''Wii Sports Club'' is a

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

simulation A simulation is the imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time. Simulations require the use of models; the model represents the key characteristics or behaviors of the selected system or process, whereas the ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

from Nintendo for the

Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. Th ...

. It is an enhanced

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the sa ...

of the 2006 Wii

launch title This list includes terms used in video games and the video game industry, as well as slang used by players. 0–9 A ...

Wii Sports ''Wii Sports'' is a 2006 sports simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. The 1.0 (pre-release) version of the game was released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and the ...

'' and features high definition graphics, online multiplayer, and

Wii Remote Plus The Wii Remote, also known colloquially as the Wiimote, is the primary game controller for Nintendo's Wii home video game console. An essential capability of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact wi ...

support. The game contains all five of the sports from the original game; they can be purchased individually or rented for a certain amount of time via a pass. The first set of sports (bowling and tennis) was released in Japan on October 30, 2013, in Europe and North America on November 7, 2013, and in Australia and New Zealand on November 8, 2013. Golf was later released following a

Nintendo Direct Nintendo Direct is a series of online presentation or live shows produced by Nintendo, where information regarding the company's upcoming content or franchises is presented, such as information about games and consoles. The presentations began ...

presentation on December 18, 2013, while Baseball and Boxing were released on June 26, 2014, worldwide. A retail version was released in all regions on July 11, 2014; it contains all five sports on disc and no requirement to purchase a day pass or each individual sport. The game was also the final ''Wii'' series game released on the Wii U (previously on the Wii console before '' Wii Play: Motion''). The game received mixed to positive reviews from critics, who praised the controls and addition of online multiplayer but criticised the release model. Critics also found the game to be inferior to '' Wii Sports Resort'' (2009).

Gameplay

Similarly to ''Wii Sports'', players use the

Wii Remote The Wii Remote, also known colloquially as the Wiimote, is the primary game controller for Nintendo's Wii home video game console. An essential capability of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact ...

to mimic movements made during various sports, including

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball c ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...

bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), thoug ...

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

, and

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

. However, the game requires the use of Wii MotionPlus, unlike the original but similarly to its sequel '' Wii Sports Resort'', in order to refine the controls and enhance the gameplay. Players are able to join different 'clubs' representing various regions across the world, and compete online with other members of the club. Players are locked into their chosen club for 24 hours, in order to create a closer sense of community. Players are ranked within their clubs, and clubs are able to compete with and be ranked against other clubs.

Miiverse Miiverse was a social network for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, created by Nintendo System Development and Hatena, and powered by the Nintendo Network. Integrated into many games, Miiverse allowed players to interact and share their experiences by w ...

communication is also supported, and players can communicate in-game using pre-set messages and drawings from the Wii U GamePad. Some of the sports also feature ideas from a concept video shown at E3 2011 when the Wii U was first unveiled. During golf, the GamePad can be placed on the floor to display the ball on the ground, using a Wii Remote to swing over it. Baseball also allows the players to use the GamePad to aim their pitches.

Development

The game was announced during an 18 September 2013

presentation focused on another game in the ''Wii'' series for Wii U, '' Wii Fit U''. The first screenshots and gameplay videos were shown, along with various details about new features to the sports. It was detailed that the game will launch with bowling and tennis, with others from ''Wii Sports'' to be released at a later date. Either all sports can be rented for a 24-hour period in a 'Day Pass' or individual sports can be purchased outright for a higher price. A free 24-hour trial will be offered following initial download and installation of the software, after which the fees will be required. The game was released initially on the

Nintendo eShop The Nintendo eShop is a digital distribution service powered by the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, and by a dedicated online infrastructure for the Nintendo Switch. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the eShop was en ...

as a push of Nintendo's digital distribution strategy, with some ideas compared to ''Wii Fit U'', such as the presence of a free trial.

Reception

Pre-release

Initial reception to the concept was mixed. Most news outlets praised the addition of online multiplayer, but questioned whether it would be able to keep the gameplay fresh, and continue to attract casual gamers who were fans of the original. Nintendo Life's Thomas Whitehead said that it has "...the ''potential'' to be rather important for the Wii U’s Holiday sales performance." Other praise was aimed at Nintendo's new pricing models and options, although some commented that the total purchase price of all sports may be excessive.

Post-release

The aggregate score on

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

was 68/100, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Nintendojo gave the game a B+, stating that the game had "Precise controls; solid online experience", but lacked online chat and was "bland compared to Wii Sports Resort." Nintendo World Report gave tennis a 7/10 and bowling an 8.5/10. IGN gave Wii Sports Club a score of 8/10.

Nintendo Life Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and ot ...

gave the game a 7 out of 10 stars.

Notes

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, Video games 2013 video games Nintendo games Nintendo Network games Wii U eShop games Wii U games Wii U-only games Baseball video games Bowling video games Tennis video games Boxing video games Golf video games Multiple-sport video games Video game remakes Multiplayer and single-player video games Video games developed in Japan Video games scored by Kazumi Totaka