Carnival Games (Wii, 2007)

We in our family are suckers for the Wii "party games". We can never have enough fun multiplayer games to keep the gang interested. This is why Carnival Games for the Wii caught my interest right away.

No ifs, ands, or buts, this is a fun game. Relive those hazy summer weekends walking up and down the county fair boardwalk. Throw some darts, knock over some fuzzy guys, shoot some ducks and stars.

This is a perfect game for the Wii, where the multitude of games require a simple point-and-shoot or a quick aim and toss. There are only a few necessary skills required, and the games are nicely sectioned so the repetitive motions don't get TOO repetitive. Skeeball, knock-over-the-bottles, pop-the-balloons, all fit into the "aim and toss" category, while shoot-the-ducks, throw-the-football, and others fall into the "aim and shoot" category. Filling out the games selection is a number or more unique games, such as ring-the-bell (strength test) or roll-the-bowling ball-over-the-hump. Fun!

There are several extras to unlock, and PLENTY of prizes and tickets to win. We've only played the game for one evening, but I'm already looking forward to many more hours of entertainment.

Not everything is perfect, however. Most notably is the lack of Mii support. You must create a Mii-type character to participate. The Carnival Games character generator pales in comparison to the myriad variety supplied in the actual Mii generator. It seems silly to me that they couldn't, or wouldn't, support the native Mii characters. Also, the multiplayer mode should have been implemented much more smoothly. For many games, such as ring toss and ball throw, it seems obvious that several players could play concurrently, just like the actual carnival game. However, this is not the case. Players must take turns, throwing one ball, dart, or ring and wait a seemingly interminable amount of time while the carnie gives his advice (or admonishment) before the next player can go. However, some games DO allow multiple players to compete at the same time.

All in all, this is a surprisingly fun game for so simple a concept. All the classics are represented, and are done exceptionally well. Some games are simple but addictive, while others are quite challenging and can be frustrating. Add to this the relatively inexpensive price tag ($40 as opposed to $50 for most new releases) and you have an all-around winner.

while reviewing the advertisement for this item, no where in the ad did it state that it was used. it did state "Works great, and lots of fun." i guess i took it that they have played a similar game at a friend's house, and they had fun. with the description showing the manufacturer's schematics, i assumed it was new, so i bid my highest price for a new, sealed game. even asking questions about it, not once did he mention that it was an opened, used game. shame on me for not knowing what he meant by that little description, "Works great, and lots of fun." when i list things, i write as much as possible so my customers know exactly what they are bidding on. if it is used, i write used; if it is new, i write new. if it is sealed and unopened, i write sealed and unopened. i left a neutral feedback, he retaliated by leaving me a negative one. for the price i paid, he should have at least left a positive one...because i overpaid by $20. shame on me i guess...it was a learning lesson for me.

Me and my friends and partner, we all love the Nintendo Wii. We love games we can just sit down and play, the "casual" games. I myself am a "Hardcore Gamer" but I love Casual Games myself and my other people that play my wii, are casual gamers.

This game when I first saw screens and info on EB Games's website I was like WOW fun. Well the game is fun, but only for a few. Now I know what you may think, "You don't appreciate casual games." Well I LOVE those types, but this game is a watered down game, YET i still bought it. Its a great priced game, cheap and fun. But don't play it by yourself, it gets old quick. Even the multi-player aspect gets old after a few trys and when you unlock everything that it boring.

The visuals of the game are cute, and does the job well, and there actually pretty good, but the game does suffer a frame drop hit, which i don't know why when the visuals aren't "high" in quality. Another thing is the game doesn't implement the "Miis", it uses its own characters, which is good in a way, but their all the same, stereotypical people. Example is my one group of friends that lives next to me is African American, and this game doesn't have the option to change the color of the skin, which is fine in a way but lacking creativity. Also the characters are all generic, like blue eyed blond hair girls or "normal" men. This game unlocks more clothing and accesories to put on them, but no other creativity like you can do in: "The Sims" or "Mysims" and even the "Miis" in the wii are better to customize than these characters.

