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Forums - Nintendo - Wii Motion Plus Review Thread

Wii Motion Plus is launching this month, and so is the first generation of games which take advantage of Nintendo's latest peripheral, and the purpose of this thread is document the reviews of these games in the media and the impressions of people in the VGC community. I hope it will answer questions on the various implementations of WM+ and how effective they are. Also, of course, which WM+ game you should buy to enjoy your newly gyroscope-equipped controller.

I'll try to keep the OP updated with reviews for Grand Slam Tennis, Tiger Woods '10, and Virtua Tennis '09 as they come in. I also invite anybody who has any of the games mentioned above and a Wii Motion Plus peripheral to go with it to share their impressions or reviews with us.

Grand Slam Tennis:

IGN - 8.5

"Grand Slam Tennis is an impressive package on Wii, and one of the best tennis games I’ve ever played. This opening year of Wii MotionPlus support – and the fact that it’s the first time out the gate for this series – leaves a few odd experiences to be had, and it’s not quite a true 1:1 experience for real-racquet movement, but minus a bit of a learning curve and some mechanical serving the experience is surprisingly fun and really, really addictive."

Gamesradar - 9

"You can tell the difference immediately. You open up the invisible face of your ‘racquet’ to drive an imaginary forehand down the line, and that’s exactly where the on-screen ball goes. Put a bit more angle on the swing, aiming for the opposite corner, and the ball goes that way, too. Impressive!"

Nintendo Power - 7.5

"A solid first effort for the new franchise that, while a bit rough in some parts, offers the most well-rounded tennis experience on the Wii."

Official Nintendo Magazine - 90%

Eurogamer - 8

"Despite our initial - and entirely incorrect - reservations and problems with Grand Slam Tennis, our re-assessment of EA's new brand couldn't really contrast more heavily. Far from being "crippled by unintuitive controls", the reality is that it's beautifully intuitive, and just about shades Virtua Tennis 2009 on Wii by simply having a more satisfying feel to it."

Videogamer.com - 7

"If you're after the most realistic feeling tennis game on the market, Grand Slam Tennis for Wii is it, when it works. MotionPlus-enabled shots can be performed by feel alone (as long as you're not lobbing or performing drop shots) and this will be enough for a lot of gamers – just be prepared for a fair few annoying moments."

NGamer - 89%

1up - B-

"I didn't feel comfortable with the game until I'd completed the first tournament; after that initial hurdle, I then had the confidence that my shots would generally go where I wanted them to. Casual gamers picking up the game for fun probably won't have that much patience, but hardcore tennis fans looking for a challenge will be impressed with the control the game affords you compared to the Wii's other tennis offerings -- once you're used to it."

Gametrailers.com - 8.5

 

 

Tiger Woods PGA Tour '10:

Gamesradar - 9

"You certainly can’t accuse it of lacking value for money, especially the version that comes complete with a MotionPlus dongle. With one of those plugged into the remote, your movements are replicated much more accurately. It also senses any twist in your wrists during a swing, and a little graphic in the corner of the screen shows exactly how the club face is addressing the ball."

Nintendo Power - 9.0

"Last year's version was phenomenal, but the option to use the Wii MotionPlus accessory makes Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 the most authentic sports video game I've ever played."

Official Nintendo Magazine - 81%

IGN.com - 9.0

"Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 for Wii is the definitive golf game. It's filled to the top with content, sports spectacular controls enhanced by MotionPlus, and includes great Disc Golf and online modes. Seriously, this is an amazing package made all the better by the peripheral pack- in. Just as impressive, though, is that this year's effort is so intuitively enjoyable that it has, in my experience, transcended the golf category altogether to become one of those rare Wii games that I will confidently recommend to anybody."

1up.com - A-

"With the addition of MotionPlus, Woods 10 on the Wii is a fantastic golfing videogame, besting its console counterparts because of its control options, extra courses, party game modes, and Frolf. Not to mention, it's casual friendly for anyone to play, but with enough difficulty options for the hardcore to stay interested. It's almost hard to imagine it getting better than this for the foreseeable future."

X-Play - 5/5

Ars Technica - Buy

"You're able to play by feel and muscle memory. Putting is even better. There is a power and precision meter on the left-hand side of the screen, but it's safe to ignore. After an hour or so of practice you'll be playing by feel, and it's amazing how natural and intuitive the game becomes."

