Dear Internet,
Do you
remember "Wii Play: Motion?"
NO? Well, I am not surprised. Now
do not get your tubes in a bunch and think I am going to try and sneak by with
a short letter like my last one and just say that "Wii Play: Motion"
is a mediocre game. I ask if you
remember this game because a majority of the purchases of this game was because
of the included Wii Remote Plus in a similar manner that "Wii Play,"
the previous game, had been sold with a extra Wii Remote. Bundles are always nice. Getting more for a slight discount is practically
the first rule of being a consumer.
However, if you take away the added hardware, you still left with a game
that needs to stand on its own.
"Wii
Play: Motion" is a party game all around.
It has a collection of 12 mini-games, all of which can be played by
oneself or with friends or hostages, depending on how much you like this game. The point of this game was to reflect the
abilities of the new kind of controller, the Wii Remote Plus which could more
accurately track the remote's movements.
"Wii Sports Resort" was the first entry that was made to do
this, but keep in mind that "Motion" was packaged with a whole
controller rather than an add-on. The selection
of games runs the whole spectrum, of what one might create to showcase a piece
of hardware. There is the
Whack-a-Mole-esque game Veggie Guardin'.
Cone Zone is a balancing game centered around ice cream, both scooped
and soft serve which highlights the remote's ability to track accurately all
three axes. Trigger Twist is an arcade style
shooting game that adds 360 degrees to the mix.
There are a one or two more that I will get to in a moment.
The
games are relatively quickly played.
Each one only lasts about a minute to three on average. To add some more content, the games have a
number of stages or different types of play.
For example, Trigger Twist has a classic style stage that is reminiscing
of "Duck Hunt" for the NES. It
also has a dinosaur safari hunt played as an on-rail shooter rather than statically
staying in one place. The dino stage
makes me fondly remember "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" arcade game,
the one where you sat inside and the seat would move depending on the stage of
the game. The problem with Trigger Twist
is what it tries to do differently. The
mini-game implements a 360 degrees camera that moves depending on the direction
that the remote is facing. The control
is iffy at best, constantly stopping just too quickly when you want the camera
to keep scrolling. On top of that is the
fact that the player has to keep looking at the screen while pointing the remote
in a weird direction. You are most
likely to get your hand stuck in an odd angle and cannot move it in time to aim
at the target before it goes away, or tries to maul your face a la
raptors. Nintendo has done a better job
with the concept of a 360 degrees shooting game since this game with "Face
Raiders."
The
problem with Trigger Twist is balanced with Spooky Search, which uses a similar
mechanic. The player must point all
around them, but instead of the camera moving on screen, which can lead to
dizzying effects, the player listens to the remote's microphone for audio clues
to the location of ghosts to be captured.
The player must also look at the screen to receive hints as the general
area of where the ghosts are hiding. It
is like a stationary Blind Man's Bluff since the majority of the ghosts hide
off screen. However, Spooky Search is relatively
short like all the games and also rather easy.
I was able to get a platinum medal, the highest in the game, on my first
try.
 |
| Expect to see at least one without even trying. |
All of
the games are relatively easy, but they have to be. The player gets four games to start off. After the player beat the first four, or at
least play them once I think, four more are unlocked. The final four are unlocked with the same
method. Beating each game is fairly
simple and requires little skill. Getting
high scores and medals can be a different story. Some of the games have great controls which
make them easily accessible, fun to play, and enjoyable to beat. Others, like Treasure Twirl and Flutter Fly,
have issues that still show how motion controls can be fickle. The point of the relative ease of the games
is not because the player is trying to beat the computer but beat their friends. "Motion" is a party game. A good deal of the fun is supposed to come
from playing with other people, which is something I cannot duplicate for this
review.
Out of
the dozen games included, only three are what I would call worth it. Teeter Targets, a pinball type puzzle game,
Spooky Search, and Skip Skimmer are enjoyable.
Teeter Targets has a huge collection of stages compared to the rest of
the mini-games. On top of that is the
level of difficulty for that mini-game shoots up greatly as the levels
progress. Spooky Search is fun because
of its "Luigi's Mansion" feel to it.
Skip Skimmer is probably my most favorite of the collection. All it is is skipping stones on a lake. The more skips, the better. It is the most laid back of all the games yet
the technical ability of the player is tested to a high degree. The remote can pick up on the minutest twist
like Bowling was able to in "Wii Sports." I do not want to even talk about Star
Shuttle, which is a space docking game.
It is just parking a car IN SPACE.
 |
| It is like taking a driving test at the DMV. |
I am
thankful I got "Wii Play: Motion" from a bargain bin deal. Otherwise, I might be marking this game
lower. There is nothing inherently wrong
with this game. I am sure it is more fun
with more people, but playing it by my lonesome highlights the rather lukewarm
gameplay. None of the games really sell
the rest. As a whole they might add up
to being a worthwhile game, but definitely not one that could be priced aside ones
that receive much greater development.
These games are a quick fix at best.
Yours in digital,
BeepBoop
P.S. Tomorrow is "Sky Crawlers" (2008).
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