Winter Sports The Ultimate Challenge Reviews

• The Winter Games, now on Wii!

  
  By AJDUK7GKY0P1Y on 2007-12-18
  The first Winter Sports title on the Nintendo Wii is a very solid one, especially at the budget price.
  
  The presentation is very solid. The game runs with a widescreen mode, has smooth graphics, and good sound. In addition to the in-game music, there are two witty European commentators that provide some interesting and funny banter. There is a very neat opening ceremony, and medal ceremonies complete with national anthems. Load times are minimal, and bugs are non present.
  
  There are over fifteen events in nearly every Winter Olympic discipline. There are two varieties of Speed Skating, several varieties of Skiing, Skeleton, Luge, Bobsleigh, Figure Skating, and Curling. The majority of the events controls very well and provides intelligent and innovative uses of the Wii remote and Nunchuck. With the sliding sports, for example, while on the track you hold the remote in the Steering Wheel fashion. With Figure Skating, you use the remote and Nunchuck like in a rhythm game, very similar to the method used in the Wii version of "Dancing With the Stars." Sadly, the controls for Curling seem to be broken or, at the least, extremely difficult to use. But, all of the other events control very well.
  
  The game has a skill-building career mode, 4-player multiplayer, single event play and traditional tournament modes. Overall, for the price, it's a very solid package that's enjoyable in both single and multiplayer modes.
  
  
  

• Winter Sports is a BLAST!!

  
  By A2ZF4NERG0JVM4 on 2007-12-27
  We are relatively new to the Wii so I can't compare it to all of the games out there, but I can say that so far it is a blast for our family and a clear favorite for both the adults and kids. We have played the speed skating, downhill skiing and the luge games and are already addicted.
  
  The games vary in difficulty and in types of actions--we are still trying to make it down the slopes without wiping out multiple times but the speed skating is fairly easy just a lot of action in the arms. We are enjoying the variety and we still have many games to explore.
  
  I should also add that so far all of the games have a two-player option with a split screen so you are competing against each other. You can see your opponent whiz by or vice versa as you are racing.
  
  The realistic/human-like players are nice too. This is not cartoony like Mario but has more life-like graphics. You can't select your player's looks but you can choose the country you are competing for.
  
  Other notes:
  Music: good/competition-type music. Fun to play to.
  
  Sound and graphics: nice and realistic. I especially like the skiing sounds. It makes you feel like you are really on the slopes without the cold. Visually, it is realistic too because there are effects like snow sprays that sometimes partially obscure your ability to see what is ahead, etc. Oh, and the luge is a trip. You feel like you are traveling VERY fast. Perhaps it isn't the real thing but it is a fun substitute.
  
  Age level: either a very coordinated 5-8 or 8 and older (might be tough for the little ones).
  
  I am hoping they will do a summer games version next. I would definitely purchase this again in a heartbeat.
  
  
  
  
  

• Surprising Winner of a Title

  
  By A35PE3OQ7GO1M1 on 2008-01-11
  I took a chance when I saw some of the reviews here. Thanks everyone! This is a surprising winner. Terrific graphics, challenging gameplay (different difficulty levels) and especially the reasonable price, make this a wonderful extension of the wii sports/mario&sonic olympics type games.
  
  So far we have focused on a few of the events, though we have looked at all of them. The speedskating was the first one we tried. It was great for my 6 yr old. He wouldn't stop playing. It is challenging to keep the meters at the optimal levels even on the easier difficulty.
  
  The ski jumping took a while to get the right feel of the controls to time the take off and navigate steadily through the air to a good landing. The controllers were ultra-responsive so you need to have very good touch.
  
  My favorite was the bobsled so far. Took a run to get the hang of it, but it's more like a racing game where you try to find the right groove except for the start which is different from what I expected (and not easy ) You have to move your controller in a circular motion to build speed/power. Still haven been able to get the best start. The graphics going down the track are a blast. You even can see the lights showing the optimal location (at least in the easier mode), but it's not exactly easy to keep the sled there.
  
  We can't wait to open the alternate venues too for the events. This game so far seems to be very well thought out and put together. It's already worth the money and everything else is gravy. This is a great addition to the game library and fun for all ages. The surprising thing is even my wife enjoyed it and didn't want to give up her controller(s).
  
