After a slight delay, Wii Play is set to drop February 12. With the wild success of Wii Sports however, I have to wonder aloud if this is going to be a colossal dud — Wiimote pack-in or not.
Over at Wii Fanboy, the comments are disconcerting, as people in Europe who’ve had this game since launch day are calling the title a one-day-and-done affair (if that). I think someone even said they’d rather be playing the games you get with Microsoft Windows.
I’m all for new games that showcase the Wiimote’s capabilities, but as Rollin has argued, too many mini-games could typecast the system and limit its range. And if the mini-games start to stink, as Wii Play looks it might, that’s even worse. Good thing Wario Ware: Smooth Moves is on the horizon to stamp out the stink quick if it should begin to meander throughout the Web.
Could our European and Japanese readers weigh in on this one?
[Thanks, MisterInvisible!]
Dont even bother buying this, I bought this one on first day for the extra controller, but the game is not worthy the 10 extra $.This is not even close to wii sports
At the end of the day i needed another Wiimote and this was the only way to get them at launch in the UK.For an extra £3 i don't really think i can complain, it has a few amusing games but nothing thats really going to hold your attention for very long at all.The tank game with 2 players is good fun though 🙂
My GF bought this for me as a present. She plays way more than I do. She loves and she says she wont stop till she gets all 9 gold medals, so she can beat me. I dont like it that much , it is too easy for me. I love WiiSports but not this one.This is meant to introduce non gamers to the wii control. First time you play it makes you go through all 9 games. Every game is designed to use a specific aspect of the wii mote.I beleive that most long time gamers wont find it atractive. But i most say every single person in my family loves this game.
I have Wii Play since launch and I have to say: buy this for the extra wiimote.Only the tennis table and shooting (and maybe laser hockey) are fun in multiplayer. Everything else isn't that attractive. It's really just a way to introduce non gamers to the wii.
I got it at launch. Short comments on each game:Shooting: Good fun, quite hectic. Simple target shooting with 2 Wiimotes is great. I doubt I'll be play it next year, since its rather easy.Find Mii: Very hard alone after 10 rounds, a lot of fun with 2 people or more.Pose Mii: Rather boring, somewhat easy. I'd rather play Shooting.Table Tennis: Nice but hard. Difficult to master, and I'm only really amused by the game while playing it with someone else.Laser Hockey: Works well, very simple to make it very hard for your opponent. Best played against another person.Billiards: Not much to tell about this game, works quite good. Can be quite hard.Fishing: Rather boring, not much replay value.Charge!: Very amusing, pretty easy. Loads of fun if you play it with a friend, and you're both quite good at it.Tanks!: Best game, for me, without a doubt. It combines action with semi-stealth, tactics and good old blasting very well. Play it with a friend, and the game gets even better.Making shells bounce off walls to hit enemies around corners, discuss tactics, and warn your mate of incoming shells. You'll do all that, and more. It's like a 'kiddy' topview version of FPS's.The first 10 to 15 levels are quite easy, but after those levels the game gets very hard.3 lives if you play alone, and 1 bonus life for every 10 levels finished.Zero lives if you play together. You can die as often as you want, but if both of you get killed in the same level, its all over. I found myself sitting on the edge of my chair whenever I died.This game made had us in its grip for 3 hours the first time.. Time flew by. Online version, please! Or a 4 player game, anything! MORE! Great simple visuals, nice music, and easy controls.I should add that most games like fishing and pose Mii could be very enjoyable for minors. I myself am 20 and found both games rather easy, and got bored with both. I know the game is made to 'learn' how to use the Wiimote, and they both succeed at it.Funny thing about my (Dutch) cardboard box that held the Wiimote and the case: it reads "Wii Play – Game included"It's good that when you buy a game, it is included! :D-Fank
I got this on day one (like everyone else, for the extra wii-mote) and this is probably the least played of all my Wii games.I will say, however, that Billiards and The shooting gallery are fairly rewarding experiences. I can play those two over and over again. The rest of the line up, however, I don't even touch. It is, however, good to introduce people to the range of motions and orientations that the wii-mote can handle.Stay away from fishing though — it is frustratingly evil.The only reason I'd recommend it is if you want to add to the stack of white dvd cases you've been acquiring for the Wii while adding a controller on the cheap.
