Wii MotionPlus
Review | Synopsis | Packaging / Advertising | Cast
Review by Matthew C.
2009.06.10
(This review refers to the Wii version/release.)
The Short Version:
I picked up the Wii MotionPlus and the new Tiger Woods game yesterday from my local video game store and...Wii MotionPlus rocks!
Wii MotionPlus (WM+) is incredibly accurate. It can definitely drain batteries, but other than that it's great. (When you're not using the MotionPlus functionality, unplug it!) I spent a lot of time playing Frisbee/disc golf because the WM+ really shines in that mode.
The WM+ is almost too accurate. There's no cheating anymore.
I now have every belief that Wii Sports Resort will really deliver on its experiences and not be a gimmicky ploy to grab more cash. (Who knows? Maybe Wii Sports Resort will be a ridiculously fun tech demo like the original Wii Sports...)
The Long Version:
I picked up the Wii MotionPlus and the new "Tiger Woods 2010" game yesterday from my local video game store and...Wii MotionPlus rocks!
Wii MotionPlus (WM+) is incredibly accurate. It can definitely drain batteries, but other than that it's great. (When you're not using the MotionPlus functionality, unplug it!) I spent a lot of time playing "Frisbee/disc golf" because the WM+ really shines in that mode. I'm going to focus on "Frisbee/disc golf" because it wasn't in the previous versions and the standard golf game is almost unchanged from previous "Tiger Woods golf" games.
You CAN play "Frisbee/disc golf" without the Wii MotionPlus accessory... which I think is a great thing. When you remove the Wii MotionPlus while playing a round, you REALLY notice how inaccurate and limited the motion controls become. The first thing I did while trying out "Frisbee/disc golf" was to simply hold the Frisbee/disc and rotate my arm and hand in various positions to watch the on-screen representation follow my movements exactly. If you unplug the WM+, this one-to-one representation instantly goes away. The WM+ is so accurate....in "Frisbee/disc golf" every mistake you make in throwing the Frisbee/disc is accurately replicated in the game.
There are a few things that detract from "Tiger Woods 10" on the Wii. One is the animal animations. It's cool that the world isn't as sterile as in previous versions of the game, but the animal animations are laughably bad. I mean, they're horrible. How do you animate a bird flying at 3 frames per second in this day and age? I was playing last night and a squirrel ran across the tee box. Well, it moved across the screen with all three frames of animation. Ha ha ha. The animal animations are pathetic. Oh well, back to the good stuff...
The WM+ is almost too accurate. There's no cheating anymore as I found out when we popped in the new Grand Slam Tennis that my friend Scott picked up. (You could cheat shots in Wii Sports' Tennis easily . Just flicking your wrist would make your player jump in front of the ball and try to make the shot.) In Grand Slam Tennis, it's more like real tennis. You have to be in the right position, you have to guess which way you'll be able to hit the shot. Forehand and backhand shots are cool, but totally different. If you're not set up for the shot, the player (like in real tennis) can't do much about it. (But if you guess correctly, there are so many ways to control your shot...put spin on the ball, drop shots, lob shots, angle shots...) One thing I may recommend for any WM+ tennis game is...a change of clothes. If you're doing it right, you may get rather sweaty.
You can do some really cool stuff with WM+, I just hope game developers really use it! Bring on Red Steel 2 and maybe even "Boom Blox 3"! I now have every belief that Wii Sports Resort will really deliver on its experiences and not be a "gimmicky ploy" to grab more cash. (Who knows? Maybe Wii Sports Resort will be a ridiculously fun "tech demo" like the original Wii Sports...)
2009.06.11
A friend asked me: "Can the WMP be used for any game? Or are there only certain games that are compatible?"
While working with every existing game would be truly awesome, unfortunately the answer is "certain games".
The game code has to know to look for Wii MotionPlus (WM+) and be able to use whatever information it provides. Older games COULD be "patched" to use it, but this is Nintendo and they almost never allow patches/expansions.
So for now there are three games that use it. (1) Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 by Electronic Arts, (2) Grand Slam Tennis by Electronic Arts, and (3) Virtua Tennis 2009 by Sega. Next month Nintendo releases Wii Sports Resort...and Red Steel 2 is coming later in the year. Sega's The Conduit was supposed to use WM+, but they scrapped the functionality claiming that it really didn't do anything for ranged combat. (I can see their point.)
I thought the "Zack & Wiki" controls were awesome with the Wiimote alone...at least better than most Wii games. Now with WM+, games could really be spectacular.
Another thing, while playing "Frisbee/disc golf", just holding the Frisbee/disc and rotating my hand and arm is cool, cool stuff. I know I've said that before, but...whew. (I remember when Frogger was amazing and crazy fun. FROGGER ! WM+ just floors me.)
That's my final thought. "Wii MotionPlus kicks Frogger's AAA. " :)
2009.06.17
I look forward to playing Wii Sports Resort when it's released next month. I can see those activities really showing off the Wii MotionPlus.
( read the Wii Sports Resort review )
Final Thought:
Wow, incredibly accurate