News Article

The Wii Sports Resort Events That Didn't Make It

Posted Fri, 04 Sep 2009 by Damien McFerran

Fishing: Out, Jet Skis: In

Fishing: Out, Jet Skis: In

Nintendo reveals the games that didn't get past the drawing board

Wii Sports Resort is pretty packed when it comes to events. However, Nintendo has gone on the record stating that before the final twelve games were picked, the development team had plenty more ideas that very nearly made it onto the disc.

According to producer Katsuya Eguchi:

We considered fishing and a water slide activity before deciding on the final twelve events. As for more unconventional concepts, we created a pretty fun prototype of kendama, a traditional Japanese toy, that just didn't fit the game's theme.

A Kendama is very much like the 'cup and ball' catching toy that we have here in the West. While that might have been interesting to use with the Wii Remote it probably wouldn't have been particularly exciting - as Eguchi himself admits.

Source: kotaku.com.

Tags: Wii, Development.

Game Screenshots

User Comments

WolfRamHeart

1. WolfRamHeart United States 04 Sep 2009, 09:16 BST

What?! They actually took out the fishing? Everyone knows that fish sell; Nintendo could have sold like a billion more copies!:D

skywake

2. skywake Australia 04 Sep 2009, 09:31 BST

ball in a cup!

Tails86

3. Tails86 United States 04 Sep 2009, 09:44 BST

exactly fish do sell they would have had over a 5 million if the fishes were in it ^^

LEGEND MARIOID

4. LEGEND MARIOID United Kingdom 04 Sep 2009, 10:16 BST

Potential Wii Play 2 wiimotionplus events??!!

calculon

5. calculon United Kingdom 04 Sep 2009, 11:02 BST

Outside of golf, bowling and archery it's not like any of the other activities were that good anyway and you already got very playable versions of golf and bowling in the first Wii Sports package anyway. The rest of the events are garbage of the highest degree.

Anyone who has bought Wii Sports Resort is either:

a) Desperate for a quality game and are now deeply disappointed.
b) Wanted to know what all the fuss over MotionPlus was about - which is probably the most sensible reason - and are now deeply disappointed.
c) Wanted more fun games in the vein of Wii Sports and are now deeply disappointed.

What I meant to say was: Other people who disagree with the above statements may have had a different and entirely valid experience from myself.

Klapaucius

6. Klapaucius United Kingdom 04 Sep 2009, 11:30 BST

Fishing would have been quite good.
Kendama wouldn't have worked well outside Japan.
Seeing as there's a tennis court on the island, I wonder if tennis was at some stage planned to be included.

Koto

7. Koto United States 04 Sep 2009, 11:52 BST

heheh Kendama....i wanna act like Genis...

Stuffgamer1

8. Stuffgamer1 United States 04 Sep 2009, 11:54 BST

@Calculon: I spy a cynic of the highest degree! How dare you insult me just because I genuinely enjoy a video game? I really like the one-player sword mode that pits you against hoards of Mii's. I also had a great time with the "island fly-over" game. And Frisbee Golf > Golf.

Please be more considerate when you post. We don't need those kinds of wide-targeted insults around here.

Now, regarding the actual news post: Fishing might've been nice if done well. That Kendama thing does sound better left out, as does a water slide.

calculon

9. calculon United Kingdom 04 Sep 2009, 12:03 BST

@Stuffgamer: Whatever. Your use of the past-tense suggests that the game has a very limited life-span which tallies with my experience.

My copy was in my Wii for three days total - the third being forced - and has sat on a shelf for the past two weeks waiting for trade-in. I'm guessing I've spend several hundred hours on the original Wii Sports in case you think I'm a hater.

The sword fighting game required zero skill - in fact my only desire was to get to the end as soon as possible. The island flyover became an exercise in labored searching and Frisbee Golf sucks. Period.

suburban_sensei

10. suburban_sensei United States 04 Sep 2009, 12:04 BST

Yeah I don't think that Fishing would of made it better, so it's quite alright they kept it out. I am kinda with Calculon on this one. I mean, I am not "deeply disappointed" in WSR...but the fun has worn off a bit. I must admit from time to time I pop it in and do an Island Flyover or Showdown.

Machu

11. Machu United Kingdom 04 Sep 2009, 12:06 BST

I can just imagine fishing at the lake by the castle. :(
I can't stand fishing games (except for OoT & TP) but know Nintendo would have made it loads of fun.

