Wii Sports Resort review

Nintendo themselves must have been surprised by the success of Wii Sports. Even though it came bundled with most Wii's, it remains a firm party favourite, and won several industry awards. Each sport was easy to learn, but offered enough depth that mastering them was a challenge. Even with MotionPlus, the more technologically advanced device that picks up motion more accurately, Wii Sports Resort maintains this philosophy. The controls are superb, and each gesture is picked up perfectly. It seems that Wii Sports was only a taste of motion controls, and Wii Sports Resort is the main course. This is most obvious in the bowling and golf, the only two games from Wii Sports to make it into the sequel. Golf is actually fun to play, with the swing feeling less random, and getting strikes in bowling requires a bit more skill. Whilst tennis doesnt make it to the resort, table tennis takes its place, and playing top spin and slice shots is far easier and more effective.There are 12 sports on offer, including 10 new disciplines. These include canoeing, jet skiing, wakeboarding, sky diving, archery, Frisbee, and swordplay. Gamestyles favourite sports are the swordplay (which offers three addictive modes, and will soon have you hacking and slashing around your living room like some kind of deranged samurai warrior), table tennis (although the games are over far too quickly, even with a hidden mode to play 11-point games), archery (incredibly satisfying), and Frisbee golf (tough to master, but again, extremely rewarding to play). Some low-lights include the Wake boarding, which is dull, and the canoeing and cycling, which just end up wearing you out and being no fun in the process.Some of the sports are not as much fun as others, but with each sport having two or three variations, there's a good enough mix for all your friends and family to find something they will enjoy. This is a good thing, as playing Wii Sports Resort on your own isn't as much fun as playing with others. Nintendo have tried to address this with the introduction of Stamps, which are earned by completing certain tasks during the sport, similar to the 360s Achievements, or the PS3s Trophies. Whilst there's no real reward for collecting these, it does add replay value, and some are certainly challenging. Playing each sport unlocks a new variation, like 3-on-3 basketball, or an addictive Showdown mode of swordplay that almost lets you live out lightsaber-wielding fantasies.Playing against AI opponents is only so much fun, however, and like its predecessor, Wii Sports Resort excels in multiplayer. Each sport is well thought out, and very intuitive. It only takes a few minutes to learn the technique, and it's not long before the action becomes competitive. Some games involve team work, whilst others make you rivals, pitting Miis against each other. Some sports also offer the ability to have 2-on-2 contests, like alternate shots golf, which makes for more entertaining games. Due to the increased variety, and more polished presentation, Wii Sports Resort surpasses the original in terms of party fun. It really is a shame that Nintendo didnt see fit to include any kind of online-multiplayer. The ability to challenge people from around the globe, or even having an online scoreboard for each sport would have been very welcome. The single-player side of Wii Sports Resort wont hold interest for long, and the occasions where you will get together with enough friends to get the most out of the game will be few and far between. A decent online mode would have solved this, and made Wii Sports Resort a much more attractive purchase.The concept of the island resort works well, and many of the sports take you on a tour of the idyllic setting. In fact, you have to specifically find sights whilst flying a seaplane in one sport, and the cycling lets you seem them up close. There are a few Nintendo references to find, and some amusing descriptions of the various landmarks and buildings around the island. The overall presentation is good, although nothing spectacular. The graphics are bright enough, but simplistic, although this is clearly Nintendo's aim. The music contains some annoyingly catchy jingles, and the Wii Sports Commentator has obviously increased his vocabulary. The MotionPlus has to be calibrated on a regular basis, but Nintendo deals with this well, incorporating the recalibration action into the sport itself. During the Frisbee, for example, you have to collect the disc from a dog before you throw, rather than just being told to point at the screen. It may not sound much, but it makes playing Wii Sports Resort a much more smooth and pleasant experience than other MotionPlus games. For all its fun and frolics, the question of value arises, and whether or not Wii Sports Resort justifies its hefty price tag. The inclusion of a MotionPlus accessory helps justify the cost to some extent, but many of the sports require more than one of these accessories to be any fun in multiplayer. This means that to enjoy the game to its full extent, youll have to buy an additional MotionPlus, and Gamestyle finds it rather strange that a game so heavily marketed on the idea of playing with others, doesnt come with two as standard.Wii Sports Resort is a fantastic showpiece for MotionPlus, and the one thing that Gamestyle takes away from its time with the game is the possibility of what it could lead to. The archery and swordplay makes Gamestyle drool at what the next Zelda game has in store. The power cruising is already half-way to becoming the next Wave Race, and the flying sections lead you to believe that a new and exciting Pilot Wings is on the horizon. Gamestyle remembers having these thoughts when the Wii was first released, however, and no matter how much fun it is, this just emphasises the fact that Wii Sports Resort is indeed a glorified tech demo. It does offer more entertainment than its predecessor, and if you enjoyed Wii Sports and arent put off by the price, Gamestyle suggests you make the trip to the Resort.