Wii Play
Encyclopedia
Wii Play, released as in Japan, is a party video game for the Wii
console. It is a counterpart to the games Wii Sports
, Wii Music
and Wii Fit
. It features minigame
s that use characters from the Mii Channel. Several of the games featured are from E3 2006 demos such as the Duck Hunt
-styled shooting demo and Table Tennis, as well as all-new minigames. Wii Play can be purchased as a standalone game or usually bundled with a Wii Remote
, and is the third best-selling game on the Wii (among games not packaged with a console), with 27.38 million copies sold worldwide as of March 31, 2010.
A sequel for Wii Play called Wii Play: Motion
was released on June 13, 2011 in North America and later on June 24 in Europe.
After playing each game another game is unlocked, until all nine games are available. In single player, points are earned in each game and the top 5 highest scores are stored. Getting high enough scores in single player awards the player bronze, silver, gold and platinum medals for that game. It also puts a message on the Wii Message Board saying which game and medal were unlocked, and gives a short tip for that game.
Wii Play uses the Wii
's Mii Channel, which allows the user to create a customized avatar
that can be imported into games that support the feature. Several minigames in Wii Play, especially Pose Mii and Find Mii, utilize Miis.
, and the player is given certain details to look for among them. The player then must pick out the Miis that match the objective. The objectives range among finding two to five identical Miis; finding the fastest Mii; choosing a favorite and finding it again; or finding the "odd Miis out" (doing things that other Miis are not). Single player mode uses a timed system in which the time limit is extended upon finding the correct Mii(s), and multiplayer mode uses a scoring system where two players attempt to get the highest score within two minutes.
This game is, essentially, a game of table tennis
, rallying back and forth by moving the Wii Remote. The Mii characters are supported, and are represented in the audience. As the game progresses, the audience grows larger. Multiplayer mode employs similar gameplay with changing service, sides and a "first to 11" rule.
. In addition to this, as the game progresses, the poses inside the bubbles change, and the player must select the correct pose. When a Mii is correctly posed in a bubble, it bursts. If three bubbles are not burst and eventually fall to the floor, the game is over. In multiplayer mode, each player has differently colored bubbles, but players can pop one another's bubbles to earn extra points. Bonuses are awarded for not dropping any bubbles in a round. Multicolored bubbles temporarily freeze time, allowing the player to pop all bubbles on the screen.
and air hockey
, this is a two player game where the players move the Wii Remote to deflect shots and try to score in the opponent's goal. Single player mode is a two minute match against the CPU, and multiplayer mode uses a “first to 8” rule.
and behind-the-ball 3D
viewpoints. A player can aim for contact anywhere on the to add or execute , and may change the angle at which the cue
strikes the ball.
to destroy enemy tanks in a 2.5D
wooden toy block
environment. The game is similar to the arcade game Tank
. Tanks can fire shells and/or lay mines. All tanks, including the player's, will be destroyed when hit by a single shell or mine. The aim of the game is to destroy all enemy tanks while avoiding their attacks. When this is achieved, play advances to the next level, which will have a different combination of enemy tank types and a differently laid-out block environment. This game does not offer continuation when game over.
The Wii Remote as a pointing device is used for controlling the crosshair
for firing shells. When the Wii Remote is used alone, its D-pad controls the tank movement. When the Nunchuk is connected, the D-pad is disabled and tank control is given to the Nunchuk's joystick.
In single-player mode, the player begins with three lives and is awarded an extra life every five completed levels. When the player dies with unused lives, play is resumed mid-play (i.e. destroyed enemy tanks are not replaced), except start positions are reset. The first time a Mii completes mission 20, game is over (with a "Mission Completed" message). Thereafter, however, 100 missions are available.
In two-player mode, each player has only one life with various pseudo awards, most of which are predicated on achieving various accomplishments (the most notable of which is the "Ice Cold, No Mistakes" award; this is obtained by destroying 50 tanks without losing a life). Therefore there is no mid-play resumes if both players die in a mission. However, if one player dies and the other successfully eliminates all remaining enemy tanks, play will advance to the next mission with both players alive. In addition to this cooperative aspect, there is a competitive aspect in which the two players attempt to accumulate more kills than each other. Compared to single-player mode, some missions have more enemy tanks. In two-player mode, only the first 20 missions are available.
, which spectators thought was a full-fledged Duck Hunt
sequel. Nintendo had yet to announce that the tech demos would be compiled together into a full game.
The game was revealed together for the first time on the Nintendo World
event in New York on September 14, 2006. It is here where Mii Channel functionality was confirmed to be included in the game. Also included updated versions of the games playable at E3, now closer to their finalized form.
