After Nintendo Switch Sports was announced during the last Nintendo Direct, I literally jumped out of my chair. I am sure many other viewers did the exact same thing. The trailer tugged on my nostalgia string with just the phrase “it’s a new iteration of the Wii Sports series.” After my initial excitement waned, I scoured the video once again for more details and a question dawned on me: there is just no way that this game can live up to just how revolutionary Wii Sports was, right?
Now that the next iteration is releasing at the end of this month, I thought I would dust off my old Wii U, that I proudly still have plugged into my TV, and jump into the original game. After popping the same disc that I got back on Christmas of 2006, I was immediately taken back to my childhood.
Right from the jump, the game provides one of the most charming and iconic tracks to ever appear in a video game. If you were to just play that sound for a random selection of people, I believe most, if not all, would be able to point out what it was from. Everyone knew about Wii Sports back then. You were playing it. I was playing it. Even your grandparents were probably playing it. The newly introduced motion controls brought in such a wide range of people to the system.
The simplicity of Wii Sports is what made the game so novel and memorable. Even though the controller looks quite off for a video game controller, it fits perfectly into your hand and swinging the remote just felt natural. I have still yet to hold a controller that fits the feel for motion controls better than the Wii Remote. To top that off, that was almost the extent of what players needed to know to begin enjoying the game.
From the main menu, the player can only select one of the perfectly fine tuned game modes to play. Each sport was meticulously crafted to be friendly for beginners but also challenging for returning ones. In bowling, just line up your shot and swing the Wii Remote. However, once the player gets the hang of it, they can start adding some spin on the ball by flicking their wrist in a certain direction. In golf, the player must focus on swinging the controller at just the right speed from the start. On repeat playthroughs though, returning players can find little shortcuts to sneak the ball around some trees for a better score.
Let’s not forget what was one of the most charming additions to the game though: the arrival of Miis. Looking back at Wii Sports and Mii creation in general, Nintendo provided just the right amount of tools for creation to be simple and effective. Creating Miis of your family and friends was already interesting. Beating up your grandma in boxing right after made it even more interesting.
Wii Sports is one of the best selling games of all time and one of the most fondly remembered in Nintendo’s vast catalog, especially for my generation. It will definitely be a longshot for Nintendo Switch Sports to create the same amount of buzz as its predecessor did. That doesn’t mean that it is impossible. The Switch has now outsold the Wii and shows no signs of slowing down. To top that off, the attach rate for the console is through the roof. If titles like Ring Fit Adventure can sell almost 14 million copies, it would not surprise me if Nintendo Switch Sports reaches 20 million or far greater. The game will certainly sell very well. Though, that brings up the question: Will the game be able to match or beat the charm of the original? We only have a few more days before we find out.
