Carnival Games is great for kids but the older crowd can have fun too. Click "continue" to learn about each m

User Rating: 6.5 | Carnival Games WII
Since there aren't many reviews on this one I wanted to make one so people could see that there is fun to be had here. Don't expect fall off your couch action or anything but this game definitely has a certain charm to it. A great thing is that pretty much any carnival game you can remember is in this game and both young and old can enjoy it; each group should just approach it differently.

There are single player & multiplayer modes though you can only win prizes in single player. This was kind of a disappointment to me in that most of this games value comes from its multiplayer.

Up to 4 can play at a time though there is room to save up to 7 characters.

You'll start by making a character and customizing his or her appearance. Not a huge amount of available options here but it looks like there are quite a few to be unlocked.

You can then choose an area to start; each area has 4 or so games within it, as well as a prize machine and a set of unlockable games.

Multiplayer has two modes within it, Head to head in which you can step up to any game you like and play against each other, and Competition where 5 events are selected randomly and you face off to see who wins most. Unfortunately you cannot win prizes or play the machines in each area. It's too bad because I really can't see myself using those if playing single player. Any humor from them would mostly come from being in a group of people who can laugh at each other.

When playing in single player mode, you may win prizes and tickets. Prizes can be small medium or large depending on how well you did in the game. Even if you do horribly you will often win a small prize. Winning at games and getting prizes will allow you to unlock new ways to customize your character, and there are quite a few unlockables that are actually fairly satisfying to receive.

You can play a game a bunch of times if you like and if you keep winning prizes there, you can trade them in for larger ones. Each game gives its own set of prizes so you'll have to win at each of them if you want them all. For example if you win 4 smalls at Ring Toss you cannot go and upgrade them at the Hoops booth.

The small and medium prizes appear just as 2d images of toys n things but the large and extra large are move 3d and rotate able when you’re checking them out. These ones also often have a cute or funny sound bite accompanying them.

If you want to admire the prizes you’ve won you can go to an area called Prize Alley to check out all the cool stuff you've won.

There is good humor to the game with it poking fun at itself at times where the game is obviously completely random and there were a couple of unlockables that had sound bites that made me chuckle.

For me there isn't a tone of value in its single player as there isn’t a tone of depth to this game, sure it's ok but just doesn't have enough to it to keep you interested for extended periods of time. Multiplayer is where this game makes up for it as it can be fun for the kids and when the adults get a hold of it, it can make for a very effective drinking game.

Graphics are descent with a kiddy feel to them, pretty much what you would expect from a title like this. There’s not a whole lot of jaggies and you can get your character looking pretty goofy.

Sound is good and is just what you'd expect from a Carnival. There is a nice voice introduction made by the game keeper before each game which is a nice touch.

Controls are good and fairly responsive to your gestures. There is a couple game where it seems it could have been tweeked a bit but for the most part it isn’t a problem. The nunchuck is not used for this game.

Read below for a rundown of each game.

Fortune Way

Alley Ball - Swing the remote to roll the ball down the lane and up into the holes to try and score the most points. The game responds to how quickly you swing the remote. You can also adjust your body position with respect to the lane and twist your character on his/her spot to try and aim for that 100 pointer. This game is challenging and can be fun.

Test Your Strength - Shake the remote to power up your hit and then when your ready, swing the remote like a hammer and tap the appropriate button while trying to time it when you see a green dot on the target. You will most likely then be called a weakling. Another challenging game that can be funny (when you watch other people try it)

Hoops - One of my favorites. Use an overhand throwing motion to try and sink as many baskets as you can in the given time frame. The in-game instructions tell you to twist the remote to aim but this seems unnecessary as I was able to make baskets no matter which way I had my remote twisted. It seemed to be more important to throw with the right amount of power. This game I really like and it will have you and your friends throwing frantically to get the most baskets.

Collection Plate - Move left or right and lock yourself a target by aiming the remote at the screen and hitting the appropriate button. Then use a disc throwing motion to try and land a coin on one of the plates. Be careful not to throw too hard or too soft or you'll miss the play area entirely! This is one of those random ones just like at real Carnivals where you kind of just hope that you score a point. (but it seemed so easy, right?!)

The Great Swami - This is a little booth you can go to where there is a fortune teller. For 15 tickets it will answer a yes or no question. All you have to do is hold the remote to your head and ask it a question...how could I resist? I'll let you check this one out for yourself.

There are also two locked "Super Games" at Fortune Way.

Claw Alley

Clown Splash - Shake your remote to build up pressure in your water gun. Now aim at the clown’s mouth and be the first to fill up and pop the balloon on his head! This one is difficult because it can be difficult to tell where your squirt is actually going. A crosshair or better graphics for the water would have been welcome here. Hole in One - Line up your shot with the control pad and step up to it with the appropriate button, swing the remote golf club style and release said button to try and sink the putt. The controls respond reasonably well though it can be quite difficult to get jut the right weight to your putt, but hey what do you expect from them Carnies!! If you sink a putt the next try will be more difficult and trust me it aint easy. Don't expect realistic golf here.

Ring Toss - Move left or right to aim yourself and then use a disc throwing motion to try and get your ring on the neck of a bottle. The amount of weight you put on it will determine where it goes but this is another one of those that is largely random but very fun as part of a drinking game.

