
When Nintendo needed a showpiece for the unique motion control system of their upcoming Wii console, their developers came up with the original Wii Sports title that was eventually packed in with the system. Needless to say, it's become one of the most beloved titles for the console and, in all honesty, was the perfect pack-in title to show of the Wii console's advanced control capabilities.
So what do you do if you're Nintendo and you're getting ready to release an upgraded motion sensor attachment for your Wii console? You create a brand new Wii Sports package to show it off, of course. Only this time around, Nintendo didn't skimp with only a handful of sports, instead choosing to pack this title chock full of resort-style sports for gamers to take part in. And not only does the more precise motion controls add a lot more accuracy and playability to the mix, but many of these new sports games are not only a blast to play, but extremely authentic in the way they play as well.

In Wii Sports Resort, there are 12 different games to choose from, many of which have several sub-games within themselves. You can use your Mii characters as your players, and you can also choose to import Miis from the Check Mii Out channel to be used as opponents and spectators. Of course you can also choose not to do this and just make use of the game's built-in set of Mii characters. And while there's no online gameplay or leader boards available, the fact that you can play with up to four players on many of the sports gives gamers plenty of options for multiplayer fun.
It's also worth noting that you cannot play any game on Wii Sports Resort without the use of the new Wii Motion Plus accessory. So if you're looking to make use of the multiplayer functions, you'd better remember to pick up a few extra Wii Motion Plus attachments beforehand. Now that we've covered the basics, it's time to take a look at the many individual sports available in the package and what they each have to offer.
Comments 119
Went all out on it, eh, Corbie?
Woot, pickin' this one up when it comes out. I like how you did a detailed bit on each game, that's nice.
Wow, looks like a proper review, I'll go make a cuppa before reading it.
OMG people remember when I told you that a store here in Portugal said that the game was coming out yesterday?
IT CAME OUT TODAY AND I BOUGHT IT!
I'm gonna start playing it now I'm so excited and great review Corbie!
One of the best reviews I've read on the site. I liked the way you explained each sport individually as well.
I can't wait to get this, it looks amazing.
@Machu - Better make that a large cup!
Wow Corbie you have done it again, I was on the fence about buying this later in the week but now I am convinced. You and my wallet are not friends!
Thanks for the really detailed review, it looks like most of the sports are quite decent on the whole.
Thanks for the awesomely thorough review! I have had it preordered since the release date was announced, but I've never been as hyped as I am now after reading it.
Also, Wiiperson11, I am so jealous. I need to move to Portugal.
Now that's what you call an in-depth review, brilliant Corbie, thanks! And yeah, I ran out of tea before I got to the end. Can't wait for Friday night, it's gonna be one of those special multiplayer evenings that don't come around to often anymore. Woot!
Wow, by far the best review yet on this game. (In terms of in-depth analysis)
Thanks for the time you took put put this down in such a manner. Can't wait for this game to arive!
Simply excellent review, Corbie! Loved what you did here going into it the way you did. Thanks so much for the great review. I simply cannot wait for this game.
Holy.....Corbie, I think you overdid it just a little.
Also, I thought Corbie-istis was spreading already, but it turned out you and Drake just switched minds. Thank God
Oh man, I was already hyped for Friday, but now I really can't wait. I will get some friends over, with whom I have played the original Wii Sports regulary, so it's going to be a lot of fun. Thanks for the great review, Corbie.
I'm also curious about how well the MotionPlus really works. How's the calibrating? Do you have to re-calibrate a lot?
This sounds great. I can't wait for Zelda Wuhu.
Wow, great review Corbie! I will buy this game in the future.
It might be awhile since I just bought Tiger Woods and Wii Motion Plus.
@Chicken Brutus-I can't wait for Zelda Wuhu too!
Great review Corbie. But I have to ask, do you only give 7's for downloadable games?
I have to add that I got my first Motion+ with Tiger Woods '10 and thoroughly enjoy it but it looks like I'll be getting my second Motion+ addon next month after a little saving on my part.
I can't wait to pick this one up either but one thing: the original game comes with the system so this whole thing about everyone wanting to call Wii Sports the best selling game of all time is really starting to annoy me. It's like calling the Nunchuk the best selling Wii accesory just because you get one with the system. I'm not taking anything away from Wii Sports, I still pop it in once in a while, but does anyone really think the sales figures for the game would been really that impressive if it hadn't been packaged with the Wii.
@Storyteller:
It wasn't packaged with the Wii in Japan, but Japanese gamers still bought it with an unprecedented attach-rate. If those figures are anything to go by, yeah, Wii Sports would still likely have been a hugely impressive seller.
