Earlier this year, Elijah Bisulca ranked the sports mini-games in Wii Sports. Personally, I would have placed them in a bit of a different order, but that’s beside the point of this article. Today I’m going to rank the games from the sequel to Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort. While Elijah’s article only took into consideration how fun the games are with friends, I’ll be looking at both the multiplayer and single-player aspects of these sports. But first, a little info on the game.

Wii Sports… One of the most iconic names in gaming. It has sold almost 83 million copies to date, making it the fourth best-selling video game of all time. Wii Sports is known and loved by millions worldwide, but what about its successor, Wii Sports Resort? Wii Sports Resort was released on June 25, 2009, a little less than 2 years after the original. Like the original, it also came out for the Wii console. As of writing this, Wii Sports Resort has only sold a bit over 33 million copies. This is most likely due to the fact that Wii Sports was bundled in and came free with most Wii systems, which gives it a huge boost. Despite selling less than its predecessor, Wii Sports Resort is still a great game, also appreciated by millions, including me. Now for the list.

#12. Canoeing

Canoeing is decent. It has two modes: a single-player challenge and a two-player race. You navigate a course through the water and towards a finish line. It’s really simple. Personally, I don’t enjoy it that much, but it does have one thing going for it. The controls force you to paddle with your arms which can actually get somewhat of a sweat going, especially if you are racing a friend. It has this over some of the other games, in which you can get off with barely moving, but besides the “exercise” part, canoeing is kind of bad.

#11. Cycling

Cycling is not awful, but it isn’t nearly as good as other games on the list. The controls are not super good, and it feels like it’s just a contest to see who can move their arms the fastest. You need to “pedal” the remote and nunchuck alternately as if they were pedals. Be sure not to pedal too much though, or you’ll overheat and have to rest. You can also take advantage of drafting and cruising downhill. I do like that the game has a lot of mechanics to it, but it’s not the most enjoyable when you actually go and play it. One other thing that is nice though is that it has 6 stages to choose from, and you can race alone or with a buddy. Given you enjoy the game, I don’t think you’ll run out of content too soon like some other minigames. 

#10. Power Cruising

Power Cruising is a jet ski race. Similar to Canoeing, Power Cruising has single-player and multiplayer modes. You are given a set of checkpoints that you have to ride through. The player uses the nunchuck and Wii remote to steer, and you can twist the Wii remote occasionally for a speed boost. It’s fun to go fast through the course, but it’s also hard to get used to the controls. In addition, the modes are limited and only offer 1-player or 2-player options. While it’s fun sometimes, I rarely find myself playing Power Cruising, especially since it’s hard to find two working nunchucks.

#9. Golf

Ok, I know some people majorly dislike Golf in the Wii Sports series, but I don’t think it’s that bad. The major arguments against golf that I hear are that it’s too slow or that it controls poorly. I don’t think that either of these is true. I think that with practice, the controls are easy to get the hang of, and if you think it’s slow, don’t play it. Despite the enjoyment that I get out of Golf, I do agree that it can get boring at times. To solve this, I usually only play the shorter number of holes. While it can be fun, it’s also not the best, so Golf only gets number 9.

#8. Frisbee

Frisbee is pretty fun. It has two modes. The first is Frisbee Dog. You throw a frisbee to your dog, who tries to catch it. The goal is to throw the disc as close to the center of a target as possible, with the target’s location changing each round. This one is very fun actually. The dog is cute, the controls are clean, and it’s an overall good game. I think that the controls can be hard to use at first, but they become easy with practice. The other mode of Frisbee is Frisbee Golf. This mode is similar to golf, but it is more fun in my opinion. Seeing the frisbee glide through the air, as well as mastering the disc controls are more enjoyable to me.

