I have to be honest I never played
the previous two Raving Rabbids games for the Wii. I’ve read great things about
both games and heard from friends that the games were a blast to play. I finally
decided enough was enough and I had to get the newest version to hopefully find
out just what I was missing. Well, TV Party might not reinvent the party gaming
experience for the Wii but it’s still a blast to play, this time either solo or
with friends.
The premise with TV Party is that
the Rabbids are stuck inside a television and they start re-enacting the shows
in their own unique wackiness. All of the games are actually episodes based upon
shows you might even recognize today. For example, you get a Dancing with the
Stars knockoff that has you competing in a dance competition with the Rabbids as
the judges. Then you get a COPS-like show where you’re trying to escape from the
police. Each episode/game is presented in the crazy humor that the previous
Rayman Raving Rabbids games have been known for.
The overall structure of the game is
played out in a TV guide presentation. There are certain blocks of time made up
of three hours that you have to play through. Once you select a block you then
are presented with the channel guide to pick the show you’re going to play.
During the games you’ll have to earn a specific score to unlock the next block
of time and the next day. Honestly no one should have a problem scoring enough
points to keep the game moving and unlocking the additional blocks and days.
The games do a solid job of keeping
you entertained without feeling like you’re being swallowed up into a real game.
The games are all short mini games that last no more than a few minutes. You get
a decent variety in different genres from racing, light guns, dancing and even a
music game. The controls felt solid and responsive in most of the games with
only the music game being the exception. You have to wave your nunchuk and Wii-mote
to match the onscreen scrolling chart. For some reason the Wii-mote waves had a
problem being registered by the game. It was never enough to cause me to really
screw up but it did cause some minor headaches.
What seemed to be the big difference
maker, to me anyway, with TV Party and the other party games on the Wii is using
the Wii Fit Balance Board. TV Party uses the Balance Board in many of the games
and even pokes fun at Wii Fit by including a fitness game with huge out of shape
wrestlers for you to follow. You get several different control setups depending
on the game you’re playing. For example, some games will have you sitting on the
board and leaning left or right to steer. Another game will have you putting
your feet on the board while sitting in a chair and using the board as a gas and
brake pedal. Other games have you using the board like a surfboard or using it
as a dance pad to make moves. The nice part of the game is that you don’t have
to use the Balance Board for these games. You can still play them with the Wii-mote
and nunchuk. Yet if you own a Balance Board TV Party is a great reason to break
it out and use it.
Even though the games are fun there
still seems to be a lack of variety in the games. After playing for a few hours
you start to notice that you’re playing the same games over again. You’re
progressing to different parts of those games but the actual experience is still
the same. So you’ll find yourself having to play what feels to be the same games
over and over again. But this is the similar curse of other mini-game
collections for the Wii. You only get so many mini-games before you start
playing the same ones over and over again.
For multiplayer you do get a Party
Mode that can support up to eight players. Sure, the system might support up to
four Wii-motes and nunchuks but TV Party allows you to rotate the controllers
among all of the players. The Party Mode offers Sabotage moments that allow
gamers sitting on the sidelines to interfere with the players currently playing.
You can have to look out for these moments since they show up only briefly
before disappearing. There are also even smaller mini games that resemble game
shows or news bulletins that will pop up from time to time after playing a game
in Party Mode.
For me the best part of the game was
the humor. This game is a riot to watch. There are plenty of funny moments with
the Rabbids acting completely absurd at all times. The overall look of the game
does a great job of replicating the feel of the craziest and wackiest television
programs you’ve probably have ever seen. My favorite was the Dawn of the Rabbids
light-gun games, based on the Dawn of the Dead zombie movie. You shoot not the
zombies but the Rabbid chickens running around the set trying to ruin the movie.
It was a great tongue in cheek type of moment that I loved.
Overall TV Party is another fun and
entertaining collection of mini games that we’ve come to expect from the Wii. In
my opinion this is one of the best looking and most humorous games you’ll find
for the Wii. The Rabbids are just plain silly and absurd which is the overall
vibe of the game. The graphics keep the cartoony look intact during all of the
games which fit the tone of the game great. If only we had more variety in the
actual mini, then the game would definitely score higher. But even then TV Party
is still what a game should be: fun!
Gameplay: 8.0
Besides the quirks with the music game the controls are solid, regardless if
you’re using the Wii-mote/nunchuks or Balance Board.
Graphics: 8.1
I loved the look of this game since it looked like one of the strangest and
silliest collection of television shows you’ll ever see.
Sound: 7.0
You get plenty of yells and screams from the Rabbids that fit the wackiness of
the game. However during the music and dance mini-games the actual songs are
covers or remixed versions that really lacked the same appeal as the original
versions.
Concept: 7.0
TV Party is still at its core just a collection of mini-games. Honestly, just
how many Wii games aren’t a collection of mini-games?
Multiplayer: 7.7
The Party Mode is where the multiplayer
shines with TV Party. The actual Wi-Fi mode is limited to just two modes,
submitting high scores and the Pimp My Rabbid game. The Pimp My Rabbid game is
where you dress up your Rabbid in the most ridiculous outfit possible to be
judged.
Difficulty: Easy
Really no one should have a problem getting into or playing the game.
Overall: 7.6
TV Party is a fun game that will keep you and your friends entertained and
laughing for hours. Sure, you might notice playing the same games over and over
again but the humor in the game just can’t be avoided. As with the almost
limitless number of mini-game collections coming out for the Wii, the overall
goal is to have fun. If you can’t find something fun with TV Party then I don’t
know what game you’re playing.
