Wii Sports is a great collection of simple sports games to get you started with the Wii

User Rating: 8 | Wii Sports WII
If you have a Wii, then you have Wii Sports. It comes free with every console, so it's great to know that you don't have to rush to Blockbuster in order to play a game with your new console. Wii Sports is a collection of five sports game that all use the Wii mote,and some are very fun to play while some are not as fun. But they are all creative and they are good practice for using the Wii mote.

The first game in the list is Tennis. Normally you would be doing alot of moving around in a game of Tennis to line your racket up with the ball. But in Wii Sports, your character moves automatically so all you have to do is hit the ball when it comes to you. Swinging the Wii mote to the left will case the racket to swing to the left, same for right. It is said that 100 different shots are possibe in Tennis depending on how you swing your Wii mote. Without realising, you can hit the ball and cause it to go out, all depending on how you swing. The scoring is the same like all tennis games, 0-15, 15-30, 30-40, and then win if you don't tie. Tennis has support for up to 4 players. So, Tennis is a fun game to play and can also be good exercise.

Next we have baseball, a simple pitch and hit baseball game. When you start, you will be batting first if playing as one player. Simply swing the bat when the CPU pitches the ball to you. Depending on your timing and power, you can hit the ball at a great distance and cause it flying into the stadium hitting some unlucky person, causing a Home Run. You can also do a "Out of the park", but it's the same thing as a Home Run. Pitching is simple as well. Simply "throw" the Wii mote for a fast ball, or hold down a button or two to pitch either a curveball, screwball, or a splitter. At times the game can seem unfair. If a CPU player throws a splitter and it bounces off the field, its ok. If you do the same, it counts as a ball. Also, some of the balls that the CPU players throw are nearly impossible to hit, causing easy strikeouts. This being said, the game is still fun to play. It has support for up to 2 players, one pitching and the other hitting.

Next is bowling. Here, you swing the Wii mote like it's an actual bowling ball. You hold down B, swing down, then release B while swinging back up. At first, it'll probably take several tries to do it correctly. The ball also seems to have a tendency to curve to the left alot, no matter what direction you swing the Wii mote. Tilting the Wii mote while it's rolling may impact the curve slightly, not nothing to really help at all. However, if you throw the ball real hard and fast, your chances of getting a strike increase. Bowling is another fun game to play, and has support for 4 players, so get Grandma going.

Next in line is Golf. Hold the Wii mote like it's a real golf club and swing. It's that easy. If you swing hard, the ball may curve and go to someplace you don't want it to go. It's usually best to swing lightly, but the games has a problem registering very brief swings if you're very close to the hole. You can practice before each shot you take, but then you have to press and hold A to actually hit the ball, which you will probably let go of a few times and then you'll wonder why the ball didn't go anywhere. Get all these rules down, and Golf can be a good quiet game to play, although there's not much action. It has support for up to 4 players as well.

Finally is Boxing. It's the most tiring game in Wii Sports, and it's the most complicated. This one needs the Nunchuk too. Basically, the two devices are your hands in the game. You can punch with either device depending on what hand you want to use to punch, and you can also swing upwards to send a violent slam into your opponent that'll make Jack Thompson sue. You have a health meter that flashes as you fight, and it gets eaten away at as you get hit by your opponent. Boxing has support for 2 players so that two friends can show their true friendship. I'll admit it, I actually feel sorry for the person I'm punching.

If you use your Mii to play a game, you get skill points. The more you play and win, the higher your skill will go. The higher your skill, the A.I. players you play with will also have higher skill, making the game harder.

The graphics for all the games are pretty simple, and you'll notice jaggies if you're using component cables. The audio is also simple, with sound effects coming out of the Wii mote's speaker to make seem more real. It's a nice touch, although sometimes the speaker doesn't work or the sound may by scratchy. These games are fun to play, but as you get other games you probably won't come back to Wii Sports, at least not for a while. The games are pretty basic and simple, so you have to buy seperate games for each sport to get the real sport action. But it's still fun to play these games to pass time, and because it's free, it's a perfect value.