Are Wii glad to see Switch Sports?
Swing, kick, spike, and bowl your way to victory in a sports collection that will get the whole family moving. Get moving* with Soccer, Volleyball, Bowling, Tennis, Badminton, and Chambara (Swordplay) using Joy-Con controllers! Controls are intuitive, so you can hit the court (or lanes, or field, or arena) and get started. With controlled motions you can curve your bowling ball, add spin to a tennis shot, or even use a Joy-Con with the Leg Strap accessory to kick the ball in a Soccer Shootout. Family and friends can join in on the fun on the same system or online. Plus a seventh sport is planned to be added via a free update this fall; get ready to Golf.
Wii Sports was the ultimate in motion controls and of course, the included game for most with their original Wii consoles. The fun of that game has tried to be replicated by a few over the years, but none have managed to nail that original enjoyment we had either playing tennis, bowling, golf, boxing or baseball. Nintendo Switch Sports takes what we enjoyed about the original entry while adding new sports to the mix and improving the general motion controls themselves.
We lose baseball and boxing, but these are replaced by Soccer, Volleyball, Badminton and Chambara. Tennis and Bowling were always my favourites and I was always terrible at baseball and boxing so there’s no love lost there for me. Golf will be added in a free update too which will no doubt be a vast improvement over the original Wii Sports version.
Soccer makes you use either a controller or two Joy-Cons to make moves to players, but the Soccer Shootout mode is the real star if you get the Leg Strap accessory that comes with the physical version of Nintendo Switch Sports or Ring Fit Adventure or you can get it separately for around £9. I’d highly recommend nabbing one and trying out the shootout mode, just be sure you have enough distance between you and the TV so you don’t end up kicking it directly!
Tennis and Badminton play quite similar due to their nature, but the speed of the game is different due to the differences between the tennis ball and shuttlecock. Volleyball is a nice team game that is more complex than you would think, while Bowling is just as fun as it was for Wii Sports. Chambara returns from Wii Sports Resort in a one-on-one swordfight to knock your opponent out of the ring and while there is a level of skill and strategy to be found, sometimes you can get lucky by simply hack-n-slashing your way to victory.
Ultimately, the motion controls feel tighter and more responsive while still retaining the classic Wii Sports vibe. Playing online is also done well with quick times to finding willing players and there’s a wide variety in terms of their skills, so expect a challenge most of the time.
The visuals themselves are simple and while the Mii’s have actual bodies now, it doesn’t look too odd. It still looks and feels like classic Wii Sports, which is exactly what we’ve been waiting for.
The Verdict
Nintendo Switch Sports is a great successor to Wii Sports with vastly superior games, motion controls and online multiplayer that is quick and effective. Plus, with golf incoming in a free update, there’s going to be something for everyone here.