There’s no shortage of party games on the Wii, so will Nintendo’s own button basher be the next pre-drink party starter or the weak link?
Format: Wii Dev: Nintendo / Nd Cube Pub: Nintendo Out: 08/10/10 Players: 1-4
Wii Party is the latest mini-game compilation for the Nintendo Wii, complete with over 80 mini-games for you, your friends and family to enjoy on a night in front of the TV. From the start you are captured by the vibrant and colourful charm of the game. It’s simplistic and easy to pick up and play – with a little side Mii character giving you information and instructions throughout. Perfect for a bit of casual gaming and something to bring out when you have your friends around.
There are three different modes: Party games (1-4 players), Pair games (1-2), and finally House Party (2-4). After playing the Party games with friend and family they were the clear favourite. There are five games in total taking on the role of virtual board games – extremely similar to the Mario Party series for those of you who have dabbled in that series before. The games range between 30 minutes up to an hour. However, after playing some of the games they took around 20 minutes, which isn’t a bad thing. If anything the pace of the game is surprisingly fast, so no long outdraw breaks when it’s the computers turn. In particular the game ‘Board Game Island’ is by far the most enjoyable of the games, with constant hilarious mini-games in between it will keep even those without a controller in their hand entertained.
Unfortunately, the Pair games are a little weaker. They mainly consist of matching up colours and answers, with a few mini-games in between. They are also far shorter than the party games ranging between 5-15 minutes. The House Party games also share this time limit, but are much more interactive. A few of them require you to listen to sounds and share the Wii Remote. Having the choice of being able to share remotes is a wise feature, just in case, like many people, you only have two remotes and don’t have an extra £60 floating about to splash out.
One of the biggest upside of Wii Party is the mini-games that usually appear after each round of a main game. The majority are seriously fun, and a few shine out in particular: Ball Brawl, where you battle against your opponents trying to knock them into holes while in a ball, like Super Monkey Ball; and Zombie Trail, where you’re chased around the screen by zombie Miis. Each mini-game is simple, short and a few will make you laugh out loud. Control-wise, only the Wii Remote is required and is usually used horizontally.
There’s no doubt that Wii Party is fun for everyone, whether it be your brother or gran, any night or day of the week. Played solo, it’s ok, but it won’t keep you entertained for hours or pose much of a challenge. A lot of the games have been done in other mini-game compilations before and it follows the main structure of Mario Party. Also there aren’t that many main games to choose from, but considering it comes as part of a Wii Remote bundle pack (ranging from around £35) it’s good value for money, and a great way to start off any party in your house, before going out or a staying in. Yes, Nintendo isn’t short of this genre and this game may not convert you either, but it’s harmless fun and does what it says on the tin.
Kim Dowthwaite
Tags: family, nintendo, party, wii, wii motion plus
