No matter how successful Wii Sports and it’s little brother Wii Sports Resort gets, it still receives sneers and remarks from a large contingent of gamers. But let’s be honest here, it’s a really good game. I remember the first time I played it, ironically enough with my Mum, Dad and girlfriend, perfectly fulfilling the “family game” ideal; but that’s what it does so well. And with it’s unseen success comes many other games, hoping to follow suit and reach the same highs.
Some of them are good, offering a fresh take and a variety of different games. Others, like Family Party: 30 Great Games Winter Fun (great title, by the way) have not managed it, instead coming across like a poor imitator. I didn’t appreciate how well polished the Wii Sports games are until I played games like this. The likes of Table Tennis and Basketball etc. all seem so easy to play, with a simple control method that you can pick up after a few games, and enough of a difficulty curve to make you want to play it more and improve.
Family Party, however, missed the mark on both these counts as the games are either needlessly complex or disappointingly easy. Cliff Climb, for example, is impossible. To me, at least. I read through the tutorial and found out that I had to use the Wii-mote and the Nunchuk to mimic the action of picks, leaving one in and using the other to gain more height. Simple. But then the game started, and it left me dumbstruck while I waved the mote around in my hand, my character not going anywhere. I continued to retry for the full game time and refusing to be beaten, went back to the menu and reloaded it. I read the tutorials again, understood them again, and just like that, instant improvement: I can move side to side.
Where Cliff Climb was difficult, the likes of Speed Skating and Ski Jump were unchallenging and easy. In fact, I did not understand how to do the speed skating and got lapped by the computer players, but once I understood it I came back and lapped them and easily won it. It may be better playing with family and friends, but to be honest, I don’t think the game would excel here, either. Social games need to be easy to pick up as you want people to be able to understand the game quickly, not fumble about and get exasperated and embarrassed. The easier games might hold some fun in the fact that they are, well, easy, but the majority of the games are either too complex or just not that much fun.
The presentation does nothing to grip me either, as the graphics are below standard and the menus are very basic. The lack of Mii support is a bit of a let down as well, as the characters the game gives you are uninspired and offer no options for customisation. Maybe if you persevered and found a few fun little games out of the 30, then Family Party could have some life. But, with so much competition out there, you have to wonder if it does enough to impress, as it did not impress me.
VideogameUK verdict: 4/10
