Page 40 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #7

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and that’s the problem with Mega Party Game$. All eight
of the microgames are designed around the same idea:
players taking turns at the GBA game. Only a few multi-
player games offer an experience that feels different.
In keeping with the format of the handheld game, each
multiplayer title is hosted by one of Wario’s colorful cro-
nies. Survival Fever has disco-loving Jimmy hosting a
party that involves two to four players (and their charac-
ters) dancing atop a stage. A spotlight moves from charac-
ter to character, and whomever it falls on must complete a
random microgame to excite the crowd. If the spotlight
lands on everyone, a simultaneous game ensues — but
alas, it’s simply a microgame played on a split screen. Ho-
hum. The second game, Outta My Way, might be the
dumbest out of an underachieving lot. Players choose an
extremely large character and attempt to block the active
player’s screen, effectively undermining his or her chances
at success. (You can also play this type of “game” on your
GBA if someone nearby is kind enough to put a thumb
over your screen.) The opposite of this multiplayer game is
“All for One,” where players aim spotlights at the screen to
assist the player in completing the microgame. It’s enter-
taining for all for one minute.
The rest of the games add similar wrinkles to the stan-
dard solo action. Balloon Bang is a form of hot potato or
musical chairs where players rapidly tap buttons to inflate
a balloon while taking turns passing the controller after
completing a microgame. The object is to avoid playing a
microgame when the balloon pops. “Listen to the Doctor” is
a variant on Simon Says, with a shaky, apparently crack-
addled 3D doctor telling players to complete a microgame
while doing things like puffing out their cheeks. Seriously.
The other players “judge” the activity by having their on-
screen characters clap in between rounds (by rapidly tap-
ping the button).
The multiplayer game “e-Reader Cards” has the micro-
games appearing on decks of cards, which determine the
number and types of games players must compete in as
they take turns flipping them over. The game does not,
however, include support for the actual e-Reader periph-
eral. Wobbly Bobbly actually has a few original multiplayer
games played on the same screen, from stopping an alarm
clock to grabbing a floating dollar bill, with each loss forc-
ing a player’s onscreen character to balance on top of an
increasing number of turtle shells. Milky Way Delirium is an
intergalactic twist on Othello (completing a microgame
earns you control of an asteroid), but there are no standard
board games a la Mario Party, which might have made
things a bit more interesting.
If these multiplayer games sound a little silly, they are.
They are fun to play once or twice, but quite honestly,
none are worth forking over an additional 30 clams if you
have the GBA game. In fact, the handheld version is still
the best way to experience the microgames, since you can
take the fast-action on the road and won’t
be losing anything in terms of visuals or
sound. Nintendo is finally realizing that
third-party publishers aren’t going to help
them drive console sales, so they are
doing what would have been unthinkable
during the heyday of the NES — churning
out properties based off recognizable
characters as quickly as possible. In the
case of Mega Party Game$, the com- Rating:
pany has taken multiple bites out of the
same apple and seems content in pass-
ing it off as fresh fruit.
Classic Gamer Magazine July 2004