. The reviewers at Electronic Gaming Monthly
gave the game varying scores of 6.0, 4.5 and 5.0, stating that while "anybody can play it, including grandma", "[y]ou'll probably be bored in minutes". gamesTM
gave the game a more scathing reaction, scoring it 3/10 stating that "Even the games that do work break down due to a combination of being extremely bland or too repetitive", and even that the strongest game, Shooting, "loses its charm as soon as you realise the targets follow a similar path every time you play". IGN
Australia were more positive in their reaction, awarding the game 8.3/10, saying that it was "effectively being sold at A$
10 on top of the cost of a wiimote" and that "as a training game, it succeeds completely". Official Nintendo Magazine also praised the game and gave it 91%, describing the games as "surprisingly addictive" as well as citing the value of supplying an additional Wii Remote.
Despite most reviews being mixed the game has sold very well worldwide. According to Nintendo, the game has sold 26.71 million copies worldwide as of December 31, 2009, making it the best selling non-bundled game of all time.
website, Wii Tanks has inspired at least one subsequent Wii game: "Imagine if Wii Tanks and The Legend of Zelda
had a baby. That baby's name would be Frobot."
Similarly to Wii Sports
and Wii Fit
, Wii Plays success was cause for Nintendo spawn a sequel called Wii Play: Motion
, which was released in June 2011.
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
console. It is a counterpart to the games Wii Sports
Wii Sports
is a sports game developed and published by Nintendo as a launch title for the Wii video game console , and part of the Touch! Generations. The game was first released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and was released in Japan, Australia, and Europe the following month...
, Wii Music
Wii Music
is a free form music game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. The game was released in Japan and North America in October 2008, and in Europe and Australia in the following month...
and Wii Fit
Wii Fit
is a video game developed by Nintendo for the company's home video game console, Wii, designed by Hiroshi Matsunaga. It is an exercise game consisting of activities using the Wii Balance Board peripheral...
. It features minigame
Minigame
A minigame is a short video game often contained within another video game. A minigame is always smaller or more simplistic than the game in which it is contained. Minigames are sometimes also offered separately for free to promote the main game...
s that use characters from the Mii Channel. Several of the games featured are from E3 2006 demos such as the Duck Hunt
Duck Hunt
is a video game for the Nintendo Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System game console system in which players use the NES Zapper to shoot ducks on screen for points. The game was developed and published by Nintendo, and was released in 1984 in Japan...
-styled shooting demo and Table Tennis, as well as all-new minigames. Wii Play can be purchased as a standalone game or usually bundled with a Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
, and is the third best-selling game on the Wii (among games not packaged with a console), with 27.38 million copies sold worldwide as of March 31, 2010.
A sequel for Wii Play called Wii Play: Motion
Wii Play: Motion
Wii Play: Motion, known as in Japan, is a party video game for the Wii console and the sequel to the 2006 game Wii Play. The game is the most recent entry in the Wii game series. It was released in North America on June 13, 2011 and in Europe on June 24...
was released on June 13, 2011 in North America and later on June 24 in Europe.
Gameplay
Wii Play consists of nine games. All games are designed for 2 players, but can also be played by a single player, with a computer-controlled second player in games where it is necessary. No Nunchuks are required for any of the games; however, players can use a Nunchuk as a substitute for the D-Pad for the Tanks! game if they wish.After playing each game another game is unlocked, until all nine games are available. In single player, points are earned in each game and the top 5 highest scores are stored. Getting high enough scores in single player awards the player bronze, silver, gold and platinum medals for that game. It also puts a message on the Wii Message Board saying which game and medal were unlocked, and gives a short tip for that game.
Wii Play uses the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
's Mii Channel, which allows the user to create a customized avatar
Avatar (computing)
In computing, an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego or character. It may take either a three-dimensional form, as in games or virtual worlds, or a two-dimensional form as an icon in Internet forums and other online communities. It can also refer to a text...
that can be imported into games that support the feature. Several minigames in Wii Play, especially Pose Mii and Find Mii, utilize Miis.
Shooting Range
Players go through various rounds of shooting balloons, targets (includes Mii targets; shooting your own Miis results in a deduction of points, shooting the opponent's gives you points), frisbees, soda cans, and UFOs, as the player has to protect the 6 Miis (3 of each in 2 player mode) they are using from being abducted and taken away. There are targets that have the faces of the players' Miis, which give points when the opponent's Mii is shot. Ducks in the style of Duck Hunt also fly by and can be shot for additional points. Bonus points are awarded for consecutive hits without missing. In Single Player Mode, a second Wii Remote can help player one earn extra points.Find Mii
Crowds of Mii characters will gather on the screen, standing, swimming, walking, sitting, and riding down an escalatorEscalator
An escalator is a moving staircase – a conveyor transport device for carrying people between floors of a building. The device consists of a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal.Escalators are used around the...
