Nintendo's Wii Sports Are Video Games That Get Your Heart Pumping
The Nintendo Wii is a video gaming system similar to the Sony Playstation or the Microsoft Xbox. But the Wii differs in the way Nintendo designed the remote controller. With other systems, the controller is designed for the player to sit passively and push buttons and/or move a joystick. The Wii remote is designed differently. With the Wii, gamers get in the game! The controller requires physical movement to make it work! With the bowling games, for example, the players move their arms in a similar motion to real bowling. The controller translates these movements into character movements on the screen. Wii Sports is a collection of five mini-games that comes bundled with the new Nintendo Wii system. The games are designed to spotlight the positive features of the console by utilizing the motion-detecting remote and the customized Mii avatar. Step-by-step instructions help to make the games easy for anyone to play. Most innovative is the way Wii Sports gets you off the couch and moving your body. Each of the five games has strengths and weaknesses, which will be reviewed in this article. Wii Sports Bowling
Easily the best of the five, Wii Bowling is addictive enough to be dangerous. The controller is very responsive with this game, meaning that any little twist of the wrist can make or break your throw. Up to three other players can compete against you but even the practice sessions are fun so don't worry if you happen to be alone. Wii Sports Baseball Although limited to pitching and hitting, Wii Baseball is still a great way to have a fun afternoon. Your actions control your success in the game thanks to the motion sensitive remote. The faster you swing the remote, the faster the ball in the game is thrown. Or hold the remote like a bat and try to hit a home run. The game really brings out your competitive spirit as you try to beat your friends or the computer. Wii Sports Tennis Not as responsive as bowling or baseball, tennis will take some finesse before you can call yourself a master. The controller is held in much the same way as you hold the "bat" in baseball but the addition of a double's partner makes the timing a little trickier. If the ball is close to your partner and you swing in anticipation of the ball coming your way, it's possible that the ball will fly by your partner's, and then your, head. Wii Sports Golf I've never been a fan of golfing video games but this one has some promising features. The courses are less complicated than some that I've seen and the remote allows control over more variables than just the normal power behind the swing. Still it takes some time and effort to get the timing right and unless you're a natural at this type of game, you're unlikely to want to put the hours into it necessary to master the game. Wii Sports Boxing This was the biggest disappointment of the package. Most certainly one of the most anticipated of the Wii Sports, the boxing simulation game falls very short of what was expected of it. Responsiveness is practically zilch with almost no hope of getting your Mii to hit where and when you want it to. On the other hand, your opponent is just about guaranteed to hit at least two out of every three swings. It's a good thing that the other four games are fun because you're not likely to play this one much. Wii Sports Training Not a game in and of itself, the Wii Sports training sessions still bear mention. Each sport, once played, unlocks training levels that feature basic to expert exercises. How many times can you hit out of thirty pitches in the baseball training? Or try to hit a bulls-eye with a tennis ball without missing any balls. The exercises differ as they get harder and each success improves your Mii's total fitness score so even if you won't get fit enough to win a gold medal from Wii Sports, your mini-you might. The Wii is a great gaming system because it doesn't promote passively playing video games. Rather, it requires the player to get up and move around. Body movements are translated into character movements onscreen. The Wii ships with Wii Sports, which is a collection of games such as bowling and boxing that encourage the player to get a workout while they play! |
