When Nintendo introduced the Wii to the world back in 2006, one of the major selling points was Wii Sports. It was a simple game that featured a number of sports from baseball to bowling, and simple, intuitive controls meant that anyone could pick up a Wiimote and play. Wiisports was an absolute phenomenon responsible for many fun nights and, unfortunately, broken tv screens and bruised players. There were sequels to Wii Sports on the Wii with Wii Sports Resort and then on the Wii U with Wii Sports Club.
Things went quiet for the sports series, but it never really faded from gamers' minds. When Nintendo released the Switch, fans wondered if there would be a new addition to the first-party sports games. There were still motion controls in play with Joy-Cons, so why not? Now, in 2022, Nintendo has come through on a years-long wait for some more Mii character sporting adventures. Nintendo Switch Sports offers up six sports to play: soccer, volleyball, tennis, badminton, bowling, and chambara. However, not all of them deserve a gold medal.
6 Soccer Had Potential, But Missed The Net
"The World's Game" as it is known globally would seem to be an easy addition to the Nintendo Switch Sports lineup. However, it fails in its attempt to be a good soccer experience. It does make use of the leg strap for the shoot-out mode, which can be a bit of fun but feels like a little mini-game rather than a full mode. The main soccer mode doesn't live up to the sport's real-life counterpart.
Nintendo Switch Sports soccer plays more like a game of Rocket League where players run about bumping an oversized ball, hoping to get the right angle and bounce it in the net. The real letdown though, is that it only allows for two human-controlled players at a time, even in the regular 4-on-4 mode. Players cannot switch between team members either, which really rains on the enjoyment of the sport. Having a full human 4-on-4 match might be hard to sort out in a living room, but what players got instead feels disappointing.
5 Volleyball Needs A Bump In Fun Department
Nintendo Switch Sports ​​​​​​volleyball checks all the boxes of the real sport, but in doing so it fails to inject any fun. Players will cycle through each position from setter to server to blocker, but will have a little trouble in the actual execution of these roles due to the controls being a little tricky. Over a few games players can sort it out, but for a pick-up-and-play sport, it's a little too much.
Switch Sports volleyball requires perfect timing for digging, setting, and spiking the ball. Players must be precise in their motions and timing of their hits, which can be rather tedious in a setting meant for casual fun. Because the sport requires good teamwork, if one player is lacking in timing or control, the game falls flat. It becomes annoying and frustrating and most players will end up switching to something else.
4 Tennis Serves Up An Ace
The Nintendo Switch Sports version of tennis is very similar to the original Wii Sports version. It replicates the sport well enough, though feels a little slower-paced than it could be. It is a little disappointing that the mode only offers up Doubles, and not Singles, meaning that if only two players want to play each other, they are stuck also competing with a CPU teammate.
Players can pair up together against two CPU opponents, but the 1 vs 1 option is absent and missed. The motion controls are fairly intuitive and different enough for players to decipher between lobs, swings, and slices. The option to have a 4-on-4 all-human game is chaotic fun, but the lack of options for fewer players does take away a bit of the competitive fun that tennis offers.
3 Chambara Is A Duel Of The Fates
The wooden sword fighting sport gives Switch Sports players two ways to play. They can approach it strategically, taking measured swings and timing their parries, or they can just wave their arms about in a frantic and fast motion with no such technique whatsoever. Either way, Chambara offers up a good bit of fun.
Players can also switch sword types to vary their play style. The most fun option, and most dangerous to anyone standing near the player, is the option to dual-wield swords. Though a sword battle may seem violent, the swords in Switch Sports almost act like foam sticks. Upon defeat, the players just fall off the platform and into a pool of water. Swordplay has never been safer.
2 Bowling Rolls A Near Perfect Game
Bowling was featured in the first Wii Sports and was an immediate hit. It was also a hit for a lot of furniture, lamps, TVs, and players, as the Wiimotes were often sent flying in an over-exuberant throw of the arm. However, once players got a grip on their gaming situation, they were able to have hours upon hours of fun.
In Wii Sports, players could give a flick of the wrist at the end of their swing motion to guarantee a strike, but that little cheat no longer exists with this new iteration. Switch Sports bowling still provides as much entertainment as it did before with the same motion style controls requiring good, accurate tosses from players. The rumbles in the Joy-Cons add a nice touch to the ball rolling down the lane, and the controls themselves feel accurate and precise.
1 Badminton Is A Welcome Surprise
A lot of gamers wondered if, in a game that only features six sports, it was wise for Nintendo to include two racket sports in Switch Sports. Upon playing the new badminton, however, it becomes obvious why it was included. Where tennis can feel as though the player is fighting back against the oncoming ball, badminton gives the player more control with their shots. There is actually a decent amount of technique required to place shots, smash returns and choose from overhand or underhand swings.
The badminton shuttlecock flies faster than the ball in tennis and leads to some frantic fun between players. The swings players take feel important in that they determine where the shuttlecock actually lands, rather than in tennis where it is more based on the timing of the hit. Switch Sports badminton offers the 1-on-1 challenge that the tennis game is missing, which means a lot of great head-to-head competition between players. Quite surprisingly, badminton offers up a good challenge, fun gameplay, and a great option for competition. It was well executed and deserves its place in the Nintendo Sports Hall of Fame.