6.6

101 in 1 Party Megamix

The Wii is a strange console and although it can be used by professional gamers, its been more widely accepted by the casual gaming community, especially with its innovative control system. Don’t get me wrong because there have been some great titles for the Wii but for what it’s worth, the casual games and kid’s games generally outweigh the high-end titles and more often than not, the quality! This is where 101 in 1 Party Megamix for the Wii fits into the grand scheme of things that targets the younger gamer with a plethora of mini-games.

Features

• Racing fans, sports nuts, old school arcade gamers, action addicts, casual gamers, and fans of brain-teasing puzzles can all find something to like in 101-in-1 Party Megamix

• Easy to pick-up-and-play games are accessible for people of all ages

• Features a multiplayer mode with up to four people

• The more you play, the more games and content you unlock

• Play solo and see if you can access every last game or compete with family and friends to unlock the most games

Based on the Nintendo DS game of the same name, the title has received a graphical makeover, including support for the wireless controls of this console. Does it work? Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t which is generally a theme in third party games for this console. And if you’re an older gamer, you’ll probably want to pass on this game because of its simplistic nature surrounding the games which at times makes it a little too easy.

However, before you embark on your plethora of mini-games, the player is treated to an easy to navigate menu system that allows you to tweak the game, view your high scores and engage in the variety of gameplay modes which are collected into different themes. So now that we’ve established that 101 in 1 Party Megamix is for younger gamers, specifically under 10, how do the mini-games rank?

The mini-games feature everything from memory games, puzzles, racing, brain teasers and even a touch of arcade classics that are compiled into this title. For example, the Strange caveman game is reminiscent of Whacky Mole were you need to beat down Easter Island type rocks or my favourite, a green haired troll-like creature (it's kid really) who is falling at high speeds and you need to collect as many objects as possible.

There are lots of rhythm games as well where you need to match musical notes or even "tame" a Cobra and some carnival type games like shooting galleries and instead of finding the cup with ball under it, it's a treasure chest version. The biggest problem with the games is that they are too simplistic and probably the most challenging game in this collection are the racing games.

Funny enough is that a majority of the games don’t support multiplayer which is a little deceiving, considering the title of this game. From memory games to puzzles and sport type games, the developers should be commended in designing so many games, however many lack that professional feel and it seems like much of the content is like Wiiware.

The control system of game is rather basic and uses both the Wiimote and Nunchuck to interact with the games, so younger players should have no difficulties at all in mastering many of the games. We did have some problems with the accuracy of the controls which was probably due to the games themselves.

The game even attempts to keep the player interested by allowing them to be awarded with trophies and of course, the more games they successfully play, the more games are unlocked. Points also play a huge role in the title and doing well in the game, the player is awarded new trophies that you can view from the main menu.

As a single-player gamer, I must admit that I was quite bored. I even managed to get my 9-year old nephew over to ensure that I was fairly reviewing the title. He wanted Mario but he got 101 in 1 Party Megamix instead! He did enjoy some of the games but what pushed this title over the line was the multiplayer which is called the Marathon mode. This allows up to four players to compete against each other and the person with the highest scores wins. A great premise but unfortunately not enough support!

Graphically, 101 in 1 Party Megamix has a very cartoon look behind it which actually works with some of the zanier games that are included in this compendium. Some games are a little bland but for the majority of time, it works. The background music is poppy and has an ambient Saturday morning cartoon feel to it that nicely repeats in the background that thankfully doesn’t become an annoyance. The sound effects are a little kooky but once again go hand-in-hand with the gameplay.

In conclusion, 101 in 1 Party Megamix tries too hard to deliver the goods and if they cut back the amount of games included in this release and focused on making them better, this title would have been a very enjoyable game. There are some fun games on the title but unfortunately there is too much filler which does hamper the overall enjoyment of this title. Thankfully the price point is quite acceptable for a title of this calibre.