This rating is based on the theory that this is a 10$ game bundled with a remote. Only worth buying because it comes with remote, other than that, it should be in the 15$ bin. I give this a 5 star fun rating because for 10$ (10$ game +40$ remote), you really get your money worth with multiplayer. I am going to review each mini game and then the game as a whole.
The games:
Shooting: Easily could have just turned this into duckhunt instead of releasing a real duckhunt game later this year. This game is a fun shooter, however the targets (once you played each level a few times) generally appear in the same locations as the previous time you played the level. This game is slightly more fun for a single player competiting for a high score. Playing against a human opponent is more of a battle of who can shoot the targets first, which if you are playing against a new player or some one who is slow with the remote, it’s not fun for them. But overall a fun shooter for a single player or 2 skilled players.
Find Mii: This is a really fun game, but only if you have a few miis created on your console. As you progress through the levels it can be very challenging and even though there are only a few objectives, the variety of levels makes the game worth playing. It can be fun for 2 people as well, however you should gain time instead of points in multiplayer. (Single player you gain time instead points) Where you can get to very high levels in single player, (the game only appears to end when you run out of time, I’m not sure if there is a level limit) you can’t in multiplayer because you don’t gain time. Overall a fun, brain-teasing game.
Pose Mii: The worst game on here. Very boring, repetative, and for the most part: pointless. There are only 3 poses and until higher levels, the Miis are generally standing straight up or slightly angled, so there is not much to do other than move the remote back and forth while bubbles pop. Very boring. It’s about the same fun for single and multi.
Ping Pong: This lacks substance but still a decent challenge. I was hoping that you would actually swing the wii mote like a paddle to play this game, but you basically just move it back and forth, it swings for you. As for single player, you just see how many times you can rally against the computer. (no points awarded) Multiplayer is more fun, as you play for points, and can be fun to see how many times you can rally it with eachother as the ball builds speed. Overall fun, but they could have allowed you to actually swing the paddle.
Laser Hockey: This is easily one of the best games on the disc. I prefer the round paddle for added realism and better control. (hold A + B before the start countdown ends) This is a very challenging game and is very fun for multiplayer tournaments. Single player is pretty fun as well but the AI is pretty bad when the puck gets stuck in a corner. Overall a great mutliplayer game, however the puck doesn’t move very fast when you “thrust it,” instead the puck seems to build speed the more it’s rallied off the wall and the opponents paddle.
Cow race: Some what humorous game, but overall not much replayability. Not really a point to playing single player, but can be fun against a human player. Only one course makes this game boring after a few runs, but every once in a while you can have fun with it. The controls are creative and fun when you have a group of people playing.
Fishing: Fun for both single player and multiplayer. Much like the shooting game, fishing for a high score in single player is what holds this game’s fun. As for multiplayer, much like shooting again, both players should be evenly skilled, otherwise one player catches all of the fish while the other player gets angry or discouraged. The controls are alright, they could have added some extra features and made it a bit like zelda fishing with the nunchuk reel and what not, but this game is too basic I think to incorperate that. All you really do is hold your rod in a pool of paper fish, and yank to catch when they bite. Overall a fun competition if you have 2 players of equal skill.
Tanks: This is one of the best games on the disc. Single player and multiplayer each hold their own challenge. The levels are the same for both modes, but single player you have lives, and every 5 levels completed, you gain a life. Mutiplayer you work as a team to beat each level while also competing for points by destroying the enemy tanks. (Multiplayer would be way more fun if you got lives like in single player, as the levels are tough and only having one chance before having to start back at level one when you both die at level 17 is very annoying) There are 20 levels to start and then more are unlocked the 2nd time through. (I’ve heard there are 100 levels) Use the nunchuk to steer if you have serious intentions, as the d-pad only works so long before your thumb feels awkward. Controls are decent and the game overall is extremely fun and challenging for 1 or 2 players.