Got it today.Surprisingly difficult to find in the UK, although Gamestation appear to have loads.Get it for the extra Wiimote, (which are a bit expensive IMO). If it were on its own I wouldn't have bothered.TBH this should probably have been the pack-in title, rather than Wii Sports. Especially considering how well Sports has sold in Japan.
Got this for Christmas purely for the extra Wii-mote. If you've already got four then there really is no point in buying it. People said that Wii Sports was nothing but a glorified tech demo – that's precisely what this is. Table Tennis is reasonably good fun until you reach 99 returns at which point the game just stops. No high score challenging opportunities here. My personal favourite is the billiards one. It works really really well and is fun to play. I played all 9 games Christmas day before I tucked into Zelda and haven't played any of them since. It's fun for a little while and is worth the extra $10 or whatever it is across the pond. But don't expect it to hold your attention anything like as much as Wii Sports.
It's not even worth the extra Wiimote. You'd better buy a Wiimote and keep 10 dollars for a nunchuck or game. I played WiiPlay for 20 minutes, just to get through the games. Laser Hockey is funny, but otherwise there's nothing here – better go for Wario Ware or Rayman!
This game looks to be very much a tech demo.But if you need an extra controler, it may be worth picking up.Also, it would be usefull as a party game for more fun multiplayer action.This game is by no means another Wii sports, so just have some fun with it and dont compare.
One has to wonder why they're even gonna bother if the game's gonna come out so late.Keep in mind Wii Play is basically jsut a collection of left-over game demos created by Nintendo to give different uses to the Wii-mote, nothing more. In fact they were the first demos used to display the Wii controller back at E3 05, which explains the lack of depth.I'm pretty sure it'll sell a bit, if only cuz of the controller. Let's hope Nintendo preps up that Wii health package or something else that caters to the non-gamers (and gamers).
People should only be considering this game simply for the fact that it comes with a controller. As a 'game' itself, Wii Play is a very disappointing. Wii Play makes Wii Sports look like a full fledged game.
From what i gather, the US release wont be bundled with a controller…leave this one alone.
Can't imagine why on earth it's only being released now across the pond since really, for the extra 2.5 euros I paid for it over here in Poland as compared to just an extra controller, it was ok to pop into the Wii on day one to get to know to wiimote and all that. Can't imagine its usefulness in the US now that everyone knows their Wii inside out. Oh well, maybe it will be interesting for the non-gamers who will only be picking up Wiis now that they become more available.A few comments on the games themselves however. After perhaps one week of owning the Wii I've never played Wii Play alone again. However, it does still find some playtime with other people around. Funnily, the choice of game then depends on who I play against. Shooting is mine and my girlfriend's favorite–it _is_ good, simple fun and also she kicks my butt at it royally. Ping pong can also be pretty challenging against a good player. Laser hockey can be fun, although the controls are kinda hard to master. And I must say I sort of dig fishing–especially since it's the one my mom's the best at, hehe…. Sadly, none of my friends who have played Wii with me are good at tanks yet ;)All in all, if you really need to pay 10 bucks for it in the US, I guess you can do without. After all you can buy 1000 Wii points for that money instead.
I got this one on day one and I don't regret it but I haven't played it more than a couple of hours…Maybe the best reason for buying this game is to show non gamers how the Wiimote works.
the wiimote is the only reason I bought it, though that tank game can be a fun challenge
It's absolute rubbish. I only got it because I needed a new remote and they didn't charge any extra for the game. I put it on once to see what it was like, played it through in about 30 minutes, and haven't touched it since.
I bought my Wii with my two housemates, so we bought four Wiimotes straight off, including one that came with Wiiplay.I wouldn't buy Wiiplay by itself for the price of a regular game, though I'd be happy to throw up to $AU25 at it to have it stand-alone.I agree with what someone else said about it being one of our least-played games (we have about six so far) and I think it works best for families or groups of friends – the times we crack it out are when we're all in the mood to play together and don't feel like playing Rayman or Wii Sports. I enjoy playing it for variety alone too – I find the duck-hunt-esque shooting game the most fun – the last level, where you have to shoot UFOs that are trying to capture your Miis, is particularly fun.It's a nice little package of silly things to do with the Wii – worth the price it costs when it comes with a Wiimote, for sure. good for variety and definitely good for non-gamers to learn the ropes.