Wii Sports review

When you're introducing people to something radically different from what they're used to, it's a good idea to start off slow and simple. With that in mind, Wii Sports is the perfect pack-in for Nintendo's Wii console; not only are its simple minigames fun and ultra-accessible for casual gamers, but you couldn't ask for a better tutorial on using the motion-sensitive Wii remote.

The title might sound intimidating or even boring to non-sports-fans, but Wii Sports tosses out stuff like stat tracking and professional teams in favor of five simple minigames that play almost exactly like the activities they're based on. Baseball, for example, is all about one player swinging the remote like a bat, while the other mimes pitching it like a ball. Bowling, golf and tennis are similarly simple, while boxing is the most complex - but only because you need to hook up the motion-sensitive Nunchuk add-on so that you can "punch" with both hands.



That simplicity doesn't make the games much easier than their real-world counterparts, even though you don't have to worry about things like proper stance or form (lazy players can even do well using relatively slight movements of the remote). Winning at golf, for example, takes exact control over the speed and force of your swing, while in bowling, holding the remote at even a slight angle affects your ball's spin. Meanwhile, the tennis game can reportedly recognize around 100 different kinds of swings (although we only noticed a handful while playing).