Forgettable
- Frisbee.* I’ve asterisked this one because it might end up being a sleeper after spending more time with it. As it stands, the controls are too loose to make it feel like you’re actually connecting with the game. But as I said, this may just be a practice thing.
- Canoeing. The controls in the game work: hold the Wii remote like a kayak ore, shifting from one side of the boat to the other to control steering. Unfortunately, it’s just not as fun without the buoyancy of actual water beneath you.
- Power Cruising. Lame. Next!
- Cycling. Paddle both the Wii remote and nunchuck as if they were taped to your feet. Only you play it with hands. Which feels awkward. And biking isn’t all that fun, at least without the feel of the wind in your face.
- Swordplay. The new Boxing. Flail around like every other underwhelming sword-based Wii game. Unresponsive. A game of chance. Fun for about 30 seconds. Playing this actually made me realize sword games will never work on Wii. Without the tactile feedback of making contact with an opposing sword (or better, someone’s gut), these kind of games are seriously lacking. Go outside and play with sticks if you’re itching for a swordplay fix.
Returning
- Bowling. I wish I could tell you that Bowling will blow your mind even more the second time around. But it doesn’t. It’s the same bowling we all know and love, but with more modes. But I didn’t notice a difference when using MotionPlus. In fact, the original Bowling makes me feel like a better bowler than this version, so I might stick with it during parties. We’ll see.
- Golf. Hey, you spilled complexity on my controls! Tiger 10 is by far the better golf game. So is the original Golf, as it’s easier to control your shots. Admittedly, the original Golf took a long time for me to master, so maybe it’s the same with Golf 2.0. One can hope.
Regarding the game’s presentation, it’s obvious Nintendo had a lot more time to polish the graphics to a high-buff shine, which are colorfully rich. Unfortunately, the soundtrack has a little too much “Jazz Flute” vibe to it’not nearly as catchy as the original (but the Air Sports crash sound will make retro gamers smile). And while I appreciate what Nintendo was trying to do with the island motif, the resort theme is about as cool as Hawaiian shirts (not very).
Overall though, Wii Sports Resort is an excellent sequel, even if it falls short of its predecessor’s impact.
Review based on advance retail copy of the game provided by Nintendo (MSRP $50 bundled w/ one MotionPlus). Continue to page three to view eight additional screens of the remaining events.
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