Wii Play

"A good demo for a great console"

Every now and then a game emerges that wows and amazes gamers and critics alike. Unfortunately Wii Play is not one of them. The game comes bundled with the Wiimote for $79.95, so you're essentially paying only $10 for the compilation. The game was never indented to be a killer app but it's a title that showcases the Wii's capabilities.

Wii Play is a compilation of 9 simple mini games, designed specifically, much like Wii Sports, to master your newly maturing Wii skills. In no way, shape or form does this game try to be anything more than an extended tech demo however it does have some interesting quirks along the way that will keep you coming back for short plays. Before delving into the review it's best to explain the 9 mini games that make up the compilation that is Wii play.

Shooting Range

Shooting Range is a Dunk Hunt clone, although there aren't enough ducks and a depressing lack of dogs. Shooting Range will act as your first introduction to the Wii Play game and it has you shooting at targets that appear on your screen with a press of the B button. Objects will vary from simple round targets to UFO's. Balloons, ducks and Mii's all make an appearance as well, but you won't have to shoot the Mii's thankfully. The shooting range game can be good fun with two people if you want to see who has the quickest trigger finger.

Find Mii

Where's Wally? comes alive in this simple yet sometimes down right hard game of find the Mii. Before the round commences you will be asked to find look alikes, Mii's that stand out or even particular Mii's. The cool part about this mini game is that the difficulty is heightened with every passing round and the environments do change.

Table Tennis

It's not as quite as deep as Wii Tennis but still a good addition to this set of mini games. No buttons are needed for Table Tennis, just a keen eye and quick reflexes, you'll just need to use the Wiimote to navigate the bat around. In the one player mode you'll need to hit 100 returns. In multiplayer you have to beat your opponent in a game of first to 11. Table Tennis is probably the best mini game on Wii Play, second only to one with pretty colours and a resemblance to an old favourite.

Pose Mii

Pose Mii was one of my least favourite games. You'll be given three sets of poses, bubbles will be falling down the screen and you'll need to make a frantic attempt to remember just what button takes you to what pose. You match the poses inside the bubbles, placing your hopefully correctly posed Mii into the bubble in the correct angle.

Laser Hockey

It's Pong with neon's. Definitely one, if not the best mini game on Wii Play. Playing against a friend is a blast as you bash the ball toward your opponents goal, hoping you don't over hit and knock it back into your goal. If any of you have played Air Hockey at an arcade then you will know exactly how this plays except it's all done by simply rotating and twisting the Wii remote.

Billiards

While still a lot of fun, Billiards deserves the most disappointing mini game award. Why you ask? Well it's not really a fully-fledged billiards game. If you've heard of 8 ball that's pretty much what this game is. There are 8 balls on the table, each of which have to be hit in the holes in order of number. If you hit the wrong number you get to place the White Ball wherever you want which helps in hitting badly placed balls. Using the Wiimote you place your cursor on the ball to line up a hit, pull back and push forward. Simple, fun but lacking the real challenge of billiards.

Fishing

This game has made an arch nemesis out of me. There is nothing more embarrassing than playing against my female friend, scooping up at least a good 6 of the bad fish that give you a score of –50 each and losing simple because you're reflexes told you to “PICK THE ROD UP DANG IT”. It's got nothing on Zelda, but it's still fun.

Charge

Arguably the best mini game on Wii Play, Charge puts you in the saddle of a giant bull as you charge down a path knocking over scarecrows and jumping over hurdles. A blast in multiplayer, a little boring in single player. It gives you a great feel for upcoming games like Sonic and Excite Truck however, as you tilt the controller to move your ride, raise to jump and twist to run fast.

Tanks

If they had only added a 4-player death match mode to Tanks then the Wii Play compilation would possibly rival Wii Sports. Instead we have a two player mode that doesn't quite do what we hoped it would. The object of this game is to control your tank either with the Nunchuk or D-Pad as you aim at enemy tanks and blast them to smithereens. This require multi-tasking to an extent it feels different from the other mini games as you have to point, click, move and shoot all at the same time.

Ultimately Wii Play is nothing more than a couple of laughs and contains some interesting concepts for future games. At long last Where's Wally? has a chance to be represented in the gaming market. If you need the extra Wiimote then this will make a fine addition to your gaming collection. If not you are not missing out on anything as industry moving as Zelda and Wii Sports. A shame we got this instead of Excite Truck but beggars cannot be choosers.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 12/26/06