@Chicken Brutus
Fair enough. I didn't know that. Now that I'm thinking about it I would still like to see the raw figures but thanks for telling me.
This or Little King's Story? They both look great!
Great work on the review, very detailed and thorough. I can't wait to pick this one up.
Great review! I like that you actually went through and disected each sport. I'm really pumped for this game--glad to see it got a good score.
@Storyteller:
I was surprised when I found that out, too. I wonder how the Japanese felt when they found out that we were getting a free game when they got nothing!
It's a valid thing to wonder, but since Japan is the only territory that didn't get it bundled, those are really the only figures we have to make educated guesses from.
I'm wondering what the attach rate will be for this. If it keeps getting reviews like this, it sounds like only fools will pass on it. (What a shame, too...I was looking to save $50 )
Wow, a very nice and detailed review. Might have to rethink things and look at getting this. It made me laugh a little that the pictures didn't match with the minigame sections they were in though.
Fantastic review. I might have to pick this up now...
I agree 100%.
@Corbie As a singe-player game, would you rate this an 8, 7, or 6?
I was just kidding when I asked for two detailed paragraphs for each sport...
Why is there something about reviews here at Nintendolife (escpecially you Corbie) that I always seem to agree with more? Anyways, I was going to pick this up anyways but am now more excited for this game, and since I already have one WM+, Im ready to suck the fun out of that package.
I don't know what game to get. I've been saving up my money for Little King's Story, but Wii Sports Resort looks just as good. Why must you do this, Nintendo?
Oh, and excellent review, Corbie. Great detail in all the sports, and you got me extremely excited for this game. Fantastic work.
Is the pickup game in baketball four players?
Gettin' this one for sure. Nice review Corbie.
I'm going to have to spend a lot more time with this game because the brief go I had on it didn't convince me that it was that great or that the controls were really all that.
Need more time...
Why don't I want this? Everything about it looks good, yet I'm just not convinced....I dunno maybe it has something to do with how many party games I have or something or the fact that Tiger 10 already sold me on the WMP...
@Chicken Brutus.
Even if you didn't want to get the actual game we're both going to have to get at least one Wii Motion Plus. Any Developer who will want to be taken seriously now will have to start designing games with the Motion plus capabilities in mind. And it's $20 so I just think of it as getting something I'll need any way and then getting a really good brand new game for only $30. At least that's how I justify it to myself.
This and three additional M+ on day one, period. Terrific review, Corbie.
Oooh I'm all over this on Friday. Thanks for the detailed review Corbie!
My dad loves bowling, but i actually hated wii sports, but this looks like its a wii owners must-have.
Looking forward to playing this game come Sunday as I am curious about Motion Plus.
It is quality reviews like this that make this site my first stop for all-things Nintendo.
Arghhh too many games I want!!! Great review Corbie, nice and detailed.
Now I'm gonna have to get this and an extra Motion+ for the missus (I need another job!!).Can't wait to play Archery looks like a lot of fun but with a bit of depth too.
Great review Corbs, thanks. This got a 94% from ONM and three different marks from the strange folk at IGN (UK 8.9, AU 6.5, US 7.7...what's the point in that ffs)...
My most anticipated game of the year.
Excellent review, very detailed. I have this pre-ordered since it is a good deal for wii motion plus. Nice to know the whole package is great.
Wii Sports Resort:The reason I am going to buy tennis games with motion plus! My first buy since PunchOut!
A must buy for me.
I hated the first Wii Sports Golf, I still can't get it to shoot straight, hopefully this version will be easier to control
All I can say is that this is one SUPER EXCELLENT review; and a MAJOR step up from STINKING IGN's review!
So Kudos to you Corbie for doing such an outstanding job!
I was glad enough to pre-order Wii Sports Resort just last week; so I'll be picking it up next Monday on the 27th at GameStop! I so can't wait too! I saw those videos of the sword play showdown mode, facing off against all of the Mii's; & that got me more excited!
Nice review, you sound really excited. Why on earth did this get a score of nine and not a ten? In reading the review you have nothing bad to say about ''Wi Sports Resort' except that each individual sport could be fleshed out by a stand-alone game... (and that's not really bad)
@Storyteller - Only $20?! Alright, that means I can get this game and a second WMP right away!
I'm worried about the Swordfighting game. I've heard that there's no collision detection between the swords except when one of the players is doing one of the two kinds of blocks, which require holding a button. I want to be able to parry and block any way I want and without holding a button to do so! Hopefully, Lucas Arts is working on a way to have a true swordfight on Wii.