TourianTourist

12. TourianTourist Germany 04 Sep 2009, 12:25 BST

I think fishing is exactly what the game would have needed. There aren't enough relaxing sport events next to the Island Flyover.

LinktotheFuture

13. LinktotheFuture United States 04 Sep 2009, 12:32 BST

@LEGEND MARIOID I hope there is a Wii Play 2 with motionplus as well!

Wiiloveit

14. Wiiloveit United Kingdom 04 Sep 2009, 13:10 BST

Why would we need a ball in a cup on our video gaming systems when we could just buy our very own ball in a cup? It might not sound as fun or exciting, but easy enough to work out:

Toss the ball, catch it in the cup, dump it out of the cup, toss it and catch it again!

Plus, you needn't worry about any mess or the possibility of losing your ball. Why? Well:

The ball is on a string, attached to the cup, so there's no worry if you don't catch the ball in the cup! Clean up is as easy as catching a ball in a cup...

Why spend another day not catching a ball in a cup because you'd rather catch a ball in a cup on your Wii, when you could be catching a ball in a cup? Mexico's favourite toy for over 340 years!

Klapaucius

15. Klapaucius United Kingdom 04 Sep 2009, 13:12 BST

@Calculon
Now that I actually took the time to read your comment, I see you hate fans of Nintendo games. I politely suggest that Nintendo Life is the wrong site for you.

ryanknight717

16. ryanknight717 United States 04 Sep 2009, 13:25 BST

i wanna go fishing!

ICEknight

17. ICEknight Spain 04 Sep 2009, 13:29 BST

Infidels! How dare you not see Calculon's oppinion as the only truth? =P

Starwolf_UK

18. Starwolf_UK United Kingdom 04 Sep 2009, 13:42 BST

Seeing as there's a tennis court on the island, I wonder if tennis was at some stage planned to be included.
I love the in-game cop-out for you being unable to play on them (please don't spoil it if you know it, find it for yourself while flying :P )

@Klapaucius. My understand was Calculon hated modern Nintendo games (rose tinted specs and all that).

Machu

19. Machu United Kingdom 04 Sep 2009, 14:12 BST

Calculon lies about the lack of skill involved with sword-fighting, you need to block, and at the right angle. And yeah Klapaucius, he hates Nintendo, I noticed that too. I counter his negative comments by saying Flyover rocks, and Frisbee Golf is good too (I prefer it to T10 disc golf). blows a raspberry

PhoenixSage

20. PhoenixSage United States 04 Sep 2009, 14:13 BST

I'm with Koto on this one; I would have loved to see the kendama just to do my best Genis bit.

Pancake time! STALAGMITE!

PopeReal

21. PopeReal United States 04 Sep 2009, 14:31 BST

table tennis and 3 pt contest are my faves by far....

and overall resort is much better than wii sports imo

PopeReal

22. PopeReal United States 04 Sep 2009, 14:37 BST

@calcucon...

"Anyone who disagrees is either a major fanboy or is willing to put up with any old crap or really needs to remove those rose-tinted glasses."

LOL @ people who can't stand the thought of others not agreeing with their opinions

uel

23. uel United States 04 Sep 2009, 14:40 BST

I don't want any more fishing games after the "fun" fishing from Zelda.

Klapaucius

24. Klapaucius United Kingdom 04 Sep 2009, 14:51 BST

@Starwolf_UK ~
Yeah, such a wonderful excuse somebody at Nintendo dreamt up :P
I love all those comments around the island.

@Machu ~
Indeed. Beating level 10, and then the reverse stages after it, is impossible without blocking and parrying.
I love Flyover, the new bowling is better than Wii Sports bowling, the golf is much improved with the new controls I think, and the Frisbee is awesome. Wii Sports Resort has been in my Wii every day since release, and I can't see me getting tired of it any time soon.

Egg miester

25. Egg miester United States 04 Sep 2009, 14:56 BST

they toke out fishing and cup and ball but they added in bike game that used no M+ and basketball that didn't always work, great job nintendo

PopeReal

26. PopeReal United States 04 Sep 2009, 14:59 BST

you would really want ball and cup?

fishing could have been ok i guess but don't know how much of a "sport" it is...

mrmicawber

27. mrmicawber United States 04 Sep 2009, 15:03 BST

Fishing IS a sport - and it stil exists in the dark reaches of Nintendo factory - it could........ make....... another......... game!

Motion Plus Fishing teh roxors!

