Nintendo Switch Sports review: What you need to know before buying
The long-awaited revamp of Wii Sports is a charming lesson in nostalgia - but it does have a few key flaws.
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Let’s set the scene. It’s 2006, Google has just purchased YouTube for the hefty sum of $1.65 billion, Twitter is still a relatively new concept, the billionth song has been downloaded on iTunes (it was Speed of Sound by Coldplay in case you’re wondering) and you’re standing in your living room, engaged in a particularly aggressive game of Wii tennis.
As things begin to heat up between you and your siblings, you feel the Wii remote slowly start to slip from your fingers and, in one heart-stopping moment, you almost send it sailing straight through your TV screen. It will not be the last time this happens.
If you’re over the age of 20, this scene likely brings about a nostalgia for a much simpler time. When Nintendo announced earlier this year it would be reviving Wii Sports for the Switch, Millennials and Zillennials alike rejoiced at the chance to dive straight back into their childhoods.
With improved graphics, more precise motion controls and more sports, Nintendo Sports is both a renewed version of a classic for older players, and a fun new release for the younger generation. But has it managed to successfully recapture the joy of the original?
- Best deal on Nintendo Sports: $59 with leg strap on Amazon Australia
When Wii Sports first hit the market, it changed the way we play games. Rather than merely pressing buttons on a controller, the game required you to physically engage with it, with your body motions controlling the actions of your character (or ‘Mii’, if you will).
Not only was it a new and interesting concept, but it got a generation of kids off the couch and moving around without even realising it.
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Now, 16 years after the original (and nine years after Wii Sports Club) was released, Nintendo has decided to have another crack. It would be fair to assume the new version is a big improvement over the old, but it has actually gone slightly backwards in one way - it fails to explain all the ins and outs of each sport.
Where Wii Sports offered training modes that showed you how to play each game through mini challenges, Nintendo Sports instead has a brief (and skippable) tutorial that appears when you play certain sports for the first time.
Under the options tab on the main screen, you can opt for a longer tutorial for volleyball, football and chambara, but if you want to know the intricacies of the other three games, you’re basically on your own.
This is especially frustrating as hints pop up on the loading screen once you’ve finished playing each game - and they are usually things you would have benefited from knowing before you started playing.
That said, you will be able to pick up the basics of each sport fairly quickly without an extended tutorial. If you want to know how to land a particular shot in tennis or find out how to curve your bowling ball though, you’ll have to figure it out yourself or wait for a hint to appear.
Outside of that, Nintendo Sports is exactly what we thought it would be - a fun, family-friendly game. Set in the stunning Spocco Square, the game can be played alone or with friends, both locally and online. While playing alone is a great way to get started, there’s no denying the games are a lot more fun when played online or in multiplayer mode.
Currently you can choose from six games total - bowling, tennis, chambara (sword fighting), badminton, volleyball and football - with a seventh option of golf reportedly on the horizon. We did expect a few more sports to be available, but we’re holding out hope that more will come.
BEFORE YOU PLAY
Each sport requires at least one Joy-Con to play, and there is an option to switch the settings from right to left-handed, which is great to see.
It really should go without saying, but you will also need to attach wrist straps to your Joy-Cons before you get started - unless you really like to live life on the edge or are looking for an excuse to buy a new TV.
BOWLING
Naturally, Nintendo had to bring back bowling for the Switch and it doesn’t disappoint. The standard mode is much the same as it has always been, requiring you to knock down 10 pins by mimicking the real life action of bowling.
You can move your character left and right, curve your shot, zoom in to see pins better and flick your wrist to add some spin - whatever helps you achieve that satisfying strike. ‘Special’ mode meanwhile makes things a bit more interesting by adding obstacles to your lane, which you then need to avoid to successfully knock down your pins.
Multiplayer mode has also undergone an update and now allows up to four people in the same room to bowl simultaneously. While you can still opt to take turns, it’s much more fun to compete at the same time if you have the space to do so. It also makes the game go a lot faster and stops you from getting bored while waiting for your turn.
TENNIS
Tennis has also made a comeback for Nintendo Sports and it’s had me questioning if I’m starting to get old - an incredibly dead arm the day after playing points to yes.
If you’re playing by yourself, you’ll have control over two versions of your character - one close to the net and another that stands further back. However, like the original, there’s no way to toggle between the two characters - you’ll simply gain control over whichever one is closest to the ball at any given time.
If you’re playing with three or more people, you can meanwhile take control of just one character, while another person can play as your teammate.
Similar to the real game, the tennis ball is allowed to bounce on the ground once before being returned - if it bounces twice, the opposing team will score the point. You can also score points when your opponent misses the ball or when they hit the ball out of bounds (something that is honestly very easy to do).
In addition to forehand and backhand shots, you can twist the Joy-Con in either direction to complete a shot with backspin or topspin to slow or speed up the ball respectively. Given that Joy-Cons have much more accurate motion tracking than Wii remotes, you’ll also get a lot more out of your shots in the Nintendo version - making it all too easy to get caught up in the moment and temporarily morph into Lleyton Hewitt.
