Wii Play

As a $10 packin, Wii Play does provide a good value, if only for Laser Hockey, Billiards, the Shooting Gallery and Tanks.

I’d say overall Wii Play is worth it, if only for the extra controller. I now have three. If you know an easy way to get another nunchuck I’d love to know.

It's a fun multiplayer-with-the-family experience, not really a keeper. [Jan. 2007, p.40]

Wii Play excels at what it sets out to do, and as a package deal with a Wii Remote is a no-brainier purchase for new Wii owners.

All of the games in the Wii collection sport a surface-level cleverness that makes them brilliant demos of what the Wii means for the future of game design, but only a few of them offer enough depth for repeated visits. [Mar. 2007, p.86]

Playing multiplayer doubles the fun and all I could ask for is the option to share this with four players at a time, but two is all you get, which makes sense in most of these games anyway.

While you can play any of the games solo, Wii Play is clearly designed as a pastime for friends; every one of the nine is best played with two remotes. It’s also a little odd that the entire game seems oriented towards teaching players how to use the Wii remote.

If you have no need for a Wii Remote at this time, it may be more feasible to find a friend who’s in need of the Wii Remote to split the cost or just hit up your local used game shop for cheaper, used versions of the game.

The game and controller is easily worth what retailers are charging, and the package is an ideal way of getting the Wii message of playing together across to the casual consumer. Wii Play is far more than just a collection of minigames, it is an extension of the console itself and should be the first port of call for all new Wii owners.

As a standalone game at full price, we would rake Wii Play over the coals. But as a pack-in with the Wii Remote that basically costs $10, it’s a winner.

Wii Play has a few timeless gems that should prove to be party favourites this Christmas, but regular gamer, in particular, shouldn't expect the novelty value to endure much beyond that. Think of this as commercial tutorial.

On one hand it's very simple and addictive for non-gamers, but on the other hand it's more of a novelty for core gamers. The price is high, although the "free" controller makes it more than worthwhile if you're looking for a second controller and a cheap set of mini-games that are fun for a few hours.

Play is made for people who don't really like games, and if you're someone who really does, that's a problem. Sure, most of these minigames are fun...for about 10 minutes. But hey, maybe your grandma will want to marry it.

If you're buying this for solo gaming, save the cash or just head to a friend's house - multiplayer's the only way to go with Wii Play, and even then you'll be satisfied within a week.

While introducing the finer points of the Nintendo Wii remote through mini-games like billiards and a cattle-racing game, all of them come up short in replay value, even with the ability to compete against a friend.

If it were a standalone game, I’d recommend forgetting Wii Play, but it comes with a Wiimote, so really the game is $10US so it’s really hard to argue against picking it up.

Wii remotes are in limited supply, and ten extra bucks isn’t a bad deal for the set.

Nintendo release another title that makes perfect use of its quirky controllers, but with just a few truly memorable games in the collection, it's best as a weekend rental.

Wii Play may sound like some kinky German fetish video (our last Wii pun, we promise!), but it's actually good, clean fun overall -- aimed at those who either A) are in diapers, B) list Pac-Man as the last video game they played, or C) a twisted combo of both. It also caters to lazy bastards, with its ability to be played from a sitting position.

Wii Play is about the best reason to pick up an extra Wii remote, unless you have four already.

So essentially Wii Play is a series of nine mini-games aimed at teaching people how to use the Wiimote and kind of use the Nunchuk. It costs next to nothing and is packed in with a controller, so for a few minutes of fun with a friend why not get it? [JPN Import]

The lack of mini-games that really grabbed me was just too small.

A Wii Remote costs $40, and can't be found. Wii Play costs $50, and comes with one. Worth buying only if you want an extra remote.

If you’ve already tracked down four remotes, you might as well leave this game on the shelf; you’ll get at least as much enjoyment out of the game that came with the console.

It is simply not worth $50 or, for that matter, even half that. But it's a $10 companion piece to a Wii remote and it does succeed as a technical demo of what Nintendo's new peripheral can do.

If you're in the market for a Wii-mote, pick this up, as you get one with it, and it's only 10 bucks more. If you're not, then pass. It's a little too simple and will be short-lived for most.

Few of the nine minigames that comprise Wii Play have much staying power.

Play is for people who don't really play games, and as someone who really does, that's a problem. [Feb. 2007, p.86]

By ordinary standards there's simply nothing here - bar Billiards - that offers anything worthy of more than a few minutes play. As an introduction to the Wii and its unique control scheme it just about works, but beyond that there's very little here to get excited about.

Not really a game as such, but a capable if uninspired introduction to the wonders of Wii. [Christmas 2006, p.85]

More varied but less fun than Wii Sports, this collection of mini-games basically adds $15 to the price of a new Wii controller. Sounds like a good deal, but it turns out it's barely worth even that.

Frankly, there are no blockbuster offerings here. This collection of simple games is fun to play a few times, but as the package includes the Wii remote and the game for only $10 more than the price of the controller alone, it's well worth the retail price, especially given the scarcity of additional controllers for the system.

The extreme banality of the package which would only just about hold the attention of the seriously young members of your family for any length of time can’t be ignored.

It lacks depth, meaning that you’ll grow tired of it within minutes – even with a friend.

The "low-budget, high-fun" strategy that paid off for Nintendo with "Brain Age" and "Wii Sports" finally draws a blank.

So it’s not a great compendium, but does come with a remote, so that’s a bonus (especially for multiplayer games of Wii Sports with your non-Wii owning friends).

If you needed an excuse to pick up another Wii Remote and you have an extra Hamilton in the wallet, then by all means pick up Wii Play. Just don't expect to fully get your money's worth.

Though the collection features a few gems like Billiards and Laser Hockey, much of the lineup is composed of half-assed mini-games with little to no depth whatsoever.

Although bundled with a Wii Remote, it's still impossible to recommend Wii Play. Many of the mini-games feel clumsy, and the ones that don't are destined to be short-lived at best. [Christmas 2006, p.136]