Nintendo Land Review

Nintendo Land

 Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Platform: Nintendo Wii U Players: (Depends on Game) Release: 2012 Genre: Action / Party Rating: 8.7 \ 10.0: Fantastic

Above is the top-down view of your park

Nintendo Land celebrates the release of the Wii U by providing a collection of fun Nintendo-themed games. It's all about friendly rivalry and cooperation at times, but most of all, having a blast! I underestimated this game, but it's incredible! But now I'll get back on track and explain this game at a better pace. Nintendo Land is set at a virtual Mii-filled theme park that features attractions that come in the form of games, each one based on a specific Nintendo series. When you play them, you can earn coins that are used to earn "prizes" to spruce up your park in a retro-looking minigame in which you must drop your coins into holes. The prizes are too Nintendo themed, and range from the Great Deku Tree to a Bulborb. There are three types of attractions: Solo attractions,  Competitive attractions, and Team attractions. In Mario Chase, a Competitive attraction based on the Super Mario series, one Mii, dressed as Mario, uses the Wii U GamePad to view a map on the course, while running away from up to 4four other Miis dressed as Toads, who  are controlled by Wii Remotes  and try catch "Mario" before time expires. In Luigi's Ghost Mansion, a Competitive attraction based on the 2001 GameCube classic, Luigi's Mansion, one Mii, dressed as a ghost and controlled by the GamePad, must track down and knock out up to four other Miis-- ghost hunters-- who must drain the ghost's health, a difficult task, considering the ghost is invisible on the TV screen. In Donkey Kong's Crash Course, a Solo Attraction based on the Donkey Kong series, you must tilt the GamePad to navigate a cart with a Mii face through  a hazardous maze. In Takamuru's Ninja Castle, a Solo attraction based on a 1986 Japanese game called Namo So Murasame Jo, you use the GamePad's touchscreen to fling paper shuriken at cardboard ninja cutouts. In Balloon Trip Breeze, a Solo attraction based on the classic, Balloon Fight, you swipe your stylus across the GamePad's touchscreen to blow your Mii, hoisted up by a balloon, through an aerial obstacle course. In The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest, based on the Legend of Zelda series, up to four Miis dressed as multi-colored Links, three with swords controlled by Wii MotionPlus Remotes, and one with a bow controlled by the GamePad, hack and shoot there way through action-packed quests. In Metroid Blast, based on the Metroid series, up to five Miis, one controlled by the GamePad, battle alien robots on foot or in gunships in Assault  Missions, and in Surface-Air Combat, one Mii flies around in a gunship trying to gun down the other Miis, who fight on foot and try to take out the gunner. In Pikmin Adventure, a Team attraction based on the Pikmin series, one Mii, dressed as the iconic Captain Olimar, battles the robotic forces of Dark Monita with the help of up to four others dressed as a large Pikmin in Challenges, collecting nectar to level up and power-ups to beat up mechanical Beebs, Bulborbs, and more. And in Versus, Olimar and the Pik-Miis (get it?) battle each other for candy, obtained by destroying blocks, enemies, and each other. Octopus Dance, a Solo Attraction based on the game Game & Watch Octopus, you move the GamePad's analog sticks to the rhythm of a dance instructor. In Yoshi's Fruit Cart, a Solo Attraction based on the Yoshi series, you draw a path on the GamePad's touchscreen to navigate a Yoshi-like cart to a door, picking up fruits along the way. the twist is that you must collect every fruit in a certain order, and they're only visible on the TV screen. Additionally, if the path is too long, the cart will run out of gas. In Captain Falcon's Twister Race, based on the F-Zero series, you tilt and turn the GamePad to navigate the Blue Falcon through a raceway under a time limit. In Animal Crossing: Sweet Day, based upon the Animal Crossing series, has up to four players with Wii Remotes assume the roles of Miis dressed as elephants attempting to gather pieces of candy and drop them into holes while being pursued by a pair of Miis dressed as wolves brandishing kitchen utensils, both of which are controlled by the player with the GamePad. If the wolves catch three elephants before they collect the specified number of pieces of candy, they win, but the elephants win otherwise. The game has an element of strategy-- the more candy an elephant collects, the slower they move, but they can drop candy to regain speed and avoid the wolves, and the wolves must find a way to corner their foes. A hindrance is that in some events, the odds are stacked against you (especially Luigi's Ghost Mansion), and others can be frustrating. Nintendo Land is an excellent system launch title, and a Nintendo fan could hardly asked for more!

Ups
Plenty of fun games
Multiplayer games
Tons of prizes to unlock
Games take advantage of the GamePad

Downs
Some unfair and frustrating games

ESRB: E 10+ Content: Cartoon Violence and Crude Humor Price: $29.99 (Retail)