In Laser Hockey, one of the more stylized games in Wii Play, you take part in a colorful, psychedelic version of the classic Pong, the difference being that you use the Wii remote to control your on-screen paddle. And with only five targeting levels to mention, all of them over in less than a minute, the mode is kaput well before you've become a true gunslinger. On top of that, the target controls, while accurate, are less responsive and intuitive than those in similar shooting-style modes in Wario Ware. It really looks and plays much more like a Duck Hunt tease. If you therefore played Duck Hunt so many years ago and are hoping that the experience is duplicated in Wii Play, you will very likely be disappointed because the nostalgia element is only vaguely tethered to the mini-game. In Shooting Range, which is a poor man's Duck Hunt, you use the pointer to shoot down targets, cans, and even flying saucers, but rarely do you actually get to pick off ducks. The title is comprised of nine mini-games, each of which can be blown through in a matter of minutes. It feels much more like a technical demo, albeit a robust one.
Wii Play, on the other hand, possesses neither the depth nor the inspired gameplay mechanics to stand as a true videogame or, for that matter, on its own merit. In hindsight, if Nintendo had released Wii Sports for a moderate price, we would have certainly recommended it as a standalone affair. It was also a fun game in its own right and, indeed, continues to be one of the most-played and most-loved offerings on the Wii console. But its existence was not restricted to these purposes. For those very reasons, yes, it was a technical demo of sorts. The title definitely debuted the fundamental mechanics of the Wii remote and simultaneously showcased its potential. Naysayers said Wii Sports was nothing but a "technical demo," an argument that we defended again and again because it was only half true. That being true, for about the price of a movie ticket, it's much easier to forgive any of the project's weaknesses and embrace its strengths, even if they are short-lived. Wii Play's mini-games are designed to last for minutes at a time and not hours, which is one of its shortcomings.
The price is definitely right and for good reason: Wii Play is incredibly shallow in fact, by comparison it makes the already-flimsy Wii Sports look like a Zelda adventure in scope.
The compilation of nine varying minis comes packaged with the peripheral for $49.99 - or approximately $10 more than a standalone pointer. Wii Play from Nintendo is designed as a complementary piece to the Wii remote.