Wii Sports
Year: 2006
Rating: E
Time Played: ~20 hours
Few games have had the immense cultural impact quite like Wii Sports. As the game included with new Wii systems, Nintendo knocked it out of the park for a game that not only was simple to pick up and play but that also was accessible to anyone who could move their arms. While previous generations of launch titles highlighted the graphical capabilities of the system, Wii Sports sold many on the motion controls that were essential to the console itself.
With five different sports included in the game, Nintendo chose sports that were simple and common enough that most people just understood how to play them without much need for explanation or tutorial. Kids, adults, and grandparents could all bond over the fun experience of virtual bowling, baseball, or tennis while more serious gamers could perfect their handling of the Wii Remote to master virtual golf or boxing. Of course, the issue here being that the motion controls were sometimes inconsistent enough that you could easily have a bad round of any of these sports if things weren’t calibrated correctly.
As a party game, Wii Sports was definitely something that was a popular addition to events when I was in college. If the players didn’t take it too seriously, it was mostly just a fun way to be active with friends in the comfort of a home. That being said, the time it would take to play certain sports (like golf) were maybe a little too close to reality while others (like baseball) were simplified down enough to basically be a motion control mini-game. Let’s also not forget how difficult one-player boxing can be as well. Still, if you haven’t played Wii Sports yet, it’s definitely time to give it a try.
A perfect tech demo game for the Wii’s motion controls, I give Wii Sports 4.0 stars out of 5.
