Da plane boss, da plane! (cont.)

This brings me to the single biggest detraction from the experience: the online play. Or, if you haven't been paying attention, the lack thereof. Now, it is understandable that Nintendo would want to encourage people to get together to play Wii Sports Resort but the simple matter for many people is that they have friends all around the country who they would want to play with. Nintendo's demonstrated their ability to host good online first-party titles with Super Smash Brothers Brawl last year so 4v4 play is most certainly not outside the realm of possibility. The concept of "couch versus couch" online play certainly sounds like a winning formula in this reviewer's opinion and it is a real shame to not see it implemented given the significance of the title.

The motion is passed

The other star of the show, alongside the game itself, is the Wii Motion Plus. Wii Sports Resort comes packed with one inside of the advertised rubber "safety" grip. What they don't tell you is that it is glued in there and thus must be cut out should you want to not wear the rubber. This can be understandable especially if you have small hands but the reason it is necessary seems to be an engineering fault on Nintendo's part: the thing doesn't lock nearly as properly as it needs to. The grip is confusing at best and takes several seconds to put together the first time. It also doesn't allow access to the battery compartment on the underside of the Wiimote so if you have to change batteries or re-sync your controller you have to take it completely out of the jacket first. Given the possibility to attach a Nunchuk or a classic controller it is understandable that the Wii Motion Plus would fall off should you should yank on it. The end result feels quite large in your hand so it takes a little bit to get used to the new size and weight but it isn't something that one can't overcome with experience.

The true question in everyone's mind is whether the Wii Motion Plus delivers its advertised 1:1 experience. The answer is almost. While it does deliver a strong control experience the game's end result is one that this reviewer would give a 19:20 ratio rather than 1:1. Many of the actions you utilize when playing the majority of the different activities do work. However, when attempting to make use of thrusting the controller back and forth, players will notice a lack of detection of this action at times. The Wii Motion Plus also has hard time detecting complex actions such as tilting the controller forward when on its side. These can make certain activities like flying, riding and jet-skiing a bit harder to do but nonetheless don't detract from the overall gameplay.

The only real argument that can be made regarding the Wii Motion Plus is its pricing. At roughly $20 a pop separately you are looking at having to spend $110 in order to outfit four people with the accessory and a single copy of the game - something that, in this day and age, isn't exactly a finance-friendly decision to make. This figure doesn't even account for the needed Nunchuks for several of the activities so to get the full experience, newcomers will have to shell out an additional $20 a piece for a full total of $190! This also assumes that the player already has four controllers so I hope you get my point. My advice to Nintendo: do the right thing and knock $5 off the price; we'll all be grateful.

Wiggle and waggle like you've got a purpose!

Wii Sports Resort, the flagship title for Nintendo in 2009, is an impressive assortment of games that demonstrate their new technology just like they first did at launch in 2006. In this regard it succeeds. The various activities are fun, the variety available to you is enjoyable and the hours of fun one can have impresses. This is one of the best games to come out for the Wii so far and for $30 it is well worth the price. Though the game has some quirks it is still very entertaining and worth checking out.