Nintendo Wii
+ Wii Sports

Wii Sports is a collection of five sports simulations, designed to demonstrate the motion-sensing capabilities of the Wii Remote to new players. Players use the Wii Remote to mimic actions performed in real life sports, such as swinging a tennis racket. The rules for each game are simplified in order to make them more accessible to new players.

Often sold as a package with the console itself, Wii Sports is probably the first game that most people will own. While the games themselves are quite simple, they are surprisingly effective, and people find themselves returning to it. One of the attractions of Wii Sports is that it encourages players to get up and move.

Bowling and Golf are nice relaxing games that work well with lots of players. You can even share Wiimotes amongst players if you don't have enough to go around. Tennis and Baseball take the pace up a notch, and can be played with up to two players. Most energetic of all is Boxing, which requires use of the 'Nunchuck' as well as the Wiimote to simulate punching and blocking. This can also be played in two-player mode, provided you have two Nunchucks.

All of the games have a multiplayer mode, which promotes a healthy competition amongst the family. Plus, you are able to use the avatars (known as Miis) that you can create, allowing all the players to bring their own personalities into the games.

Verdict:
While this is a very basic set of games, it is probably the most played game in our family, with Bowling and Tennis the favorites. The Bowling provides the constant challenge to beat your personal best, and also your partner; while Tennis gives you increasingly more challenging opponents as you improve your game.

• Visit the Official Wii Sports website
• Read more about Wii Sports on Wikipedia
• Watch the Wii Sports Trailer on YouTube
• Buy Wii Sports (game only) from Amazon.com

Playground

Playground is set in a school environment, populated with appropriately cute characters. In single player mode, you roam around the playground, park, woods, and other areas, challenging the other kids at a variety of different games. In mupltiplayer mode, you can play all of the games straight away, though you will need to unlock some of the locations and bonuses by playing the single player game.

Dodgeball - The classic playground game. You move your players around the court with the cursor keys, and swing the remote to throw the ball, or flick it sideways to dodge. Quite easy to play, though it can get fast paced when playing multiplayer.

Tetherball - This is perhaps the hardest and most strenuous of all the games. It's a two-player game much like SwingBall, but the players use their hands instead of bats. You use the Wiimote to hit the ball around the pole, aiming to get it to the top of the spiral, while your opponent is hitting it in the other direction.

Wall Ball - This one is a cross between squash and soccer. It's a two player game where you take turns to kick the ball against a wall. The control and gameplay is similar to Wii Sports Tennis, as you flick the Wiimote to hit the ball each time.

Kicks - This is Volley ball, but players use their feet to kick a soccer ball over the net into the opposing goal. The controls are simple to use, though it can take a while to get the hang of it.

Dart Shootout - A First-Person Shooter, where you shoot at targets and other kids with foam darts. The controls couldn't be easier: point and shoot at the TV with the Wiimote. All of the moving around is done for you, as you complete each section. This game works really well as a multiplayer game too.

Paper Racers - Here, you throw a paper glider down a hallway, and then twist the Wiimote to avoid various obstacles. There are some powerups to pick up along the way, and some checkpoints to pass.

Slot Car Racing - A change of scale from the other games, as you control a toy car on a Scalextric track. Switch between lanes and collect power ups as you try to beat the other cars. This one is a lot of fun, and perhaps my favorite.

Verdict:
The variety of games makes this one a lot of fun, as you can chop and change between high speed activity or concentrated precision. If you don't want to dive into the single player game, there's the Quick Play option that lets to choose the game time you want.

• Visit the Official EA Playground website
• Watch the Playground Trailer on YouTube
• Buy Playground from Amazon.com

Wii Play
with Remote

Wii Play is a collection of 9 quick and easy to play games - perfect for small children or people who don't usually play video games. With the intuitive controls of the Wii Remote, even the most inexperienced gamers will have no trouble mastering the controls. Every game features a multiplayer mode, so you and your friends can compete for the high score or go head to head to see who's the best.

• Shooting Range, a point-and-fire game of target practice in the Duck Hunt tradition.
• Billiards, a simplified variation of nine-ball with realistic physics that uses your Wii Remote as your pool cue.
• Find Mii, in which you scan the crowds to find the right Mii - including the ones that you and your friends have created.
• Tanks!, in which you drive a toy tank on a miniature battlefield, blowing up other tanks.
• Charge! is perhaps the most bizarre, where you race on a cow collecting scarecrows.
• Laser Hockey is quite like air hockey, but with bright neon graphics.
• Fishing, with its crudely drawn graphics, is actually quite nice to play.
• Table Tennis is like you would expect, although it's more about aim than timing.

