Nintendo’s Wii Play Offers Pick Up And Play Mini Games
Nintendo’s Wii Play, the newest assemblage of mini-games for the Wii console, offers players a simple to learn, fun to play video game adventure. Paired with an additional remote, the Wii Play is priced at around 50 dollars in the US. This is actually a pretty good deal when you figure the price of the remote is usually about $30 and an average Wii game runs about the same.
What Is Wii Play
Similar to Wii Sports, Wii Play is a collection of 9 games: Bowling, Shooting Range, Fishing, Pose Mii, Billiards, Find Mii, Charge!, Laser Hockey, and Tanks! The games are designed to appeal to non-players and new players with an easy to understand, uncomplicated game play. All nine games can be played alone or with multiple players for a fun and competitive group activity. Another feature of Wii Play is the utilization of the personalized Mii character.
A Little About Mii
With the Wii comes Nintendo’s introduction of a customizable avatar ingeniously called the “Mii”. This tiny pseudo-you can have your hair color, eye color, wear glasses, change its hairdo daily and even mimic the shape of your face. Believe me when I say that with a little bit of effort, your Mii can look scarily like you.
The Games of Wii Play
The nine mini-games of Wii Play include spins on such classics as Billiards, Table Tennis and Fishing, which are enhanced by the motion-sensitive Wii remote. Shooting Range is obviously based on the same idea as the old Duck Hunt game but with a Point Blank addition that helps to spice it up a bit. Tank! is played with the nunchuck controller as is basically a driving game with bombs “dropped” in for a military effect. Laser Hockey is similar to the Air Hockey games we use to play down at the arcade (remember when you had to leave the house to play video games?) with the objective the same as any hockey game. Charge! provides an interesting and fun switch from the norm as you race a cow while trying to annihilate a row of scarecrows. Everyone’s favorite avatar is the star of Pose Mii, a Simon-says throwback and Find Mii, a typical pattern recognition game.
The Good And The Bad Of Wii Play
Fans of Wii Play appreciate the pick-up-and-play, user-friendly feel of the game. Nintendo was hoping to appeal to people who don’t normally play video games and Wii Play does that perfectly. I don’t think anyone could watch the game being played and not want to jump in. And once you’ve tried it, you’re likely to be hooked for a while.
Although new video game players may find the mini-games charming, advanced gamers are likely to be unimpressed, even disappointed, by the simple graphics and rapidly-fading novelty of the games. Some individuals wish the game was marketed separately, instead of only with an additional wii controller, thereby cutting down the price.
