CORBIE'S GAME BLOG

After spending about 14 hours with Wii Sports, I've decided to rank the games in the package and give a few impressions of how they each stack up. I can safely say that I have played Wii Sports way more than any of the other 5 Wii launch titles I bought, and this is one solid pack-in. Having said that, the package isn't perfect and there is one stinker in the group that's about to be weeded out. Read on.

1. Wii Golf - If there's one game in the Wii Sports package that I just can't put down, it's Wii Golf. Maybe it's the simplicity of the game, or maybe it's just the realism the game features, I just can't seem to put a finger on it. But of all the games in this package, this is the best of the bunch. It was a tough call between this one and number two, but Wii Golf is still my favorite. And I don't even like golf in real life. 9.2

2. Wii Tennis - As I said, it was a close call. Wii Tennis is about as much fun as you can have if you've got a couple of people to play with. Wii Golf is the best single player game in the package, but Wii Tennis wins out with multiple players. Swing mechanics are very life-like and realistic, and the game gets really challenging as you progress further along in the rankings. If you're going to throw a gaming party, Wii Tennis will likely steal the show. 9.0

3. Wii Bowling - Wii Bowling is another gaming party must-play. It's about as close to real bowling as you can get without having to rent the smelly shoes. The mechanics are very realistic, and the game also features a lot of game play considering it's a simplistic part of a pack-in. Even the sound effects in the game are very true-to-life. As far as multi-player goes, this one is right behind Tennis as far as fun goes. 8.8

4. Wii Baseball - Here's where the fun begins to rapidly drop off. Don't get me wrong, Baseball is fun, there's just not much to it. You basically only get to pitch and bat. And pitching isn't very deep as far as gameplay goes. The control is a bit too touchy when you're batting, and a bit too non-existent when you're pitching. This is one of the Wii Sports games that you'll likely play a few times and then not touch again. It's still decent, but it needed a little more work. 6.5

Wii Boxing - This is the "stinker" I mentioned above. This game has horrible control and isn't much fun to play at all. This game had some potential, as you'll see in the few brief decent moments the game has in it, but they're few and far between. In all honesty this game shouldn't have even been included in the package as it's no fun at all. Just be thankful it's part of, what is otherwise, an amazing sports game package. My advice is stick to the other 4 games in the package and leave this one alone, unless you just like being tortured with non-responsive play control. 3.0

In the end, Wii Sports proves that each of these games has a lot of potential as far as full-version games go. I know the Wii Sports Golf has made me very excited about Super Swing Golf for the Wii. It's supposed to offer a much deeper play experience and builds heavily on the control system used in the Wii Sports version. I hope other developers follow suit and created upgraded versions of each of these games. But for now, Wii Sports should keep sports fans busy.