If you're interested in Wii Play: Motion at all, you might as well rent it for a couple days. No lasting value at all.
Unfortunately, also like its predecessor, Wii Play: Motion is a not-too-fun collection of non-lasting minigames that will bore players within a couple days. None of these games have any lasting value, and it's one of those games where you play, beat, and put in your cabinets never to touch again.
If you're just curious of what the Wii Motion Plus will do, I recommend Red Steel 2 or Wii Sports Resort. Both games use the Wii Motion Plus's capabilities at full extent, and both are better than Wii Play: Motion. Truthfully, just by watching videos of the game on YouTube is the same experience as actually playing the game.
Wii Play: Motion consists of twelve minigames, some of which are slightly improved remakes from the original Wii Play, such as Pose Mii Plus and Trigger Twist.
In Cone Zone, the player holds the Wii Remote like an ice cream cone. Giant scoops of ice cream come down from the sky, and the player's goal is to balance all the scoops by tilting the "cone" around. As the minigame progresses, keeping balance becomes more and more difficult. In another mode, a soft serve ice cream (the swirl kind) comes down from the sky while the Wii Remote is tilted in circles and side to side. Though the game is fun through the first time, and even more fun with friends whereas each player cannot crash into one another, Cone Zone becomes boring and deviant within hours.
Veggie Gardin' is a whack-a-mole style arcade game. The Wii Motion Plus's movements are surprisingly emulated well on-screen. Players move the Remote back and forth while swinging down to hit moles whenever they surface from underground. To add variety, some moles wear helmets and require two hits, and Miis will pop-up occasionally bringing fruit as long as they aren't hit first. Though the "feel" of the game emulates whack-a-mole well, the game still doesn't have much lasting or replay value.
In Skip Skimmer, the goal is to skip rocks through the lake. Similar to frisbee-throwing, some throws will work better than others. As the game progresses, the player can throw more than just rocks. Sometimes, lightning bolts and dolphins can be thrown for extra power. The game even has an analysis feature for feedback on a throw. In Score Mode, rocks are skipped through obstacle courses. Despite these features, Skip Skimmer loses its value after a few plays.
Pose Mii Plus isn't too different from its older counterpart. However, the increased percision of the Wii Motion Plus allows for "turning" the Mii in all directions and in three dimensions. In between rounds, stars will appear and can be collected. But how do you change the Mii's pose like in the last game? You can't. The game does it for you. All you do is turn the Mii at the right angle.
Trigger Twist involves shooting at targets that appear in the background. Surprisingly, it isn't like most first-person Wii shooter games. The screen doesn't move when the pointer is pointed toward the sides, but only moves when the Wii Motion Plus is turned away from it. This feature may confuse some new players, and motion-detecting accuracy is reduced unfortunately. The player does get a wide variety of targets, such as dinosaurs, ninjas, and spaceships, but gameplay will get old eventually.
Jump Park, probably the least-fun of all the minigames, relies on a Mii bouncing around on platforms in a pinball-style. Gem-collecting and uninteresting powerups make this deviant minigame boring, even on the first playthrough.
Teeter Targets is similar to a game of pinball, the only exception being that a teeter-totter style board is used instead of paddles. Through it can be fun, presentation could have been improved. Boring backgrounds and visuals dampen the experience.
Spooky Search involves pointing the Wii Remote in all directions, even away from the screen to catch invisible ghosts. On-screen Miis point toward ghost locations, while the player "catches" them. The Wii Remote is used as a tracking device and beeps whenever a ghost is nearby. Though it can be fun, players may become frustrated at why a ghost is so hard to capture. Moving ghosts and the slight inaccuracy of the Wii Motion Plus add to the frustration.
Wind Runner involves Miis using umbrellas to catch the wind and fly through a racing course. Interesting as it may sound, the game becomes boring quickly. No powerups are introduced, and the only objective is to catch gems.
In Treasure Twirl, the Wii Remote is twisted in circles to lower the on-screen diver into the dark depths of the ocean in search of treasures while avoiding jellyfish and other dangerous sealife. Truthfully, the only interesting part of this game is the fact that no wrist strap is required.
The slight inaccuracy of the Wii Motion Plus shines most in Flutter Fly. The player uses a fan to blow a set of balloons through an obstacle course. Though "blowing" at the balloons is flawless, moving the fan around the balloons can be a difficult and frustrating task.
Finally, Star Shuttle, as exciting as the name may sound, is actually a boring, but somehow frustrating minigame. What could be in store here? Shooting enemy ships? Avoiding asteroids? No. Instead, the player docks a ship. That's all. And the complex controls make you wonder how those pilots in Star Wars do their job.
But what really makes this a let-down is the fact that there isn't a remake of the original Tanks game. Tanks was arguably the best game on the original Wii Play.
Pros:
- An improvement to the original
- Some games can be fun
- Wii Motion Plus is supported
Cons:
- Uninteresting gameplay and no lasting value
- Even the better games get old quickly
- Wii Motion Plus isn't 100% accurate
- Better games are out there that support Wii Motion Plus
- Definitely not worth the money
Verdict:
If you're extremely interesting in Wii Play: Motion, you're best deal is to rent it for a cheap price. The game has no lasting value, but is mildly entertaining on the first playthrough. Fans of the original Wii Play probably could take it for a spin. Still, if you're looking for a good game you'll be playing for a while, give Wii Play: Motion a pass.