Nintendo used a smart marketing strategy with the debut of the Wii console. They bundled it with a game that showed off the unique style of the Wii in Wii Sports. It has been argued over whether or not it is actually a game or more of a demo on how the Wiimote works. However there is no denying the extraordinary success Nintendo has had with the simple and intuitive gameplay of the offerings on Wii Sports. People have purchased the Wii for that game alone and it is without a doubt one of the most played games on the Wii. Now with the development of a new peripheral that enhances the motion detection of the controller in Wii MotionPlus Nintendo has once again developed a game designed to show off the improvements that MotionPlus capitalizes upon. Has Nintendo gone too simple this time though? Read on to find out.

When starting up a game you will be asked to "sync" MotionPlus by laying it down on a flat surface. After it is synced you are ready to go. That is for a while at least. Unfortunately MotionPlus can be somewhat testy and get confused and become out of sync. At anytime you can press the + button to access the menu and re-sync it. The problem with this is there isn't really a way to tell if it is actually out of sync when entering the menu. It just shows it as spinning and will allow you to sync again if you wish. It'd be nice if it just kept it normal to indicate hey it is working perfectly fine and only showed it spinning in cases where you actually need to re-sync. (That way your friends can't use hey I lost because my controller was out of sync! excuse) Some of the games that are faster paced are more likely to need this and thankfully most of them have a quick sync key that allows you to re-center yourself with the press of a button rather than pausing the game pressing + and setting your Wiimote down to sync. I don't know if I'm extremely lucky or what but I must say that I've only had the MotionPlus get out of sync  on me once. It was an extremely frustrating experience because I didn't know what was going on at first and nothing was behaving the way I wanted it to. That being said I've never had a problem with MotionPlus in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, and have only had one issue with it in Wii Sports Resort.

Make sure you leave Sensor Bar Assist on as it helps keep MotionPlus working correctly. (I'll talk more about this in my MotionPlus review) Nintendo has added a few other gameplay elements that make the experience slightly more enjoyable. There is now a stamp system which is a nod to PS3/360 Achievement systems in games. As you complete objectives in each mode you can collect stamps. There are 5 stamps for each game. You will also be asked if you'd like to Import popular Mii characters from the Check Mii Out Channel. Obviously you will have to have this channel for it to work. However thankfully it is free and you can download it from the Wii Shop Channel. There are some crazy characters out there and it can be fun to see what people have come up with.

Gameplay: 7/10

Like Wii Sports, Resort consists of various mini games. A few you will recognize as transfers over from the original however most are new offerings. For each game I'll be providing you with a short description of the gameplay options and the number of Wiimotes and MotionPlus devices you will need (so you are aware of how many you need to get the most out of this game). Note that MotionPlus is required for this game, thankfully one is included but if you are looking to play with more people each controller used will require a MotionPlus accessory. If there is a * next to the amount of players it indicates that one controller can be shared between all the players as you will be taking turns. So for example while Archery supports 4 players, all 4 players can use the same Wiimote. All other cases you will need one Wiimote per player. Like Wii Sports as you play you will receive a ranking that will be adjusted each time you complete a game which is charted on a graph. it doesn't do much but it is an added sense of accomplishment.

Air Sports:

Skydiving
Players: 1
Fly through the sky with the greatest of ease. Twisting and turning and linking up with other Mii's! So that is basically all there is to this mode. You can twist and contort your character as you descend towards the island and attempt to connect to as many other Mii characters as possible. When you first load up the game you are forced to skydive as sort of an intro to the island. I haven't played it since to give you an idea of how much fun or lack thereof you get out of this.

Island Flyover
Players: 1
Hold the Wiimote similar to a paper airplane and fly around exploring this Island Resort. You can discover a number of places on the island. As you discover things in subsequent runs there will be balloons and other objects you can shoot. It might be fun at the start but the novelty wears out quickly after you've seen everything the Island has to offer.

Dogfight
Players: 1-2
Take to the sky and attempt to defeat your opponent in a dogfight. Rather than actually shooting your opponent down they have balloons over their heads ala Mario Kart. Each player starts out with 20 balloons. You can collect balloons as you go and it seems this is more of the focus then the actual dogfight. Flying is a bit tricky and collecting the balloons is hard enough without trying to line up your opponent and shoot them. It's more common to be just a coincidence if they happen to fly in front of you while you are both going for balloons than actual skill. This could have been a more enjoyable mode if it allowed more players and if the controls were more refined for flight.