In addition to the games themselves, this package comes with a Wiimote, which makes it even better value-for-money. Having a second Wiimote in the family means that you can enjoy the multiplayer games together. Wii Play is very often the next thing that families buy after getting their Wii, as it is an economical way to get a second Wiimote and some more games to play.

Verdict:
An odd set of games perhaps, but their simplicity makes them very easy to pick up and play. Our 4 year old daughter enjoys the Shooting, Fishing and Cow Racing, and is surprisingly good at the Tanks game. Wii Play is an excellent showcase of the Wii's capabilities, and coupled with Wii Sports, makes the perfect introduction to the console.

• Visit the Official Wii Play website
• Read more about Wii Play on Wikipedia
• Watch the Wii Play Trailer on YouTube
• Buy Wii Play + Wiimote from Amazon.com

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Mario Party 8

The world's most popular party videogame is getting a lot crazier in Mario Party 8 for Wii! Whether you're shaking up cola cans or lassoing barrels, you and your friends will be drawn into the action like never before using the Wii Remote.

In Mario Party 8, four different characters compete on one of six themed boards. Players take turns rolling dice and moving across the game board, collecting coins which can then be used to buy stars. The goal is to be the first to get 2 stars before the end of the game.

Some of the game boards are straight-forward, and players simply have to reach locations where 20 coins can be traded for a star. Others are more varied, for example, "Koopa's Tycoon Town" involves players investing coins into hotels (like Monopoly) in order to earn stars, with each hotel only providing stars to the player with the highest current investment.

All of the boards include a number of random elements which can greatly influence the course of the game. Notable for this is "Shy Guy's Perplex Express", where the train cars which make up the game board can be re-ordered as the result of landing on a certain space, completely changing the relative positions of all players.

As players go around the board, they are able to buy / pick up candy, which can be used as power-ups. These include double and triple rolls of the dice and stealing coins from other players.

At the end of every turn, there is a minigame, chosen at random from a sizable selection. Each minigame comes with instructions and tips, and there's an opportunity to practice before the actual competition. The selection minigames can be reduced to include only the simple ones, which is great for young children.

The control method varies with each minigame; some make use of the Wiimotes motion control sensors, others use the on-screen pointer, and a few use classic controller buttons (by holding Wiimote sideways).

Mario Party 8 has other games modes, such as the "Duel" - for two players on a cut-down version of one of the 6 boards. Instead of having to do a minigame after every turn, players will only do battles when they land on special spaces on the board. The pace of this game mode is quicker than the main one.

Verdict:
I personally find this game a little on the slow side, but it seems to hold the attention of small children well enough. The Dual mode is quicker to play, and works better when there are two players. Mario Party 8 is probably the most fun during parties, as you would expect.

• Visit the Official Mario Party 8 website
• Read more about Mario Party 8 on Wikipedia
• Watch the Mario Party 8 Trailer on YouTube
• Buy Mario Party 8 from Amazon.com

Elebits

Elebits are small creatures that serve as an energy source and power literally everything, from televisions to automobiles. One night, a lightning storm has causes an unexplained power outage while the Elebits are nowhere to be found.

The player controls Kai, a ten year old boy who hates Elebits and is envious of the attention they receive from his parents. Kai, blaming the Elebits for the lack of electricity, takes possession of his father's "capture gun" and uses it to attempt to capture the hiding Elebits.

As the game progresses, the player explores individual rooms in a house, as well as the street and the areas beyond. Using the capture gun, the player aims at and captures Elebits, extracting their energy. The gun can also be used to interact with objects, to either open, activate or move them. As more Elebits are collected, the capture gun becomes more powerful.

Verdict:
This is certainly a unique and interesting game concept. It makes good use of the Wiimotes, and the graphics are nice and realistic. It has the feel of a first-person shooter, without the violence that you usually get with them. You do get to make a real mess of the place, and break lots of ornaments and vases.

• Visit the Official Elebits Website at Konami
• Read more about Elebits on Wikipedia
• Watch the Elebits Trailer on YouTube
• Buy Elebits from Amazon.com

Elebits is called Eledees (LEDs) in Europe and Australia