Game review: Nintendo Switch Sports Resort (Switch 2)

There's a clear reason Wii Sports was such a big success when it launched in 2006. It is what the movie business calls a 'four-quadrant' product. This means Wii Sports catered to every demographic.

The reason it was so popular was because of its motion control sensors. To simply play tennis or bowling, you had to move the controllers with your arms and hands. You didn't have to press complicated button combinations like doing the combos in Tekken 8, for example.

20 years is a long time, and many younger gamers may not have been alive when Wii Sports was popular. In order to entice a new generation, Nintendo has released another motion-controlled sports game for the Switch 2. The new game in question is called Nintendo Switch Sports Resort.

It goes without saying that Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is a real-life active game, meaning you cannot play this game using the Switch 2 Pro Controller. You have to detach the Joy-Con 2 controllers from the console, so you can use them to move around. Not to mention, you have to make sure no junk or people are in the way when you play this game, too!

It is also a good idea to attach the wrist straps that came with the Switch 2 console. The wrist straps make sure you don't throw the controllers away. You don't want the controller to hit your precious TV screen!

Once you have detached the Joy-Con 2 controllers and attached the wrist straps, only then are you ready to play the game. Nintendo Switch Sports Resort launches with 12 different sports you can play, and one warm-up activity. See the full list of sports posted below.

• Jump Rope (warm-up activity)
• Tennis
• Bowling
• Archery
• Boxing
• Volleyball
• Table Tennis
• Basketball
• Golf
• Thumb Wrestling
• Prop Plane
• Skateboarding
• Power Cruising (Jet Skiing)

It goes without saying that some sports only require you to have one controller, while others need to have two controllers. The sports that require two controllers per person are Boxing, Archery, and Power Cruising.

If you want to play Boxing or Archery versus another player, you will need to buy an additional pair of Joy-Con 2 controllers. Power Cruising defaults to only one controller when you do two-player matches.

If you don't feel like spending more money on Joy-Con 2 controllers, you can alternatively play Nintendo Switch Sports Resort online to test your skills against the many players who own the game around the world.

It's going to take too long to talk about each sport in this collection, so I'll just speak about the ones that have unique controls. The first sport I played was Boxing, because in this game, each Joy-Con 2 controller acts as your fists.

You can punch like in real life, and your avatar reacts in real time. You can aim for an opponent's head, or aim lower for body shots. When you put your arms up, you can block punches. Turning your body/head side-to-side enables you to dodge punches.

Skateboarding was the most interesting sport when it came to its control scheme. This is the only sport in the entire game that utilised the Joy-Con 2's mouse functionality. You can do ollies, move side-to-side, and flip when you jump off a ramp. Sadly, there are only races to do, so there are no trick events like those in the Tony Hawk games.

Tennis and Table Tennis are pretty self-explanatory. You just wave the Joy-Con 2 controller around like a racquet to hit the ball. The only disappointing thing about normal Tennis is that it's always a doubles match. You cannot play a singles match in Tennis, which is slightly annoying.

Basketball is cool for shooting because the shooting motion you mimic is similar to real life. It's a 2v2 match, and you can pass to your partner if an opponent wants to steal the ball. However, moving around the court feels weird because you have to move by waving the controller around. You cannot move using the analogue stick, which is odd.

The sport you can use the analogue stick to move around, though, is Volleyball. Volleyball is the most accurate in terms of replicating the actual sport in terms of motion controls. You can dig, set, and spike the ball like in real life. You can also block the ball from the net when it's the opponent's turn to spike.

There isn't much in Nintendo Switch Sports Resort in terms of game modes, but there is a single-player mode called Island Crown. Here you are ranked number 20 in the world, and your goal is to reach number one by beating the current champion. It's fun, lengthy, and quite challenging.

The more you play the game, the more currency you earn to customise the look of your avatar. There is even an Item Shop you can look at that has exclusive items that are only available for a limited time.

This is usually the part in my review where I discuss the flaws of a game, but there aren't that many to talk about here. I will say Golf and Archery are a bit challenging, mainly because you have to battle against the wind. Aside from that, most sports in this game are accessible to anyone in your family.

If you loved Wii Sports and Nintendo Switch Sports, you are absolutely going to enjoy Nintendo Switch Sports Resort. It's a game for everyone, and I had a lot of fun playing this game against my Mum and brothers. If you have a large family or a huge group of friends, buying this game is a no-brainer.