WII Sports Resort is summer’s final vactaion

It’s probably pretty hard to find anyone you know that hasn’t played Wii Sports or at least knows what it’s all about. When Nintendo’s Wii took the gaming world by storm a little over three years ago, Wii Sports was the definitive experience that proved what the little white box could do, namely get families to play video games together.

The newest entry in the franchise, Wii Sports Resort, has a similar challenge ahead of it and for those of you that haven’t found a reason to put any other game in your Wii, this one’s for you.

First, it’s important to understand that Resort comes packaged with a small attachment for the Wii remote called Wii MotionPlus. This little doohickey snaps onto the bottom of your remote and serves the purpose of improving and refining the existing motion controls, providing the only true 1-to-1 motion experience on any current video game console. Now, on to the games!

While the original Wii Sports was a bit barebones, Resort goes the extra mile not only by providing great unlockables and exciting challenges, but by making the setting for all the sports an island resort. This provides a sense of cohesion to the games and they all blend to create an immersing experience, as opposed to a series of seemingly unconnected events.

The game starts off with your chosen character parachuting down to the island. As you twist and turn the Wii remote, your character responds in kind, gliding, diving or tumbling through the air. Soon the chute opens and you’re free to pick the game of your choice.

Resort offers 12 sports. Some old, some new, all pretty great. The best thing about the game is that your mileage will undoubtedly vary from mine and you’ll probably find yourself going back to different sports than the ones I’ll list as my personal favorites.

For example, the sports I would cite as standouts are sword fighting, basketball, archery, table tennis and bowling. The good-not-great list includes air sports, frisbee, golf and wakeboarding. The throwaways are cycling, canoeing and power cruising.

But much like an all-inclusive resort vacation, different people will prefer to do different things. Nintendo really nailed this aspect and it’s great to see a game that truly has something for everyone. The controls are tight, the graphics are clean and aesthetically pleasing, if otherwise unimpressive, and the sports are just a flat-out blast. If you loved Wii Sports, you will want to marry Wii Sports Resort.