One of Nintendo’s biggest announcements this E3 was that Wii Sports—the game that started it all—is getting a sequel. That may not come as too much of a surprise to anyone with a bit of business sense, but the inclusion of the Wii MotionPlus functionality makes for some interesting news indeed. In case you haven’t seen the news, Wii MotionPlus is a new accessory for the Nintendo Wii that snaps onto the bottom of your Wii remote. This small rectangular box vastly improves the console’s ability to perform 3-D motion tracking. Whereas previously movement translated to the screen after a noticeable (but generally tolerable) 100 ms or longer delay, with Wii MotionPlus, it’s practically instant. Plus, it’s considerably more precise, with the ability to detect even the tiniest of movements.
So, what can be done with such a device? Nintendo’s out to show us with Wii Sports Resort, the sequel to the original smash-hit pack-in with the Nintendo Wii. Resort takes place, fittingly, on a tropical island, where a number of different activities are available (most of which will require Wii MotionPlus to play; one is packed in with each copy of the game, along with an extended Wii-mote Jacket to accommodate the additional length). Only three events were being shown at E3. Here’s a quick rundown of each one to give you an idea of what to expect.
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Sword Fighting – Er, Sword Play, it’s called in the game. This is a great showcase of the Wii MotionPlus accuracy. From the start, you can fool around with slicing up some wood on your own if you’d like (it’s more fun than it sounds). At first it didn’t seem like this was working so well, but once I recalibrated the second time, it was as accurate as can be. Swinging too fast sometimes gets ahead of the game, but seriously, 90% of the attacks are translated perfectly regardless of what you’re doing.
When you’re finished playing with yourself (TWSS), you can then convince a couple of buddies to come over and have a sword fight with you (TW… nevermind). This is pretty fun, although I did lose to my younger brother during the demo. A very useful technique in multiplayer sword play is the parry; you can parry by holding down a button, which lends an extra dimension of strategy to the process. Meanwhile, the high and low swipes, jabs, thrusts, and nearly any other type of sword attack you could image were all translated to the on-screen action quite flawlessly. This was probably the most impressive of all the Nintendo-related Wii stuff we saw during the show. Oh, and in case you’re curious, the matches in the demo were all best out of three… but in the final game, I’m sure you’ll be able to set your own options.
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Disc Dog – Here, you’re throwing Frisbee with your Mii-dog. Sound fun? Actually, it is. Since the Wii MotionPlus is so precise, your arm movements are translated pretty much perfectly. Holding down the A or B button grips the Frisbee, while releasing it sends it flying in the corresponding direction. A target is provided for you on the grass; the closer you get to this target, the more points you’ll score. By the way, you actually have to throw the Frisbee like you would in real life. Through a terrible lack of sleep and a complete disregard for all things logical and sensible, I managed to throw entirely improperly for 75% of the demo. How is that possible? The same way it’s possible for three editors to put up over a hundred articles in three days, that’s how—very little sleep and lots of 5-Hour Energy.
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Power Cruising – I’m not really sure where the name comes from, but this event is actually Jet Skiing. There are a number of gates arranged in a preconfigured pattern in the water, and your goal is to make it through all of them as quickly as possible without missing any along the way. To play, you hold your hands like you would on an actual Jet Ski—with the Wii-mote and nunchuk pointed toward each other. To turn, you turn the virtual handlebars gradually. The B button gives it gas. Finally, turning the right handlebar revs the engine, giving you an authentic-feeling jet ski experience.
It’s worth noting perhaps that Greg managed 186 points on our jet ski run, while I managed 176. Again, blame it on lack of sleep.
We’ll have more on Wii Sports Resort as it becomes available—stick around.
