Wii Sports on the Nintendo Wii is one of the best sports games ever. It may not look like it with the old Mii avatars and basic graphics, but it was a generation-unifying title.
Anyone could pick up a Wiimote and play whether you were a seasoned gamer or someone who had never once played a video game. This title sold motion controls and the Nintendo Wii to millions worldwide. The sequel, Wii Sports Resort, never landed as well as the original; I never got this one to comment much on it, nor did anyone I knew with a Wii.
The Wii U had its own Nintendo sports title, Wii Sports Club; it was an HD remake of Wii Sports, and I didn't play it much besides golf. It was cool to lay the Wii U tablet on the ground and swing like a Temu Tiger Woods at the golf ball displayed on the screen at your feet. But they tied it into some messily set-up season pass where you bought passes for individual sports, and it just never sat right with me.
Plus, the original still played so well, I never felt the need to upgrade my motion-controlled sports experience. That was until the Switch generation began. Sure, the Switch got its own Nintendo Sports title with Nintendo Switch Sports, but I never jumped on this one. In fact, until I got my hands on Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, I had been waiting and hoping NSO would include Wii games and that Nintendo would sell a Wiimote in their retro controller lineup.
So the question is: have my two decades of abstaining from the franchise that helped sell a million Wiis paid off, or should I just dig my old Wii out of the loft?
When you first boot up the game, you are tasked with making yourself an avatar. Now, this is in the modern style, not the classic Wii versions many people instantly recognize. Also, please bring back Miiverse, Nintendo.
You can use the original style, but the game nudges you toward the modern one, and honestly, I don’t mind. They are simple enough to set up and get started with. Once that’s done and your character is locked in, head to the court/gym/arena and try out the games on offer.
This time around, Nintendo dropped us right back on Wuhu Island with a solid sports selection. It mixes stuff you played decades ago with a few new additions that try to flex what the new Switch hardware can do.
If I am being honest, I always default to playing Bowling on Wii Sports, and here the game plays fine, although not letting go of the ZR button to throw the ball was a bit off-putting at first. The tracking actually holds up surprisingly well, and side modes like 100-Pin Bowling remain absolute chaotic gold. Yes, I eventually got a strike, but these sports titles really shine with friends. Golf makes a welcome return too, with proper 18-hole courses where paying attention to the wind and your wrist position keeps you from slicing straight into the trees.
The rest of the lineup is a mixed bag, but most of it works well in a group. Power Cruising has you holding both controllers like handlebars, twisting your right wrist to rev the engine for a boost and leaning hard into turns. Skateboarding is easily one of the best uses of the Joy-Con 2 mouse controls yet, using the controller like a mini skateboard under your hand to pull off tricks, grind rails, and navigate ramps.
Then you have Archery, which basically makes you look like an idiot in your living room as you pull one controller back past your ear while trying to steady your aim against the wind. Swordplay is a forearm killer where you just slash violently and block until someone gets thrown off the ledge into the water. Racket sports like Table Tennis feel fast and snappy, with wrist flicks adding spin, while standard Tennis and Baseball handle most of the running for you so you can just focus on timing your swings. There are even a couple of weird little fillers like Thumb Wrestling, where you try to pin the other person with tiny controller tilts, and Jump Rope, which is really just a quick rhythm warm-up.
Instead of just jumping between menus, the game actually gives you a reason to hang out on Wuhu Island. The highlight for me is free-roam mode, where you can grab a skateboard or jump into a Prop Plane to fly around, look for balloons and secret spots, or just mess about without a timer ticking down. If you are playing solo, the Island Crown campaign gives you something to aim for: play through nine sports, beat a ladder of 20 CPU opponents, and unlock belts by beating the current champion.
If you want to take things online, you can play casual matches, jump into ranked Pro League play, or set up private lobbies for up to eight people to rotate through games while unlocking new outfits for your avatar. I still think this game is most fun with people in the same room, but it’s nice to have online for those who prefer it.
While everything in Switch Sports Resort is solid, it still doesn’t have that lightning-in-a-bottle feeling Wii Sports had. The motion controls work really well, and I even enjoyed the mouse mode, especially in skateboarding. A few blueprints here could translate into standalone games; I would love to see Wave Race return with motion controls for the jet skis. The gameplay won’t be the biggest problem; it's recognisability for a general audience.
I think Nintendo's biggest problem here is its branding. Calling it Nintendo Sports from the start would have helped immensely in the long run, or heck, even keeping the Wii brand name alive. Wii Sports 5 sounds way better than Switch Sports Resort. I know plenty of people who have no clue this franchise is even still alive.
If Nintendo eventually releases a Wiimote compatible with this, I would probably play way more. The Joy-Con has never been as sturdy or comfortable as the Wiimote when you separate them from the main unit. They feel too premium to swing around in the living room and seem like they would smash to pieces if you slammed them hard against a solid surface.
That aside, Switch Sports Resort is a game I can recommend for the whole family. It has a decent selection of fun games, and it will genuinely get people saying, “Oh yeah, I remember this,” and at Xmas you can get everyone from baby brother to Granny involved. It also has a bunch of nice touches, like unlockables and achievements, that keep you invested long term; I just don’t think Wii Sports will ever be knocked off its spot as the king of motion-controlled sporting fun.