  UPDATE on CURLING (3/12): Tricky to get the hang of the controls, but once you do, this game is TERRIFIC. My kids loved curling while watching the last winter olympics. They love watching this but it will surely take a while for them to learn the controls. As a general note: READ THE ONSCREEN CONTROL NOTES. It may take a while, but it is worth it
  
  

• worth the price

  
  By A1HV707K7KWQP0 on 2007-12-20
  For once, it seems Conspiracy has done something worthwhile. Conspiracy is the publisher for this game, known to create the most painfully bad experiences on the Wii to date (seriously, check reviews of their other games). But, this game is surprising well designed and thought out. The graphics are actually up to par with the other Wii games on the market. The whole game itself iplays like Mario and Sonic at the Olympics, were you have the opportunity to do several games in sequence, or just pick one at a time. The controls are much more intuitive, so therefore the experience is more engaging and overall better. The individual events can actually take some time to complete, which makes the game alot more playable. For 30 dollars, this game is a steal.
  
  

• The game is worth $50 let alone $30!

  
  By A209IUTNZAQHRP on 2008-01-05
  After reading reviews on Amazon and other sites I picked this game up. It lives up to the reviews and more. I just finished a 2 hour game session with my wife and we had a blast. The graphics and sound are great and so is the control. The sense of speed on the luge, skeleton and bobsled is amazing (press the 1 button for a 1st person view with insane speed). There are lots of nice little effects when you are performing extremely well that add to the sense of excitement. I am playing this using a 720P DLP projector throwing a 10' wide image and I'm very impressed.
  
  The event that really surprised me was cross country skiing the way they did the game play you have to manage your stamina by maintaining a steady pace and gliding at the right times (even slight down hills can gain you some stamina back). The control method of moving your arms forward and back works much better than I would have thought. Since there is strategy with the stamina it isn't up to the person with the quickest hands, but the best balance steering and strategy. You also need to stay were the previous racers have been or you are slowed down I just loved this event and thought it would be one of the boring ones before I played it.
  
  Another nice thing is that though the controls are somewhat complex they are partially shared across most events skiing in particular so you can learn the 15 events pretty quickly. The two player split screen works perfectly and leads to great competition.
  
  If you are looking for a good multiplayer or single player winter sports game this is it and at the price it's a no brainier. I passed this game up the first time I saw it because I've been burned by cheap Wii games before, but trust me this one is head and shoulders above most the full priced let alone the cheap ones.
  
  Update (for the curling game)
  
  If your having trouble with the curling controls don't use the IR pointer to aim as it just doesn't work. Using the D-pad to aim works fine. The curling throwing motion takes some practice, but once you get it down it works great. I love the fast forward option in the curling for the competition since it hilarious watching them sweep at inhuman speeds. The physics seem right on for the impacts as well. Probably the hardest one in the bunch to learn, but curling is fun once mastered.
  
  
  
  
  
• Wii Sports v2!
  By A2PONH6ZEYUMJ1 on 2007-12-26
  This game offers an extension of traditional Wii Sports. I love the skiing especially, and at $30, it's hard to beat.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Worth getting just for the curling!
  By A1EWNIMKG0DPOS on 2008-01-28
  This game does take some patience in learning and getting better at each event. However, you'll find that many of the events are rather fun, such as the luge, bobsled, cross country and ski jumping (although I'm still trying to figure what makes me really jump farther). Especially notewothy is the curling. You can actually play a full 9 frame match with 8 stones each frame, either against the computer or another team. This curling event can actually wind up lasting 1-2 hours... so it's no half-hearted slap-together event. Very cool! For those who enjoyed watching curling at the last winter Olympics, the curling in this game will prove to be well worth the price of the game. For a fan who enjoyed the basic bowling provided with the system, I find the curling to now be one of my favorite wii events to play.
  
  
• Fun game!
  By AK0L17TEN5WKV on 2008-01-24
  There is a need for patience to get the hang of the controls but after that this is really a fun game.... After having gone through all 15 games once I think the alpine skiing and bobsledding type games have the most replay value. I have to agree that there is not much to the ice skating game; after playing it three times I don't think I will venture that way too often. The downhill races, whether skiing or bobsledding, are a lot of fun and get my game adrenaline going. I have now gotten the hang of skiing through the gates and am trying to get my 20 coins on the alpine super g when playing this game alone. I lose at spider and bobsledding everytime, but mostly beat my better half in the down hill skiing. Neither of us have gotten the hang of the single player skiing circuit and keep getting disqualified -- we still have to figure that one out. This game will have my attention for a while as I am very competitive and determined to win all events!
  