Billiards: Wii play is worth owning just for this game alone. The physics are quite realistic and the gameplay is nice. Standard 9 ball rules, however to win you are awarded points per ball minus fouls. It would have been better to have whoever sinks the 9 ball legally win, but you can choose to play that way mentally before you start a game and ignore the points in multiplayer. The only problem I have is that I would like to be able to see the ball numbers on the overhead view, instead of having to scroll to each ball to see what ball it is. If you know the standard pool ball colors, I guess it wouldn’t matter. Overall very fun competition for multiplayer. It seems like they could have easily included an 8-ball variant as well with this. Oh well.
The game overall:
Before you critique this game harshly, understand that its sole purpose is to demonstrate the wii mote, like wii sports. That is why it’s a ten dollar game bundled with a 40 dollar wii mote. This game will probably never be sold without the remote, and if it is, expect it to be much cheaper. I give it 4 stars, becuase for what it actually is, it has a lot of multiplayer fun packed in it, especially with 9 ball, tanks, and air hockey. If it was 50 dollars and did not come with a wii mote, it would be a 2 star game, or nintendo would have included more mini games and more depth. This game has longevity with multiplayer as air hockey tournaments and billiards never get old, much like real life. As for improvements, I feel that this could easily support 4 players like wii sports. Also, many of the single player elements should have been included in multi, like getting extra lives in tanks, gaining time in find mii, etc. Billiards should have included 9-ball and 8-ball.
Pros+
Most of the games are decent
Fun multiplayer with longevity
In reality, it’s only 10$
Easy but fun controls
Realistic physics in billiards and air hockey
Challenging games
Cons-
Pose Mii is awful
All games could have supported 4 players
Shooting, fishing, and cow race lack depth
Billiards should have 8-ball as well
Multiplayer modes should have the single player rewards like more lives and time
Conclusion:
This is a great buy if you need another remote, and want to have some multiplayer games in your library. If you already have 4 remotes, I would wait until this game is sold without the remote in the cheap bin before you pick it up. This has multiplayer longevity, but you probably won’t find yourself playing this game alone.
Rating: 4 / 5
This rating is based on the theory that this is a 10$ game bundled with a remote. Only worth buying because it comes with remote, other than that, it should be in the 15$ bin. I give this a 5 star fun rating because for 10$ (10$ game +40$ remote), you really get your money worth with multiplayer. I am going to review each mini game and then the game as a whole.
The games:
Shooting: Easily could have just turned this into duckhunt instead of releasing a real duckhunt game later this year. This game is a fun shooter, however the targets (once you played each level a few times) generally appear in the same locations as the previous time you played the level. This game is slightly more fun for a single player competiting for a high score. Playing against a human opponent is more of a battle of who can shoot the targets first, which if you are playing against a new player or some one who is slow with the remote, it’s not fun for them. But overall a fun shooter for a single player or 2 skilled players.
Find Mii: This is a really fun game, but only if you have a few miis created on your console. As you progress through the levels it can be very challenging and even though there are only a few objectives, the variety of levels makes the game worth playing. It can be fun for 2 people as well, however you should gain time instead of points in multiplayer. (Single player you gain time instead points) Where you can get to very high levels in single player, (the game only appears to end when you run out of time, I’m not sure if there is a level limit) you can’t in multiplayer because you don’t gain time. Overall a fun, brain-teasing game.
Pose Mii: The worst game on here. Very boring, repetative, and for the most part: pointless. There are only 3 poses and until higher levels, the Miis are generally standing straight up or slightly angled, so there is not much to do other than move the remote back and forth while bubbles pop. Very boring. It’s about the same fun for single and multi.
Ping Pong: This lacks substance but still a decent challenge. I was hoping that you would actually swing the wii mote like a paddle to play this game, but you basically just move it back and forth, it swings for you. As for single player, you just see how many times you can rally against the computer. (no points awarded) Multiplayer is more fun, as you play for points, and can be fun to see how many times you can rally it with eachother as the ball builds speed. Overall fun, but they could have allowed you to actually swing the paddle.
