Reviews

What is it with the guys at Nintendo? They revolutionised the way the World is gaming at present, they are always at the forefront of anything new and they seem to have the word innovation as their middle name. Whenever technology is mentioned, you cannot help but have Nintendo on the tip of your tongue. With the recent announcement of Project Natal, it seems that rival companies are planning to cash in on the active gaming phenomenon, one which the Wii pioneered. So how do Nintendo respond? Hang around and sit on the success they have already earned? No. They go out and improve on all the hard work and idea creating they have spent years conjuring.

Motion Plus is, in a nutshell, a peripheral that widens your Wii experience and allows you to play games with more accuracy and precision than was previously possible. The current, standard Wii remote's signal is picked up by the sensor bar. Movement is determined by how close or far away the signal is; how fast it approaches and the direction in which you point it. Wii Motion Plus adds to this the ability to measure actual body movement, down to even the slightest twist or flick of the wrist.

Wow! You can even play as Scotland's Andy Murray!

Bearing that in mind, there was only one type of game that was going to be ideal to launch it with. That's right, tennis. Not only does the sport have the right characteristics to put the new add-on to its fullest test, it also just happens to be bang in the middle of the tennis season. EA Grand Slam Tennis is a full on, top seeded competitor to Virtua Tennis which launched earlier this summer and it seems that games associated with the sport are gradually becoming more popular within the mainstream market.

The package is excellent value and the perfect way to get into the summer sporting mood. When you play this game, it is advised that you remain patient and learn how to control Motion Plus before discarding it, calling it a useless waste of money (and then possibly stamping on it). It completely changes the way the game is controlled. Rather than just wildly swinging for the ball, you must accurately time it and play your shots in the right direction to get the correct result. You can even dictate spin by flicking your wrist, and power by hitting the ball at the high or low points of the bounce.