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December 21st, 2006, 01:57 Posted By: gunntims0103
news via ugo
Although it won't be debuting stateside until next year; Japan, Europe and Australia were lucky enough to get Wii Play (called Starting Out With Wii, Hajimete no Wii in Japan) with their console launch. The game comes bundled with a Wii remote for $80 in Australia, making it a budget title more or less designed to help introduce players to the remote and its many unique gameplay possibilities.
Wii Play includes a roster of 9 games, all of which can be played in a single player medal-reward mode or in two player multiplayer. It is uncertain how Nintendo will package the game in the US, but Down Under you are essentially getting the game for $10 in addition to the regular remote price, making the buy kind of a no-brainer if you are ever looking to play some Wii with friends or family. And despite the title's glossy exterior and budget nature, there is quite a bit of fun gaming to be had within.
Wii Play makes use of the Mii's on your console in several ways, the most basic of which is as a character selection to get started. But don't expect to just jump on in with your mates and start playing when you get the title home. In order to play each 'minigame' with two players you will first need to go through and play each of them in single player. It is a bit of an annoyance, but thankfully shouldn't take you more than half an hour to have all the games unlocked and ready to go. Once you do you are in for a treat, for although many of the games are quite enjoyable in single player, the two player mode is where this game shines.
The first game which comes unlocked in the package features simple pointing and clicking mechanics - Shooting Range. It is an obvious homage to the great Duck Hunt on NES, but mixes things up a bit beyond the regular duck and plate shooting. The first round starts off nice and simple with balloons floating up from the grass begging to be popped. This follows with a round of targets, which challenges you to take care not to pop your Mii in the face.
Plates, cans and flying saucers finish up the 3rd, 4th and final rounds respectively, with the occasional duck flying through the background for good measure. This is a great multiplayer game to introduce new players to as the interface is instantly recognizable and easily picked up. However the single player mode gets old once you have achieved a gold medal, as there are no further levels to unlock, and replay becomes just that as the same targets pop up making the game overly linear.
For something a little different try Find Mii, a "Where's Waldo" type game where you are asked to find the Mii's in your system along with randomly generated Mii's in varying circumstances. For instance, you might be asked to locate a particular Mii out of a crowd, or match up look-alikes as they swim through the ocean or ride an escalator. This game offers a nice easy pace compared to the rest of the line up, and yet could easily be the most difficult and challenging to earn your medals on. The two player mode has you racing against your partner to locate the specified Mii's for points, while the one player mode puts you up against the clock to test your powers of recognition, memory and focus. It's a solid addition to the package that should appeal to all ages with its simple point and click mechanics.
Table Tennis comes in next in what is undeniably one of the weakest games in the bundle. Instead of swinging your racket as in Wii Sports' Tennis you simply slide the Wii remote from side to side to position your paddle and return the ball. It can get a bit heated at times, but I found that the sensitivity of the controller makes it so that this is one of the hardest games for new players to pick up. I found it to be a bit of a let down that the mechanics were dumbed down so much, when really what you want to do is have a more fast and furious version of tennis, doing quick little flicks with your remote to maneuver your paddle. Here's hoping that Nintendo upgrades it for one of its future packages.
The most original game in the package comes in the form of Pose Mii, which some have likened to Tetris, but I honestly can't think of a single game I've played like this. The premise is simple, twist your remote to rotate your Mii onscreen, who will be posing in one of three stances - conservative, outstretched or the Egyptian. You flick through your poses with the A and B buttons, and move your character around the screen to fit into the silhouette of the particular pose floating to the bottom in a bubble. If it gets to the bottom before you can fit your Mii into place you lose a life, or in the case of multiplayer you lose your bonus score for that round; but you get some help in the form of Time-stop bubbles which freeze the screen momentarily giving you the chance to catch up. The music is catchy
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