It’s easy to take the Wii and the revolution it brought for granted, two decades on; after all, we live in a world where everyone plays video games now, where it’s mainstream and normalized to such a degree that even if someone, somehow, is not engaging with video games at all, they are still more than aware of the medium and its subculture thanks to streaming, memes, influencers, and the bevy of video game movies, TV shows, and merchandise flooding everything that we are aware of in our day-to-day lives.

So, it’s not surprising that it can still be hard to think back to a time when that wasn’t true, when games were still considered a niche-the domain of a few, a hobby that very often lacked respectability.

And of course, a huge part of changing over time was the introduction of the Wii, and, of course its motion controls- and one game that perfectly sold the appeal of the Wii more than any other – literally, since it was a bona fide system seller the likes of which wouldn’t be seen again for a very long time – was Wii Sports.

"It’s easy to take the Wii and the revolution it brought for granted" The original Wii Sports was an unassuming little collection of five mini-games based on popular sports.

Of course, a crucial aspect of all of the included “sports” was that they could all be easily considered universal enough that everyone could understand them with little thought or effort, while also having the added perk of being extremely well suited for motion controls- which, of course, in the era of the Wii, was a Big Deal™.

This potent blend, combined with very charming, simplistic, cozy presentation, and Nintendo’s usual polish, made it an astounding hit.

A sequel was always going to be a given, which is what Wii Sports Resort was.

Built to shown off the significantly better motion tracking technology in the Wii Motion Plus accessory, Wii Sports Resort is often viewed by fans as the series’ zenith, not only because it had a lot more games, which all played a whole lot better, but also because of how above and beyond it went in establishing a coherent vibe and tone and aesthetic – elements that players have found lacking in every subsequent entry in the franchise.

Which brings us to Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, the newest game in this lineage.

Now, very explicitly, as the name should tip you off, this game is consciously evoking Wii Sports Resort.

Much like that title built on the original Wii Sports by offering more sports, more modes, more content, and going bigger and better in every regard, so too, does Switch Sports Resort take the original Switch Sports, released in 2022 on the first Switch, and delivers a much more content packed, much more polished, much more appealing and all around fun entry.

And also, very importantly, for the first time since Wii Sports Resort, Switch Sports Resort brings back the charm, character, and aesthetic that the series has been lacking since its earliest days.

"Now, very explicitly, as the name should tip you off, this game is consciously evoking Wii Sports Resort." Naturally, as many a series fan will tell you, a big part of that is the return of Wuhu Island as the setting for the game.

Wuhu Island in Wii Sports Resort was a vibe,....