More Thoughts From Me: Wii Sports Nostalgia

Ah, Wii Sports. When the Wii first came out, everyone was crazy for it. I remember playing the game a lot with my parents. It was also the most popular game that I showed to some friends one time too. It was a free pack-in with the Wii and it worked. And now, Nintendo Sports is coming out Friday and so of course, I’m getting all nostalgic for Wii Sports!

We didn’t buy a Wii at launch. Those things were selling out fast. When we decided to get one early the next year, we got lucky. They had one left and since we were regular customers at our Gamestop, they held it for us! We got right over there and bought it.

The Wii, of course, came with Wii Sports as a free pack-in game. I ended up playing Wii Sports a lot with my parents. Bowling was the most popular of the sports in our house. Though, I did play Golf and I think baseball some too. Though, again and again, we found ourselves going back to Wii bowling.

I even showed some friends some Wii games one time and the game they liked the best was Wii Sports! It hooked everyone who played it. Until, well, it didn’t. Other games came out and we moved on. Animal Crossing City Folk, of course, was the most popular game in our house for the Wii. Thats a whole separate column though!

I have a lot of nostalgia for Wii Sports though. I loved that you made your own Mii and then could play whatever sport you wanted. It was all unlocked right away. And the motion controls, at the time, were unlike anything we’d seen before. We were all so use to just sitting in front of a TV with a controller in hand or playing a portable device. The Wii got us standing up, especially with Wii Sports, and swinging our arms around.

Now I admit we didn’t use the Wrist strap. Well maybe we toyed with it in the beginning, but we never used it much. You hear stories of people who threw the Wii remote into the TV or threw it somewhere else. That wasn’t us. We never lost the Wii remote. Motion controls were popular in our house. The Wii and Wii Sports were so unique and fun.

And so it isn’t surprising that Nintendo Switch Sports is on the way. I think its just surprising that it took Nintendo this long to do a another sequel to Wii Sports (there was the follow up on the Wii, Wii Sports Resort, but it wasn’t as popular). Though I guess the Wii U didn’t have the same type of motion controls as the Wii and the Switch does. Of course the motion controls on the Switch are better than Wii. Nintendo learned a thing or three since the Wii.

I haven’t played too many motion-controlled games on the Switch. I tend to play games in handheld mode more than on the TV. That said, I’m really looking forward to Nintendo Switch Sports! Wii Sports nostalgia has me in its grip. I don’t have a Wii anymore, so I’m more than ready to check out this new game. I’m especially excited about the bowling!

Did you play Wii Sports? What was your favorite sport? Are you looking forward to Nintendo Switch sports?