Wii Sports is one of those games that everyone has played once or has at least heard of. I can guarantee that if you walk up to anyone on the street and ask, “Do you know what Wii Sports is”, they will most likely say yes.
It’s really hard to believe that Wii Sports is 6 months away from being legal. I still remember going to my grandma’s house and versing her in tennis, baseball, and our favorite, bowling.
Wii Sports is most known for being the game that put the Nintendo Wii on the map. Everyone and their mother bought a Wii at this time because the console and Wii Sports were marketed as “anyone can pick up and play”
Wii Sports is a collection of 5 sports games, tennis, baseball, bowling, golf, and boxing. All using the new controller, the Wii-Remote and its motion control features to mimic the actions of swinging a baseball bat or swinging a tennis racket. The game was made in a way so that a young child or grandparents would be able to grasp the concept and enjoy the game.
Needless to say, Wii Sports was a huge success, it’s the best-selling game for the Wii and the fourth best selling game of all time. It is also one of the main reasons why the Wii sold 101.63 million units(Sherif) and is the 7th best selling video game console of all time.
This game’s impact on the gaming world was huge to say the least. It started the cultural phenomenon of motion controls. It also kickstarted Nintendo’s long run of games that involved exercising. Obviously playing Wii Sports is not a substitution for playing a real sport, but if you are at an elderly age or too young to legitimately exercise, then this is a great substitution.
While I love this game for many reasons, my favorite thing about this game is the NPC’s known as Mii’s.
Now some of you might not know what Mii’s are. Mii’s are what Nintendo used as avatars for all of their mainline “Wii” games. They are the NPCs you verse in game, but you also get to create your own using the Mii Channel app on your Wii console’s home screen. I spent so much time creating Miis that look like my family members and I even created Miis that look like my favorite celebrities and actors. The possibilities are endless.
Nintendo was going through a rough period in the gaming industry up to this point. Their last two home consoles failed miserably and it really looked like Playstation and Xbox were going to put an end to Nintendo. I guarantee that Nintendo would have put their focus into handheld consoles from that point forward.
Wii Sports changed the gaming industry forever with its release in 2006, it really brought back the fun in games after a long period of releases that were not able to do so.
This game still holds my most vivid game memories to this day. I will never forget playing with my grandma on those sunny afternoons in 2013, and even nowadays on those sunny mornings in 2024 with my little brother. When somebody asks what is the most fun I’ve had with a game, I will say Wii Sports.
This game is timeless, and it truly did save Nintendo.
