Chris Kohler
Culture

IGN Australia Loves <cite>Wii Play</cite>

America doesn’t get Wii Play — the non-sports version of Wii Sports, basically — until January 15. But they’re getting it everywhere else this year. Are we being gypped out of awesome? IGN’s Australian reviewer says yes — he gives it a solid 8.3 out of 10. Clearly, the company understands that the Wii’s controller […]

Wiiplay

America doesn't get Wii Play -- the non-sports version of Wii Sports, basically -- until January 15. But they're getting it everywhere else this year. Are we being gypped out of awesome? IGN's Australian reviewer says yes -- he gives it a solid 8.3 out of 10.

Clearly, the company understands that the Wii's controller is a unique interface and releasing Wii Play, a training disc under the guise of a fully-fledged game, is a slick move. There definitely isn't enough gameplay here to threaten the multiplayer goodness of a game like
Rayman Raving Rabbids, for instance, but for an extra tenner, you really can't go wrong.

Ah yes, the "extra tenner." It's sold, of course, bundled with a $40 controller for $50. So really, it's an excellent bargain. I don't know if I've mentioned this, but I feel compelled to tell you guys just how close that fishing game looks to the fishing demo I played at Tokyo Game Show in September 2005, about two minutes after I'd seen the Wii-mote for the first time and before the world at large had ever heard of it. I mean, besides some graphical upgrades (barely, at that!) the game is... unchanged. You can play it and pretend that you're me circa fall 2005. I certainly will be. Good times.

Wii Play Review [IGN AU]