I'm a late entrant into this thread as I've only recently got a Wii. It was a freebie with my current phone contract, and it was bundled with a MotionPlus Wiimote and Wii Sports/Sports Resort.
I've played Wii Sports plenty of times previously and very little can be said about it that hasn't already been said, apart from that it still seems to be one of the titles that best demonstrates effective use of the Wiimote. If only more third-party developers could get the hang of it - and perhaps the MotionPlus will allow them to do just that.
Wii Sports Resort review
Introduction
I've spent a good four or five hours playing Sports Resort since getting the console. All of the games make use of the MotionPlus accessory, and even those such as bowling and golf that were in Sports have benefitted. To date I've tried basketball, frisbe, power cruising (jetskis), flying, golf, archery, cycling and table tennis.
Playability - The activities
In my humble opinion, cycling isn't really worth it. It uses the nunchuk and wiimote in an alternating waggle to pedal, whilst leaning the two to whichever side you want to steer, but both control methods are clunky, as waving the sticks has a seemingly random influence on how quickly you move, and turning is first not sensitive enough, then way too sensitive as you screech to the side and end up perpendicular to the course. The whole process is much more difficult than it needs to be and not as fun as you'd hope.
Power cruising, despite sounding like a euphamism for curb-crawling in a sports car, is much more successful. The Wiimote and nunchuck are held like handlebars. The A button is the throttle, and you can get a speed boost from flicking the controllers forward, just as you would in Mariokart. Even so, the appeal is limited and I expect it's better in multiplayer, which I haven't yet tried. Flying has more of a lasting appeal, allowing you to explore the island and collect information checkpoints and pop balloons as you zip about.
Basketball and frisbe make more use of the MotionPlus. Frisbe uses the remote in a flicking motion, and your virtual disc is caught and returned onscreen by a cute virtual puppy. Challenges include landing it in a target and hitting balloons. In basketball, throwing and dunking is handled as you'd expect, with flicks of the wrist, and gets your whole body involved as you jump up to make the most of your shots.
Archery and table tennis are significantly better than their equivalents in Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, for those who've played it. Again, this can be put down to the MotionPlus. In archery, the remote is the front of the bow, and pressing Z on the nunchuck and drawing it back tensions the string as you aim with the remote. Releasing Z releases the arrow. It's all very natural and involes a fair degree of skill, judgement and coordination. Table tennis is great - the remote can be used almost exactly like a table tennis bat, meaning deft backhands and flicks of the wrist to put spin on the ball all work brilliantly. Great fun and really gets the adrenaline going.
And so to Golf. This is another game that's improved over the regular Wii Sports version - you now have control over draw and fade and the power bar is much more fluid and more sensitive to your swing. The ball also seems to react to surfaces and wind better than it did before, so the whole process feels more natural, even to a non-golfer like myself.
Graphics and sound
Never a Wii strongpoint, but more than respectable for the standard of the rest of the game. As with Wii Sports, the Resort graphics are cartoony, simple, bright and colourful, if nothing too special. The sounds work well, and of course the game makes good use of the speaker in the remote so hitting a ball for example sounds like it should and the sound comes from where you'd expect. Essentially, the sound and graphics get the job done nicely, whilst being a step up from the first Wii Sports game in terms of environment.
Longevity
Whilst determined players could probably make their way through all the disciplines within a matter of hours, Wii Sports Resort has that important characteristic of competition - whether you play against your friends or simply want to better yourself, there's always a target to be hit and a score to be beaten. For this reason, it's a game you can come back to again and again. If my experience with similar games is anything to go by too, it's the sort of game that playing against a friend can instantly hook you again, even if you've not played it for months - the sort where you're left wondering why you ever left it on the shelf.
I suspect that if the game were to become boring, it'd be because you had quite a collection to choose from, and were able to pick individual titles that suited your mood, rather than a jack-of-all-trades sports game. In comparison to hardcore sports games like the EA series, some of the games in Resort appear a little one-dimensional.
Conclusion
If you have a Wii, Sports Resort should really be in your collection. It's perfect for more casual gamers. We all have friends who aren't necessarily interested in completing an epic RPG saga or taking part in an epic Super Smash Bros brawl, but give them a Wiimote and sit them infront of Wii Bowling and they'll soon have a big grin.
It's a game that's easy for non-gamers to get into, yet one that gamers can appreciate as they strive to improve their scores. It's intuitive, and that's something that can't be said for many games these days. That graphically it's unimpressive could be considered a negative for some, but most won't care. For me, it's a solid eight out of ten.
. When getting games for the Wii, stick to 2006-2010 titles. You'll enjoy the system a lot more if you do so.
