Customer Reviews

Tamagotchi Party On

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The game was purchased at the behest of my 6 y.o. daughter because it had a "cute cover." While rated "E" for everyone ~ it isn't. Most of the action (moving around a 3-D game board) is explained via text scrolling across the bottom of the screen ~ yet my kindergartner daughter doesn't read yet. As you cannot play this game without reading along, I helped with the vapid text and soon found a bigger problem ~ an offensive premise.

General game philosophy: "buy friends." Win 'gotchi' dollars thru game-piece movement - then trade this money for friends~ if you buy enough friends, you win the game by winning the Presidental popularity contest.

... Hmm. OK, so winning the presidency by buying-friends-with-money may have some nexus in political science, so I'll raise my estimate of this game to 2 stars (for providing a cynical insight into American politics). But it is still a boring waste of time. Most of the game is spent waiting, and when you do have a game move (ie rolling the dice) the action is random, so your finesse with a Wii stick is irrelevent. Instead, wait for your cute graphic to skip along the game board, then wait for your competitor to skip, then the next two competitors, then roll again to finally get some action - the 'activity' that happens at each game-board spot. Unfortunately these small screen game activities were certainly too fast/complex for a 6 year old, and not much fun for me. (Match the pattern/play a crude tetris, etc. Tiny screen, ~eh graphics, random winning pattern.)

This is a very static game - not much action, not much imagination (for 'fun' in this game it seems you go to the Mamagotchi store and buy oddities - possibly these can be used later in the game, but we never got that far.) And the game itself isn't Wii-like - no cool movement, no moving of the body synced to the movement on the screen... instead you can play this game totally potato-couched across the furniture with a flick of the wrist.

So in conclusion: this is a low-down waste of money. The only excuse I can come up for this mess is that their is a cool (adult) drinking game that goes with it. (everytime your gotchi gets run over by the fun-bus you take a shot. Evertime you lose a gotchi friend your friend takes a shot.... You get the idea.) But even then, I'd rather not. It isn't fun. It is too slow-paced and visually bland ~ and the bigger sin, it doesn't take advantage of what the Wii so wonderfully offers - keyed body movement to screen.

My daughter and I agree this is the worst Wii game we've played.

Admittedly, this game IS a lot like a Mario Party, except that you never compete against the other players in minigames. For that reason, this game is much less intense and frantic than its Mario counterpart, and it is also slower moving. Despite these things, this game is actually a good deal of fun. Both my wife and I really enjoy this game, even though it is clearly targeted for a younger audience. So what is it about this game that is so addicting?

For starters, the game is, in fact, cute. It reeks of quirky Japanese characters, settings, and humor. It's definitely not for everyone, and my guess is that its deceivingly simple, kid-like graphics and gameplay frustrate those who are over-thinking it.

The different "squares" on the board are comprised of Monopoly chance-like events that impact your popularity or money, minigames that help build your popularity, and shopping spaces to spend your money. It's actually a real positive for the game that each square is, in fact, somewhat randomized and that it doesn't always cue up the same event or minigame. This randomization builds strategy and a bit of anxiety into the game.

Different parts of the board are different cities, each of which has its own layout and features. In my view, this aspect of the game is actually a strength that Tamagotchi has over Mario Party. There's a great deal of diversity on the playing board (if the game is set to be long enough). However, it should be noted that there is only this one game board, unlike Mario Party, where you choose the board you'd like to play.

Although I never seem to do well at this game, and I even find myself swearing at Tamagotchis that are much better than me, I truly enjoy this game. It's relaxing in a way that no other game is, and it actually does use a bit of strategy (it's just that my strategies don't work).

In all, the game is simple and child-like throughout. That's the fun of it. Criticizing its simplicity ultimately means you're missing the point. Yes, you do have to read, so illiterate kids will have difficulty, but shooting and puzzle games aside, I struggle to think of a game where reading isn't at some point necessary. Maybe I'm crazy, but I'd rather my kid learn to read first and then play the Wii, not the other way around. This game IS for everybody in that there isn't even comic mischief or comic violence. So in that sense, it is far more kid-friendly than other games, Mario Party included. Halo fans and other action gamers probably won't be able to stomach its pace and cartoonish elements, but people looking for a creative spin on things just might find this a refreshing change of pace from most gaming. Enjoy.

Let's get real, I don't think this game is intended for older kids or serious gamers - it's similar in style to Hello Kitty and very lighthearted fun. Because of this, my 5 year old daughter loves this one more than any of the other wii games, and the cutesy board game makes for great happy no fuss fun for everyone.

My 8 year old daughter found this game for $3.50. My first thought was....it must be pretty crappy if it costs that little. But she really seems to be enjoying it. There are not too many Wii games that are interesting enough to hold her interest without being too difficult for her to play. She also bought Tomagotchi 2 (Corner store?) for the DS and LOVES that game.

I don't like this game very much. I only like the multiplayer part of it, but unfortunately, my sister never wants to play it with me. So this game is not recommended for people who like playing alone.

I started looking online for Wii Mario Party and decided I just couldn't afford it. My sister has brought her's over quite a few times and we love to play it. Upon reading reviews and investigation Tamagotchi Party we decided to go that route. For the price and all things considered, its awesome. The kids love it, I guess I kinda enjoy it too.

A few drawbacks, you don't all do the minigames together. All minigames are one player, and you don't do any after everyone's turn, you have to land on the space. The sound is a little annoying, we usually just turn on the stereo and mute it. There is no way to play with less than four players on the board. The computer can play but you always must have four players, so if you want to play by yourself it's slow.

Like I said, if you are on a budget and like mario party, try it. It's pretty close as far as gameplay.

This game is a REALLY BAD mario party rip off! It really stinks do not buy it! It is totally NOT worth the money even a reduced price.

got this game for my daughter for Christmas, she just can't let go, she is having so much fun. A+

She loves this game and I find that she is willing to come back to it even after not playing for a while.

I will play almost anything and I will not play this game. We even like party games. The games aren't fun. Half of them don't work with the control scheme. The board is just silly.

Not fun. Even if you were drinking.