Laser Hockey: This is easily one of the best games on the disc. I prefer the round paddle for added realism and better control. (hold A + B before the start countdown ends) This is a very challenging game and is very fun for multiplayer tournaments. Single player is pretty fun as well but the AI is pretty bad when the puck gets stuck in a corner. Overall a great mutliplayer game, however the puck doesn’t move very fast when you “thrust it,” instead the puck seems to build speed the more it’s rallied off the wall and the opponents paddle.
Cow race: Some what humorous game, but overall not much replayability. Not really a point to playing single player, but can be fun against a human player. Only one course makes this game boring after a few runs, but every once in a while you can have fun with it. The controls are creative and fun when you have a group of people playing.
Fishing: Fun for both single player and multiplayer. Much like the shooting game, fishing for a high score in single player is what holds this game’s fun. As for multiplayer, much like shooting again, both players should be evenly skilled, otherwise one player catches all of the fish while the other player gets angry or discouraged. The controls are alright, they could have added some extra features and made it a bit like zelda fishing with the nunchuk reel and what not, but this game is too basic I think to incorperate that. All you really do is hold your rod in a pool of paper fish, and yank to catch when they bite. Overall a fun competition if you have 2 players of equal skill.
Tanks: This is one of the best games on the disc. Single player and multiplayer each hold their own challenge. The levels are the same for both modes, but single player you have lives, and every 5 levels completed, you gain a life. Mutiplayer you work as a team to beat each level while also competing for points by destroying the enemy tanks. (Multiplayer would be way more fun if you got lives like in single player, as the levels are tough and only having one chance before having to start back at level one when you both die at level 17 is very annoying) There are 20 levels to start and then more are unlocked the 2nd time through. (I’ve heard there are 100 levels) Use the nunchuk to steer if you have serious intentions, as the d-pad only works so long before your thumb feels awkward. Controls are decent and the game overall is extremely fun and challenging for 1 or 2 players.
Billiards: Wii play is worth owning just for this game alone. The physics are quite realistic and the gameplay is nice. Standard 9 ball rules, however to win you are awarded points per ball minus fouls. It would have been better to have whoever sinks the 9 ball legally win, but you can choose to play that way mentally before you start a game and ignore the points in multiplayer. The only problem I have is that I would like to be able to see the ball numbers on the overhead view, instead of having to scroll to each ball to see what ball it is. If you know the standard pool ball colors, I guess it wouldn’t matter. Overall very fun competition for multiplayer. It seems like they could have easily included an 8-ball variant as well with this. Oh well.
The game overall:
Before you critique this game harshly, understand that its sole purpose is to demonstrate the wii mote, like wii sports. That is why it’s a ten dollar game bundled with a 40 dollar wii mote. This game will probably never be sold without the remote, and if it is, expect it to be much cheaper. I give it 4 stars, becuase for what it actually is, it has a lot of multiplayer fun packed in it, especially with 9 ball, tanks, and air hockey. If it was 50 dollars and did not come with a wii mote, it would be a 2 star game, or nintendo would have included more mini games and more depth. This game has longevity with multiplayer as air hockey tournaments and billiards never get old, much like real life. As for improvements, I feel that this could easily support 4 players like wii sports. Also, many of the single player elements should have been included in multi, like getting extra lives in tanks, gaining time in find mii, etc. Billiards should have included 9-ball and 8-ball.
Pros+
Most of the games are decent
Fun multiplayer with longevity
In reality, it’s only 10$
Easy but fun controls
Realistic physics in billiards and air hockey
Challenging games
Cons-
Pose Mii is awful
All games could have supported 4 players
Shooting, fishing, and cow race lack depth
Billiards should have 8-ball as well
Multiplayer modes should have the single player rewards like more lives and time
Conclusion:
This is a great buy if you need another remote, and want to have some multiplayer games in your library. If you already have 4 remotes, I would wait until this game is sold without the remote in the cheap bin before you pick it up. This has multiplayer longevity, but you probably won’t find yourself playing this game alone.
Rating: 4 / 5