Wii Sports

Wii Sports
Developer(s)	Nintendo
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Platform(s)	Wii
Release	November 19, 2006 December 2, 2006 December 7, 2006 December 8, 2006
Genre(s)	Sports game
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer (2-4 Simultaneously/Turn Based)

Wii Sports is a video game produced by Nintendo for its Wii video game system. It was a launch title for the Wii, and is included as a pack-in game with the Wii system in all territories except Japan.

Wii Sports is a collection of five sports simulations, (tennis, baseball, bowling, golf, and boxing) designed to demonstrate the motion-sensing capabilities of the Wii Remote to new players. Players use the Wii Remote to mimic actions performed in real life sports, such as swinging a tennis racket. The rules for each game are simplified in order to make them more accessible to new players.

Wii Sports is part of an ongoing series of games sometimes referred to as the "Wii Series". This series includes Wii Play and the upcoming Wii Music and Wii Health Pack[1].

Use of Miis

Wii Sports is the first title to make use of the Wii's Mii Channel, which allows the user to create a customized avatar that can be imported into games that support the feature. All of the non-player characters in the game were also created using the Mii Channel toolset. Miis created on one Wii can also be transferred onto the internal memory of a Wii Remote to use on another Wii with different save data. Miis that are placed in "Parade" mode can travel through the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection and appear as audience members in games like Wii Sports on other consoles.

Gameplay

Main Games

There are five sports simulations in Wii Sports. They are:

File:WiiSportsTennis.jpg

A screenshot of tennis from a pre-release version of Wii Sports

• Tennis - Player character movement is controlled by the computer. While it is possible to perform realistic tennis swings, it is easier just to flick the remote quickly for a backhand swing, or use a slower motion for a forehand swing.
• Baseball - One player stands at home plate, and the other is the pitcher. Batters grip and swing the controller like a bat, trying to time their swings correctly. When pitching, players can choose different types of pitches, activated by pressing one or more of the Wii Remote's buttons (A,B, or A+B). The pitch types are screwball, curveball, splitter and fastball. This game is for up to two players. If there is only one player, the opposing team is computer controlled. The game lasts 3 innings with the mercy rule ending the game early if one player leads by 5 runs.
• Golf - In Golf, the player can choose the appropriate strength with which to swing. The player can adjust the direction of the play as well as which club to use. After each swing, the player moves to the ball's new location and swings again. The faster the player swings the controller, the further the ball will fly. Swinging the controller too fast will cause the ball to slice or hook, and the player is unable to control the direction. Putting requires more delicacy. Nine of the eighteen holes from Golf are included. Multiplayer with up to four people is supported with one (or more) Wii Remote(s).
• Boxing - This is the only Wii Sports title to use both the Wii remote and the Nunchuk attachment. The player holds the Wii remote in one hand and the nunchuk in the other and jabs to punch (quick flicks of the wrist are most effective). Raising both controllers blocks punches from the opponent, and moving the Wii Remote and Nunchuk moves the players fists. Moving the controllers from side to side and backward and forward causes the character to lean appropriately. A health meter is displayed next to the boxers. With each successful hit, health is deducted. When all health is depleted the player is knocked down. The player may then rise, with a partially refilled health meter. After several knockouts, the player will stay down, and the referee will declare "knockout". If the player is not hit for some time, the health restores. More powerful punches come from counterpunching. Multiplayer with up to two people is supported (but requires two Wii Remotes with Nunchuk attachments).
• Bowling - In Wii Bowling, the player swings the controller backward and then forward to bowl the ball. Spin can be put on the ball by tilting the controller. Many Easter eggs exist in this game, including the ball bouncing if the player delays his/her release[2], making the ball fall back towards the crowd, and bowling off onto another lane[3]. Multiplayer with up to four people is supported with one (or more) Wii Remote(s).

After every game, a player is awarded (or penalized) skill points based on how well they played. Once a player has 1000 skill points in a certain sport, they are considered pro level, and often awarded with cosmetic features (a Pro bowler has stars on their bowling ball). Also a Mii newly turned pro will receive a message on the Wii's message board notifying them. Baseball, Tennis, and Boxing do not reward or subtract points during multiplayer games.

Training Mode

Training Mode includes variations of the aforementioned Wii Sports games, having different goals than the normal modes. Each of the five sports begins with one training exercise available. Playing the first training mode for a sport unlocks the next training mode for that sport, and playing the second unlocks the third. If the player scores high enough they will receive a bronze, silver, gold, or platinum medal for their efforts. Receiving a medal or besting the high score results in a posting to the Wii Message Board.

