Mum said if you didnt have anythng nice to say, say nothing at all. Thats all im saying
Kids sports ice hockey is quite possibly the worst game I have played on the Wii. It's actually worse than any game I can remember playing on the Gamecube of 64 for that matter (I never played Dual heroes).
It goes without saying that I am glad this one was a rental and not a purchase because I would be more than a little unhappy paying $80, $60 or even $20 for this game. The rental price of $6 may even be too steep but at least it stopped me from buying it.
If your looking for a good fun hockey experience I would recommend going back a generation or two before getting this one ("Wayne Gretsy's Hockey" on 64 would be a start). I will admit I only gave this game a 10 min chance playing it buy myself but that was enough to know it wasn't for me. I know the game is trying to seem kiddy and simple so that it appeals to a younger or wider group but I couldn't even envision me liking it as a younger gamer.
If your wondering what makes it so bad, well it's not the graphics per se. The graphics in this are exactly what you would be expecting from this type of title. The players and the rinks mesh well together, not in an amazing 'Legend of Zelda' experience, but good meshing in general.
The gameplay is the problem here. I know the game is meant to be easily accessible to play but even the elderly would find this game to slow. The players move slow and they pass slower which is a big problem. Me and my mate when playing together (which managed nearly 20 min of 'giving it a go') found that you would pass to a team mate and they would have to wait, and wait, and wait for the puck to get to them before they could get on with the game. From side to side passes the puck would go to where the player used to be because he was getting on with the game with where the puck should be. Shooting was also a problem that I will say I never worked out. Any type of shooting I achieved was slow, not what you want when your flailing your arms around trying to smash it past the keeper.
The controls in this game are much like many other wii controls. The buttons and nun-chuck thumbstick help you through the basic change player, sprint etc. The motion controls though are wasteful, adding nothing to the experience of swinging a hockey stick. Passing it seems is just a movement of your left hand (nun-chuck) and shooting is a swing of your right (wiimote).
I will say that I didn't notice any sound or music throughout the game, not that I'm saying it wasn't there, I just was too busy shaking my head at the game itself. I am aware that roughly 30 min may not be enough of a chance for the game to really start to pick up and show where the fun hockey gaming experience lies. But a Kidz Sport game should be the type of game that you pick up, single or multi player and just start getting into it. You would be expecting the game to be a little cheap on depth but this thing is bankrupt. I challenge any one to play this for longer than half an hour, and if then you find that its worth still playing then good luck to you, but for me if it wasn't doing anything in the 30 min I gave it, it wasn't going to do anything at all.
BOTTOM LINE: If you don't mind wasting your time having a look then go ahead, waste your time.