Wii Play Motion is a sequel to Wii Play, and it’s definitely the better game. It released on June 12th in North America and on June 24th in Europe. Seeing that this game is primarily a mini-game collection and that it has no story, I struggled to find a way to properly represent the title. I finally decided that I would evaluate each game separately and chunk it together with Gameplay (essentially that’s what I’ll be talking about) and just eliminate the story score. With that being said, I’ll get right to the games and finish the review as per normal.
Cone Zone – 1-2 Players (2/10)
OK, so we’re not off to a good start mini-game wise; I promise it gets much better. Cone Zone just isn’t fun. In Cone Zone you will balance scoops of ice cream by moving the Wii Remote Plus side to side, and back and forth while more ice cream is continuously added. Lose your balance and you will drop some ice cream and lose the game. That’s pretty much everything to the game. It’s a very underwhelming mini-game, especially when the Wii Motion Plus wasn’t utilized well. It felt like I could just go back and forth with the controller until I was either bored, or experience a loss of interest. It can be played with a second player, and it does feature a soft serve Swirl Mode, but that feels tacked on for the sake of making Cone Zone feel more complete.
Veggie Guardin’ – 2-4 Players (6/10)
Veggie Guardin’ is much better than Cone Zone. In this mini-game, your objective is to guard fruits and vegetables against waves of pesky moles in a variation of the classic Whack-A-Mole game. It’s easy enough to control and the mallet really responds well to your actions. Your Wii Remote Plus acts as the mallet and will imitate your moves almost perfectly. If you miss a mole, it will steal one of your veggies! You can replace it by allowing a Mii character to put one back for you. At the end of the game, you will face off against three taller moles that almost feels like a boss battle of sorts.
Other than the main game you can play Recall Mode. Recall Mode plays a lot like Simon in which you have to memorize the order coloured moles pop out of the ground and then bash them in order. Overall, the Veggie Guardin’ package isn’t very deep, but it does offer some entertainment that will have you coming back more than Cone Zone.
Skip Skimmer – 1-4 Players (9/10)
Skip Skimmer is the first real highlight of Wii Play Motion. At its core, it’s the simplest concept, but it delivers a lot of fun and entertainment. In the main game you will skip rocks, with the objective being to get the highest number of skips. You get five tries to compile the highest score possible. To skip a rock, you will hold the B button and then flick your wrist forward, emulating the very basic technique you use in real life. It feels very natural and responds extremely well. If you are having trouble, Nintendo has included an analyze feature that will review your throw and give you tips on how to improve.
Nintendo adds a nice touch by allowing you to throw other objects as well, things such as boomerangs and UFOs. It’s really fun to use these special objects because they each have unique behaviours that make the game even that much more fun. A very competitive score mode can also be found in Skip Skimmer. You receive points by skipping your stone through rings and landing in point zones at the finish. If you’ve ever had rock skipping competition with friends you will understand instantly how this is game can be a lot of fun.
Pose Mii Plus – 1-2 Players (6/10)
Pose Mii Plus is a variation of Pose Mii from Wii Play. It does player a bit differently, however. Instead of changing you Mii’s pose and matching the outline of bubbles, you will instead just control your Mii’s positioning by twisting the Wii Remote Plus. Bubbles are gone and are replaced by a wall. Each pose is predetermined by the hole in the wall; you just need to match by twisting your Mii. Motion Plus works great here as twisting the controller to match the Mii is spot on here. There isn’t much more in terms of depth as there are only five stages, however, it’s a lot more fun than the original Pose Mii and offers up some fast paced action in later stages.
Trigger Twist – 1-2 Players (7/10)
Trigger Twist is an on-rails shooter game consisting of three different stages; UFO, Dinosaurs, and Ninja (my favourite). Motion Plus isn’t represented to its fullest potential here, but the controls are still acceptable. You will be controlling a reticle with the controller and shoot with either A or B. Because you’re using Wii Motion Plus you can pretty much access 360 degrees around the stage.
As said before, stages will carry out like an on-rails shooter, but there is a little twist. In each stage you will play through three objectives: First is just defeat the enemies on screen, second you will save as many Mii’s before the enemies get to them, and the third will put you up against a boss after defeating the stage’s enemies.
Not only will you concern yourself with shooting the enemies, but you need you watch your HP. Like Zelda, your HP is represented by hearts and if lose all three of them it will be game over. There are for jars and other items that will release hearts when you shoot them!
Jump Park – 1-2 Players (8/10)
This mini-game plays very much like a platformer! The objective here is to collect the number of required gems scattered throughout the stage and reach the end goal. You will navigate the stage by jumping off bumpers littered all throughout the stage; this is done by hitting them with your feet by adjusting your Mii with the remote. There are some power-ups that will help you along like a magnet that will attract nearby gems. It’s a lot of fun to play and controls well, but there isn’t really a whole lot more to say.
Teeter Targets 1-2 Players (10/10)
Without a doubt, Teeter Targets is among the standout games on Wii Play Motion. It contains a lot of depth and uses the Motion Plus really well. There are three modes, a Challenge mode, VS mode, and an Endless mode. I’ll go a little in-depth on Challenge and Endless.
Challenge mode has 30 stages to play through and the objective is to destroy every target in each stage. This is done by controlling a ball using teeter totters. These teeter totters are controlled by holding the Wii Remote Plus sideways and pushing down or pulling up on the desired side depending on where you want to put the ball. As you progress you, the stages will begin getting tougher. It’s a very satisfying game to play and you will come back again and again to top your high scores! Make sure to hit the timer boosts throughout the stage so you can score even higher! They may also come in handy if the stage is a little tough on you.