Archery
Players: 1-4*
Nunchuk required
Shoot a target at various distances. The harder the difficulty the more wind and difficult targets you will get. I haven't found much incentive to play this by myself more than a couple of times. However it can be fun to compete in a group setting.

Basketball
Press B while you hold the Wiimote up and then lift it up like you are shooting. This is all about timing when to release the B button to get the shot to fall.

Three Point Challenge
Players: 1-4*
Report behind the arc and drop as many 3 pointers before time expires. Anyone who has seen a three point contest for the NBA will recognize the format. 5 racks of 5 balls with the last ball in each rack being a special ball worth 2 points. Apparently I should be in the NBA, cuz I was dropping j's all day. Ok no more random rhymes in the review I promise. But seriously once you get the form down this mode is pretty easy, although it is fun to see how high of a score you can run up.

Pickup Game
Players: 1-2
Take part in a 3v3 half court basketball game. While this could have been fun the game is extremely limited. You cannot really direct your character to try and dribble around defenders. You basically just pass back and forth between your three characters and attempt to get a decent shot off. Should have added nunchuk support to maneuver your character it would have made it much more interesting. That being said why is it only playable for 2 people? There are 6 characters in the game wouldn't it make sense to allow four people to play at once? Sure since you can't really do anything without the ball it might have been somewhat boring but it is better than watching. Defense consists of moving the Wiimote left and right to risk and attempt to steal the ball (can off balance you) and moving it up will make your character jump in an attempt to block a shot. Miss a shot, get a steal, or block a shot either way you switch offense and defense and start over at the top of the key. This mode could have been good, but it is too simple.

Bowling
Players: 1-4* (all games)
Done exactly the same as in Wii Sports just has the advantage of being MotionPlus compatible now. The only real difference this makes is you are able to spin the ball in the both directions now regardless of what hand you are using. I won't describe the standard game as everyone should be familiar with that already. There are two new offerings to bowling and they are

100 Pin game which is exactly what the name implies. You now have 100 pins to knock down rather than 10. I found this mode pretty entertaining just watching all those pins fall at once.

Spin Control throws obstacles in the way making you avoid them in order to knock down pins.

Canoeing
Really Nintendo? You consider this a game? One of the throw away offerings in the game, canoeing is done by "paddling" to the left and right side of your body alternatively to go straight and more on one side for turns.

Speed challenge (1-4* players) is exactly what it sounds like. Paddle through a course as fast as possible.

Vs. (2-4 players) you race opponents through checkpoints, first to cross five wins.

Cycling
Players: 1-2 for Road Race, Vs requires 2 players
Nunchuk required

Another throw away offering while I enjoyed it the first time I played it is isn't something I would play again. It is more of a game in the Wii Fit mold than something I'd expect out of Sports Resort. To peddle you use the remote and nunchuk to represent the peddles and just go up and down. It is a workout but not really all that enjoyable of an experience.

Frisbee
Frisbee is one of the more accurate showings of how MotionPlus affects the gameplay. It is extremely important to make sure you have your body lined up with your target, the frisbee at the correct angle that you want to throw (it will curve accurately based upon the angle you hold it), and release the frisbee with the correct timing. I find it is easier to get everything correct with MotionPlus because your character is imitating what you are doing in real time.

Frisbee Dog
Players: 1-4*
This mode will be sure to be a hit with the kids as the dog is extremely cute. At least player one's is. My sister was disappointed that she didn't receive the same dog as me and her black puppy wasn't nearly as cute according to her. Anyway in this mode you are trying to throw to a circular target with 100, 50, and 10 point rings. When you throw it the dog will run and catch it if it is going to land in one of the rings. Get a good result with high enough trajectory and the dog will leap into the air and catch the Frisbee and then go into a celebration. The celebrations consist of running in a circle enthusiastically, jumping up and down, and a backflip. So for the first 5 throws you are just throwing to the rings. The second five giant balloons will show up that are worth extra points that you will have to have the Frisbee hit and then curve to land into the target for maximum points. While the dog is undeniably cute there is somewhat of a learning curve to this game as you have to know how to throw the Frisbee (angle, release point, etc.). While I had an easy time of it my sister struggled and no longer wanted to play this. She claimed she knew what she was doing, although her results beg to differ. So for younger gamers it can potentially become frustrating if they aren't getting the results they think they should be.

