Wii Sports has been commercially successful; at the end of 2007, it was the best-selling Wii game. In Japan, where the game was not included with the system, the game sold 176,167 copies in the first two days of release, a record for a seventh generation console game in Japan. By February 2007, it had sold over a million copies. In early May 2007, game-industry research firm Media Create placed Wii Sports third in their list of top-20 games in Japan. It was the best-selling game of 2007 in Japan with 1,911,520 copies sold. As of March 31, 2008, the game has sold 21.56 million copies worldwide—including bundled copies.

Critical response

Wii Sports has received generally positive reviews. GameTrailers called it a good complement to the Wii system and referred to all five games as a "nice total package". They commented that the games provided enough gameplay for long time gamers without making it inaccessible to novices. GameTrailers stated, however, the lack of a tournament mode was a detractor, and did not recommend paying for the game if it did not come bundled with the system. GamePro also commented that the free addition of Wii Sports with the Wii was a positive. IGN called it a "successful showpiece for Nintendo's new hardware" and enjoyed the ability to import Miis. GameSpot complimented the multiplayer aspect and the fitness test. Reviewers praised the game's controls and ease of use. IGN referred to the controls as "revolutionary", and described them as intuitive. GamePro echoed similar comments, praising the ease of play and realistic motion controls, while GameSpot commented the motion controls were sometimes erratic. Common criticism focused on the graphics and lack of depth in the separate games. IGN stated the game "comes up short in depth and visuals", and called the graphics "generic" and "archaic". Other reviewers stated the graphics were on par with Nintendo's older gaming systems, the GameCube and Nintendo 64. Gamespot criticized the oversimplified nature of the games, and GamePro stated the separate games offered less depth than regular console sports games.

The separate games garnered their own reception among critics. IGN called bowling, tennis, and baseball "fun and addictive", while Eurogamer said baseball, golf and boxing were lacking in gameplay depth when compared with tennis and bowling. PC Magazine columnist John C. Dvorak, an avid bowler, praised the realistic physics utilized in bowling and stated, "Nintendo did a stupendous job of coding." He complimented the addition of physical activity to video gaming, but complained that long term use caused his wrist and shoulder to become sore. IGN ranked bowling as the best experience of the five. Before its release, IGN commented on an exploit allowing easy strikes in the bowling game that removed the challenge and replay value. After the release, they stated the exploit was not fixed. GameTrailers called golf the most in-depth, but criticized the lack of multiple courses and unpredictable controls when trying to slice or hook a shot. GamePro stated golf offered the most content and was the best looking of all the games, but commented that its controls were the most difficult to use. GameTrailers called tennis the most accessible and easy to play, but criticized the difficulty of putting spin on a shot. IGN stated tennis was one of the more fun games, but the lack of movement control was a detractor. GameTrailers called baseball the most "worthless" because of the luck factor associated with the computer-controlled fielding. They called boxing the best workout on Wii Sports , but criticized the difficult timing needed to punch properly. IGN criticized boxing for being "like a chore" and ranked it as the worst experience of the five sports.

Awards

Wii Sports has been the recipient of multiple awards from various organizations, websites, and magazines. At the 2006 E3, it won the Game Critics Award for "Best Sports Game". 1UP.com listed it as the "Best Wii Game" and "Most Original Game" in their "Best of E3 2006" feature. IGN awarded it "Best Sports Game of 2006". Time magazine listed the game as the number one game of 2006 in their list of "Top 10 Video Games of 2006". Wii Sports won Famitsu 's 2006 "Innovation Award". Electronic Gaming Monthly awarded it "Best Multiplayer Experience" in their 2006 "1Up Network Awards". At the 2007 Interactive Achievement Awards, Wii Sports won "Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering", "Outstanding Achievement in Game Design", and "Outstanding Innovation in Gaming". In 2007, the game won the "Innovation Award" and "Best Game Design" at the Game Developers Choice Awards, and won "Grand Prize" in the entertainment division of the Japan Media Arts Festival. At the 2007 BAFTA Awards, Wii Sports won in six out of the thirteen categories: Casual, Gameplay, Strategy & Simulation, Sports, Innovation, and Multiplayer.

Impact

Wii Sports , a major factor in the Wii's worldwide success, is the first in a series of games by Nintendo titled Wii Series . The series also includes Wii Play , Wii Fit , Wii Chess and the upcoming Wii Music . A direct sequel titled Wii Sports Resort is also planned for release. The game, along with Wii Fit , has been cited as attracting more casual, female, and elderly gamers. It has also been cited as one game that can provide a bonding experience among family members, and as a means of exercising and losing weight when played regularly. A study involving 13–15 year old teenagers was conducted by the Liverpool John Moores University and concluded that players used 2% more energy than by playing on other consoles. They stated it was no substitute for playing a real sport, but it could contribute to weight management. Wii Sports has been used to aid in the physical therapy of a boxer at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Canada, stroke victims in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Raleigh, North Carolina, and injured soldiers in Prescott, Arizona; Washington, D.C.; and Landstuhl, Germany.

After the release of the Wii, players began incurring injuries while playing Wii Sports , among other games, when they accidentally hit other players or objects while swinging the Wii Remote. This string of accidents, and others related to players throwing the Wii Remote while playing Wii Sports , prompted Nintendo president Satoru Iwata to develop a campaign to reduce such incidents. In regard to the issue, Nintendo spokesman Yasuhiro Minagawa commented, "People tended to get a bit excited, especially while playing Wii Sports , and in some cases the remote would come loose from their hands." Nintendo responded by recalling 3.2 million straps and producing new straps that were almost twice as thick.

Wii Sports has become a popular device for social gatherings and competitions. Residents at senior centers and retirement homes have formed leagues using Wii Sports bowling. After its Australian release, Nintendo and Myer, an Australian department store chain, held a Wii Sports tennis tournament in January 2007 in Melbourne, Australia. The winners competed against professional tennis players Pat Cash and Mark Woodforde, and were awarded with new Wiis. An unofficial Wii Sports tennis tournament titled "Wiimbledon" was held in a Brooklyn, New York bar on June 23, 2007. It featured 128 competitors, many of whom were dressed in costumes. The winner was awarded a new Wii.

Wii Sports has been featured on television multiple times. The game was featured in commercials for the Wii system, and in news features on the American Broadcasting Company and National Broadcasting Company networks. The game has appeared on various comedy shows. An episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien featured host Conan O'Brien competing against his guest, tennis star Serena Williams, in a match of Wii Sports tennis. On an episode of the Rick Mercer Report , former Canadian prime minister Jean Chrétien beat Rick Mercer in a game of Wii Sports boxing. The boxing game also appeared on an episode of The Colbert Report where a clip featured Mii versions of Stephen Colbert and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi boxing. At the 80th Academy Awards Show, host Jon Stewart and August Rush star Jamia Simone Nash were caught playing Wii Sports tennis on one of the event's gigantic projection screens after a commercial break as part of a joke.

References

1. ^ "Wii Sports — Release Summary". GameSpot. Retrieved on 2008-05-01.
2. ^ Schneider, Peer (2006-09-13). "New Wii Titles Announced". IGN. Retrieved on 2008-02-01.
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n} Casamassina, Matt (2006-11-13). "Wii Sports Review". IGN. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
4. ^ ^{a b c d}