  
• Harder game than I expected
  By A3VWWQT4XDSBGQ on 2008-06-03
  I have only spent about two hours with this game so far, but it is quite difficult. The downhill skiing takes quite a bit of practice to just get down the mountain. The bobsledding/luge doesn't give the player a lot of feedback on what one should be doing to perform better. The controller vibrates when you bump the sides but there are no visual queues to respond to. The curling is out and out confusing. After 15 minutes I couldn't figure out how to even toss a stone.
  
  Bottom line, if you bought this game hoping to jump in and do some ski jumping, downhill, etc from the get go, then you will be disapointed. Some people will appreciate the difficulty. I just didn't expect it. The Wii is used by my kids (oldest is 6) 90% of the time and the controls are much to subtle for them - and for me, still, at this point.
  
  
• A Complete and Total Flop
  By A2M7CLVA0KIHQF on 2008-06-24
  The Wii belongs to my Wife. I'm an Xbox/Playstation kinda guy.
  
  My wife likes games that are easy to understand, not too challenging, easy to play/win and fun enough to keep her interested for 45 minutes to an hour, at which point she usually gets distracted by something else.
  
  Me, I can play games for hours. I want a game that's difficult, challenging, and unique. I like games that make me think, and challenges me to find new ways to complete tasks.
  
  NEITHER of us liked Winter Sports on the Wii. The controls are completely senseless, and have no relation to the task at hand, spare possibility the luge/skeleton/bobsled games which require nothing more than tilting a controller to keep the craft centered on the track. The controls for speed skating made no sense whatsoever, and the curling controls were, in a word, stupid. The controls for ice skating were so frustrating that we only played it once! They simply had you jerking on the Wii controller and nunchuk attachment when icons for the two controllers reach a circle at the bottom of the screen. The problem was, we could never get the controller to read accurately, and felt like there was a literal 1/10th second gap of opportunity to register the movement. Very, very frustrating.
  
  The other various subgames give you instructions on how to control the sport, but no indication of how to reach success in the game. For example, it took a few passes down the bobsled track before we realized that you wanted to aim your craft for these light-colored strips impossed in the ice while a "success bar" would fill at the bottom, indication successful completion of each turn. If we had been instructed in this method before our first time down the track, it probably wouldn't have been so frustrating.
  
  The graphics look nice until you realize that there's little intelligence behind it. During a two-player, speed-skating challenge, I pressed the Ready button, and both character figures on my split screen took a launch stance at the starting line. My wife had not pressed the Ready button yet, and so both of the character figures on her split screen were still stretching.
  
  I love the winter olympics. I love winter sports. But this game isn't worth it's value in melted plastic. I'd have more fun falling repeatedly on my butt on an ice rink then playing this game for any length of time.
  
  Save your money. Buy something else.
  
  
• skiing recreates thrill of racing
  By A16R44K4GMQ5YE on 2008-01-21
  I'm amazed at how realistic the downhill racing feels. The rhythym and excitement of htting the gates is intoxicating. Something I wouldn't dare do with this 60yo arthritic body. But it brings back many thrilling memories of younger, stronger charges downhill.
  
  Other sports are fun too
  
  Some of the instructins are inscrutable. I've done curling a few times but don't have a clue how I got it started. That's frustrating!
  
  WHT DON"Y THEY EVER TELL YOU HOW TO EXIT THE GAME!!! Seems like a conspiracy to keep you playing.
  
  
• You will need lots of coordination to get through this game!
  By AAWJTY5FOJ63X on 2008-01-07
  My husband and I are addicted to this game! Our favorite are the ski jump and the bobsled. The directions seem a bit complicated for some of the games, but once you try them a few times they are easy to handle. We think this is a great addition to our Wii Sports games, as we love the interactivity and the multi-player options of these games for parties, family events, etc.
  
  
• Perfectly designed for the Wii
  By A1YQ7F57UJ6DQT on 2007-12-23
  Great action and fun controlling the performance of the skaters, skiers, and all the events. Highly recommended.
  
  
• worth the time
  By A1251R7DY85FS8 on 2008-02-22
  My husband bought this game because he liked the look of it. He is not a video game player, but I frequently see him playing this game. It is a lot of fun to play. We haven't played it single yet because we are always playing against the kids! It does take some practice to get the hang of the moves, but it is well worth the time put into it. You'll be skiing down the hills in no time!
  
