Nintendo Switch Sports Resort review – Wii Sports lives on in this effortlessly appealing collection of games
Nintendo Switch 2; Nintendo/Nintendo Bringing a holiday vibe and a generous selection of sport-themed games, this is exactly what you want from a family video game When the first Nintendo Switch Sports brought the effortless fun of Wii Sports back into my living room in 2022, I was frankly delighted. My small children discovered the pleasure of waving a controller around in enthusiastic imitation of a tennis player…
Key points
- Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is released this week for Nintendo Switch 2, bringing back tennis, bowling and volleyball alongside golf and basketball.
- Seven new sports are added: boxing, table tennis, archery, thumb wrestling, skateboarding, jetski and piloting a prop plane.
- The reviewer says the game is perfect for family play and has enough depth to keep players engaged long term.
Nintendo Switch Sports Resort arrives this week for Nintendo Switch 2 as a follow-up to the 2022 game that revived the Wii Sports formula. The collection returns to six sports from the earlier title, adding golf and basketball to tennis, bowling and volleyball.
It also introduces seven new activities: boxing, table tennis, archery, thumb wrestling, skateboarding, jetski and flying a small prop plane. The reviewer describes the games as intuitive and easy to learn, with each carrying a slightly silly tone.
How the sports play
The review says every sport is fun. Skateboarding uses the controller like a mouse, pulling it back to move and tilting it to steer, while archery is described as perfectly intuitive and boxing as enjoyably frenetic. Table tennis is called energisingly competitive, with wrist movement controlling spin and smashes.
Basketball is the exception, replacing the real sport's speed with methodical turn-taking. The reviewer also notes that touring the resort by jetski or plane recalls the dormant Nintendo series Wave Race and Pilotwings.
it is exactly what you want from a family video game
— The Guardian reviewer
Setting and extra features
The island setting is filled with detail, from pink dolphins in the waves to stadiums, cafes and beaches busy with tiny figures. The reviewer says this gives the game a holiday atmosphere and a sense of place.
Outfits won through island leagues give solo play some structure, and variants such as bowling obstacle courses and a basketball three-point contest add longevity. After a week of daily play, the reviewer concludes the game will not be shelved for some time.