#7. Air Sports

Air Sports is a combination of a few different games. We have Skydiving, Dogfight, and Island Flyover. Skydiving is the worst of the three, but it’s not awful. In skydiving, you just position the Wii remote in the direction you want to dive. The goal is to link up with as many other divers as possible before a picture is taken. You get points depending on how good the picture is. Island Flyover is fun, but also not the best. This game takes you around the island and you basically see the sights. It’s neat, but not as good as Dogfight. In Dogfight, you and an opponent are in planes and you fight each other by shooting the opposing plane. By running into balloons, you can gain more health/points. Once the timer reaches zero, the person with the most points wins. It’s very fun and controls very well. The only reason Air Sports is lower is that two-thirds of it is not very good.

#6. Wakeboarding

Wakeboarding is a simple game, but it offers the player a lot of enjoyment and fun. Wakeboarding is as simple as turning the Wii remote toward the wave, and pulling up as you hit it, but seeing the Mii spin around in the air is so fun to me. It’s not just about the launch though- you have to quickly level the remote before the Mii lands so you can stick the landing. If you fail, you’ll just sink into the water and lose all your speed. Despite being simple, Wakeboarding is pretty fun and a good game to rely on.

#5. Archery

Archery being number 5 may be a surprise to some people, but let me explain. While it does require a nunchuck, which limits some players and can be annoying, Archery is very enjoyable. It takes a decent amount of skill to center the Wii remote on the target, account for your shot dropping, and factor in wind as well. It’s fun to compete to see who can get the highest score in an Archery competition. Most of the nunchuck games are at the bottom, but this one deserves to be up here. The controls on Archery are well-designed and not as bad as other nunchuck games.

#4. Swordplay

Swordplay is an all-time favorite of many. It has so much to offer, that you rarely find yourself getting bored. The Duel is what most people will think of when they hear Swordplay, but in my opinion, it’s not the best. Sure it’s fun to swing at your best friend with the sword, but the rounds feel a bit repetitive after a while, and I get bored of it. Due to this, my favorite mode is Speed Slice. Here you are going against another person to see who can slice something faster. The direction you must slice appears on the screen, and whoever is faster wins the round. Since it’s always random, it’s always interesting to play which makes it my favorite mode in Swordplay. Swordplay also has the single-player Showdown mode, which is fun as well.

#3. Table Tennis

Table tennis is one of my favorite sports in Wii Sports Resort. It is fast-paced and allows for new players to have fun, but the skill-cap is pretty high, so you can have some intense rallies if both players are good. The Return Challenge where you have to return the ball and can hit the cans is also very fun. It is a fun way to practice if you don’t have anyone to play with at the moment.

#2. Bowling

Bowling is a classic game from Wii Sports, and I’m glad it was brought back in Resort. The controls are really good and are quite responsive. A great example of this is the fact that you can curve the bowling ball to nail trickier shots. Bowling is always great to play with friends and family, and the 100-pin mode adds to the action. Because of how polished it feels, bowling is definitely deserving of the number 2 spot.

#1. Basketball

It was a close call between Basketball and Bowling, but I had to go with Basketball at #1. The controls are great and the motions feel fluid and smooth. Basketball is super fun and has a lot of depth for how simple it is. Despite being only half the court, it’s still an amazing feeling to sink a clean three-pointer or dribble up to the net and dunk. My only complaint about the pickup game is that it feels like you are just taking turns. Whether you miss or score, the possession is always turned to your opponent. There is no chance to get the rebound, which I find a bit lame. Additionally, pickup games are only 2 players. This makes sense for how the game controls, but usually forces people to sit out. Basketball also has the three-point challenge, which is a good competitive mode with friends. Because it has so much depth, Basketball is definitely my favorite game in Wii Sports Resort.

In my opinion, none of the sports in Wii Sports Resort are absolutely unbearable, but some are better than others. If you disagree with this list, feel free to comment your opinion or write a new ranking. Also be sure to check out Elijah’s article here: https://theabingtonian.com/2784/opinion/the-best-wii-sports/