Wii Sports Resort

We're all screwed now. Wii Sports Tennis was once a bold contest of remote flicking. But no more. WiiMotionPlus is here, with all its extra accelerometers and sensors to make sure that you do the job properly. Full 1:1 motion controls now means that topspin and slice shots require pro-standard swings, not just flicking the remote slightly differently. It's a dark day for lazy overweight gamers.

Of course, this does mean that a whole host of new gameplay options are now possible for developers, and Nintendo gives them all a crash course in its possibilities with Wii Sports Resort.

WSR boasts 12 sports this time, a massive improvement over Wii Sports' offering of 5. Of course, this is mainly down to the fact that they need to justify a price tag this time. For the purposes of this review, I'll comment on each sport individually.

FrisbeeThere are two events here: Frisbee Dog and Frisbee Golf. The former sees you throwing the eponymous disc at a target for your furry friend to catch. For extra challenge, there are balloons floating about for bonus points. Frisbee Golf has you hitting targets on a full 18 hole course, much like Disc Golf in Tiger Woods. The controls are great; motions are fluid and very satisfying.

Archery
This one is interesting because rather than having a crosshair on screen, the remote acts as a 3D mouse. It's all about getting it as straight as possible. Ample use of WMP, but pretty dull in single player.

Wakeboarding
Hold the remote sideways and tilt it to steer. Hit the waves and land nicely for points. It works fine, but lacks replay value.

Swordplay
Zorro wannabes roll up! Simply grip the remote like the sword and scrap away. WMP allows technical moves such as parries and stabs, making it hugely satisfying and one of the best games in multiplayer. If Zelda combat ends up like this, I'll be a very happy camper. The Showdown mode, which sees you running through levels whilst taking out hordes of enemies is brilliant.

Basketball
An odd choice on the surface, but it works well. 3-Point Contest has you making standard throwing motions with the remote, but WMP means that spin and speed is detected, so it packs a challenge. Pickup Game is a 3-on-3 match. Bounce the ball the move forward, while using A and the D-pad to pass. Hold B and making the throwing gesture to shoot. You can even slam dunk if you're close enough to the hoop.

Table Tennis
Basically Wii Sports Tennis with WMP. That's it. Still great fun though.

Golf/Bowling
Again, basically the same as Wii Sports Golf & Bowling, but Golf has a brand new 18 hole course, and both games have enhanced controls.

Power Cruising
My favourite of the lot. Hold the remote and the nunchuk sideways, hold B to accelerate and off you go. Twist the remote to get a speed boost and steer into the checkpoints. The controls and water physics are incredible in this and I'd be over the moon if Wave Race came out on Wii with these controls.

Canoeing
Another odd choice, but surprisingly fun. Hold the remote vertically and paddle either side of your little canoe like an oar, paddling on only one side to steer, and alternating to go straight. The water physics are great here as well, and there's also multiplayer races available.

Cycling
The weakest game. Move the remote and nunchuk up and down, Mario & Sonic style, to pedal. Makes no use of WMP, which makes it inferior to the other games included.

Air Sports
Another great game. Three options available. Skydiving has you jumping out of a plane and grabbing your teammate's hands to post for photos. Dogfight puts you and a friend in biplanes and lets you shoot eachother down (seems out of place in the cuddly environment, but still brilliant fun). And Island Flyover sees you doing an airborne scavenger hunt in your little plane. The controls work really well, and Pilotwings on Wii would be great if it used these controls.

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Despite a couple of weak events, WMP's brilliance makes this easily worth your pennies. Most of the games work well, and with WMP compatible titles such as Red Steel 2 on the horizon, WMP is essential, whatever form you buy it in.

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