Ka-Pow - Another one of my favorites. Remember those clown heads with fuzzy hair you always see people whipping softballs at as hard as they can that were made mostly hair? Well this is those and they have just as much hair if not more. When the game starts there will be a green icon that moves on its own past the clown heads. Your job is to use an overhand throwing motion and try and time it so that when you throw, the green icon is on one of the clownheads. Do this and you score a hit!

The Claw - Just like you see at Denny's more often than you care to admit. Pump 25 tickets into this machine and tilt your remote like a joystick as you attempt to get the claw to hover over the prize you want. When ready hit the appropriate button and hope it grabs something for you!

There are also two locked "Super Games" at Claw Alley. I was able to unlock one of them but I won't spoil it other than to say it is a fun game.

Love Lane

Spilled Milk - Try and knock down the 3 stacked milk bottles by using an overhand throwing motion to throw a ball at them. There will be a targeting icon moving around in front of the bottles and your job is to time your throw just right so the green icon is at the right spot. This is one of those ones that get you hooked because you get so close every time!

Frog Leap – This is only 1 of 2 games that I've never seen at a Carnival. Basically there is a bunch of lily pads rotating on water around one stationary lily and you have to catapult a frog onto any one of them by first aiming your catapult and then use the overhand motion to smack the catapult and launch the frog. This one is quite difficult other than the one stationary lily.

Balloon Darts - Yet another favorite. Aim the remote at the screen just like you would a real dart, when ready use a sharp forward motion to release it. Be mindful though that if your forward motion isn't fast enough, your dart will fall short. Hit the smaller Balloons for more points and better prizes!!

Bowler Coaster - Your goal is to get the bowling ball to roll along the track and have enough power to get over the hump and sit in the safe zone. The catch is that too much or too little power the ball will either not make it over the hump, or make it over and roll right back to you. You control how much power you roll the ball with by using a sort of chopping motion over the ball to spin it in place, once you have it spinning as fast as you want it, hit the appropriate button to let the ball go and hope it sits in that special zone!

Meter O Love - I had a good chuckle at this one as its instructions are “Hold Wii Remote on heart. Strike a pose. Prepare to be judged”. I won't reveal which pose I did strike but suffice it to say, they were pretty much right on the money when I got the "wild" rank. This one'll cost ya 15 tickets.

Again there are 2 "super games" locked here at Love Lane, and again I was able to unlock one of them and just like last time; it's a good game worth unlocking. Lucky Pass

Nerves-o-Steel - You have to move a ring along a fixed bar without having it touch. The curves on the bar get more elaborate as you succeed. First you grab the "ring on the end of a stick" sort of thing with the appropriate button, then you move the remote horizontally while twisting the remote in such a way that the ring on the end doesn't come in contact with the metal bar. This one can be frustrating.

Lucky Cups - Another one of those random ones. Aim by pointing the remote at the screen and lock your target by pressing the appropriate button. You then use an underhand throwing motion and hope your ball lands in a colored cup.

Day at the Races - Roll as many balls into the holes as possible to get your horse to advance along the track. You hold the remote sideways in front of you like it is a disc you are about to throw and tilt it to aim, then flick your wrist in a throwing motion to roll the ball. The aiming can be tricky here but this game can be a lot of fun.

Dunk Tank - Try to dunk the hillbilly in the tank by using the overhand throwing motion and timing your throw for when the spiraling green icon is on the target. Dunk him thrice for da big prize.

Push A Prize - This one is hard to describe, but for 25 tickets you can try to drop coins onto moving "slats" to get them to pile up enough to fall into the receptacle. You'll be lucky if you break even.

Like the other areas, there are two other locked "super Games" here at Lucky Pass.

Rodent Row Shooting Gallery - A Favorite. Aim the remote at the screen and take out as many ducks as possible without touching the red ones. Hit the tiny bull’s eye’s for more points.

Pigskin Pass - The only other game I haven't seen in a real Carnival. Use your remote just like you were throwing a dart. Try and time it so your throw makes it through the moving tire and on to the receiver.

Shoot for the Stars - It's that game your parents wouldn't let you play when you were young. Aim the remote at the screen and use your gun to make as much of the star on the paper target disappear as you can with the amount of ammo given.

Buckets of Fun - Use an underhand throwing motion and try and toss the ball into the angled basket with the bouncy backing. Just as hard in this game as it is in real life, maybe harder since the baskets get more difficult as you score.

Going Nuts - Pay 25 tickets to hold the remote much like a steering wheel only with the buttons facing up. You then tilt back and forth to try and get your squirrel to catch nuts as they fall down a grid in a Plinko-like fashion. There are also 2 unlockable "Super Games" at Rodent Row, 1 of which I was able to unlock. Again I was happy to find a descent game here.

So overall most games are pretty fun. I couldn’t see myself spending too much time on this one in single player, which is unfortunate since there are a gaggle of unlocks. I really wish you could win tickets and prizes in multiplayer mode. It would have made a significant difference in my scoring.

This is a child friendly title and I’m sure the kids would have a great time playing it. But for those of us without children this game can be really fun if you incorporate it into a party drinking game. If you use my rules you’d have a good twist on by the time we ran through the games.

The price tag may be a little steep for what you get, but if you find this game at a reduced price…grab it for sure. There are some fun times to be had here.