, and the player is given certain details to look for among them. The player then must pick out the Miis that match the objective. The objectives range among finding two to five identical Miis; finding the fastest Mii; choosing a favorite and finding it again; or finding the "odd Miis out" (doing things that other Miis are not). Single player mode uses a timed system in which the time limit is extended upon finding the correct Mii(s), and multiplayer mode uses a scoring system where two players attempt to get the highest score within two minutes.
Table Tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
, rallying back and forth by moving the Wii Remote. The Mii characters are supported, and are represented in the audience. As the game progresses, the audience grows larger. Multiplayer mode employs similar gameplay with changing service, sides and a "first to 11" rule.
Pose Mii
A player must move their Mii to falling bubbles using the Wii Remote pointer. The player must also rotate their Mii to the correct angle of the bubble by rotating the Wii RemoteWii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
. In addition to this, as the game progresses, the poses inside the bubbles change, and the player must select the correct pose. When a Mii is correctly posed in a bubble, it bursts. If three bubbles are not burst and eventually fall to the floor, the game is over. In multiplayer mode, each player has differently colored bubbles, but players can pop one another's bubbles to earn extra points. Bonuses are awarded for not dropping any bubbles in a round. Multicolored bubbles temporarily freeze time, allowing the player to pop all bubbles on the screen.
Laser Hockey
A mix between PongPong
Pong is one of the earliest arcade video games, and is a tennis sports game featuring simple two-dimensional graphics. While other arcade video games such as Computer Space came before it, Pong was one of the first video games to reach mainstream popularity...
and air hockey
Air hockey
Air hockey is a game for two competing players trying to score points in the opposing player's goal.-Equipment:Air hockey requires an air-hockey table, two player-held mallets, and a puck....
, this is a two player game where the players move the Wii Remote to deflect shots and try to score in the opponent's goal. Single player mode is a two minute match against the CPU, and multiplayer mode uses a “first to 8” rule.
Fishing
Players use the Wii Remote as a fishing rod, to hook specific paper fish and then yank upwards to grab them. Points are added and subtracted depending on the fish caught. A display at the top of the screen shows which fish gives bonus points if caught, and changes every 30 seconds or so.Billiards
Players play a nine ball version of the traditional pool game rotation, with a point scoring system that is quite unlike that of the game of nine-ball. are earned corresponding to the number on the that is , e.g. 2 points for sinking the 2 ball; however, 3 points are deducted from the player's score for each shot committed. The game ends when all balls have been pocketed. A player may line up a shot with overhead 2D2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
and behind-the-ball 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
viewpoints. A player can aim for contact anywhere on the to add or execute , and may change the angle at which the cue
Cue stick
A cue stick , is an item of sporting equipment essential to the games of pool, snooker and carom billiards. It is used to strike a ball, usually the...
strikes the ball.
Charge!
The player rides a cow and topples scarecrows to accrue points. A time bonus is added upon crossing the finish line, where one second remaining on the timer is equivalent to one point. Jumping scarecrows can be toppled over to acquire more points. This game uses the Wii Remote on the side that the player can increase or decrease the cow's speed, and jump. It resembles Moo Moo Farm from Mario Kart 64 and is also based on it.Tanks!
In this game, the player controls a small toy tankTank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
to destroy enemy tanks in a 2.5D
2.5D
2.5D , 3/4 perspective and pseudo-3D are terms used to describe either:* 2D graphical projections and techniques which cause a series of images or scenes to fake or appear to be three-dimensional when in fact they are not, or* gameplay in an otherwise three-dimensional video game that is...
wooden toy block
Toy block
Toy blocks , are wooden, plastic or foam pieces of various shapes and colors that are used as building toys...
environment. The game is similar to the arcade game Tank
Tank (arcade game)
Tank is a two-player arcade game by Atari Inc. subsidiary Kee Games, originally released on November 5, 1974 and designed by Steve Bristow and Lyle Rains...
. Tanks can fire shells and/or lay mines. All tanks, including the player's, will be destroyed when hit by a single shell or mine. The aim of the game is to destroy all enemy tanks while avoiding their attacks. When this is achieved, play advances to the next level, which will have a different combination of enemy tank types and a differently laid-out block environment. This game does not offer continuation when game over.
The Wii Remote as a pointing device is used for controlling the crosshair
Crosshair
A reticle is a net of fine lines or fibers in the eyepiece of a sighting device, such as a telescope, a telescopic sight, a microscope, or the screen of an oscilloscope. The word reticle comes from the Latin "reticulum," meaning "net." Today, engraved lines or embedded fibers may be replaced by a...
for firing shells. When the Wii Remote is used alone, its D-pad controls the tank movement. When the Nunchuk is connected, the D-pad is disabled and tank control is given to the Nunchuk's joystick.
