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Swordplay

There are three modes to Swordplay: Duel, Speed Slice, and Showdown. Duel mode is basically just one-on-one sword fighting to see who can knock the other player off of the high-rise platform and into the water below first. You hold the Wii Remote like a sword and make your various swinging motions as you would with a real sword. You can also use the (B) button to block. You'll quickly learn that just swinging away won't get it done against some of the more skilled opponents. You can even take on a second player in a bout as well if you’re looking for some multiplayer action.

The Speed Slice mode pits you against either a computer opponent or another player and the two of you will square off side by side in a slicing contest. The judge will toss out an item in from of each of you and the item will have an arrow indicating the direction you must slice it. He'll toss everything from watermelons to birthday cakes and everything in between. The first person to accurately slice their object gets a point. The first player to reach 10 points wins the match. The judge will even occasionally toss them at varying speeds which will keep you on your toes.

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Showdown pits you against a whole barrage of sword fighters. Your character will begin walking as other sword fighters approach you. You must take them out one at a time in order to progress. You can only take three hits before you're knocked out, so you have to be careful when and how you attack each fighter. It's best to try to take them out in combos if you can. You'll also have to be more defensive if you're to have any chance of unlocking all 10 stages. The secret to getting your enjoyment out of the Swordplay game is sticking with it long enough to learn how to really play it as far as learning to block and how/when to attack your opponent. While wildly swinging might work early on, you'll soon learn that it just won't cut it in the later stages of the game.

Wakeboarding

Wakeboarding is another one of those sports in the package that feels fairly authentic in its execution. You hold onto the Wii Remote just like you would a wakeboarding tow line in real life. You then tilt the Wii Remote in the direction you want your character to move. Your goal is to swing back towards the wake that's left by the boat in order to catch some air and perform tricks for style points. You can jerk up on the Wii Remote at the exact moment you hit the wake to catch some big air. Of course you also have to be sure you level the Wii Remote and your wakeboard out before you land or you won't be awarded any points for an awkward landing.

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Performing tricks is fairly random as you just have to twist the Wii Remote while in mid-air to pull of some flashy tricks. The more air you can get off of the wake, the better tricks you can perform. There's really not much to this game, but for those who are fans of the sport, it can be fun to experiment with how to get the best air from the current wake. You'll also be able to unlock harder difficulties that will present you with certain hazards to deal with like water buoys and channel markers that must be avoided while you're catching big air. This is probably one of the weaker sports in the package with its lack of variety, but it should still offer up enough enjoyment until you're ready to move onto to something bigger and better.