19 hits! It reads...
Got no game…
I’ve always feared the day when I would come across a game that would be so terrible that its very existence would torment me. Maybe I am being a bit melodramatic but trust me when I say that Game Party 3 makes me very sad. You see a while back I wrote a good editorial piece about the Wii and how there are plenty of good games available for it. The main focus was to draw attention to stellar third party games and how they need our support if the Wii is to have a bright future. Game Party series makes it harder for any third party developer to actually make a decent game when publishers can see so much revenue created by this minimalist approach.
Yes I do sound pretty jaded and with good reason- I reviewed this title.
Gameplay
Do I really need to analyze the gameplay behind this title?
To be fair it has almost 19 games that all end up being some form of aiming with the IR, chucking your Wiimote, or waggling the Wiimote like a complete moron. Excitement is ever abundant in this title with such gems like skeeball, lawn darts, darts, puck bowling, shuffleboard, horseshoe toss, and a horrible game of shooting the hoops. Apparently there have been some unique additions such as bumper pool, croquet (no way), and whack a mole- aptly titled here as smack a troll.
Why did I even go and list these horrible renditions? Honestly I searched for some sort of silver lining in the gameplay department but to no avail. Besides the sheer variety of games there is nothing that is innovative or creative about the gameplay. The only thing the game can do well is have the IR sensor appear on screen as you navigate the main menu.
The games are broken down to six different categories: country club, lounge, rec room, sports zone, family fun, and backyard. Each category houses multiple games that take advantage of their respective theme.
Controls don’t perform as smoothly as they should and feel as if these games were designed before the Wii development kits ever arrived at Farsight studios. Try playing darts or any other title that requires precise motion and you will begin to hate your life.
What it boils down to are horrible games that are more fun in real life. Video games are supposed to make even the most mundane tasks seem fun and exciting but this game makes me want to call up my buddies to actually go to a backyard and toss some horseshoes and not in a good way. Maybe I can play a game of long darts and try and see if I can nail this game with something pointy. I just can’t talk about anything that works here in terms of gameplay. I have played free flash games that are more fun.
Amongst the utter mess of a game there is one thing I did like and that is how Game Party 3 has all the games from Game Party 1 and 2. What they forgot to do was to add something new to the old games (even a new control scheme would suffice) which truly stinks for the poor souls who bought the previous versions. But it is good to know that once you’ve played 3 you haven’t missed out on any of the previous games.
Lucky troll...
Graphics
The game has some decent menus and simple navigation that will deceive you . For a moment you tell yourself there would be no possibility that this would look like an N64 game upscaled to 480p. I’m sorry even N64 games like Banjo Kazooie look more fleshed out than this and that game is almost a decade old.
The characters look horrendous and have such horrible proportions to them that you wonder if the programming team had a crack at designing them. They look as stiff as they animate and it just gets worse from there. Seriously generic looking characters and some horrible environments that lack any style or inspiration litter the entire play experience. I don’t even know if they were going for a washed down cell shaded look because whatever they tried to achieve look to have failed.
Sound
The only thing this game has going for it is the fact that it actually has sound.
Music is forgettable and often times playing this title on mute may enhance the experience a tad bit.
Go play smack a troll and tell me you want to blast that in your home.
Replay
19 games that are accumulated from the previous two titles is the ONLY thing that might be considered a positive here. No online functionality and 1 to 4 player support means you have to crack this little gem out when the crowd is passed out from too much drinking. Pray your friends don’t remember anything about this game.
The fact remains that none of these game have received any visual or control upgrades which means you just paid too much for something that could have been bought for 3 bucks. I understand this is a budget title but you will still feel cheated.
What exactly makes this "Super" Hoop Shoot?
I played this title with my brother and he punched me in the arm and walked out of the room. He is my younger brother and I had to go buy him a game for sitting down and helping me review the multiplayer portion of Game Party 3. I don’t like buying games as a sign of apology.
The real challenge is having 4 sane people play this for over an hour.
Verdict.
This is a game designed to attack the poor parents who have no idea what to get for their family Wii.
This game preys on those poor souls who want some fun multiplayer game to enjoy with their friends and family but are not well adverse to gaming information you and I take for granted.
If you are ever around some loving parent and see them pick this up, do them a favor and warn them of the horrors that lie ahead. Please don’t play games like this on the Wii- not when games like Wii Sports, Mario Party, Deca Sports2, and countless other family friendly games exist. Do your research and avoid these crappy mini-games at budget prices.
I enjoyed absolutely nothing about this game and wonder why Warner Bros. Interactive even bothered continuing this sad legacy. The best thing about Game Party 3 is turning it off.
Gameplay 1/5
Graphics 0.5/5
Sound 0.5/5
Replay 1/5
