Wii Sports Resort (Wii)

common sense media says

Best all-ages sports compilation yet -- great for groups.

parents & educators say

35% say there are positive role models
35% say there are positive messages

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this excellent compilation of sports games plays well across generations from kindergartners to grandparents. However, families with young children may want to skip the sword fighting game because it is all about whacking other avatars with a sword that you wield. This game comes bundled with the new Wii remote add-on called the Wii MotionPlus and it must be played with that add-on. This game is best played with others, but all the games can be played alone. Parents might want to turn off the importing of Miis from the Check Mii Out Channel because that content may present Miis that seem inappropriate.

Educational value: While some of the sports rules have been changed for playing it on the Wii, you can learn some sports basics.

Positive messages: All of the characters shown in the game are supportive of you and exhibit good sportsmanship. For example, while on the golf course, you opponents are shown quietly waiting for you to take a turn.

Positive role models: Your avatar and those of the people you are playing with will always demonstrate good sportsmanship. If you decide to allow the importing of Mii Characters from the Check Mii Out Channel, you may see Mii characters that represent stereotypes.

Ease of play: What makes this game so good is the ease by which players of different abilities can play. For newbies, there are easy difficulty levels and in some games, the ability to turn on "Automatic Control" which means that you simply use arm movements to play. For gaming veterans, the controls can be set to require more precision, like having to time the release of the bowling ball by letting go of the "B" button.

Violence & scariness: In one of the 12 games there is mild cartoon violence where you use your Wii remote as a sword and you slash at other avatars until you knock them down. Both your avatar and the characters you are fighting are wearing protective gear. There is no blood shown and the other characters simply fall over. If you knock them off a bridge or other high surface, they have their own personal inflation system and they float to a safe place. You can also crash your airplane but again, your avatar will parachute to safety.

Language: Not applicable.

Consumerism: Not applicable.

Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

Families can talk about why playing active games is important to your health.
Did you notice a change in how easily the Wii was able to detect your motions? Will it be hard to go back to playing games that don't use the extra sensitivity of the Wii MotionPlus?
Which games were best for groups of people to play and why? Is it fun to play as teams or as individuals all competing against each other?

What's the story?

WII SPORTS RESORT is the long-waited sequel to the award-winning Wii Sports game. This time around, there are 12 categories of sports to explore, and fun variations within most of these sports. You can play archery, Frisbee, basketball, golf, table tennis, bowling; and explore the air sports of skydiving and flying a plane. You can also try wakeboarding (a form of water skiing), sword play, power cruising (driving a jet ski), cycling, and canoeing. All of these sports are played by doing intuitive arm motions that are associated with the sport. So to throw a Frisbee, you will flick your wrist, and to play table tennis you will swing an imaginary paddle. And with the new Wii MotionPlus, the controller is so sensitive, that you can now add spin and other sophisticated moves.

Is it any good?

Wii Sports Resort is a vacation destination that you won't want to miss. Each of the sports is fun to explore either alone and with others – although the game is most fun when played with a group. It is the best sports compilation that we have reviewed on the Wii, and would be a great addition to any family games library. We tested it with octogenarians all the way down to kids and it was a hit with all ages.

Nintendo has done an excellent job of simplifying each sport into something that would be fun on the Wii, while still maintaining some depth to the gameplay. The new Wii MotionPlus controller add-on provides a new level of sophistication for those that want it, but the play of each game can still be very simple and intuitive. You can turn on "Automatic Control" in several of the games so that the gameplay is simply about making the motions and not about timing the release of buttons. One of the better games is Frisbee golf where you use three different-sized discs to mimic the golf driver, iron, and putter. The game is played on a golf course where wind is a big factor.

Online interaction: If parents allow the importing of Mii Characters from the Check Mii Out Channel, a service where others create and then vote on the most popular Miis, kids might see some Miis that seem inappropriate.

Game themes & details

Themes

sports and martial arts

Game Details

Available on: Nintendo Wii
Available online
Genre: Sports
Developer: Nintendo
Released on: July 26, 2009
Price: 49.99
ESRB Rating: E for Cartoon Violence

Screenshots

This review was written by Jinny Gudmundsen

Review It

What parents & educators say

Based on 17 parent & educator reviews:

35% say there are positive role models
35% say there are positive messages
35% say it's educational

Read the reviews

Most useful reviews by all members

adpace
parent of 6 and 7 year old

Easy to play, appealing to everyone and overall great for the whole family

This game is simple and fun for the entire family. We actually got the game because I enjoyed playing it so much when we tried it out on the in-law's wii. But the wonderful thing about it is that has appeal for everyone and is simple enough that even younger kids can play yet challenging enough that adults will find it fun as well. One of the great things about this game is that there are LOTS of games within the game itself and most all of them are fun and value-added (with a few exceptions depending on what you enjoy). Just the airplane flying alone will provide hours of fun for anyone in the family. One thing to note is that some games (such as the airplane game) only allow one player while most of the other games can be played by yourself or with multiple players. You must have a special add-on for your remote that makes it more sensitive for each remote being used, though. So it can get quite expensive if you want the entire family to play. That said, I think the remote can be shared on some games (such as frisbee golf or bowling). This game is a big hit in our house and my husband turns of the playstation occasionally to play this instead. I definitely recommend it for all ages.

Game Details

Price

Available on

Genre

Wii Sports Resort (Wii)

common sense media says

parents & educators say

What parents need to know

More on Wii Sports Resort

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

What's the story?

What's the story?

Is it any good?

Is it any good?

Game themes & details

Themes

Game Details

Screenshots

Review It

Review Wii Sports Resort

What parents & educators say

Most useful reviews by all members

Easy to play, appealing to everyone and overall great for the whole family

Perfect for Most Ages

Perfect for just about anyone who needs to unfatten! :)

Fun for the whole family!

Healthy and Fun!

great, fun game!

Both my 5yr old and 8 yr. old love this game!

An unbelievable game that achieves everything and more.

EXELLENT!

Love It

It's Awesome!

Ehh...Its alright, but is basically recycled content with extra addons.

A wonderful game

My favorite Wii game

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