Game Info
Game Name: Wii Play
Developer(s): Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s): Nintendo
Platform(s): Wii
Genre(s): Party
Release Date(s): December 7, 2006
ESRB Rating: E
My…what a big head you have!
Your Miis are back for fun and Wii Play is where they’ll find it. Take a chance at a Shooting Range, Find Mii, Table Tennis, Pose Mii, Laser Hockey, Fishing, Billiards, Charge!, and Tanks! Get your Miis ready for the games!
The party game Wii Play was a big hit. Part of the reason of Wii Play‘s popularity was that it was packaged with a Wii Remote (a $40 value) and it meant you were only paying $10 for Wii Play. Since it was released not long after the Wii’s premiere, Wii Play provided a cheap way to get another controller without having a big bill.
“Shooting Range”
Shooting Range—Kind of a version of Duck Hunt, the Wii Remote is a nice substitute for the classic NES gun, but I would have just loved the classic Duck Hunt. I realize with the multiple targets, the game has a bit more variety than Duck Hunt, but Duck Hunt brings back nice memories and the appearance of ducks from Duck Hunt just adds insult to injury.
What place has 3 escalators…really?
Find Mii—This game is a lot of fun. The Miis you’ve created and your friends Mii become the object of a Where’s Waldo hunt. The Miis are put in various locations and you have to match the Miis before time runs out. In a two player game, you must compete against your friends to find the Miis, and score the most.
You just got served!
Table Tennis—The Wii’s great motion control adds a nice dimension to ping-pong and makes it feel a bit more “real” than the Atari version of Pong. Of course your Miis get to play and your Mii friends will watch.
I’m trippin’
Pose Mii—Bubbles are falling and you must match your Mii to the pose inside the bubble. The game is another fun quick game. It also once again is a great use of the Wii Remote since you have to use it to spin & pivot the Miis in the right direction.
Whoa…It’s so high tech…like 1982
Laser Hockey—It is air hockey…plus. The game is a bit lazy and the controls are a bit wacky and it can be pretty hard to play against the computer.
Paper Mario, eat your heart out!
Fishing—Your Miis are out to capture the big fish and hooking it is the ultimate goal. The main goal is to continue to hook the fish to extend time and catch specific fish. The game is fun at first but easy to get the top score and the game becomes pointless.
Just push? Somehow I doubt that
Billiards–This game is pretty straight forward. It is a nine ball version of pool and the score is based on sinking the correct balls. It is a bit tricky to get the controls down at first, but then it does become a bit easier.
Perfect? Yes, I know I am
Charge!—The Miis are part of a bucking bronco and target specific objects. The cow can go faster and slow down depending on the angle of the controller. It isn’t the best game and a regular racing game might be more fun.
Got you sucka!
Tanks!—You are the lone tank in a maze full of enemy tanks. You must eliminate them before they eliminate you. Tanks! is a lot like the old Atari Combat. It is easier to control the game with the nunchuk than with just the Wii Remote. The game has a number of levels and it gets increasingly difficult. There is no continue, so it actually is a bit of a challenge to work through the levels.
Wii Play has more activities than Wii Sport, but there are fewer repeat play games. The whole collection almost comes off as more of a demo disc instead of a real game. It also doesn’t incorporate the Wii Remote and nunchuck as much as much as Wii Sport. It does have a lot of fun stuff, but like Wii Play, I have a hard time recommending it now that there are so many gaming options for the Wii. If you can get it for $10 or less, you should check it out, but don’t spend much more. A second version of Wii Play released called Wii Play: Motion.
