 Tremendously Fun |
| Review Date: August 31, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Angela, Ohio |
Carnival Games is the type of game that everyone should have for their Wii. It's fantastic for solo play, or multi-player fun, and never becomes dull, with more than 25 games to choose from. It's extremely simple to "pick up and play" for all ages, and it's excellent clean fun. The game really represents a carnival in every way possible, starting with the perfectly accurate games (and gameplay), the bright colors, the chatty emcee's, the wandering carnival-goers who walk past you or play games beside you, and even the carnival music playing softly in the background. You can nearly smell the cotton candy!
What really makes this game shine is how well designed all the carnival games are. They work very well with the wii-mote, and rarely miss a beat.
Here are some of the highlights of the 25+ games included on this disc:
ALLEY BALL: This game is identical to a favorite game of many called "Skee-Ball". It is certainly one of the best games on here. It feels extremely realistic, the way you use the wii-mote to kind of throw the ball (not swing back & roll like bowling, but rather kind of flinging it up on the 'alley' like you really do in skee-ball). It's sharp and accurate, and hard to stop playing!
SPILLED MILK: This one has you throwing a ball at a stack of 3 milk bottles. It somewhat lacks the realism of Alley Ball, but it still is quite fun. It has you hold your wii-mote as if it's a ball, and you do an overhand throw to try to knock down the bottles. Fortunately it has a small marking on the screen to show where you will hit before you throw.
BALLOON DARTS: One of my favorites. This game has a corkboard covered with balloons that you must throw darts at to pop. You hold your wii-mote as if it's a dart (really!) and do a small, abrupt forward lunge with it as if you are throwing a dart. The accuracy on this game is incredible. I hit the small balloons every time! In fact, once you win this game a number of times, you will open a "super" version of this game that you can also play where it has a whole wall of balloons to pop in about 30 seconds.
SHOOTING GALLERY: This is another favorite. A perfect representation of the duck shooting game we all like at carnivals. The small yellow ducks are scrolling by, and you have to use your wii-mote like a toy gun to shoot them (aiming for the target on their belly will net you even more points). The accuracy of this game is perfect.
HOOPS: This game has a basketball hoop in front of you, and you need to use your wii-mote as if it's a basketball, using an overhand throw to get the ball in the basket. What really amazes me on this game is how once you throw the ball, it shows you where it will land, and you have a chance to twist the wii-mote to make it more likely to go in the basket! You have to be quick though! But this increases the fun factor enormously since you have such fantastic control over the ball.
SHOOT FOR THE STARS: This game was never a favorite of mine in carnivals, and isnt here either but I wanted to at least mention it for those who like this well loved game. You stand in front of a star target and have to rapid-fire 300 shots to shoot away the star. It's perfectly accurate (can you hold steady enough for 300 shots?), and I usually end up with about 85% without trying too hard.
HOLE IN ONE: I have not played this game yet, but the manual claims it is a miniature golf game that gives you 3 chances to putt the ball, but each time you do, the hole moves. Sounds fun though, as I like golf.
RING TOSS: This is yet another favorite of mine. It has a large area of bottles arranged in a square, and you have to toss rings in hopes of landing one directly on a bottle. You hold your wii-mote kind of frisbee-style and fling your ring out towards the bottles. It is quite accurate and very fun. It looks and plays identical to the one you see at carnivals.
DAY AT THE RACES: This is an odd take on horse racing. In order to get your horses to run, you have to roll balls into holes at the end of an alley (somewhat like skee-ball) as quickly as possible. The difference here is that there are just several holes on a flat surface, but they have different point values for different holes. The higher your points, the quicker the horse goes. It's quite fun though! And accurate too.
COLLECTION PLATE: I wouldnt say this is a favorite of mine as I am no excellent at it but I believe with practice it will be a lot more fun for me. This game has a platform of several plates at different heights, and you have to toss coins to land on them. You hold your wii-mote as if it's a coin, and kind of toss it outward. My problem is I use to much strength and the coin goes flying to who-knows-where. Those with more finesse would surely do better than me at this game! It's cute and pretty accurate in my opinion.
Those are the highlights of Carnival Games. The other titles included in it are: The Fantastic Swami, Frog Leap, Bowler Coaster, Meter-O-Like, Pigskin Pass, Buckets Of Fun, Going Nuts, Clown Splash, Ka-Pow, Prize Claw, Nerves Of Steel, Lucky Cups, Dunk Tank, and Push-A-Prize. Plus you can open a few alternate takes of some games once you reach certain goals.
