Wii Sports Bowling
In Wii Bowling, you hold the Wii-mote just like you would a bowling ball. In order to roll it down a bowling lane, you put the Wii-mote up towards your chest, swing it downwards behind you and then swing it forwards, releasing it upon the pins you seek to strike down. There’s a little more depth to Wii Bowling, too, as depending on exactly how you’re holding the Wii-mote, the ball will roll in a different direction. For example, if you’re holding it slightly crooked to the left, the bowl will lean left, as it would in real bowling. As far as depth goes, you can also move your Mii character to the left or right of the lane with the D-pad, thus you aren’t always stuck smack dab in the center of it.

Anywhere between one and four can play a game of Wii Bowling, and even better, you can play with up to four with just one Wii-mote by simply passing it around to each other. Like every Wii Sports game, bowling by yourself isn’t nearly as fun as bowling with your friends.

Also like the other games within Wii Sports, it’s very much possible to cheat while playing Wii Bowling by doing fast motions with the Wii-mote and not following the game’s directions. Unfortunately for bowling fans, though, there seems to be a glitch in the game that allows you to get a strike every time. Of course, if you choose to play the game the way it’s meant to be played, this won’t be a problem. And anybody who cheats in Wii Sports – Wii Bowling or otherwise – will also be cheating themselves of the fun they could be having if they would just play fair.

Wii Sports Boxing
When Nintendo first revealed it at its New York City Wii Preview event this year, Wii Sports Boxing simultaneously caught us by surprise and excited us at the same time. However, the final game doesn’t play nearly as well as it sounds like it might. Don’t get us wrong – it is still fun, especially once you get the hang of it. But, overall, due to its controls, it’s probably our least favorite of the bunch.

First of all, Wii Boxing is the only game in the compilation that requires both the Wii-mote and nunchuck to be played. Imagine, if you will, both pieces of the Wii controller duo acting as your virtual hands. The nunchuck represents your left hand while the Wii-mote acts as your right. From here, you can probably guess how the controls work. By swinging both around, you can punch your opponents, and the control is 1:1, so everything you do in real life translates into the game. Further, you can also lift both the nunchuck and Wii-mote up in front of your face to cause your Mii to do the same in the game, blocking opponents from landing any looming sucker punches. When blocking with both controllers, you can even motion left and right – moving your head with them, as if you were dodging in a real boxing match – and your Mii will follow suit.

Sounds fun, right? Well, it is, to a degree. But the controls in Wii Boxing feel decidedly wonky, and it’s more common than not that both players are lost, swinging their hands mindlessly in the air trying to get their in-game character to land a punch. The best element of control, really, is the blocking and dodging system, which makes the punching system look pale in comparison.

Final Word
Packaging Wii Sports with every Wii in North America and Europe was an incredibly smart decision by the Big N. There are essentially two reasons for this. The first is that it’s an ideal game to demonstrate both how you play Wii and the potential of the console. The first thing I did when I played Wii Sports was show my family the game. Eventually, even my dad gave the game a try, and guess what: he loved it. He was smiling, laughing and most importantly for Nintendo, he was playing a video game – the very thing the Big N wants.

The second reason it was smart for Nintendo to package the title for free isn’t exactly a compliment to either Nintendo or Wii Sports itself. Disappointingly, Wii Sports probably isn’t worth purchasing for most people. As a single-player game, it’s unsophisticated, simple and has virtually no lasting appeal. Moreover, the lack of online play is a real letdown. More likely than not, hardcore gamers will be done with Wii Sports in just a few days, as far as playing by themselves goes.

But it’s when you boot up multiplayer and have your friends, family and whoever you want join in that Wii Sports transforms from the most straightforward sports game out there to possibly the most fun. The bottom line, really, is that Wii Sports, as a multiplayer game, is downright fun. Whether your thing is tennis, baseball, golf, bowling or boxing, you’re bound to be smiling – at least for a few seconds – while playing Wii Sports.

Wii Sports is free, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fun.