Adam

28. Adam United States 04 Sep 2009, 15:05 BST

@16
C! ...but who doesn't?

Seriously, it's absolutely childish to be so upset that a game did not live up to your own expectations that someone decides that everyone who actually does like the game is a fanboy, not to mention it's insulting.

Today's Lesson: Some people have different opinions and tastes in gaming. Who knew!

ODOGG618

29. ODOGG618 United States 04 Sep 2009, 15:05 BST

I agree with some of what Calculon is saying, and I don't consider myself a "hater". Overall, the game is really hard to justify for $50. As an avid disc golfer (not Frisbee golf, the sport is called disc golf), it's hokey to use frisbees. The physics are just not realistic at all. I'd like to see a disc golf game developed by the Hot Shots team. Sports Resort is fun, but highly overrated as a full price title.

thewiirocks

30. thewiirocks United States 04 Sep 2009, 15:09 BST

@Calculon sez - The sword fighting game required zero skill

You have no idea what you're talking about. Sure, you can hack and slash for the amateur league, but once you leave that you're in for a challenge. And the on-foot game where you fight against dozens of opponents does an excellent job of making you feel like you're in a Samurai movie!

Just because you played the game for 15 minutes and gave up doesn't mean that there isn't depth. It just means that you have no idea what you're looking for and why everyone else loves these games.

As an aside, you're one of those people who never "got" Wii Boxing, aren't you?

Hyper Luigi

31. Hyper Luigi United States 04 Sep 2009, 15:36 BST

THEY TOOK OUT THE FISH!? NO!! After all, fish prints money. :D
@Caculon-What's wrong with you?

SpaghettiToastBook

32. SpaghettiToastBook United States 04 Sep 2009, 16:58 BST

@Calculon: "Opinion". Learn what it means.

MarkyVigoroth

33. MarkyVigoroth Puerto Rico 04 Sep 2009, 17:10 BST

Keke... They left out water sliding... which is fun yet not as motion-using...

brandonbwii

34. brandonbwii United States 04 Sep 2009, 17:32 BST

Unlike a certain Futurama fanboy, I love WSR. It brings back the simple pleasures of gaming. Sort of an "anti-epic" if you will. Unlike some critics I didn't find one bad game in the package. Just some I like more than others. In fact, this and Wii Fit are the only "Wii" series games I truly enjoy.

I don't like, say, Madworld but I don't force my opinion on them saying "durr...they're just Sega fanboys that like anything from Clover, durr." To each his own as I realize a lot of people do like the game.

Mik

35. Mik United Kingdom 04 Sep 2009, 18:09 BST

@Calculon

I couldn't disagree more if I tried. Wii Sports Resort is a fun-filled package that offers gamers that bought it what they want. I am a very serious gamer but I took a punt on this game and I can't enough of it!

Bulbasaurus Rex

36. Bulbasaurus Rex United States 04 Sep 2009, 18:22 BST

It was a great idea to leave out fishing and ball and cup in my opinion, and although water sliding could be interesting, I don't see how you could put enough control into it to make it worth playing.

@Calculon - Golf, bowling, and archery aren't the only good games in WSR. Swordplay, table tennis, and frisbee golf are also great, and basketball and wakeboarding are pretty good, too. I still need to try out the other events, but I expect good things from air sports (other than skydiving) and power cruising.

7.Alejandro_Talavera

37. 7.Alejandro_Talavera Mexico 04 Sep 2009, 19:23 BST

I would have prefered those games instead of repeating golf and bowling.

No No No Wrong Way

38. No No No Wrong Way United States 04 Sep 2009, 20:33 BST

@38. - I don't know, I probably enjoy bowling more than I would have enjoyed ball-in-a-cup.

GotWii

39. GotWii United States 04 Sep 2009, 21:30 BST

I am still on the fence for getting WSR it seams too pricey in my opinion.
$50 Game 1M+ ($60 3m+) = $110, seams like a lot to me.
Motion Plus I think is over-priced. I mean basically Nintendo did not get the WiiMote’s working in time for launch and we all got stuck with half-working motion sensing. Now we have to pay %50 of a full remote to fix it. Maybe I am the only one but I feel shafted.

