Nintendo ups gaming, motion-sensing with 'Wii Sports Resort'

— -- If the popular Wii Sports games that shipped with your Wii are no longer giving you enough of a challenge, Nintendo has released an update with Wii Sports Resort.

The long-awaited sequel continues the gaming-for-everyone theme with a fresh set of easy-to-play games, but adds some nuance. It also offers more than twice as many sports games as Wii Sports. New to this version are archery, wakeboarding, Frisbee, swordplay, basketball, table tennis, jet skiing, cycling, canoeing, skydiving and airplane flying. It also has more in-depth golf and bowling options than those found in Wii Sports.

The nuance comes from Nintendo's new Wii MotionPlus. Wii Sports Resort comes bundled with this controller add-on that snaps onto the Wii remote, boosting the responsiveness of the motion-sensitive controller. With the MotionPlus, it is now possible to put spin on a bowling ball and to "slice" a table tennis shot. However, while the controller's motion-sensing is more precise, the games are still easily playable by all.

The fun starts when your avatar (called a Mii) jumps from an airplane and parachutes onto Wuhu Island. By waving your controller, you can get your Mii to join other skydivers to make formations. This dramatic beginning sets the stage for the high-quality fun that follows.

Each of the sports is immediately available as either a solo or multiplayer game, and most can be played by up to four people. For some games, like Frisbee, basketball, cycling, table tennis and bowling, after you have played the standard game, you unlock exciting variations. For example, in bowling, you can unlock "100-Pin," where the goal is to knock down 100 pins instead of 10, and "Spin Control," a wacky version requiring the use of spin to avoid barriers in the alley while trying to knock down the pins at the end.

We tested this game with players across generations, including an 88-year-old grandmother and kids of many ages. And while not every game was a slam-dunk winner, every game was enjoyable to explore. No one ever felt like they couldn't play (although the canoeing was particularly challenging for some) and all of our testers developed their favorites. All thought the archery game was impressive because it felt realistic (including having to adjust for wind), and everyone loved the one called "Frisbee Golf." For families with young children, you might want to skip the swordplay as it has mild cartoon violence.