This is another title in the vein of Wii Sports. Anyone can pick up the controller and become competent at the games without much instruction. Wii Play has a total of 9 games. Bronze, silver, or gold medals can be earned in each, depending on performance. Miis are used to good effect in this game as they can be spotted in the crowd and are often utilized in the games themselves. The earning of medals for performance is nice but also reminds one that Nintendo still has not gotten on board with full blown online play like xbox 360 with their addictive achievements. I would love to see these medals viewable online and of course, as with all Wii games, a more user friendly online arena. Oh well, maybe next generation.

The games in order of quality are: shooting range, table tennis, charge, find mii, fishing, tanks, laser hockey, pose mii, and billiards. Oddly, billiards, while being the no brainer of the bunch in terms of Wii remote to pool cue translation, turns out to just not be all that much fun. On the other hand, shooting range and table tennis, while simple, are mildly addictive. It is also important to note that Wii Play comes with its own Wii remote. The cost of this controller alone makes the game worth buying if you need that second controller.

At the end of the day Wii Play is another easy to play game whose longevity comes due to its ability to provide fun in brief spurts. Its a game for those who rarely have the time to sink hour after hour each night into video games, but still love to play games. Is Wii Play worth the money for those who don’t need a another remote, if the games sound appealing and you enjoy Wii Sports, then I would suggest a rental before you buy.

Gameplay: 6

Graphics: 6

Sound: 6

Value: 7

Tilt: 7

Overall Score: 6 (not an average)

Wii Sports Review

This game is part of a crop of Wii games that have proven that without a doubt, Nintendo still has that video game magic in spades. Pick up and play, check, makes interesting use of the Wii remote, check, most importantly fun, check and check. Wii Sports contains the following games: boxing, baseball, bowling, tennis, and golf. They are listed in order of how effectively they have been implemented. Golf being last only because the putting seems to be the least sensitive and therefore most prone to anger inducing errors. That being said, none of the games are broken and they all have their moments. There is a fitness recorder that is in the spirit of the tracker that we see in Big Brain Academy for the Wii and Brain Age for the DS. The fitness age tracker gives you a virtual age based on performance and shows your disposition to skew toward balance, speed, or stamina. There is also a training area which opens up a few variations on each base sport.

One of the games biggest strengths, pick up and playability, over time becomes what many will see as its greatest weakness. This game has a fundamental lack of depth. Its not an oversight by the designers, the game is just made for quick spurts of fun or longer stints with group play (just add drinks). Ultimately, as a game that comes packaged with the system there isn’t much to complain about. I look forward to the inevitable sequel, to see how this design is expanded and fleshed out.

Gameplay: 7

Graphics: 7

Sound: 6

Value: 8

Tilt: 9

Overall Score: 7.8 (not an average)