Coming Soon: “Wii Sports Resort”

Wii Sports Resort will be released on July 26, 2009 and is a sequel to the highly popular Wii Sports.  The game comes with the Wii MotionPlus accessory which is expected to enhance game play by making the controller more responsive.

The activity games for Nintendo are pretty hit-and-miss, in my opinion, but it also depends on what you are looking for.  Wii Sports is one of my favorite early games but, despite the name, it really doesn’t make people move around like they would if they were playing something like EA Sports Active (which I consider to be the very best activity-based Wii game).  Therefore, if you’re looking for something that will help you burn calories, I wouldn’t recommend Wii Sports Resort but it is a great game if you want to have a fun time with friends or family.

For people who have played Wii Sports or Wii Play, mastering the controls will be fairly easy since this just builds on those same actions.  Of course, players will have to adapt to using the Wii MotionPlus but, since I haven’t tried it,  I can’t tell how different it will be.

The game takes place at a beach resort on Wuhu Island.  Players will have access to the following twelve games:

Disc Dog – this is a cute little game that seems to involve throwing a Frisbee to a puppy.  There seems to be targets so throwing the disc at the right time is crucial.

Power Cruising – this is a new game during which players must race on a water scooter.  It almost reminds me of some Mario levels.  I wish that the game allowed people to use the Wii Balance Board if they have one for this game but it still looks like fun.

Swordplay – It looks like it can take place in several different environments but one of them makes me think of fencing or jousting up on a podium dozens of feet above water.  It kind of reminds me of that event on American Gladiators, to tell the truth.  I think this could be a lot of fun when playing against someone you know versus playing against the computer.

Table Tennis – this looks a lot like the table tennis from Wii Play but, of course, the players have full bodies instead of just hands.  I can’t tell you how frustrated this game has made me in the past so I hope that I will have better luck with this updated version.

Golf – the golf looks like you would expect if you’ve played Wii Sports but I really do wonder how the Wii MotionPlus will affect the golf club’s swing.  There have been times where I thought the regular, unenhanced Wiimote was already too sensitive for longer shots but it would be great to have more control over putting.

Air Sports – the only preview I’ve seen of this involves skydiving so I’m not completely sure what is involved with this game.  I can’t imagine how the controls would work on this one.

Basketball – I’ve played basketball in a few games, most recently EA Sports Active and it’s basically all the same.  Jump and put your arms above your head with the Wiimote to mimic the movements you would actually use if you were playing basketball.

Archery – I’ve played the archery game in Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games and this looks relatively similar.  I’m not sure if you have to use the Nunchuk to help aim, though.

Cycling – I’m not completely sure how the cycling is going to work but I’m looking forward to it.  It looks like you can race alongside opponents which could be a lot of fun.

Bowling – the bowling in Wii Sports has got to be one of my favorite games and I know a lot of my friends and family still play it on a regular basis.  Again, a more sensitive Wiimote could make a real difference and it looks like they’ve made changes to the onscreen alignment guide (that could be very helpful).

Canoeing – it’s pretty self-explanatory.  The only boating game I can think of that I’ve played with the Wii was in Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games and I enjoyed it a lot even though my arms were in a lot of pain!

Wakeboarding – this just looks crazy.  I’m assuming that the movements will be controlled by moving the Wiimote from side-to-side and possibly shaking it.  This is another one that could have been cool with the Wii Balance Board.

Aeroplane – I’m not great with flying games so I’m sure that I’m going to fail miserably but I love the diversity since this is just one of the two games that allows players to control some sort of machinery.

Still need to see more?  Check out this game trailer.  It gives a quick overview of each of the twelve games!