Frisbee Golf
Players: 1-4*
Take to the links with 3 different "clubs" (different distance Frisbees) and play the golf holes included in the game. Unlike Frisbee golf in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 getting the Frisbee to the circular area indicating the hole is enough and it will be sucked in. Therefore it doesn't matter how hard you throw it as long as it gets to the targeted area you will complete the hole. I don't really have a preference between the two games. Sports Resort is undeniably easier and lacks the course options that Woods has however.

Golf
Players: 1-4*
This is the same game from Sports but now with MotionPlus. There may be more or different courses but it looks pretty much the same to me. While it controls well and is a nice addition it pales in comparison to Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10. So while I will never touch this mode as I have a much superior golfing experience on the Wii it is a nice simple version for those of you who don't own a copy of Tiger Woods.

Power Cruising
Nunchuk required

Slalom Course
Players: 1-4*
You race through a course passing through the rings in an attempt to get the best time. Use waves to your advantage to attempt to get the lead.

Vs.
Players: 2 required
Head to head race against the person standing next to you.


Another lackluster addition in my opinion I had no real motivation to play either mode after the first experience.

Swordplay
I think it would be fair to say this was one of the most anticipated aspects and Sports Resort. It is an excellent way to show off the motion controls and an extremely satisfying one as well. This happens to be the first game I selected to play and go head to head verses my sister.

Duel
Players: 1-2
If you have ever seen the American Gladiator series you will recognize this event. It is basically Joust but rather than the sticks participants have swords. This is the mode in which my sister channels her inner Karate kid. She goes all out and screams out hyaa and ayaaa as she flails her sword around as fast as she can. I'm in the unfortunate position of watching her and cannot help but laugh at her extreme enthusiasm as I try to parry her blows and counter with my own. As you can expect its extremely hard to counter when you are laughing and soon enough I was watching my character fall and splash into the water as she raised her arms victoriously and claimed that she was the master. Note that my sister is 22, if she gets this much fun out of the game I can only imagine that younger kids will find it to be a blast as well.

Speed Slice
Players: 1-2
Go head to head to see who can has the fastest recognition and reflexes.  Different objects will fall with an arrow pointing in the direction in which you need to slice. The first player to win 10 is victorious. I found this mode to be okay. It's fun to see who has the quickest reaction time, again disappointed that Nintendo seems to limit offerings to two characters going head to head at once. It'll be fun for awhile but you will soon grow tired of it as swinging in a certain direction the quickest can only hold ones attention for so long.

Showdown
Players: 1
Defeat as many enemies as possible in this melee before you are whacked three times yourself. This mode is pretty fun just because of the pure melee factor involved. Unfortunately since so much is going on at once it is one of the games where it is more likely your MotionPlus will go berserk.

Table Tennis
This game is just meh for me however I must say I could be biased as I have a ping pong table in my basement that I can enjoy and would much rather play than this game. The spin you are placing on the ball is somewhat accurate as it will spin in the correct direction but won't be the same as in real life. It makes no difference how hard you swing the Wiimote the speed of the ball is just based upon the angle you hit it and the spin.

Match
Players: 1-2
Yawn, single player in this is extremely repetitive. Continue to hit to one side and try and isolate the computer in a corner. Hit to the opposite side to make them hit the ball higher into the air. Slam to the opposite side. Rinse and repeat for the most part. As you get higher up in levels the PC will be able to return some of the slams but you just continue to hit them to the opposite sides until they miss. Eventually they will have to dive for it and you can take advantage. One of the most frustrating things for me is when you hit the ball in midair it gives a point to the opponent. Occasionally the ball will bounce off the top of the net and I will still hit it as I saw the bounce. However I lose the point. It gets harder as you go up the ranks more because the slow movement of characters and it forcing you to reach for the ball when you shouldn't have to resulting in slams. The only enjoyment I got out of single player mode was going up against an opponent who used a shoe instead of a paddle.

Heads up match play is a little more fun as you are going up against someone right there with you and can talk smack to each other. Still it's basically the same approach as against the PC player eventually someone will have to reach to make a hit and hit it high into the air resulting in a slam. It is extremely entertaining to slam a return into your opponents face, not talking smack now are ya?