@Ian Daemon - The cycling game proves that this does not deserve a 10.
Excellent review, Corbie, and very in-depth, which was great. I can already tell sword-fighting, archery, and frisbee golf are going to see a lot of action out of me. I'm going to have to buy this whenever I have an extra $50 lying around.
Looks like fun....Nice review Corbie!
Best review I have read so far.
The one query I have that Corbie touched on very briefly but no one else has mentioned at all - does it save your best scores for each event, showing the Mii that got that score?
Wow...i have actually changed my mind on not buying this (for those of you who knew, i really disliked this when i saw it, looked like a gimmick) BUT NOW Its definitely on my bottom spot in my waiting list Just kidding, this is actually a must buy now, who wudda thunk it XP
I touched on the saving scores briefly when I mentioned making you want to go back and try to beat the high scores. But in truth, I squeezed about as much in there as I could.
And re-calibrating happens every once in awhile, but you just quickly lay the Wii Remote down on a flat surface for like 2 seconds and that's it. It's not nearly as troublesome as some reviews have claimed, at least not in my opinion.
I was on the fence with this one, but now I think I will get this and an extra Wii Motion +. I wish Tennis was included, but that's OK. I think Frisbee Golf if the game I really want.
@Corbie: Why don't you make an article in which you rate each individual game?
And please, not too many 7s
Maybe I'll do one on my blog later tonight if I get time.
Longest review, ever...
Reserved it last Sunday, can't wait to play it this Sunday. I'll read this when I have an hour or two on my hands. Wow.
Did read the cycling part, because I was interested in that being the game. Sad that it isn't implemented better.
Corbie, I expected better of you. You should go into far more depth....
really great review. I preordered this from play-n-trade a few days back. Im getting it as soon as they open on sunday
How does this look through Component Cables. When I bought my wii I was using a large SD TV and wiisports looked fine but when I went back to playing it recently on our upgraded TV (in preperation for Resort) I noticed how bad it looked in HD which is odd because most first party games look quite good in HD, most titles ive played that looked bad came from third party developers.
Im only asking because wii sports bowling really lost its shine when the image looked so jaggy and I wondered if this had been resolved in Resort.
... I would like to add im not a graphic whore whatsoever, but if Nintendo managed to make mariokart all bright, shiney and more importantly smooth on a HD TV using 480p/EdTV settings then surely they could manage it with sports.
All the Wii games look jagged and fuzzy to me, but I play a lot of Xbox 360 and PS3. In all honesty, it looks a bit better than the original, but not much beyond that. The menus and stuff a bit smoother and more glossy this time around.
Whats your blog again?
http://corbiesgameblog.com/
"Wii Sports has gone on to become the bestselling video game of all time"
IF I HEAR THIS ONE MORE TIME I WILL KILL EVERYONE! STFU! NO ONE BOUGHT WII SPORTS! THEY BOUGHT A WII AND HAD IT FORCED UPON THEM > YOU CAN NOT FAIRLY SAY THIS --IT IS SO MISLEADING!!! ARGH!!!
ITS LIKE SAYING THE LABEL ON HEINZ KETCHUP IS THE BEST SELLING KETCHUP LABEL OF ALL TIME!!!!!! NO ONE BOUGHT THE KETCHUP FOR THE GOSH DARN LABEL!!!!!
lol
Misleading, but a fact of life nonetheless. But there's no mention of that in the review.
awesome review, very in depth. I just got a wii motion plus today to prepare for basketball/bowling/golf/everything else with my bro
haha corbie....u tricky dicky ! i despise/enjoy your style....good day sir
9 of 10? Are you kidding me? Maybe 6 of 10.
Got my copy today and i have to say im loving it! Thought i really wasnt going to like cycling and basketball as they have had their critics but basketball to me is really good and cycling is still quite fun to play even if its controls dont really utilise wii mostion +. Very happy with my purchase and impressed by the wii motion plus.
Going to get this on Sunday when it comes out in the US. So excited for Sword Play!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@Knasen -You are just hatin on nintendo dude
i got it today, i really enjoy it
canoe will let us lose a lot of fat lol
we know this is going to rise to #1 selling wii game really soon
"Wii Sports went on to become the best-selling video game of all time."
Wii play is the best selling game of all time!
