Since the launch of the Wii console, peripheral makers have found a nitch in selling plastic add-on accessories for the Wii Remote. The idea has been to extend the experience by literally extending the Wii Remote into whatever piece of sports equipment you are using in the game. Whether a golf club, or a fishing pole, we’ve all seen these plastic shelled accessories on the market.
Uniquely, PDP has created the Nerf Sports Pack Plus, a set of three sports attachments that easily connect to your Wii Remote. The difference with this pack, is notably the soft Nerf material that covers the entire body of all attachment pieces, a set which consists of a golf club, baseball bat and tennis racket. The set also supports the use of Wii MotionPlus. The body of the racket head, golf club head and baseball bat are soft and easy to grip. The handle of your sports accessory is actually the Wii Remote housed in a plastic shell that, when assembled, is cleverly hidden underneath the remote’s silicon jacket.
To assemble, you’ll need to snap your Wii Remote (with or without MotionPlus) into place in the plastic handle supplied. You’ll then slide the silicon jacket overtop the Wii Remote, like you would regularly. Now, the top of the plastic handle, which features a small cylinder connector, will poke through the Wii Remote’s silicon skin through the IR hole. The cylinder connector is where you will attach one of the three sport accessory heads, done by simply twisting until the two corresponding item grooves lock into place. When fully assembled, the remote with sports attachment becomes a solidly constructed cohesive controller.
That’s all you need to know on setup. As far as gameplay goes, you have several software options to choose from. Because of the MotionPlus support, I used the Sports Pack with titles that supported it; both Wii Sports Resort and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10. While adding peripherals to your Wii Remote does nothing to affect the gameplay, it does add to the feel of realism both visually and physically, of course visually seeing someone swing a foam baseball bat doesn’t necessarily equate MLB All-Star. The weight added to the remote by the Nerf gear however can translate in game because it actually helps you focus on form. A firm steady grip can help those familiar with the sports equipment, on an accuracy level. For golf however, it’s integral to have your fingers lined up near the A & B buttons on the Wii Remote (golf club handle) so your form will depend on the remote’s button layout.
Using the tennis attachment in Wii Sports Resort’s Table Tennis
Other then that slight boosted feel of realism, the attachments are just for fun. I’ve never been a fan of using attachments if they weren’t required, but there is something truly fun about equipping the Nerf gear. Even after using the attachments for golf, baseball and tennis, I made excuses just to use them, in quite a bizarre fashion. I used the baseball bat attachment for Wii Sports Resort’s Air Sports, and the golf club for Canoeing. It’s fun to try, and I suggest you do the same.
Overall, I think using the Sports Pack reminds me of the arcade days where some games featured a real bat or golf club, and on screen it would simulate your hits or drives based on your performance. The Wii has always offered this experience, but the Sports Pack just adds to that.
The one major fault of using the Sports Pack is the IR sensor. When the sports attachments are in place on the Wii Remote, you won’t be able to select on screen commands using IR. The problem is that some games require IR selection, and won’t utilize the Wii Remote’s D-pad. Luckily, taking the head off the base is as simple as twisting it off, but it does become problematic when playing a game such as Wii Sports Resort, which is compiled of many short mini-games. For example, using the baseball bat for Swordplay (yes I did that too) becomes problematic, because before the start of each match, you’re required to point the Wii Remote’s cursor in the middle of the screen. It would be nice if holes were drilled through the core of the Sport Pack’s attachments so the Wii could still read the IR sensor. Otherwise these attachments are better for use on longer sports experiences, like 18 holes of Tiger Woods.
The bottom line: For those that want to add attachments to your Wii Remote in an attempt to capture the feel of the sport of which you are playing, then the Nerf Sports Pack Plus is for you. The Sports Pack Plus is one of the best on the market, with a solid body mixed with soft Nerf material, as well as MotionPlus support. If the idea of attaching peripherals to your remote just isn’t your bag, then the set may not convert you. Just know if you do make the move, this is the set to get. The Nerf Sports Pack Plus is available for $19.99, in a variety of colors. Take a look at our gallery below to see some images of the set in action.
*This product review was written based off the product supplied by PDP for review purposes, with over 8 hours of gameplay using various Wii software titles.