Aside from that, the games are quite fun, but there are some bugs or problems with the controls. Example is in the game that you drag a loop around a electric wire, its fun but the darn thing is hard to pick up and stay held, and the wire shocks you when your not near it!! Poor programming if you ask me. The game is over way to quick, and WAY too easy to unlock everything. My partner unlocked EVERYTHING in the game in one night with only playing it a total of 5 hours if that. Too short if you say so. I DO LOVE the skee-ball game its my favorite, but the tickets you earn and prizes are just a gimmick in the game. No really need them, and the games are sometimes just boring, like Throw a coin on a plate, you can never do it, and throw a ring around a bottle, same concept as the plate and still hard. Another problem is the clown smash game, you hit the faces but it says you were not close enough, OR where you shoot water inside the clowns mouth to pop a balloon, but if your not DEAD center to a T you aint doing it. POOR
PROGRAMMING again! The game i did buy, i don't regret it, but the game could be done ALOT better, visuals down better, MORE variety in the games, MORE games, and more customization, and better controls.

Do you like going to the fair and playing games? Is it the dead of winter and you're going stir-crazy for a little summetime fun? Just pick up CARNIVAL GAMES and you'll be hankering for some cotton candy and caramel apples in no time!

I am still relatively new to the world of Wii video games, so I like a game that it not difficult to control.
Carnival Games was a delight in so much that the characters did what you told them to do. If you wanted to throw a skee ball down the lane, you threw it (like you would actually toss a ball) and it happened. No delay, no confusion, just fun.
Carnival Games is a lot of fun to play by yourself and a blast to play with friends. In solo mode, you can wander about the grounds, playing whatever games you wish. Depending on your performance, you can win virtual carnie prizes…such as little toys or stuffed animals. Of course, you can trade up smaller prizes for bigger ones.

I liked how you could unlock all sorts of bonuses! There are 4 ways to get bonuses in the game:
1) win games, gather tickets, redeem tickets for prizes (the traditional way)
2) click on/discover secrets hidden in the backgrounds (such as clicking on a passing flaying saucer will unlock a bonus)
3) trade up smaller prizes for the ultimate prize (this usually unlocks a secret)
4) find secrets hidden in the games (ex. getting the gold/center cup in the game “Lucky Cups” will unlock a secret)

The secrets you unlock might be prizes that you can dress your character up in (ex. funny hats, funny shoes, funny masks, etc) or you may unlock a super bonus game to play!

There are many games to choose from and all are fun, though some are more difficult that others. Watch out for “wii-itis” the next day if you play a lot of “Test your strength”.

I really liked the sounds of the game. Everything from the background music to the clink of the rings hitting the glass bottles (in “Ring Toss”) sounded realistic to me and that heightened my enjoyment of the game.

Will the serious gamer love this game? Probably not, They would probably find it too easy after a while and the “simply for fun” nature does not usually appeal to serious gamers who are always striving to “beat the game”.
My parents (who, believe me, are NOT into video games at all) both played Carnival Games for hours one “family evening” and were having a riot.

I think this game is a lot of fun and I think you'll like it too. It is better than some of the other "party" games for the Wii which offer fewer games and are more difficult to control.

Was this review helpful? Please click "YES"
Thanks!

Many, fun, realistic carnival games within this disc. I have found a few favorites that are just fun to play. There are a few I don't like because I just have so much trouble adjusting my timing and speed on, that I just can't win at them.... very much like my abilities with actual carnival games! The snide comments and actions that the game vendors throw out while you're playing are funny! The various prizes and unlocks are pretty fun too! The whole family can enjoy this game with the several shooting games for dad, the skeeball and day at the races for mom and the leap frogs, the claw and hoops for the kids. Lots more other games to play too. My fav is the squirting the water in the clown's mouth to pop the balloon. (Unlike at the live carnival, I actually win at this one on the virtual Wii!) If you like carnival games, you'll like the Wii Carnival Games.