dbarry_22's Game Review of Nintendo Land

Lots of Variety, Not Much Depth
dbarry_22 - wrote on 03/14/13

Nintendo Land brings a wide variety of mini-games that shows off the WiiU Gamepad controller but lacks the depth that will keep you coming back to play again and again.

Nintendo Land launched along with the WiiU system and was even included with the Deluxe version. With that being said, it's logical when I say that this game is designed to show off the abilities of the new system, and more specifically, the Gamepad controller. Just like Wii Sports did for the Wii, Nintendo Land wants you to get use to the new controller and what different kinds of things it can do for a game.

The game puts you and your Mii into a theme park type setting and gives you a wide variety of games to play. Some of them are designed for a single player, others have to played with multiple people. With no online support, this means about half the game can only be enjoyed if you have some friends or family over.

As you accumulate coins you can earn presents in a Plinko like mini-game which will clutter up the theme park with Nintendo Themed statues and the like. Also, after you play for a while there will be a set of random Miis walking around your theme park too. It looks like it's just a randomly selected group of users who are playing the game but they're not actually there. It makes me wonder if my Mii is wondering around some other person's them park or not.

As you play mini-games you can make comic strip bubble like comments which can be displayed to others who are playing the game too. Most of the time they're pointless, poorly drawn pictures or some vague comment about how easy or difficult something is. To me, it doesn't add much to the game and seems to be a bit forced designed only to increase social interaction.

The mini-games, which is really why you're playing this game, are hit and miss. Some are a lot of fun, others are simply very bare bones and only show off the controller.

Mini-games I really enjoyed include: The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest, Metroid Blast, Mario Chase, Luigi’s Ghost Mansion, Donkey Kong’s Crash Course, and Balloon Trip: Breeze.

Mini-games I thought were all right include: Pikmin Adventure, Takamaru’s Ninja Castle, and Captain Falcon’s Twister Race.

Mini-games I did not care for include: Animal Crossing: Sweet Day, Yoshi’s Fruit Cart, and Octopus Dance.

The Zelda mini-games I thought was really fun when you had a couple friends with you to take on the stages. The person who has the Gamepad controller has a bow and arrow, while others who have wiimotes have swords. Trying to get through a stage without getting hit can be a challenge and you can trade off who has the bow and arrow and who has a sword. Plus, there are many stages to go through which is nice.

Metroid Blast doesn't quite have the same amount of depth but is a bit better if you have to play it alone. Controlling the ship can be a challenge but shooting down the enemies and flying through the stage can be a lot of fun. I still think it's better to play with others since it adds some competitiveness.

Mario Chase and Luigi's Mansion require 2 or more people to play and you won't truly enjoy it until you get a group of 4 or 5 together to play it. Mario Chase is a simple game of tag, with the person who has the Gamepad controller trying to avoid being touched by the others. There's a map on the Gamepad controller indicating where everyone is, and all the others have is what they see on the screen as they run around. The camera in the Gamepad controller shoots the person using it and puts it on the TV which helps promote teasing, which can be fun as long as it's harmless teasing. Luigi's Mansion is pretty much the opposite, as the person who has the Gamepad conroller is a ghost trying to take down all the other people. The others have flashlights that you try and shine on the ghost. Both games can provide an evening of entertainment to group of friends.

The Donkey Kong game is by far the most fun single player game. You tilt the Gamepad back and forth to help roll your character down the level. If you crash, you're done. There are enough different obstacles to keep things interesting, but unfortunately there isn't a lot of depth here. Once you manage to complete the lengthy stage, there's not a whole lot of incentive to go back unless you're going for a gold trophy.

The balloon trip game is fun too. This mini-game could be on the DS though, since all you do is control the flight of your character with a stylus, dodging obstacles and collecting balloons.

Yoshi's fruit cart is pretty dumb. You see obstacles on the TV and you try to draw the correct walking path for Yoshi on the empty Gamepad. It's simple a spacial relationships game that isn't that fun. The Octopus game is a simple rhythm game, and I'm sorry, but there are enough of those out there already and the animal crossing game has you control a guy with each joystick which can be complicated and if you're any good you will have a pretty easy time taking down the others.

After playing through all the mini-games it looks like the only time I will be putting this game again is when I have some friends over. That can be a good thing, but it shows that this game is more about showing off the system than it is providing an in depth experience. It's fun, but I'm not sure it's $60 fun.

3.5/5