Less Is More, You Better Be-Wii-ve It!

By Sean Lynch

The first birthday party I ever attended involved one simple game which defined the direction of my future.

It was a simple game, an enjoyable game, a game that kept the kids out of their parents hair for a good thirty minutes, a game which seperated the cheats and the honest johns. We called it danglin' donut.

All it took was a Hills Hoist clothes line, just over 50cm of twine and a sugar coated donut with a hole in the middle.

From there, the rules are simple: 

• Tie donut string to Hills Hoist

• Hands behind backs at all times

• Spin the Hills Hoist quick enough to be amused by donuts hitting children

• Quickest to eat the donut wins (another) sugary reward

Seriously, how could you go wrong? It's got everything a child needs to learn about life:

• Honesty never really pays off

• Don't be a loser - get your hands dirty and win

• Temptation leads to obesity

And the most important life rule of all: Stand on the higher ground.

There are also a few other things that you can learn from party games as a kid... that most party games totally suck and are just a parent's lazy way of filling in your time you would prefer spending doing other things like perhaps, killing bugs, lighting fires or making stuff melt.

So the promise of More Party Games on Wii isn't all that inticing at first glance.

Wii Sports offers up a variety of games you could go and do in real life - but they are games that involve expending energy and sweat - so most gamers are more than happy to bypass such things in favour of a couch and some good ol' fashioned wrist action. Wii-wrist action that is...

So what do we make of a collection of "Party Games" that most people can play in real life, from the comfort of their couch (that are not all that popular in reality)?

Well, as my mother often told me before I gained the sort of weight that would make a hippo blush or John Candy eat an entire chicken while turning akwardly in his grave (as we can only assume a fat man would), beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder.

Boasting eleven games in all, More Party Games (or, to those who like their sequel titles simple : Game Party 2) for the Wii console features a variety of classic home-made and arcade games. 

There is "Bean Bags" in which the aim is to throw... a bean bag. Thank goodness for computers to allow us to finally achieve that dream! 

"Horseshoes" which involves throwing a horse shoe onto a stick, "Darts" which is the drunk man's polo and "Lawn Darts" which, in the real world, is statistically the most common cause of injuries obatined in and around the home.

But it's not all fun in the sun - because in case you can't be buggered heading out to your local TimeZone (do they even have those anymore??) to play some of those kickass ticket games - More Party Games delivers such classics as "Puck Bowling", kind of like shuffle board, but knocking over pins.

Then there's "Skill Ball" which is a true arcade classic, and "Hoop Shoot" which would have gotten you tickets galore if you know how to cheat the system!

Admittedly, it all sounds a little lame. And it is. 

These are games that really never needed to be coverted into virtual form. Heck, there is even "Coin Toss" - and if you can't be bothered setting that up in your own home, then you deserve to die fat.

That said, like all party games you get out of it what you put into it, so multiple players is a must here, as it takes the games into a whole new dimension and adds significant tension, which just isn't present while playing solo.

There is also the handy option of being able to create your own on screen avatar, which seems somewhat irrelevant on the Wii if you've already spent significant time creating your Miis. 

However, the More Party Games avatars do allow for greater detail with clothing, which does add some enjoyable reality to proceedings. Naked gaming is no fun (I've been told).

Let's face it, this game isn't breaking any new ground, and it's budget price will be one of the most appealing aspects. What it does do, however, with it's super simple controls and bawdy graphics is allow literally anybody to get involved (even Grandparents can jump on board with this one) - and that is such a rare thing in these modern times.

So grab a group of friends. Have yourself a good old fashioned BBQ. Sink a few brews and just get into the spirit of a bit of healthy competition. 

At the very least, there is no possible way of getting belted in the head by a saliva-covered donut.

Game: More Party Games
System: Wii
Players: 1-Multi
Online: No
Developer: Midway
Distributor: Red Ant

Rating: 60%

(Ratings Key/Explanation)