CHAMBARA
Sword fighting, now named Chambara, is the third and final sport to make a comeback from the original Wii games. The rather brutal sport will have you facing off against one opponent, with the goal of hitting them off of a high platform and into the water below.
Holding your sword horizontally or vertically, you’ll need to strategically hit your opponent to force them backwards. You can also block their advances by holding ZR (or ZL) to guard. If they also attempt to guard, you’ll need to swing your sword in the same direction as them (e.g. vertical if they’re guarding vertically, horizontally if they’re guarding horizontally) in order to attack them.
If you hit a guarding opponent in the opposite direction, you’ll be momentarily stunned, giving them a prime opportunity to send you for a swim.
Before you begin, you can opt for three sword choices - standard, a charged sword that can unleash a powerful blow after successfully guarding three times, or twin swords. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, but we found the regular sword to be the better overall option.
Unsurprisingly, the nature of the game makes it highly competitive, so prepare to see everyone’s ruthless side emerge.
In short: Is it a lot of fun? Yes. Will it make you hate your friends? Also yes.
BADMINTON
There’s not a whole lot to say about badminton, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a worthwhile game.
In a similar vein to tennis, badminton requires you to give your arm muscles a workout by smashing the shuttlecock back and forth between two players (sadly, there’s no doubles mode available here). However, unlike tennis, you can’t let it hit the ground on your side or your opponent will automatically score a point - but that’s really the only rule.
The game is fairly fast-paced and does require proper timing and accuracy in order to score points, so you will need to pay attention. Despite being fairly simple in execution, the game is surprisingly fun, even if it can’t be customised in any significant way.
VOLLEYBALL
It has to be said - volleyball is the least exciting addition to Nintendo Sports. Not only is it a fairly slow affair, but you’re also limited in the moves you can make at any set time.
The moves of setting, bumping, blocking and spiking are cycled through in a repetitive way - and you’ll only be able to complete the move that works for your current position on the court.
While this does make it true to the real life game, it does make playing it virtually a little underwhelming, especially as there are no customisation options currently available. Simply play to five points and … well, that’s it.
Like most of the available games, you will get more out of it playing in multiplayer mode, but it was still a sport we tired of fairly quickly.
FOOTBALL (SOCCER)
Football is the definite highlight of Nintendo Sports and offers a refreshing change of pace from the other five games. Rather than playing with one Joy-Con, you’ll need to grab both, so you can move your player around the pitch with the right Joy-Con and kick, sprint or leap with the left.
You can practice on your own or play one-on-one or four-on-four, giving you a few options to pick from. Once the game starts, you’ll need to run after a giant ball to kick or headbutt it into your opponent’s goal before the time is up. You can also pass the ball to your teammates and block opposing shots by jumping into the ball.
The one downside to the game is that the pitches are fairly large and your character runs out of stamina pretty quickly - so be prepared to spend a lot of time running back and forth after the ball. Nevertheless, it’s an engaging game that is incredibly fun to play online or in multiplayer mode.
If you want a proper football experience, you can also stick your left Joy-Con in the leg strap accessory (included with the Nintendo Sports game) and practice kicking the ball in a dedicated Shoot-Out mode.
We did expect there to be more use for the leg strap when it was first announced, so we were disappointed that it isn’t needed in the multiplayer version of the game. However, it’s a unique experience that will give you a laugh - and that’s really what the Sports series has always been about.
CUSTOMISATION
Naturally, there are options to customise your character, which you can find located on the main screen. Standard customisation options include body options, facial features, eye colour, hair colour and style and outfits and accessories. These options are fairly limited, but there are some expansion options available.
When playing online, you’ll score a certain amount of points after each game - some just for participating and others for winning or completing various objectives within a game. Once you’ve hit 100 points, you’ll be able to choose one new customisation option - though ‘choose’ might be a strong word.
You can select from the item boards that are available, but your new customisation option is selected for you at random - so you might just waste 100 points on a beard that your female character is highly unlikely to wear.
The other downside is that you will need a Nintendo Switch online subscription in order to play for points and upgrade your customisation options - and of course, not everyone is going to have this.
While the new characters are much more ‘2022’, you can also go old school and play with a Mii. Once you’re in the customisation section, simply head to ‘body type’ and click on the Mii option to choose from any Mii you’ve created on the Nintendo Switch settings menu.
SHOULD YOU BUY IT?
At time of launch, Nintendo Sports is exactly what you would expect - a fun trip down memory lane. While we were hoping for a few more options right off the bat, there’s still a strong possibility that Nintendo will release multiple free updates such as additional sports (like golf), customisation options and game modes.
The six sports that are available definitely have a lot of fun elements to them and the Joy-Cons make it easier than ever to get truly involved in the games. We do, however, wish there were extended tutorials to show all available moves for each sport.
Overall, Nintendo Sports is a little lacking in some areas, but it’s definitely worth picking up for the nostalgia value - and to spice up time spent with family and friends with some friendly competition.
Overall rating: 4/5
Price: $69.95
Where to buy: Nintendo Switch Sports is available with the accompanying leg strap from leading retailers like Amazon Australia, Big W and Catch. You can also shop the game on its own from the Nintendo eShop.
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