Fitness mode

Wii Sport's fitness mode calculates a player's "fitness age", a rating with a scale from twenty to eighty, by gauging the player's performance in three randomly chosen challenges from the training mode. Calculating the fitness age takes into account a player's balance, speed, and stamina. The test itself can only be taken once a day per Mii. Fitness age results are graphed over one, two, or three months. Daily results are also posted on the Wii Message Board.

History

E3 2006: Nintendo

At the press conference Nintendo held at the Kodak Theatre, Nintendo displayed Wii Sports as both a video demonstration and as a playable demo. The playable demo was the only one to feature someone who was not a Nintendo employee: Scott Dyer, who won the chance to play from a contest. He and Shigeru Miyamoto played a doubles tennis match against Satoru Iwata and Reggie Fils-Aime. The screen was divided in two, one for each team's court. The game appears to be very pick-up-and-play oriented, as the first to win three points won the match. It was stated at the conference that this was a condensed version of the gameplay mechanic. The first match was won by Satoru Iwata and Reggie Fils-Aime, and the rematch was won by Shigeru Miyamoto and Scott Dyer.

Nintendo World September 14, 2006 Event

Along with the announcement of the Wii release date, it was revealed here by Reggie Fils-Aime that the game was to be included free with the Wii on launch date (with the exception of Japan.) It was also here when Wii Sports Bowling and Wii Sports Boxing was revealed for the first time [4]. Along with an in-stage demo of Wii Sports Bowling, it was here that the Mii creation program was shown for the first time.

Reception

Although the majority of reviews were positive, some expressed their dissatisfaction in the oversimplification of the included sports. GamePro, which gave the game an 8.5 said that "We can't help but enjoy the fact that we're getting a solid sports experience for nothing... It won't have a great deal of longevity, but anyone who doesn't find at least some fun in Wii Sports has a heart of coal." Others praised the use of the player-created Miis while at the same time lamenting the under-detailed graphics which represented them. IGN gave the game a 7.5/10, saying that "Wii Sports is a title that demonstrates the potential of the Wii remote, but comes up short in depth and visuals." However they also remarked that "Your non-gamer friends will be dazzled by the immediately intuitive controls and the imported Miis." GameTrailers, while giving the game an 8/10, said that "If you live somewhere else where you have to pay for it (Japan), we don't recommend it [5]."

In Japan, where the game was not included with the system, the game sold 176,167 copies in its first two days of release. The game had the most sales of any seventh generation console game in Japan during that timeframe.

File:WiiSportsBowling.jpg

Bowling.

By February 2007 the game had sold over 1 million copies in Japan, becoming the Wii's first million-seller in that region.

GameTrailers also criticized the difficulty of putting backspin on a shot in Tennis. Baseball was criticized by GameTrailers to rely too much on luck, as all fielding duties are handled by the AI. Golf was criticized by GameTrailers for having only one course, and by IGN for having luck-based controls. Boxing was criticized by IGN for being "like a chore" and the lack of physical contact.

IGN reported (well before the launch, but on the game's final version) an "exploit" to bowling strikes [6], and while developers did get word of this, the "exploit" wasn't fixed [7].

Also, in an issue of Time Magazine, Wii sports was said to be one of the best video games ever made.

Awards

• At E³ 2006, the game won the Game Critics Award for Best Sports Game.
• Winner of X-Play's Best Puzzle/Party Game of 2006.
• IGN: Best sports game of 2006.
• Winner of The New York Times' 2006 Game of the Year.
• Made the #1 spot of Time Magazine's top 10 video games of 2006.
• 2007 Interactive Achievement Awards: Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering, Outstanding Achievement in Game Design, and Outstanding Innovation in Gaming.

Trivia

• In single-player Boxing and Tennis, the size of the crowd grows with the player's skill level.
• Miis in the Mii Parade will appear in the crowd during Tennis games and Boxing games. They will also appear as Bowling Players during Bowling games. Miis in the Mii Plaza will compete on the player's team in Baseball.
• Wii Sports is the first game included with the launch of a Nintendo console since Super Mario World for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991.
• Sounds from the game Super Mario 64 and the Animal Crossing series can be heard during a game of Bowling, when zooming in on the pins for a closer look.
• Stephen Colbert named the Wii the number-one threat to America, in the Threat Down segment of The Colbert Report on November 27, 2006. The reason given was its addictive properties. He went on to say that he can make custom characters (Mii) based on real people and then proceeds to a demonstration with a boxing match of him against (then incoming Speaker of the House) Nancy Pelosi.
• Sounds from Super Smash Bros. are in the "Swing Control" training of Baseball.

External links

• Official Wii Sports page at Nintendo.com
• Official UK Wii Sports page at wii.com
• Wii Sports reviews at Metacritic.com
• Interview with Katsuya Eguchi at IGN
• Wii Sports wikibook
• Wii Sports entry at The Internet Games Database