Endless is a bit different; here the objective is to play until you lose your ball. There are three types of endless. First is a game where you have to see how many times you can flick the ball over a line. Lose the ball and its game over. There are two distance type endless games as well, a horizontal and vertical game. These are fun, and much like the challenges you will come back to try and improve your score! The addition of this Endless mode really makes Teeter Targets feel more complete than a lot of other games on the compilation.
Spooky Search 1-4 Players (10/10)
Another standout game on Wii Play Motion! Spooky Search uses the Wii Remote Plus in one of the most unique ways ever in the Wii’s lifetime. In Spooky Search, your task is to capture the required number of ghosts Ghostbusters style! It’s unique because the action mostly takes place inside whatever room is home to your Wii! Using the Wii Remote Plus you will search your room for each Ghost. When you get close, your Wii Remote speaker will begin emitting a sound, and even the Mii’s on screen offer some help. Once you locate the Ghost, press B then drag it back to a vortex on your TV screen. You’ll also encounter Ghosts that try to abduct your Mii, so you have to save them as well! Bigger boss like ghosts also make an appearance, and are tougher to take down.
Overall, it’s a very unique use of the Wii Remote and really demonstrates the innovation that developers can’t do without the Wii Remote!
Wind Runner 1-4 Players (10/10)
Three stellar games in a row! Wind Runner is another example of using the full potential of the Wii Remote. Wind Runner takes place on a very windy obstacle course! Using the Wii Remote Plus, you will imitate the actions of an Umbrella. Open the umbrella to cruise forward, flick to jump, and hold up to float, and navigate by point left or right. Simple controls, but they are very effective.
However, there is another element to the game. As you race through the course you can collect gems to increase your score. Overall, it’s pretty basic, but it’s really fun to play. There is also a long jump mode that is fun to fool around with for a bit, but the main game is the highlight.
Treasure Twirl - 1-2 Players (10/10)
Another 10/10 mini-game makes Wii Play Motion an interesting title for the Wii. Treasure Twirl is played with the Wii Remote held sideways and, well, you twirl the remote! In this game the objective here is to capture as many undersea treasures as possible before running out of air! Controlling your Mii is easily done by twirling the remote in the direction you want to go. Twirl faster to reel your character faster. Again, this is another simple, but effective use of Motion Plus.
There are four stages to play through, as well as a two player mode in which you work together with a partner. Oh, and you should grab an oxygen tank whenever you see one, because you’re oxygen level drops continuously. It can even deplete if you run into an underwater enemy.
Flutter Fly 1-2 Players (8/10)
Our perfect game streak ends with Flutter Fly, but that doesn’t mean it is a bad game. It’s another obstacle course game, but this time it takes place in the clouds. Your Wii Remote now acts as a fan used to guide a set of three balloons (with your Mii’s face) through the course. Wii Motion Plus is used really well in this game as it allows you to come at the balloons from any angle. As you position the fan around the balloon, you flutter away to move in that direction. Don’t waggle around like a mad man though, as slow swipes are more effective.
There are also crows to avoid and they can be pretty annoying at first. I didn’t know how to take them out, but I figured out that by pointing at them and pressing A, you can quickly get rid of them. If the crows touch you they will pop your balloon, but no worries as each course usually has another one to collect. It’s a decent game overall, but doesn’t touch the brilliance of the previous four.
Star Shuttle 1-2 Players (7/10)
Lastly with have Star Shuttle, another pretty good game in this mini-game package. It has 30 stages to play through, much like Teeter Targets. Here you will need to dock your spaceship! Yet again, a simple concept, but the use of Motion Plus shines through again. You can twist and turn any way you’d like with Motion Plus, ensuring the perfect position for docking. You will control thrusters with the D-Pad, and angle the Remote to control the ship. It’s a challenging game, but it never thrilled me as much as some of the other games did.
Gameplay (15/20)
Most of the mini-games are a lot of fun to play, with some really standing out above the rest. Motion Plus is used craftily in most games, and overall it’s one of the better mini-game collections I can think of for the Wii. Having 11 well thought out games, and one stinker, really makes this a pretty good package. Gameplay wise it trumps Wii Play, and if you enjoyed Wii Play, you will like Wii Play Motion much better.
Design (7/10)
Wii Play Motion is on par with other games in the “Wii” series. It uses the always charming Mii caricatures combined with some great presentation, and decent graphics. Not a whole lot to say, other then the fact that it’s a well designed game.
Sound (7/10)
Again, most of the music is on Par with other “Wii” series. Some tracks and sounds are generic, but I dare you to try and get the Teeter Targets or Wind Runner theme out of your head. Catchiness lends itself well to games in general, and Wii Play Motion certainly has some.
Value (10/10)
How can value not get a perfect score? Wii Play Motion comes bundled with a Black Wii Remote Plus and a great compilation of mini-games. While it only took about an hour to unlock all of the games, I played for 10 hours easily. I didn’t finish everything that the game had to offer, and that’s not counting multiplayer either, so there is definitely a few hours of fun to be had with this package. At $49.99 you get a controller and a game; that is definitely a great value.
Overall
It’s a pretty good compilation of mini-games that showcases Motion Plus quite well. However, if you already have a Wii Remote Plus, then you may want to pass on this game. If you enjoy mini-game compilations, then try this game out. Users that don’t have a Wii Remote Plus are encouraged to buy this game because you’ll need one when The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword releases later this year.
Final Score: 78%
