hand, the Wiimote in the right hand and both, in a sense, blend with you. If you move your left arm forward, your character draws a straight line to the left, you hold your hands in front of your face, cover your head, and so on and so on. Running variants such as uppercuts by moving the controller from bottom to top are also possible. Likewise, you can dodge attacks if you lean to one side.
Unfortunately, in practice not everything works well: sometimes the game does not recognize your shots correctly, every now and then the opponent seems to be able to strike through cover – and generally more can be achieved with shaking at the blind that with something that might remember the tactic.
Boxing is therefore by far the worst thing Wii Sports has to offer. The error is not to be found in the console, but rather in sloppy programming. Boxing fans should be hoping for a Fight Night implementation.
3/10
golf
The biggest surprise of Wii Sports is clearly golf, which, like baseball and boxing, is very close to reality. Stand beside the TV and swing your Wiimote like a golf club – back up, hit and swing right, don’t forget. Unlike baseball, the main focus is not on timing right, but on a sense of speed. If you hit too slowly, the ball won’t go far enough. If you hit too hard, you deform and the ball lands in the bushes.
Before you really dare your shot, you can try it risk-free to get the right feel for distance. Putting on the green is a little more difficult when sensitivity is required. The program appears to have slight problems at shorter distances. But after two or three laps you get used to it.
It’s just a pity that there are only nine holes; three per level of difficulty. Experts may also complain about the equally limited selection of clubs, but that doesn’t matter.
8/10
tennis
Given that tennis is supposed to be Wii Sports’ flagship discipline, the first few minutes of play are rather disappointing, especially the fact that there are no individual matches is a shame. In any case, it is not clear to me why only doubles are possible. The controls are also ?? just “okay, but it’s not great at all. The game recognizes whether you want to play a flat ball or as a praise when you hit from below or from above. But of all things, you cannot determine the direction; Regardless of how you spin and rotate the Wiimote in place of a club, the direction depends solely on the moment you hit the ball. Very irritating.
It is also a pity that the players run alone and there are not even different types of flooring: you can only play on the grass and not even entire sentences. Best of One, Best of Three and Best of Five are available. This is very little.
However, tennis is fun once you accept that the controls work, but the very important specification of the direction of the shot cannot be directly affected.
6/10
What else is there
Of course, you can not only play alone against the AI or with up to three human opponents, but also complete training units. For each sport there are three different challenges where you earn medals as a reward. In golf, for example, you have to hit a target spot that is far from the ball, while in boxing you have to destroy as many sandbags as possible in a given amount of time.
As with Brain Age on the Nintendo DS, you can also test your fitness every day. Using three exercises known from training, the game then determines your fitness age, which can be quite depressing at first. Of the 68 years of the first day, I have reached at least 27 acceptable.
Graphically, Wii Sports is, well, functional. This is particularly due to the fact that you play everything with your own made Miis, which aren’t exactly a joy to behold. But let’s be honest: When you play, you have better things to do than pay attention to your character or your surroundings. The speaker of the Wiimote, which gives you acoustic feedback when you hit a ball, turns out to be really fantastic. Which unconsciously contributes a lot to the atmosphere.
A final word about the controls: when I wrote the test, I assumed that you were standing in front of the console and that you really did the movements as the game intended. In fact, it is also possible to sit comfortably on the sofa and move your wrist slightly. The result is similar, but the fun factor is limited.
Pushing a number on Wii Sports isn’t that easy. On the one hand, the scope of the individual sports leaves a lot to be desired. On the other hand, it is “free” with the console and shouldn’t be much more than a technical demo. But the most important thing is: it makes you want more. Can’t wait now, Mario Tennis, Mario To get golf, Mario Baseball – or similar titles – for Wii, until then Wii Sports will make the waiting time very pleasant.