And lastly, for those of you who like character customization, you get a small person that represents you in the game, and you can change his/her hair, clothes, face, accessories, etc to your liking. You will also buy more items for your person by either winning them in games or buying them with tickets. And you can also win "virtual prizes" in games (stuffed animals, toy cars, etc) but these are only a picture on your screen. Nothing special there.
In summary, Carnival Games is a something-for-everyone game that has lasting appeal and tons of variety. Best of all, it gets you off the couch and playing like you're really at the carnival! Dont forget the corn dogs!
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A Pocket-Size Carnival With Huge Fun!
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| Review Date: July 28, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Angela, Ohio |
If you have a small patience to learn and appreciate the differences between this and the Wii's Carnival Games, then you are sure to delight in this game! It's neither harder nor simpler as a whole, and it's largest benefit is you can take it with you anywhere and play it in small spaces!
I loved the Wii version (see my review for it), but the DS one is quite a departure from that one in a number of ways. It's still a fantastic game though and here are my thoughts about it in fantastic detail...
As you start your game, you will make your character with the newly added option to change his/her skin tone (how they left this out of the Wii version, one may never know!). Then once you have your person ready to go, you are free to explore the Carnival.
To start with, you can freely roam this carnival (looks a lot like Animal Crossing in some ways, I reckon)...but you can walk up to each individual game, or browse the grounds and check out the small things like getting your picture taken or helping a cat find his lost yarn, or riding a seesaw with a small girl to get bonus items. But as you walk up to the games, you will hear a person yelling something specific to a game (like in the Wii version), and yes this one is fully voiced through and through. You can then click on a game and start playing it, and here is what I have to say about the individual games:
First of all, each of the 23 games have instructions that appear when you start them, like in the Wii version, so you will know how to play...
Frog Leap: This has frogs (lilypads), cannonballs (pirate ships), and baby chicks (nests) that you launch into the places they belong using a stylus pulled launching mechanism. It is slightly frustrating for me because I am so disturbingly inaccurate. haha :p I like the game, I am just not real excellent at it. The control is fantastic, but my personal aim is not!
Alley Ball: (aka Skee-Ball). I happen to like this. I liked it immensely on the Wii version, but I also like this DS one as well. This is much more accurate than it seems, and I have learned after many plays that you can easily ace this game. My highest score so far is 530. I have no distress at all flinging this ball into the 100 point holes or the 50 point one. It gives you 8 balls to roll up the alley. I like how you can control the direction and strength of your ball entirely with the stylus. It's one of the best games on this compilation.
Test Of Strength: This is such a weird game. You have to use your stylus to rub back and forth on a weight-lifting arm as a meter fills up to your left, then quickly tap a bullseye when it is green, and BAM you get the bell to ring. This is hardly a right test of strength and is incredibly simple to master. On my second play of the game, I had won the largest prize.
Star Shootout: This one was certainly better on the Wii. I just do not have a steady hand and that is an absolute requirement for this particular mini-game. On the DS version, it is a bit awkward and takes some getting used to. You have to use your stylus to point/aim at the specific part of the star you want to shoot out while you hold down the L or R button to shoot. Believe me, that is odd. I like the game concept but the controls on this leave much to be desired.
Nerves Of Steel: Well this game is certainly less frustrating on this version compared to the impossibly hard one on the Wii. Here, you use your stylus to hold steady the wand as the wire passes through it. This wire is kind of long, but I can really make it to the end! The game isnt too terrible, and I like that it isnt overly hard to do.
Clown Splash: This game was horrible. I tried a few times to play it and it's just ridiculous. Next!
Buckets Of Fun: To play this one, you turn the DS on it's side, where the touch screen is on your left. You take your stylus and fling your ball into the bucket on the right. For each ball that makes it in and stays, you will find that the bucket shrinks a bit. This game is pretty hard but I keep trying! I have gotten 2 in so far out of 5.
Spilled Milk: This is the same game with radically different gameplay than the one on the Wii. In this version, your stack of milk bottles goes jumping all over the screen and when it stops, you have a tiny amount of time to tap the stack and knock them over. I know this sounds retarded but it really isnt too terrible. How else could they have made this on the DS? I have hit all 3 stacks, by the way, so it isnt too hard to do.
