12.) Air Sports - skydiving is a nice diversion, flying around the island is relaxing even if there's no real goal and dogfighting is good enough that I wish it was available as single player as no one else in my household knows what the heck they're supposed to be doing.

The one thing that all of the various sports have in common is that they wouldn't have been possible without the addition of the Motion Plus add on. For the most part the motion controls work well, however there are times, particularly when playing archery and throwing the Frisbee where you have to position yourself the right way before you tell the controller that you're ready to go. I guess it's asking too much to have the controller read you mind and your body as well, but still, patience and repeated instructions will win the day when dealing with the very young or the very old gamers in your house. At times the motion controls can get confused, particularly when there's a lot of fast motions taking place, as in canoeing and the game won't know where the paddle is supposed to be, but chances are if you're flailing that badly in your canoe you weren't going to win that race in the first place.

In every case, playing the game with other people increases the enjoyment however with the addition of badges, Nintendo has given the single player experience a dose of longevity. For every sport and every variation of a sport there are five badges that can be obtained by doing such things as hitting the ten point ring with every arrow in an archery stage or bouncing your ball off the rail and then getting a strike in 100 pin bowling. All of the badges can be seen when you start a sport, allowing you to decide what you'll be going for, and just like the always addicting achievements of the 360, you'd be surprised just how many times you'll try the three point contest in an attempt to make every shot. As you obtain badges the game will flood your Wii message board with congratulatory messages, a nice albeit slightly creepy touch.

Along with all of the events and the visual upgrades there are a bunch of small touches that make the game an interesting place to spend some time. When flying around the island you'll see Miis playing golf or watch as a giant whale jumps out of the ocean. In the speed slice competition the judge throws up massive clocks, diamonds and oranges for you to hack up, all of which can be chopped up even further once the point has been awarded. If you hook your Wii up to the Check Mii Out channel the game will automatically put popular Miis into the game as spectators. This addition alone turns most events into a "find the famous Mii" contest for those waiting their turn at the Wiimote. All of these additions provide a bright, cheery atmosphere where it feels almost impossible to fail.

Regardless of the quality of the game, chances are it's going to sell about a billion copies and further the argument that casual gaming will eventually bring about the death of the universe. Not all of the sports are winners and having a house full of people is still the best way to get the most enjoyment out of the game, but even with these slight caveats, it's hard not to recommend Wii Sports Resort to gamers of all ages and experience levels.

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