Return Challenge
Players: 1-4*
I feel like this was just randomly added in to say there were multiple modes for Table Tennis. The computer player serves you return it. That's it. It counts the number of returns you have and you can go for a high score. It can be hard to follow which ball you currently need to hit thankfully Nintendo recognized this and the server alternates between white and orange balls. After about 10 returns cans will start to randomly appear on the table that you can hit for an additional 3 points. If I wasn't such a competitive person I wouldn't have played this after the first try as it was pretty boring and I didn't see much of a point. However I wanted the stamps that you can collect.

Wakeboarding
Players: 1-4*
Follow a boat and pull off tricks as you hit the waves. You hold the Wiimote just like you would hold the handle of the towline. To land successfully you just need to make sure the board is flat. My sister seemed to be a master at this while I struggled. I thought my board looked flat but I continued to end up crashing headfirst into the water. It is fun for awhile as you see yourself rack up the points. Then you realize that the same few tricks are being repeated over and over and you may lose interest.

Graphics: 7/10

Graphically Sports Resort may not be something that will stun you or leave your jaw on the floor, however it is a nice clean simple presentation that can be appreciated. The game runs at a smooth 60 frames per second which is not something to bat your eyes at. Not much is more frustrating than a game that becomes extremely choppy when attempting to play. The settings are all appropriate for the most part. When you're on the beach competing in frisbee dog you'll see hermit crabs crawling around in the background among the spectators cheering you on. As mentioned previously the dog is cute as a button with its blue spiked collar. One glaring thing that kept showing up to me is how the spectators didn't have legs. The characters you are playing against have legs as do you but for some reason Nintendo chose not to give the spectators any. Perhaps they realized no one would bother watching these games if they could walk off and find something more thrilling to do at the resort. The characters in the game remind me of balloon animals. The bodies have that balloon rounded quality to them.

Sounds: 8/10

The announcer from Wii Sports makes a return and as in the last game does a good job. The musical offerings are all up-tune happy style you'd expect to hear in a Nintendo/Island offering. There isn't anything that is really memorable in the sounds but they fit the scene. You'll hear seagulls in the background on the beach as wave's crash into the shore. The airplane engine roars as you take to the sky to flyover this beautiful island setting. The crowds will cheer in appreciation as you successfully win a challenge. They also make a strange grunting noise when watching you play Table Tennis though. This had me scratching my head I didn't know what was going on with that. Perhaps Nintendo thought it was like real Tennis where the athletes will grunt when hitting a shot? But why then would the spectators do it? Who knows, anyway for the most part sounds in this game are solid and appropriate for the setting.

Replay Value: 6/10

Several factors combine to make the replay value of this game plunge. First off there are only a few solid games, and several of them are just repeats from Sports with improved motion controls. Combine that with the factor that this game is best played in groups. Well if you can't find anyone else to enjoy this title with it will be collecting dust on your shelf along with the first offering. Addition of an online feature could have helped this; even leaderboards for games like bowling, archery, etc would have been nice. Alas Nintendo once again chooses to leave out online options. There are a few games that are truly enjoyable and you will likely finding yourself coming back to however there just aren't enough to give it a better score. Thankfully the stamp achievement system adds some desire to play this even if you are only playing alone.

Overall: 6.5/10

If you enjoyed Wii Sports you will most likely enjoy this version as well. The biggest question to ask yourself will you play it often enough and with how many people? Like Wii Sports, Resort is best enjoyed with others. A game that can show off the motion controls in several different enjoyable modes. Unfortunately not all the games are up to snuff and several feel like throw away additions just added in an attempt to justify the $49.99 price tag and to show off the controls in different ways. Of the 12 offered games I only found 6 that I would consider playing on a somewhat regular basis. Thankfully there are different modes for most of the games now to give it some depth.  However all the games are rather simple in design and can become repetitive. It's fine when the game is free thrown in with the console. It is another thing when you are charging $30. (subtracted the $20 a MotionPlus unit costs since it is bundled with Wii Sports Resort) Unless you really want this and plan on it being a party pleaser wait until the price comes down as you will be purchasing additional MotionPlus devices as well if you want to experience the game at its fullest.

Published by: Nintendo
Genre: Sports
ESRB: Everyone
Players: 1-4
Online: No
MotionPlus Support: Yes (required)

Other Nintendo Wii Reviews:
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10
Wii MotionPlus
Wii Nunchuk Controller
Wii Remote Charge Station

Recommended: Yes