GameZone - 8.5

"Tiger shines on Wii like he never has before, and it’s due in large part to Nintendo’s fantastic MotionPlus peripheral for the Wii Remote, a tiny plastic plug-in that dramatically increases the sensitivity of the controller. Incidentally, the peripheral also makes Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 the most stunning, addictive and realistic golf game I’ve ever played on a console."

Ngamer - 85%

Gametrailers - 9.0

 

Virtua Tennis 2009:
Official Nintendo Magazine - 79%

"As a first attempt at Wii MotionPlus controls this is a decent effort, but it's not quite the definitive article."
NGamer UK - 88%

"What Virtua Tennis lacks in panache or style, it makes up for with substance, including a comprehensive World Tour mode and the best tennis controls on Wii."
"Without the MotionPlus, VT2009 is an enjoyable and easy to play arcade tennis game, but with the attachment it becomes an exercise in how versatile, accurate and innovative the Wii Remote can be. After all the Wii’s early promise of a realistic sports experience, it’s Nintendo’s old rivals Sega who show everyone how to make a racquet into an ace smash hit."
"Once you get going, though, the difference is clear. The game pays a lot more attention to whether you're swinging forehand or backhand. MotionPlus recognizes special shots more easily, and the artificial visual aid is gone (though for some reason, you can still set it to "on" in the options). It's a much more immersive experience, and one that makes us optimistic about the future of MotionPlus."
"It's nice to be able to say that the best thing about Virtua Tennis 2009 on Wii is the standard gameplay thanks to Wii MotionPlus. If you don’t have the fancy new technology strapped onto your remote you'll want to lower this score by about a point. MotionPlus affords you a natural and generally realistic way to play VT 2009. Even though there is a steep learning curve and moments of inaccuracies do pop up, it's well worth the investment."
"While the addition of MotionPlus to Virtua Tennis 2009 makes it easier to play shots by feel, we didn't find it a huge improvement over plain Wii Remote use. Use it for some time and it'll be impossible to switch back, but if you want the sensation of real tennis EA's game edges it."
"On the whole, Virtua Tennis 2009 provides the clearest indication yet of the potential of the Wii MotionPlus add-on. While the game struggles to provide intuitive accuracy with default motion controls, the addition of Nintendo's little dongle transforms the accuracy of the strokeplay in a manner which will be warmly received by both old-school Virtua Tennis fans, and casual admirers of the sport at large."


"The worst part about these reviews is they are [subjective]--and their scores often depend on how drunk you got the media at a Street Fighter event."  — Mona Hamilton, Capcom Senior VP of Marketing
*Image indefinitely borrowed from BrainBoxLtd without his consent.

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Can we officially call Eurogamer schizoid yet? I don't mind that the review is bad, but they just seem to be incredibly inconsistent.



Monster Hunter: pissing me off since 2010.

SO which do I get? Grand slam of Virtua?



Good thread



Repent or be destroyed

I suspect Eurogamer didn't realize they need to occasionally let WM+ recalibrate. It does it automatically but only if you hold it still for a second. If the reviewer was constantly bouncing about or waving it around nervously, the aim would indeed be highly questionable.

I'm getting TW '10 tomorrow. I'll post my impression.



 

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Diglet said:
SO which do I get? Grand slam of Virtua?

If you need to know right now, Grand Slam is looking better, but I'd say the jury is still out.



"The worst part about these reviews is they are [subjective]--and their scores often depend on how drunk you got the media at a Street Fighter event."  — Mona Hamilton, Capcom Senior VP of Marketing
*Image indefinitely borrowed from BrainBoxLtd without his consent.

I'll be picking up Grand Slam Tennis when it launches in Australia on the 11th so I'll be sure to post my thoughts



 

Clap Clap for your thread, keep it updated :)



 

Great thread, thanks!

Tiger Woods seems like a sure bet from what I hear.

Tennis is another story. Grand Slam seems to have an edge at the moment but I am looking for WM+ to be used to the max and it seems that EA intentionally avoided perfect 1:1. I'll wait for more reviews on Virtua Tennis to see if that one will be 1:1 or not...

Keep up the good work!



Elaine: I will never understand people

Jerry: They're the worst.

i want 1:1 as well....

IGN review is more valid to me, and i think most Grand Slam Tennis reviews are very positive until now, i like the fact that there is a difference when you play with WM+ rather than just wii remote

but Virtua Tennis has no WM+ bundle, so i guess if i get Virtua Tennis, i'll have to get WM+ separately, i think the best is to wait for more reviews about Virtua Tennis



don't mind my username, that was more than 10 years ago, I'm a different person now, amazing how people change ^_^