Celebrity Sports Showdown (Wii)

CELEBRITY SPORTS SHOWDOWN is the latest in a series of games that follows the highly enjoyable method of play that Wii Sports started, that of a series of minigames that are presented with a cohesive theme and fit well together. With twelve different sports represented, including downhill skiing, rock climbing, beach volleyball, inner tube racing, jousting, racing horses over hurdles, badminton, archery, curling, dodgeball, airplane racing, and kayaking, the range of games here is sure to keep kids of all ages entertained. Played either through individual games or in a tournament mode, the game offers a lot of content for the relatively low price. Even though the game proudly displays celebrities as a drawing point, they really aren't used other than as avatars for players to assume as their identity.

Compared to other minigame collections, the somewhat low number of games to play here could be seen as a downside, but the quality within game makes the title shine. Even the movements of the Wii Remote for each game are highly intuitive for even the youngest gamers, and they make sense in the context of the sport being played. Some of the sports benefit from the use of both the Nunchuk attachment and the Wii Remote, but it is not a requirement to enjoy the game.

Due to the relative ease of play, this is a game that can be enjoyed by more than just the kids – and the ability to have four players at once really helps make this a great game for family game time. The dodgeball game is really a hoot, but all the games are worth checking out.