Every Swing You Take... Trivia Quiz

Answer: Para Para Paradise

Although Bemani (part of Konami) made the "Dance Dance Revolution" series first (or "Dancing Stage" in UK), they also made the lesser-known "Para Para Paradise" in 2000 for arcades and, to a lesser extent, consoles. The arcade version featured five motion-sensing paddles above the player as they moved their hands in time with the song and on-screen prompts; the console version placed the pads on the floor.

Much like "DDR", the game relied on accuracy, good timing, and practice. It featured many famous "DDR" artists (eg. Naoki, DJ TAKA, etc.) but failed to swing new players into the genre.

The genre of Para Para, as a dance, never really picked up outside South Korea and Japan.

Answer: Eye Toy

The Eye Toy was a precursor to many later technologies seen in the proceeding generations of gaming. Released in 2003 and developed by Logitech, the device was a bit of a flop. Some games in the series (such as "Eye Toy: Kinetic") required even more add-ons to be used. Nonetheless, the Eye Toy became a lead-in device; the PlayStation 3 received the PlayStation Eye in 2007 and it was required for certain games like "Eye of Judgment". Other games to use the Eye Toy included several of the "Dance Dance Revolution" games, all of the games in the "MLB: The Show" series, and certain "Tony Hawk" skateboarding games. Obviously, swinging around on-screen was required for some of these more than others.

It may have been home players' first chances to do so.

Answer: Wii Sports

The top-selling game on the Wii (mainly because it was bundled with the console since day dot), "Wii Sports" did a fine job of demonstrating the capabilities of the new motion-sensitive technology used by Nintendo in that generation of gaming. Including five motion-using sports (including tennis, baseball, golf, bowling, and boxing), players could try their hand with the Wii Remote (and in the case of boxing, the Nunchuk) to score points or beat friends. Because all five games used exaggerated movements, the need for refinement was not quite apparent.

As new early games showed on the Wii it became obvious, however, that a bit more work would need to be done to create perfect adapted movement onscreen. All in good time...

Answer: Wii Play

Created to follow up the popular "Wii Sports", "Wii Play" was developed and released by Nintendo EAD in 2006 (except in the U.S., where it was released the following year). Sold with a Wii Remote in most regions, "Wii Play" featured almost double the games that "Wii Sports" had though very few of them were actual sports. Aside from table tennis, which required the player to swing the remote to operate a paddle, the game also featured billiards, a fishing game, a shooting range (like "Duck Hunt"), and others.

The game was criticized as boring, but sold because of the extra controller.

Answer: Samba de Amigo

Originally released on the Sega Dreamcast back in 1999 (by Sega), "Samba de Amigo" put you into a colourful world populated by dancing animals. You, as the player, needed to use the Wii remote (in the Wii version, at least) to shake the maracas onscreen to the beat of the songs.

The Wii version, created by Gearbox Software (known for "Borderlands" and the "Brothers in Arms" series), was also packaged with maraca add-ons which fit around the Wii Remote. Many of the songs in-game had a Latin feel though downloadable songs were released for a short time.

Answer: Wii MotionPlus

The MotionPlus add-on could be plugged directly into the bottom of the Wii Remote to improve the motion-sensing qualities of the device. First-released with "Wii Sports Resort" and "Red Steel 2", the plug-in became a virtual must-have for certain future games (like "The Conduit 2" and "New Carnival Games"). To avoid adding the item to the controller and to put a halt to buying more attachments, Nintendo started releasing normal-sized controllers with MotionPlus built in.

It was released in 2009.

Answer: Skyward Sword

Highly-anticipated and beautifully-devised, "Skyward Sword" first appeared on shelves in late 2011 and, using Wii MotionPlus, added a new layer of gameplay. Unlike the Wii launch title "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess", the player could no longer get away with simply swinging the remote.

Instead, hits needed to be calculated and precise because the MotionPlus demanded it. If you had no grasp on swordplay by the end of the game, you'd never have beaten it. For Nintendo, "The Legend of Zelda" has always been a flagship title.

The "Twilight Princess" sequel was the first to include motion-sensitivity. One particular feature to note was the ability to use a fishing rod by casting the line and pulling it back in with a reel.

Answer: Dance Central

"Dance Central" became the big follow-up to Harmonix's "Rock Band" in the sense that they continued their strong streak of popular music and rhythm games. While "Rock Band" created a rock/pop environment for gaming, "Dance Central" obviously took a dance/pop approach. With the new Kinect peripheral, players could mimic movements onscreen to properly dance to hit songs by Lady Gaga, Janet Jackson, Kylie Minogue, and several others.

The more precise the dance moves, the better score they would receive.

The game was so successful, it spawned annual and well-received releases.

Answer: Kinectimals

"Kinectimals" was highly-anticipated for the console since early gameplay footage showed players interacting with charming creatures onscreen. Although aimed at young children, the game was clever fare for any gamer. You could pet, play fetch, feed, and do all sorts of other things with lion cubs, bear cubs, koala bears, and others.

The game was well-received because it allowed the player to fully experience the Kinect's capabilities; as soon as you waved at the animal, it would respond.

Answer: Sorcery

"Sorcery" was announced many years before its release, back when Sony previewed the PlayStation Move during an E3 ceremony. Although long-anticipated, the game failed to meet expectations, mostly due to its short length and the general hype. Nonetheless, it exhibited some perks of the PlayStation Move, a remote device similar to the Wii Remote with motion sensitive qualities, much like those you'd find with MotionPlus. Requiring the PlayStation Eye, Move was immersive, but lacked the games upon release to get a foothold.

There have since been strides to add functionality to existing games via updates and DLC.