In single-player mode, the player begins with three lives and is awarded an extra life every five completed levels. When the player dies with unused lives, play is resumed mid-play (i.e. destroyed enemy tanks are not replaced), except start positions are reset. The first time a Mii completes mission 20, game is over (with a "Mission Completed" message). Thereafter, however, 100 missions are available.
In two-player mode, each player has only one life with various pseudo awards, most of which are predicated on achieving various accomplishments (the most notable of which is the "Ice Cold, No Mistakes" award; this is obtained by destroying 50 tanks without losing a life). Therefore there is no mid-play resumes if both players die in a mission. However, if one player dies and the other successfully eliminates all remaining enemy tanks, play will advance to the next mission with both players alive. In addition to this cooperative aspect, there is a competitive aspect in which the two players attempt to accumulate more kills than each other. Compared to single-player mode, some missions have more enemy tanks. In two-player mode, only the first 20 missions are available.
Development
A beta version of the game was first playable alongside Wii Sports at E3 2006. However, the games were not put together in a pack-in; they were separate games meant to be tech demos. A notable example was Shooting, which was also a demo on the Nintendo Fusion TourNintendo Fusion Tour
Nintendo Fusion Tour is a touring rock music and video game festival sponsored by Nintendo, which began in 2003.Nintendo's Fusion Tour has provided early exposure for then-developing bands such as Evanescence, Story of the Year, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Anberlin and Panic! at the Disco...
, which spectators thought was a full-fledged Duck Hunt
Duck Hunt
is a video game for the Nintendo Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System game console system in which players use the NES Zapper to shoot ducks on screen for points. The game was developed and published by Nintendo, and was released in 1984 in Japan...
sequel. Nintendo had yet to announce that the tech demos would be compiled together into a full game.
The game was revealed together for the first time on the Nintendo World
Nintendo World
Nintendo World is a Brazilian video game magazine which covers games for the Nintendo Wii and DS. It was created in 1999 by the Conrad Editora. Initially it covered games for the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color consoles, which were very popular in the country at the time...
event in New York on September 14, 2006. It is here where Mii Channel functionality was confirmed to be included in the game. Also included updated versions of the games playable at E3, now closer to their finalized form.
Reception
Critical reaction to the game has been mixed, with the game receiving an aggregate score of 58% on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. The reviewers at Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
gave the game varying scores of 6.0, 4.5 and 5.0, stating that while "anybody can play it, including grandma", "[y]ou'll probably be bored in minutes". gamesTM
GamesTM
GamesTM is a UK-based, multi-format video games magazine, covering many video game platforms including PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, GameCube, Xbox, PlayStation 2, PC games, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS and Arcade machines...
gave the game a more scathing reaction, scoring it 3/10 stating that "Even the games that do work break down due to a combination of being extremely bland or too repetitive", and even that the strongest game, Shooting, "loses its charm as soon as you realise the targets follow a similar path every time you play". IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
Australia were more positive in their reaction, awarding the game 8.3/10, saying that it was "effectively being sold at A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
10 on top of the cost of a wiimote" and that "as a training game, it succeeds completely". Official Nintendo Magazine also praised the game and gave it 91%, describing the games as "surprisingly addictive" as well as citing the value of supplying an additional Wii Remote.
Despite most reviews being mixed the game has sold very well worldwide. According to Nintendo, the game has sold 26.71 million copies worldwide as of December 31, 2009, making it the best selling non-bundled game of all time.
Legacy
According to the official FrobotFrobot
Frobot is a puzzle/shooting video game developed and published by Fugazo for WiiWare as well as Windows and Mac OS X. The word "Frobot" is a portmanteau of "'fro" and "robot." The WiiWare version was released in North America on December 20, 2010 and the PC version was released on January 13, 2011...
website, Wii Tanks has inspired at least one subsequent Wii game: "Imagine if Wii Tanks and The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda, originally released as in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Nintendo, and designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. Set in the fantasy land of Hyrule, the plot centers on a boy named Link, the playable protagonist, who aims to collect the eight fragments...
had a baby. That baby's name would be Frobot."
Similarly to Wii Sports
Wii Sports
is a sports game developed and published by Nintendo as a launch title for the Wii video game console , and part of the Touch! Generations. The game was first released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and was released in Japan, Australia, and Europe the following month...
and Wii Fit
Wii Fit
is a video game developed by Nintendo for the company's home video game console, Wii, designed by Hiroshi Matsunaga. It is an exercise game consisting of activities using the Wii Balance Board peripheral...
, Wii Plays success was cause for Nintendo spawn a sequel called Wii Play: Motion
Wii Play: Motion
Wii Play: Motion, known as in Japan, is a party video game for the Wii console and the sequel to the 2006 game Wii Play. The game is the most recent entry in the Wii game series. It was released in North America on June 13, 2011 and in Europe on June 24...
, which was released in June 2011.