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The Street
The Street
Business
Luc Olinga

Nintendo Revives its Famous Family Video Games (It May Pay Off)

It was a real revolution, a paradigm shift of a type we rarely see.

The launch of the Wii Sports in 2006 was a global phenomenon that changed our perception of video games.

Wii Sports gave you the freedom to play with the Wii Remote, which responded to your movements. 

It allowed even those who had no idea how to play video games to enter the world of the Wii by featuring intuitive controls, such as moving the controller like a bat to play baseball, or moving it into its well-known “nunchuck” accessory to play a boxing match.

Wii Sports, which brought together golf, tennis, bowling and even baseball, made video games a family affair. It was a best-seller for Nintendo, setting record sales worldwide.

Almost five years after the disappearance of the Wii Sports license, Nintendo has decided to resurrect the game that caused an earthquake in the world of video games.

New Sequel 

"Today, you can get your first look at the Nintendo Switch Sports game.

No matter what your sports experience is, everyone can enjoy this new iteration of the Wii Sports series," the company announced on February 9. "The game also supports local play with family and friends on one Nintendo Switch system**, as well as online play*** if you want to take your skills global."

The Wii Sports will have a new sequel  that will be available in a Switch Sports version. Millennials and Generation Xers will therefore be able to dive back into childhood and discover new sports games with their family or friends from April 29, the launch date.

Avatars 

Nintendo Switch Sports will capitalize on the nostalgia, and Nintendo even presents it as the new installment in the “Wii Sports” series. The concept remains the same: players will be able to compete with friends or family in six different sports disciplines, through the brand's hybrid console.

There will be volleyball, badminton, bowling, football, fencing and tennis. Golf should arrive in a future free extension. It will obviously be possible to play Nintendo Switch Sports locally, or online with friends or players around the world. The game does not yet have a release date.

The new game for a change will use the JoyCon motion control system (controllers of the Nintendo Switch) which allow you to shoot at an opponent's foot, hanging them by means of a rubber band on your leg.

It will take players back to the days of the Wii, through classic sports from the saga such as bowling or tennis, but implementing other new ones like fencing, badminton, volleyball and even football. Another racket game, badminton, is added to the list.

Like “Wii Sports,” motion controls will be necessary to be active to generate certain interactions with the game.

Also in sports, Nintendo is putting Mario and his colleagues back on the pitch in the upcoming "Mario Strikers: Battle League Football." The jerseys are to be put on for June 10.

The trailer also shows us that the protagonists will be Mii avatars, characters that users can create in their image, and which have exploded in popularity thanks to the implementation in the Wii in different games. 

Currently, the Nintendo Switch already has this Mii customization, but there are few games that use these characters, such as in "Super Smash Bros" which you can use with your own character to fight alongside Mario or others.

Online play tests will be available from Feb. 18 to 20, and registrations open on Feb. 15.

"We’ll be conducting an Online Play Test to evaluate various technical aspects and help improve the quality of the game by testing out online random matches for Tennis, Bowling, and Chambara from February 18 - 20", Nintendo said. "Players with an active Nintendo Switch Online membership** (including trial membership) can register."

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