If you own a Wii, odds are you've played Wii Sports. My favorite game is Wii Boxing. I love the dual weilding action. The wiimote feels very responsive. Wii Sports Boxing is one of my favorite fighting games - of all time. While experiencing this nirvana of video gaming, I found myself getting back to my gaming roots. Just how high of a score can I get? What happens when my rank hits the top of the chart?

To hit pro, you need 1000 points. Since that mark looked about halfway up the chart, I figured that 2000 was the highest one could get. Yet, something interesting happened in the 1500-1600 zone. I fought the trainer. After that, the challengers simply repeated. That's when things started to get weird. I lost rank for winning. Yes, that's right. I lost points in a match that I won. The ranking of your challengers doesn't increase much past 1600. When you hit the 1700+ level, the system works against you. Hmmm, it doesn't seem like the game wants me to hit 2,000. I quickly learned that it's not enough to win the match. I couldn't get knocked down either. Since I was keeping on my feet, I was able to fight my way to the 1800 zone. I notice that the ranking dot was nearing the edge of the chart. There wasn't enough room on the chart for 2000 points. Did I reach the end? Is 1800 the max? No... not by long shot. The line keeps going...



Even with knocking out my opponant in the first round, I'm getting less and less per win. In the last bout, the bonus was only 28 points. That's way down from the 75 point bonus in the earlier matches. With the deteriorating rewards, what's the absolute max? I don't know, but I sure do enjoy trying to find out.. One thing is for sure, the scoring can go a lot higher than 2000. It looks like the line graph could keep going to touch the top of my TV.



Here's some fighting advice to help you increase your rank...

• Don't let yourself get knocked down. (Duh!) If I get knocked down, I simply reset the match.
• Try to knock down your opponent quickly.
• Fight strategically! Don't just swing the controllers around like a madman. Missing a punch can open you up for a beating. Look for opening in your opponent's defense. Dodging works best. When you successfully dodge a punch, that's your cue to counter-attack.
• Land combos. I like to dodge, then hit 'em with a right / left combo. The more devastating your combos, the less likely the computer controlled character will recover. Listen for that ping sound. That's how you know you're doing it right.
• The AI doesn't get much harder past the 1600 raking. Try to create an attack pattern that works, as it should work every time.

I noticed that Wii Sports is less of a workout now that I understand how the game plays. Instead of swinging at the air with full force, I simply do quick thrusts. The game is still lots of fun. I'll be trying to beat my top score.

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Michael Garofalo
Webmaster - http://photics.com

Wow, that's weird.. I thought it would stop at 2000. I wonder if you can make it go high enough to break the game?!

*Dugg*

I'm at level 2120(ish) at tennis but find if I lose a single point during the match I lose points. I hope they release a update or sequel quickly because I love this game. None of my family or friends will play me at tennis any more because I got too good

I'm not so good at tennis. Do you want to share any advice on how to play better?!

...and welcome to the forums!

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Michael Garofalo
Webmaster - http://photics.com

Thanks. Umm Tennis tips... Don't swing your arm too much I find just flicking my wrist gives better returns. Its all about timing rather than how hard you hit the ball. Practice makes perfect!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elo_rating_system

it would be really great to get tips on how to actually hit in boxing. when i try to repeat the same movements, i get what seems like almost random, non-repeating reactions from my character in the game. after 12+ hours of playing, and a score of 600+, the best i can do is still just randomly moving the controllers in every direction. the simple directions the game gave me (push the controller forward to punch, hold the controllers up in parallel to block) don't seem to work consistently.

in tennis there's still a couple things i can't figure out:

(a) how do you do the powerful fast serve that leaves the little smoking trail? a 9 year old girl can do it consistently but when i try to mimic her actions, it never works for me. why?

(b) do you have to make a backhand swing to make a backhand return or can you just make a normal swing? i've seen people play both ways and it doesn't seem to make a big difference

Here's what I do...

I start out with my guard up. That's both controllers pointing up. Then, I like to lean to one side. I usually lean toward the left side. That's pointing the top of the controllers toward the left. Then, I just switch sides... slide right... slide back to the left. The timing is tricky to learn, but the computer follows a pattern. I'm basically trying to get the computer to swing and miss. Once I dodge a punch, the computer is open for a combo. I snap my right hand foward like I was casting a fishing rod. As soon as that punch lands, I do a similar motion with the nunchuck. Then, I go right back into my gaurd / dodge mode. I wait for the computer to swing and miss again, then I unleash the counter attack.

Heh, I've never seen the ball do that. Then again, I don't play Tennis very much. That sounds cool though! Does anyone know how to do this? Has anyone else seen this happen?

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Michael Garofalo
Webmaster - http://photics.com

It involves pressing A at a certain time during the serve; just after you lob the ball up.

I find it much easier to use the proper swing, but I don't think it makes much a difference. However, I have seen people miss the ball because they swung the wrong way.

I played a little more Wii Sports Boxing tonight. My new high is 2603.

__________________
Michael Garofalo
Webmaster - http://photics.com