When I purchased the video game Wii My Sims Party from my neighbor for only one dollar I was a little skeptical about its play value. “My daughter wanted it so badly, but then she didn’t play it,” was what my neighbor said with a shrug.
For a dollar, I figured I would take the chance, since the game seemed very family friendly and had a lot of opportunity for cooperative play, something that works well in my house of three kids at three different ages.
I was pleasantly surprised by the fun that ensued. While it had some problems that kept it from really shining, such as the constant collecting that is needed in the game, the presentation is so cheerful and the games so lively, that it is keeping my crew entertained without complaint. Kid Friendly is the name of the game.
For those who are familiar with the Sims franchise, well this game has little to do with those classic games. Yes, you can create your own sim, much like you can create your own mii for many wii games, but that is where it ends. You can use your sim to play mini games, earning monuments to construct near your sim home.
Typical games have you competing with up to three other players doing things such as feeding a champion contest eater, watering flowers, scooping ice cream and dancing. There isn’t anything here that you haven’t seen in other games, such as Mario Party, and adults or sophisticated kid gamers may get bored after a while, but it was easy to play yet not master, for everyone including our four-year-old. Playing with friends is much more enjoyable than playing alone.
The game feels like a Japanese game show–lots of bright colorful and cheerful characters that shout encouraging things to you that you don’t understand as you play a variety of mini games. Along the way, you can earn extra attributes, or lose them as well, things such as strength, endurance, speed and dexterity.
You will wish that the game mechanics had a little more dexterity. Sometimes the movements required by the remote can be awkward and won’t take unless done slowly.
While there are both better and worse party games out there for the Wii, this is a decent one for young children.
This game is rated E for everyone.