34. Wii Sports Resort (Video Game)

WII SPORTS RESORT (Nintendo, 2009)

GENRE: Video Game / Sports

HONORS: BAFTA Video Game Award for Best Family & Social Game, Family Gamer Award for Games for Students

REVIEW:

Set on a beach resort on Wuhu Island, this sequel to Wii Sports includes twelve different sports from which players can choose, placing them on various spots around the island.  Some of the sports include swordplay, wakeboarding, Frisbee, archery, and basketball.  Taking advantage of the setting, the air sports game allows players to fly around, exploring the island while collecting points in a limited amount of time.  Requiring the Wii MotionPlus attachment for greater accuracy, players use the Wii remote to mimic the actions needed for the real sport.  While each player must have a remote for the canoeing game, the majority of games that allow for three or more players provide for the Wii remote to be passed amongst the group.  Represented by Mii avatars, players will increase or decrease in skill level depending on their performance in each sport.  Players can also unlock new levels for each sport, increasing the difficulty by either adding to the number of objects to defeat or changing the style of the sport.

OPINION:

Rated E for everyone, this is a wonderful game for friends and family members to play together.  While I enjoyed playing some of the sports by myself, the game really thrives when multiple people play.  Although individuals that are new to the Wii format and do not have a lot of gaming experience might need a little practice with the remote, the game is very user-friendly and it is simple to catch on quickly.  I was hooked as soon as I started the skydiving game, which has a solo player attempting to link hands with other avatars while skydiving and turning back to take a picture with them.  The more faces that are looking at the camera, the higher amount of points you earn.  It is definitely challenging, but I found myself playing it over and over as I tried to get a higher score.  There are sports that will appeal to all ages, making it a perfect party game.

IDEAS:

This game would be great for a library game night, engaging tweens in a game that they can play with their friends.  Because Wii Sports Resort consists of several mini-games, a large group of tweens can take turns playing without a lot of time between turns.