Honey Falls: This game is hidden in a tree (tap the honey/bees), it is to the left of the Spilled Milk game. Anyway, in this game you have a small pink bear (yes, pink) and he is carrying a pot of honey. He has to go back & forth (control pad) to catch honey falling down from bees above. Sometimes a bomb drops and makes a hole in the ground so you have to use a button to jump lest you fall in the hole. If you do fall in, it's game over. This one is kinda cute but an odd fit for a carnival.
Meter-O-Like: Another weird one. This has a machine that sends out small hearts and broken hearts that you tap on. The more hearts you tap, the higher your score. The more broken hearts you tap, the lower your score.
Balloon Darts: This game is fun once you get over one major annoyance. The dart always reverts back to a place that is right of center if you let go of it before you launch it. Once you make peace with that flaw, the fun can start. It's a bit challenging to get all of the balloons because this lacks the accuracy of something like Clubhouse Games' Darts. That's not to say it is truly inaccurate but it just doesnt have that kind of polish and sharpness that it needs. It is fun enough though, when considered with the rest of the games in the carnival. My score averages between 200-300 points, but that's come with plenty of practice!
Loud Mouth: I always play in a room where I need to be silent so this is not one I like. What you have to do is yell "stop" when it lands on a high number. Children might delight in this one! :) It's not hard to do, either.
Hoops: Oh my, this is an abomination to Carnival Games. What were they thinking?! This is so NOT about shooting hoops. If you watch the balls going in the hoops, you will lose. In this game you have to tap pictures of balls as they light up on your right and then quickly tap a bullseye on your left. The secret to success in this game is in having a rhythm as you tap. 1-2-3 - bang. I really am disappointed with how this was done. Had they not seen the successful version of another hoops game on Touchmaster DS?
Bubble Gum Battle: This is certainly one for the younger audience. In this game, you "pay" to play with tickets, and then blow in your microphone to make a huge bubble. If you blow while the meter is red, it will pop. If you blow while it's green, the bubble gets larger. Not my kind of game.
Clown Bonk: This is like Whac-A-Mole. You bonk clowns that pop their heads up out of holes. If you hit a pie that pops up, then "splat", your game is over. All of this is done with the stylus.
RC Raceway: This is a racing game where you have an overhead view of a track. A small car has to make it's way around, 3 laps, in a small time. You control it by steering with the control pad and using buttons for gas & brakes. I am dreadful at controlling this car because I always go too quick! I certainly need more practice.
Going Nuts: In this one, you have a small squirrel with a basket, trying to catch nuts falling down a tree, Plinko style. It's simpler than the Wii version because I reckon the stylus gives you better control.
Fantastic Swami: This wastes tickets. I dont mess with it.
Bumper Boats: The controls on this are dreadful. There are these small boats you have to zoom around in and try to bounce into numbers that give you points. But the boats seldom go where and how you want them to. It's like trying to zoom around on ice. I really do not care for this game.
Wild West Showdown: Okay this one is fantastic!! This game was on the Wii version as an unlockable but on the DS it has a booth. Anyway, the purpose of this game is to tap targets in a shooting gallery, to get the highest score. It's a blast (no pun intended). I would say this is one of the best on this compilation. It has a cute wild west scene with bullseyes, bottles, moneybags, etc. to shoot at, and it is completely stylus driven. Super accurate too.
Shooting Gallery: This is another stylus based shooting game where you have yellow ducks with bullseyes on them that zoom by. This has some challenge to it because they become increasingly quick and there are red ducks that if you shoot them they take away points. This is another favorite game in this set, as it is quite fun and sharply accurate.
Dunk Tank: This is the same game as the Wii version but again with radically different gameplay. Since it is on the DS, they had to find another way to get you to dunk the guy in the tank, so they came up with the thought of having a ball trail that you need to follow with your stylus as it loops and stretches from your "hand" to the "target" in a small amount of time. It's a bit challenging but I have won all three rounds after some practice.
Radio Replay: this is an unlockable game, and I have not yet unlocked it, but according to the game manual, it has you play notes in order after they are highlighted on the touch screen. Apparently you have to memorize them. I am not sure how to unlock this, either.
Most of the games in the carnival will either unlock prizes as you win the games, or give you tickets that you can use to buy items. The prizes in this game are all used on your character (no more teddy bears or fire engines). Instead they are all items that you can wear or carry. Some are even functional. Right now, my character is carrying a "Gizmo" in her left hand, and a "Guitar" on her back. The gizmo is something that you tap on and it teleports you via UFO to an opposite corner of the park, which is very useful because it's a long walk otherwise!! And the guitar allows her to play a rock & roll riff when I tap on it. There are many other things like these though, including banjos, horns, etc.