  
• Winter Sports
  By A1DFNNACN4ZNWA on 2008-02-23
  We are fairly new to gaming. We really like Wii Sports as well as race games for Playstation like Crash Cart Nitro. Wii Winter Sports is very difficult to use. It does not seem to respond well to the controllers. I would not recommend this game to novice gamers.
  
  
• A good deal
  By A2OC3L5ILLGPB5 on 2008-03-17
  I have not been disappointed with the gameplay of Winter Sports. I have been impressed with the graphics on each of the games that I've played. The controls are somewhat complicated to master (curling is very difficult to learn), but I think once you take a couple of falls you figure out what exactly needs to be done. The instructions for the controls on screen aren't that great, I would recommend reading the instructions in the manual first. I do think this will be a great party game with our friends and family. And at the price, it will be one of the sports games we turn to.
  
  
• Great fun!
  By A2ACPZ0JXPD4JJ on 2008-02-17
  Hours of fun for the person that loves to watch the winter olympics and dreams of skiing the slopes etc!
  
  
• It's ok....
  By A3VYEO07Z69TSM on 2008-03-22
  I agree with the reviewers that were disappointed after reading some of the other reviews on here. While some of the graphics / controls are pretty good, there's really not that much to keep your attention for very long. The downhill skiing is lots of fun, but even that will wear on you after a while. I can't really figure out when to "lean" vs. "turn" in the 4-man bobsled/2-woman bobsled/skeleton/luge (essentially the same thing, but I seem to be better at some than others, for some reason, presumably because you need to lean in some, where others you can just turn, as I've been doing). Similarly the ski-jumping (both regular and big-hill) are pretty cool, but I find little guidance in how to land properly, other than not having crashed after the fact. What you've basically got in the skiing & luge game are rudimentary driving games, but with fewer graphics.
  
  Definitely worth a rental, because it does afford some fun for a while, but unfortunately it quickly loses its appeal. Before you spend the money, it's worth checking out a "professional" review on this one -- I found them to be more extensive and spot on. Unfortunately, I didn't read them until after I read reviews here and bought it.
  
  
• Lots of variety, some events too challenging to be fun for kids under eight.
  By A3MAPUR7C75ERM on 2008-02-23
  Except for figure skating, most of the events are lots of fun. The actions required in figure skating seem to have no relation whatsoever to the actual sport.
  Excelling at some of the events is quite difficult. There is a high degree of arm movement required in many of the events, although leg movement is unnecessary.
  Our favorite at this point is downhill skiing. Ghost competition against a family member in split screen is especially fun.
  One improvement I would suggest is to allow direct competition between family members in Curling. One can play at the same time as another family member, but never directly. There is always an opposing computer-generated team.
  I do recommend this game, but be prepared (in some events) to spend a lot of time getting good at it.
  
  
• Fun, challenging and intriguing
  By A253P1DIE5POAE on 2008-07-09
  We haven't tried all 15 events in Wii Winter Sports yet, but wife and I completed the 7 event competition earlier this evening. My second day of playing with it, her first. It took 55 minutes to complete the 7 event competition although there were a few pauses, as reported by the game itself. I'm not sure if it stops timing during pauses, but it wouldn't have made much difference either way. We were both breathing hard and sweating (and I swim about 500 yards each day). Then I did curling, which isn't in the 7 event competition and now my arm is sore from sweeping.
  
  We've done ski jumping, 4-man bobsled, skeleton, figure skating, alpine skiing, 500M speed skating, and slalom skiing. You can compete against time or the Wii, depending on the sport, or against another team. You can have multiple people on a team. Many of the activities require you to use both the controller and the nunchuck, but there is very little use of the buttons on the devices. You use them to control or gain speed and to control direction. In curling you also use the controller to sweep.
  
  There is an opening ceremony like the Olympics and medals are awarded - if you earn one. There are a pair of announcers and they don't mind making fun of poor performances.
  
  Winter Sports doesn't use the Mii's. It does have more lifelike characters although you have no control over what your character looks like. Operating these games is more complicated than any of the games in Wii Sports, and the manual is only OK. I still don't know what "carving" is in downhill skiing, but the onscreen instructions tell you how to do it. For each event the game presents illustrated on-screen instructions before the event begins. It is easy to skip them and even to prevent them from being displayed. You also get to control the relative volume of the background music, the sound effects and the voices of the announcer. I have to reduce the volume of the music for the announcers to be understandable.
  