Twilight Crow

40. Twilight Crow Mexico 04 Sep 2009, 21:33 BST

Kendama would have been nice, and kendama is NOT "ball in a cup", is a very challenging toy in which you have to put the ball into 2 cups, then the base and also insert it in a stick at the top (the ball has a hole for this) I've always wanted a kendama :), and in Mexico we play Balero, and is NOT "ball in a cup", is more like a "drum on a stick" ;).

marktheshark

41. marktheshark United States 04 Sep 2009, 22:30 BST

@42, E-160

Just report him. He'll laugh at your "threat"

Metang

42. Metang United States 04 Sep 2009, 22:50 BST

^Of course he will. Asses like him really have nothing better to do anyway. And thanks for your suggestion. If someone doesn't report him, it'll turn into a flamewar that no one wants to read.

irken004

43. irken004 United States 04 Sep 2009, 23:21 BST

@Calculon Where are you from exactly?

Calls Lord Megatron to ready the assault

Metang

44. Metang United States 04 Sep 2009, 23:32 BST

@irken004: He's from a planet where they persecute you for having an opinion. And I've already reported him.

SUPERZELDAMAN

45. SUPERZELDAMAN United States 04 Sep 2009, 23:41 BST

if they would have 13 games including fishing it would be awesome :D

jbrodack

46. jbrodack United States 05 Sep 2009, 00:02 BST

man we totally got screwed out of the cup and ball game. damn you nintendo

Atlantis1982

47. Atlantis1982 United States 05 Sep 2009, 00:35 BST

@Calculon

And for those that use Futurama avatars, let alone watch that cartoon, really has no taste.

We can both ways at this, but clearly that is a bit single-minded to say something like that.

Odnetnin

48. Odnetnin United States 05 Sep 2009, 03:12 BST

@Calculon Hi!

mjc0961

49. mjc0961 United States 05 Sep 2009, 06:28 BST

Anything would have been better than that awful cycling game, though. :(

Oh and calculon is bad and stuff.

Prosody

50. Prosody United Kingdom 05 Sep 2009, 08:20 BST

Thanks to those who reported comments here, but might I point you to the first rule of Internet posting - "do not feed the troll." You guys know that you're not going to talk him around into reason (hey, it's the Internet!) so just report his posts and carry on talking amongst yourselves.

Stuffgamer1

51. Stuffgamer1 United States 05 Sep 2009, 11:03 BST

Well...I was the first to reply to him, and while it probably should've been obvious that it would do no good, it wasn't nearly as obvious as it was after he responded to my post. And to anybody wondering: The past tense in my post was used because I've only spent one session on Island Fly-over thus far. But it WAS over two hours long, so I think it's pretty clear I liked the mode. I just always have too many games to play around here. :P

@mjc9061: Cycling isn't all THAT bad, I think. Unless you try the two-player co-op mode, on the tandem bike. That's just doomed to failure. I think the Canoe game is the worst, and the Jet-Ski isn't much easier to control. The package is a great deal overall even so, I'd say. :)

LinktotheFuture

52. LinktotheFuture United States 05 Sep 2009, 13:49 BST

@Stuffgamer1 Make sure you are holding the Wiimote correctly for canoeing, I wasn't at first, and the game didn't work, but once I starting holding it correctly, it works great. I really enjoy canoeing, and it is a great workout. I thought the Jet Ski was pretty easy to control, but I have played a fair bit of Waverace, so maybe that helps.

LEGEND MARIOID

53. LEGEND MARIOID United Kingdom 05 Sep 2009, 21:17 BST

Disagree strongly and respectfully with Calculon...though I'm a family gamer as much as I'm an individual gamer which may be why I do so, i'm not sure. For me, there wasn't a single weak event on the package and if you weren't able to play the actual event, then that may be why you found it unfulfilling. For instance, how far did you get in the swordplay showdown section?

Its sounds like you only played the game for a few hours, IF that.

motang

54. motang United States 06 Sep 2009, 01:42 BST

Fishing would have been kinda cool!

Ste

55. Ste United States 06 Sep 2009, 20:56 BST

I think fishing would have been kinda fun for a little bit, but overall I like the WSR. I'm still addicted to 3-point shooting, and i know i am in the minority but once I looked inside the 3-on-3 and got to play a better level AI that became a lot of fun too. The swordplay same thing, once you reach professionial it actually got kinda hard, although still pretty beatable. Also I think they did a good job on the bowling, i get on that what i get in real life, golf is better, frisbee golf is fun but they should have made it so the disk had to actually land somewhere instead of just fly through something, or atleast not as wide, and even ping pong i was impressed with since the ball would actually do what it would do in real life if you put the right spin on it.

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