Even though the DS version of Carnival Games has a few quirks and shortcomings, I still reckon it is an brilliant game overall. It fills in the gaps that the Wii version left, especially with allowing you to really walk around the carnival (using stylus or control pad), and interacting with things. You can even buy cotton candy which makes your person walk quicker. It's a really cute game and I certainly recommend it to fans of mini-games, carnivals, or shooting galleries. The colors in it are vibrant and the graphics are smooth and well-done too.
Another fantastic family-friendly game, to pass the long days of summer! :)
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Sleeper Hit!!!
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| Review Date: August 29, 2007 |
| Reviewer: C. Messerschmidt, USA |
| Talk about a surprise! This game offers exactly what you'd expect... mindless single player fun. Try it during a break from "Metroid Prime Corruption." With multiple players, though, this may be THE ultimate drunken Wii party game! It's certainly much better than Wii Play or Mario Party 8. It's a shame this has slipped under so many gaming site's rader and likely won't get the attention it deserves. This game fits the Wii perfectly... fun for everyone of all ages. |
One of my Favorite Games For the Wii! Like Cotton Candy, It's Quite Addictive!!
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| Review Date: September 5, 2007 |
| Reviewer: A. Stagg, Virginia, USA |
I started reading the game descriptions on this product months before it was released. I am a huge fan of mini-games and this looked like it might be worthwhile. I suspected it might be a Excellent game, but I didn't expect it to be Fantastic! Then I saw all the 5-star reviews and went ahead and bought a copy. Absolutely not disappointed! This is one of the best games for the Wii I've played to date!
This is an exceptionally well-polished game. The graphics aren't fancy, but they are clean, crisp and well rendered. A real Carnival feel to the product with bright colors, lot's of kitsch, and some mildly sinister but amusing carnival hucksters. The mini-games are addictive and lots of fun. Some of the games are simple, while others are more challenging. It's simple to earn "tickets" whether you are an expert player or novice. You can then trade your tickets to play other carnival games or unlock a variety of masks and other accessories for your player to use in the game.
I won't go into descriptions of individual games, since other reviewers have done an brilliant job. But, just like a real carnival, my favorite game is darts. I've also become fond of capturing the dinosaur with "The Claw". This game is simple enough for small kids to master, but challenging enough for teens and adults. An brilliant game for the Wii platform, the controls are responsive and there are few if any bugs. It will make you crave fried twinkies and cotton candy. Highly recommended!!
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Carnival fun for all ages
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| Review Date: August 30, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Dap, |
Lots of fun mini-games that are fantastic family fun. Different play modes. Single player is the only mode you can "win prizes". Multiplayer has two modes. Head to head you can pick your own games to compete; whereas, competition the game will randomly choose 5 games to compete. Tickets you win can be used to play alley arcade games or buy clothing and such. Just like at a real carnival you can trade in prizes you win for larger prizes.
The games are grouped into 6 alleys:
1) Fortune Way - Alley Ball (aka skeeball), Test your strength, Hoops, Collection plate. The fantastic swami--alley arcade game, which you need tickets to play
2) Like Lane - Spilled milk, balloon darts, frog leap, bowler coastet. Alley arcade game-Meter-0-like
3) Rodent Row - Shooting gallery, pigskin pass, shoot for the stars, buckets of fun. Alley arcade game-Going nuts
4) Claw alley - Clown splash, hole in one, ring toss, ka-pow. Alley arcade game-prize claw.
5) Lucky Pass - Nerves of steel, lucky cups, day at the races, dunk tank. Alley Arcade game- push a prize.
6) Prize Boulevard - Every game has 4 prize levels. 4 smalls you can trade in for a medium, 3 mediums for a large, 2 large "grand prize". We haven't gotten to the grand prize as we've playing in mulitplayer mode, but I believe it unlocks new games.
Nothing new with using the Wii remote..same ol' as other mini games.
We had to exchage the game due to problems with the "Rodent Row" screen. Everything was all bunched up so you couldn't read anything or even make out the graphics. It didn't do it all the time, but I figured it was best to exchange if for a new one. So far we haven't had any problems with the new game.
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December 24th, 2009 | 
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