  Overall, so far it isn't as natural to us as tennis or any of the other games in Wii Sports, but it is fun and exercises different muscles. These are sports that we've never actually participated in so none of them are as natural to us.
  
  I've posted a note in the Amazon Forum asking for tips on how to use the controls in the curling event. I'll also ask in a Wii Usenet newsgroup.
  
  
  
• Amazingly fun
  By A6XRCRGCIGQ92 on 2008-01-12
  This game is amazinly fun - but be careful, you'll be sore the next day - arms and back - from playing so much! Another Wii hit.
  
  
• Ski jumping's the best!!!
  By A4U0EEKU18POM on 2008-02-13
  Overall good. Don't expect anything out of this world, but I like the ski jumping. Figure skating kind of sucks, but there are plenty of games to choose from. Some are easier/mindless, and some are a little bit more tricky, like downhill skiing which I have yet to figure out!
  
  Hope this helps!
  
  
  
  
• Boring
  By A2Y0ZIQ9DXBPQY on 2008-03-18
  I was really disappointed in the quality of this game after reading the reviews. I expected more. The controls are hard to get down. You get the feeling that nothing you do affects what happens. I'm really having a hard time finding good Wii games beyond Wii Sports and Wii Play!
  
  
• absolutely love it
  By A35CYNDU6XWFNK on 2008-04-11
  Absolutely awesome!!!! I can't ski fast, or jump long, and the commentators keep saying I should have stayed in bed, but it is so great anyway - I just tell them "shut up" or "I'm trying." It's pretty hilarious. The graphics are amazing. Love the luge and skeleton. Figure skating is tricky, requires grace and precision, so no surprise there. Unbelievably real, feel the speed. Thankful, though, that when I crash into the fences or fall off the jump, I'm not actually breaking any bones! Want to keep playing because I really think I might learn to win one day.
  
  
• Disappointing
  By AGYC3KE5JIMO2 on 2008-05-24
  We had high hopes for this game, but the bobsled/luge is WAY too easy and the skiing is WAY too difficult. For bobsled, all you do is tilt the controller one way or another, and it's very simple to stay in the line that they display for you. For skiing, it's not too bad, but unless you're extremely patient and want to practice a lot, it's difficult to see any improvement in the short-term.
  
  
• Winter Sports/not hard enought
  By A6KR8P2KOQMSM on 2008-01-07
  The game is fun, but, they need to make it more challenging. I think if they had a way to make controls for the feet on this one it would be much better, not that hard to ski with your hands on a video game
  
  
• Winter fun
  By A3VWN6ZPMGHL0F on 2008-03-15
  Game is a blast will all the winter sports will keep you moving and are very challenging lots of fun for the whole family this is a game everyone will enjoy playing.
  
  
• rent before you buy
  By A2P4OGQKMLNZS1 on 2008-03-25
  If you look at the reviews of various game sites outside amazon, this games scores pretty badly. I only read the amazon reviews though before purchasing and they seemed to be pretty good. I thought it would be fun to do some 2 player skiing, but you need 2 nunchuks for that and I only have one. This game is not anything like the other snowboarding/skiing games where there are power ups, you go off jumps, build up your character, etc. There seems to be only 1 course/run/trail per activity (skiing, sledding, etc) too, so it gets pretty boring pretty fast. If you're curious still I would rent this game before buying and you can see for yourself.
  
  
• Hard work for a little fun
  By A8SCQRSGFMJR3 on 2008-04-22
  Love the graphics in this game! Really stunning the pre-event crowds and activities are fun to watch! The events take a lot of work to learn how to win. I make GREAT jumps on the ski jumps but crash every landing. The downhillls are fun and I'm great friends with the fence! Hate the figure skating - just doesn't make sense. The luge and bobsled are great fun. Can't figure out the curling enough to enjoy it. Given enough time and desire, I suppose I could learn to love this game. REALLY enjoy the games where I can use my Miis, tho!
  
  
• Kids were bored after 2 days
  By A18KY9EKDCTS6H on 2008-05-03
  Honestly most of the sports are just too hard to learn. The game my 10 year old liked the ice skating, which is like dance revolution but with your hands. But once she mastered it, she was all done with that. My six year old liked bobsled, which is like a driving game, but got bored with it pretty quickly. Even as an adult and knowing how to do most of sports personally, I found it to hard to learn which makes the games not fun.
  
  

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