Wii Sports released in 2006 as a pack-in title with the Nintendo Wii. Three years later, in June 2009, Wii Sports Resort, one of my favorite games of all time, was released. Okay, maybe not “of all time,” considering that I was negative 6 months-old at the time, but I really do love the game and I play it to this day.

            With there being no “Wii” Sports games on the Switch at the time, sometimes you’d find yourself wondering, “Wouldn’t it be cool if there was a Nintendo Sports game on the Switch?” Of course, you’d then realize that probably wouldn’t happen and you move on with your day. However, in February 2022, the game we had all dreamed of was announced. Nintendo Switch Sports was released on April 29^th, 2022, a day you would think would be remembered as a happy one. And sure, it was sort of fun that day, but right off the bat there were issues.

            First of all, the game only had six sports at the time. Not to mention, tennis, volleyball and badminton were way too similar and kind of boring after a while. The other sports, soccer, bowling, and chambara (which is actually just sword fighting), weren’t that bad, but I miss the hundred-pin bowling and the special swordplay showdown from Wii Sports Resort, and soccer is like a slower version of Rocket League. Recently they added golf to the game, and to be honest, I haven’t played it. I just don’t see the reason when there isn’t Frisbee Golf (one of my favorite features of Wii Sports Resort), and at that point, I might as well play Mario Golf: Super Rush.

            So overall, the sports were a little underwhelming. Seven sports is two better than original Wii Sports (which I don’t have, by the way, so most of my references will be to Wii Sports Resort,) but Wii Sports Resort had twelve. Twelve different sports with lots of different modes and challenges. Sure, elimination bowling is a fun concept, and the online play is an upgrade from the previous games, but with most unlockables only available through online play, it makes the game feel less like a family party game and more like a competitive sports game.

            And that’s my next point. The Wii Sports series is supposed to be a party game. It’s for making memories with your friends and family. I don’t think being encouraged to play with strangers online is the right direction for this game series to go. I think a better way of implementing online play would be playing with friends across different switches.

            I also think the general setting and feeling this game has is not nearly as happy as Wii Sports Resort. Nintendo Switch Sports takes place in the middle of a city, in a sports park called Spocco Square, whereas Wii Sports Resort takes place on a resort island called Wuhu Island. I get that a city is more modern, but who wants to be in a crowded city when they could relax and have fun on a beautiful resort island? Is it just me? It’s not like Wuhu Island isn’t in other Nintendo games. It is featured in all the Wii Fit games, there were Mario Kart games that had Wuhu Island tracks (including a special Wuhu Town battle course in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe), and they also had a Pilotwings game for 3DS that took place on the island called Pilotwings Resort. So, it wouldn’t have been crazy to make their latest installment of Wii Sports on Wuhu Island too.

            Part of the problem with it being in a city is that it removes the possibility of sports like wakeboarding, canoeing, skydiving, frisbee, and more. It also removes the colorfulness that excites you to play the sports (something I thought Wii Sports Resort did especially well), and don’t even get me started on the fact that they removed the iconic Wii Sports Resort music that really brought the game together.

            I sort of get it though. They wanted to do something new. Wuhu Island has already been done (although I still think Wuhu Island was a better idea than Spocco Square). At least you can rest assured that everyone who didn’t get to experience the greatness of Wii Sports Resort will at least get a little taste of the game where Miis play all your favorite sports.

            But no, I forgot, this game doesn’t even have Miis. Instead, we get the new, “cool” Sportsmates. Now, it’s not just that they didn’t use Miis, the most iconic part of the Wii Sports Series, but these new “Sportsmates” don’t even look good. Their heads are too smushed, they look like little kids, and their style is way too much like Japanese anime characters. The only way to customize them is through the unlockables I mentioned earlier. And let me just add that the unlockables change monthly, and the goals to unlock them aren’t a set task, so it’s more annoying than cool.

It’s not like Miis are perfect, but we all were used to them, and they are so customizable, it didn’t matter. People would make Miis to look like themselves, friends and family, characters from other games, and even other things like a Jigglypuff or a hamburger, and, to add insult to injury, they made it so you could put Mii heads on Sportsmates. It would seem like a good thing at first glance, but they look so bad on the Sportsmates’ bodies, it’s more like a cruel joke.

            Honestly, I think Wii Sports Resort was better by every measure. The game is so fun you don’t even mind the dated graphics. I think Nintendo would have done better just making an HD version for the Switch. I don’t really understand what Nintendo was going for with Nintendo Switch Sports. The other games were really good, and you know the old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” It seems like they wanted to remove everything that made Wii Sports, Wii Sports.

            I would have preferred to wait longer for a better game. I would have even preferred not to get Nintendo Switch Sports at all. At least then we still could have dreamed about a Nintendo Switch Sports that was as good as the other games. You never know with Nintendo, though. Everyone wanted certain features from previous Animal Crossing games added to Animal Crossing New Horizons, and Nintendo actually delivered. Maybe in 5 years we will be playing Nintendo Switch Sports Resort. Who knows. At least the thought helps me sleep at night.