Wii Sports Boxing Hands-On

Wii Sports is set to be one of the most played games this Christmas, given that it will launch free with the Wii console in the US and Europe. For those who have never heard of the title, it's a compilation of athletic-themed mini-games which take advantage of the new motion-sensitive controller. In the months since E3 2006, we've had a chance to play the majority of the Wii Sports mini-games, but so far Boxing has eluded us. However, at a recent Nintendo preview for the console, we were able to get a hands-on with the missing piece of the puzzle.

Making use of both the Wiimote and nunchuck controller, Boxing is one of the most intuitive games in the Sports package, if not the entire launch line-up. As you'd expect, you hold both the Wiimote and the nunchuck in the upright position by default, and you're able to use both left and right hooks as well as uppercuts by making those motions. As with real boxing though, half of the sport is keeping yourself protected, so you need to keep the controls in the upright position to stop yourself from getting hurt.

Wii Sports boxing also supports Mii, the character that you create in the main menu to represent you through a variety of Wii games. Boxing itself follows a traditional fighting game model, with a bar at the bottom of the screen to show your health, and a timer that counts down to the end of each round. If your health falls below a certain level then you will become dazed and more prone to attack, and if your opponent lands a knock out punch you'll be sent falling to the ground. Once on the mat, the referee will count to 10 and you need to wave the controllers frantically in order to recover.

Boxing is pretty undemanding stuff, but that doesn't stop it from being great fun in the two-player game that we had with a Nintendo representative. You can create your own in-game taunts by spreading your arms apart and welcoming attack, and it's easy to link up damaging combos from the start. True, the game occasionally misinterprets your movements, but as long as you're protected when your opponent is coming at you then you can't go far wrong. We managed to win our first game, and while it was certainly demanding on the physical side, we managed to earn two straight knockouts in that time. Luckily, we've got just enough time to get in shape for the full game's release towards the end of the year.