I can't wait for the release tomorrow! Lookin forward to it
Reviewer wrote: "It's actually even more fun than regular golf once you get the hang of it, so much so that we're considering taking a frisbee to the local golf course this weekend to try it out for real." I wanted to let you know that "Disc Golf" (as it's usually called) is a real life sport. There are hundreds of disc golf courses worldwide, with actual disc golf baskets, so you don't really play it on a ball golf course. Visit the PDGA.com Professional Disc Golfer's Association website for a course directory and find an actual disc golf course near you. It is a TON of fun. It's an excellent sport. You buy 2-3 discs (other brands besides Frisbee) for about 10 dollars each. There is no course fee, so it's inexpensive outdoor competition with your friends in a nice park -- for example if your Wii breaks or the electricity goes off, or if you just need some exercise and sunlight. The reason I finally decided to log-in on Nintendo Life is I felt excited to tell the reviewer this is a real life game people play.
THIS GAME IS BRILLLIANT...that is all, now please carry on....
Just bought the game this morning from Walmart and I can't stop playing! Another great game by Nintendo that easily shows what the Wii motion plus peripharel is capable of. Great review Corbie, definetly a must buy!
This is a massive step up from the original Wii Sports. My favourites are the table tennis (which more than makes up for the lack of "proper" tennis, in my humble opinion), the sword fighting, the basketball, and the plane flying. Any one of these could be a great game in its own right, so to have them all in one package is a delight. The cycling is completely broken though, which is bizarre, as everything else works really well. I don't think I'd go as high as 9/10, but it's a strong 8 definitely. I haven't played it in multiplayer yet, so that may push it up a point.
Well me and some friends hit the local golf course last week and played using two different frisbees and it was great. We're next going to try playing using a Vortex football. But thanks for letting me know that Disc Golf is indeed a real sport.
I'm getting this today
This game is amazing. Hopefully they will redo Wii Sports Baseball, Tennis, and Boxing with Wii Motion Plus in the future.
id love to play real frisbee golf! didnt know theyd let you play at any golf course
Ha! I'd forgotten about baseball. Shows how long it's been since I fired up the first Wii Sports!
I Got the game today, played 3 hours straight. Great Game
Sounds like an awesome game! I like the way you organized every game straight. I still think it would be a good idea to organize the pictures with the name of the game in order like: The Frisbee review goes with the frisbee picture.
Cool!
How do you guys do those emoticons?
If you sit there and reload the page over and over about 400 times, they'll eventually line up perfectly.
9/10 little crazy i wouldn't go that far id say about 7.9.
the wii-motion plus is good but game is just other tech demo, with little added pep. Sadly for me the pep isn't good enough to warrant £50 pounds on it!
which in my opinion is just other way to get causal crowd excited but rest of use need little more depth and action!
come on nintendo i wanna see some online gaming from yeah or at least the ability to share stats or achievements with friends on next game?
This is a great game. I just can't understand why Nintendo can release gaming perfection like this, but other developers can't seem to match it. I play a lot of other casual style games on the Wii, but whenever I pop in a new release by Nintendo, it's like I'm playing on a whole different system. The graphics are 100x better, the controls are probably 300x better and the replay value is 500x better. Why can't other developers get this right? I'd give this game a 10/10 after a few days with this game. I'm that gamer that doesn't care about online play, leaderboards, etc. I just want a fun game that doesn't have a lot of flaws. It doesn't get much more fun than this.
I have to admit that this games surprised me. I was not expecting that much of it and I bought it because of the Wii Motion Plus. It's not perfect but it improves a lot the first Wii Sports:
1) More Sports this time 12. Some of them really original
2) The idea of the stamps is brilliant. It gives the players that extra difficulty that some players love (and other hate) but does not force anyone to do it. It is kind of achievement/trophy kind of thing.
3) It's a perfect game to play with friends.
4) It has several modes, some of them like the sword fight cand keep you busy for a long time.
As I said it's not perfect, some online mode would be welcome, specially since Mario Kart proved that it is possible.
nice review corbie it makes it sound like an awsome game... sorry im new here but yea this is a must get for me
didnt think it was gonna get a 9 lol
woot 100th post what i win!
I just recently spent some time playing the swordplay events in the game; I've had the game for some time, but this is the first time I've actually got around to playing it. Based on my initial impressions of the swordplay events, I think it could totally revolutionize how we play video games. Very fun stuff; I can only imagine what it would be like to have the same fluid swordplay in a sandbox game like Oblivion.
wow this is a really great game its so acurate they really worked hard on this game. the rating is fair enough but still i would have given it a 10/10
My opinion on the original Wii Sports is that its worthless, but I still thought on buying this for the sake of the added motion+. Anyway, do older, non-motion+ games work more accurately with it as well?
