Wii Sports Club

Wii Sports Club[lower-alpha 1] is a sports simulation video game from Nintendo for the Wii U.[2] It is an enhanced remake of the 2006 Wii launch title Wii Sports and features high definition graphics, online multiplayer, and Wii Remote Plus 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,[3] in Europe and North America on November 7, 2013, and in Australia and New Zealand on November 8, 2013.[4] Golf was later released following a Nintendo Direct presentation on December 18, 2013, while Baseball and Boxing were released on June 26, 2014, worldwide.

Wii Sports Club
Cover art
Developer(s)Bandai Namco Studios[1]
Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Takayuki Shimamura[1]
Producer(s)Katsuya Eguchi
Composer(s)Kazumi Totaka
SeriesWii
Platform(s)Wii U
ReleaseJuly 11, 2014
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

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.[5][6] 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
See also: Gameplay of Wii Sports
The final scoreboard from an online game of Wii Sports Club bowling

Similarly to Wii Sports, players use the Wii Remote to mimic movements made during various sports, including tennis, baseball, bowling, golf, and boxing.[7] 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.[8] Players are able to join different 'clubs' representing various regions across the world, and compete online with other members of the club.[9][10] Players are locked into their chosen club for 24 hours, in order to create a closer sense of community.[10] Players are ranked within their clubs, and clubs are able to compete with and be ranked against other clubs. Miiverse communication is also supported, and players can communicate in-game using pre-set messages and drawings from the Wii U GamePad.[10] 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.[1]

Development

The game was announced during an 18 September 2013 Nintendo Direct 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.[11] It was detailed that the game will launch with bowling and tennis, with others from Wii Sports to be released at a later date.[12] 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.[10] A free 24-hour trial will be offered following initial download and installation of the software, after which the fees will be required.[13] The game was released initially on the Nintendo eShop as a push of Nintendo's digital distribution strategy,[13] with some ideas compared to Wii Fit U,[14] such as the presence of a free trial.[10]

Reception

Pre-release

Initial reception to the concept was mixed. Most news outlets praised the addition of online multiplayer,[13] 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."[14] 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.[13]

Post-release

The aggregate score on Metacritic was 68/100, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[15] 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."[18] Nintendo World Report gave tennis a 7/10 and bowling an 8.5/10. IGN gave Wii Sports Club a score of 8/10.[16] Nintendo Life gave the game a 7 out of 10 stars.[17]

Notes
  1. Wii スポーツ クラブ (Wī Supōtsu Kurabu) in Japanese

References
  1. "Iwata Asks: Wii Sports Club". Nintendo of America Inc. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  2. Karmali, Luke (18 September 2013). "Wii Sports Club Announced For Wii U". IGN. Archived from the original on 20 September 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  3. "Wii Sports Club International Releases - Giant Bomb". Giant Bomb. Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  4. "Nintendo gives players the chance to get fit for free with Wii Fit U for 31 days". Nintendo Australia. 19 September 2013. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  5. Whitehead, Thomas (5 June 2014). "Wii Sports Club Retail Version Hits North America on July 25th". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  6. Whitehead, Thomas (4 June 2014). "Wii Sports Club Baseball and Boxing Arrive on 27th June, Retail Bundle on July 11th". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 7 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  7. Yin-Poole, Wesley (18 September 2013). "Wii Sports Club is Wii Sports mini-games in HD for Wii U". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  8. Robinson, Andy (18 September 2013). "Wii Sports set for HD, online Wii U release". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on 20 September 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  9. Gera, Emily (18 September 2013). "Wii U gets 5 online Wii Sports games with Wii Sports Club". Polygon. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  10. Robertson, Andy (19 September 2013). "'Wii Sports Club' Brings Record Breaking Top Seller To Wii U". Forbes. Archived from the original on 26 September 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  11. East, Thomas (18 September 2013). "Wii Sports is coming to Wii U". Official Nintendo Magazine. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  12. Sliwinski, Alexander (18 September 2013). "Wii Sports Club brings back Wii Sports in HD, various pricing models". Joystiq. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  13. McFerran, Damien (18 September 2013). "Wii Sports Club Takes The Competition Online With HD Visuals And Wii MotionPlus Support". NintendoLife. Archived from the original on 20 September 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  14. Whitehead, Thomas (22 September 2013). "Reaction: Nintendo Reminds Us of the Wii's Glory Days With Wii Fit U and Wii Sports Club". NintendoLife. Archived from the original on 23 September 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  15. "Wii Sports Club for Wii U Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 22 January 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  16. Wii Sports Club - IGN, archived from the original on 9 February 2021, retrieved 19 April 2021
  17. Whitehead, Thomas (10 July 2014). "Wii Sports Club Review". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  18. "Review: Wii Sports Club". Nintendojo. 16 December 2013. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
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