E3 2008: Wii Sports Resort Quick Impressions

With Nintendo's announcement of the new Wii Motion Plus attachment--a small device that connects to the bottom of a Wii Remote that further improves its motion-sensing capabilities--many were wondering exactly what games would be able to utilize the new accessory. Nintendo's E3 press event this morning unveiled the first two games which would use Wii Motion Plus, with one of them being the upcoming Wii Sports Resort.

Wii Sports Resort will follow in the footsteps of the original Wii Sports, offering a series of minigames all with a summer holiday theme. While the final number of games hasn't been confirmed, Nintendo execs at this morning's conference previewed three events--disc dog, Jet Ski racing, and swordfighting.

Disc dog is a game which sees players throwing a Frisbee for a cute little dog to catch. Throwing the Frisbee within a target zone will ensure the frisky little scamp catches the disc, while missing it completely will see the dog whimper in disappointment. Wii Motion Plus' improved motion-sensing capabilities were clear to see during this demo, with even slight changes in wrist position being reflected in how the onscreen Mii was holding the Frisbee.

The Jet Ski game was reminiscent of Wave Race, and was played by holding the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk in each hand (like handlebars). Acceleration looked to be achieved by rotating your wrist (as you would a real throttle on a Jet Ski), with the point of game being to race through a series of checkpoints in as quick a time as possible.

The third and final game shown was swordfighting, which was done using the Wii Remote on its own. Players can perform a variety of moves by slashing with the Remote in many different directions, while holding the Remote sideways would perform a block. The single-player game appeared to involve cutting down large blocks of wood (as well as the occasional giant pencil), while the two-player game involved slashing at your opponents until they fall off a high platform over a beach. The view in the two-player game was similar to the Boxing activity in the original Wii Sports.

At the press conference, Nintendo exec Reggie Fils-Aime confirmed that Wii Sports Resort would ship with one Wii Motion Plus attachment and expanded jacket as part of the package. The attachment will also be sold separately.