If not, then are there any other motion+ games out there yet?
this game is the best but i dont have it i just know it does
Great review, the game looks like a must have, but $110 for a game I just don’t know if it’s worth it.
I may be alone on this but I am a little put-off by the cost of this game and the Motion-Plus? This game was meant to be multi-player so why just 1 M+?
Cost: $50 (Game + 1st M+), $60 ($20*3 2nd, 3rd, 4th M+)
That’s $110 + Tax for this game.
I know everyone will say “you can use M+ in other games". Yea all 4 of them and 3 out of four are the same type of game! Yes I know more will come (maybe).
So I have to spend $20/$25 per controller to get it to perform as it should have performed out of the box. That is way over priced M+ should have been $10 tops (the cost to have had it built in the Wii-mote from the start).
You know the Wii was all hyped as being the cheaper 3gen system out there but when I add up what it took to get a full system it is the most expensive.
Wii Console $250, 3 more Wii-Motes ($150), 3 Nun-Chucks ($60), 3 Classic Controllers ($60)
OK that's already $520
Now add 4 Motion+ ($80) Total: $600
Then add the Wii-Fit although really not part of the console but still cost $80
Total cost for my Wii Console $680 (That’s a pricey system)
How much more should I dump into this system that has no HD/HDMI, no DVD, no hard drive, 512MB memory, clunky online friend codes, etc.
Don’t get me wrong I love my Wii but I am starting to feel like the kid getting his lunch money swiped by the bully.
Nintendo Give me a break will ya.
This game never really sold me. I'm not impressed and they've got some games I will absolutely never play. Not worth the money just to get three games I'll want to play.
@GotWii there is an hdd in the wii
@mmkalll the answer to your question is a resounding NO. Dissapointing I know.
@michael646260
For the HDD I assume you mean hard drive; There is no hard drive in the Wii it is all flash memory.
Or if by HDD you are referring to HD (Hi-Def-Video) then Yes the Wii has the 480i (720x480) Component cable HD, but it does not have HDMI support.
@WaveBoy: That's definitely the bundle I plan on picking up once I get my hands on some cash...
Metriod_Fan: Ya i ended up getting the normal Wii Sports resort pack for christmas ;p but i got a black wii remote with motionplus as well so its all good. anyways I'd nail this game with an 8. Swordplay for me is easily the best of the bunch, cycling is broken and just terrible....and Archery is a bit of a letdown...I think its to do with the nunchuck, it doesn't work well when pulling the string back...it jolts around and doesn't work 1:1. Anyways swordplay is just fantastic, especially showdown mode. and of course table tennis kicks tons of ass as well.
I picked it up Thursday (New Years Eve) and surprisingly, it felt like a full game and less of a tech demo I was fearing it would be. I hate the term "casual gamers" that is associated with the Wii (I admit I had that type of attitude during the early days of it when there was Twilight Princess and our "Christmas Gift" Reggie announced, Super Mario Bros. on the VC for only regular price ) but after playing some of the so called "casual" games like Sports Resort and even something like Boom Blox, yes the games are designed to be easy to get into for the "casuals" but if you really start playing there is a lot of depth for the "hardcore" (not Fratcores) player to find in the seeming simplicity of the controls.
Great Review, Mr. Dillard!
This game is really fun. I got this in september and I still have fun playing it.
Swordplay will never get old
Just got this today after seeing some gameplay videos on youtube last night and then spotting it while I was at Target this afternoon (went to the Wii section to get a nunchuk and there was Sports Resort). No sure what other people's issues with cycling are. Controls seem fairly responsive to me and in order to turn while pedaling, I just lean my body to one side or the other (it is a Wii, after all) so I don't have to coordinate pedaling and tilting the controllers at the same time.
I can feel it in my arms and shoulders when I'm canoeing and cycling. Not sure if that says more about the games or me.
if you dont already have a motion plus buy the wii sports resort motionplus bundle and get ready for the motion controls you dreamed of when you first heard about the wii
i wish the nunchuck had the kind of precision the wiimote now has
I bought this with the wii bundle in amazon and my husband hasn't let me use it, he fell in love with table tennis and he is so good at it. The motion plus really add precision to his movement!
Man I love this game I cant see why I waited a whole year, literally to get this awesome game.
WOw, LONG review there, at least it was good and you didn't waste all that room on a game like like warmen tactics
Need some advanced motion control soon, I literally can not wait for Zelda SS to come along. Must get this game...
@Chicken Brutus Japan gets Wii Play.
A 9? thats a high rating and I disagree. An 8 sounds better in my opinion.
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