It wasn’t too long ago when I hated mini-games. Especially compilations of them. Now, in the age of the Wii and the DS, mobile phones and iPods that download games while you listen to music videos and watch brand new movies that direct you to your local bistro during the ad breaks and brush your teeth afterwards, mini-games are the big thing. Even hardened gamers are letting them seep in, accepting them as a new and necessary evolution of video gaming. Unfortunately, many mini-game based titles are weak and they crumble under the scrutiny of any gamer with experience or skill, but some use their powers for good – and one of them is Carnival: Funfair Games.
First of all, there is at least some sense behind this compilation. It’s a personal irritant that there are so many compilations out there that try to string together all of their mini-games with a ludicrous sub-story, like Crash Boom Bang! and Rayman Raving Rabbids. There are no stupid plots about giant space monkeys enslaving the armadillo race and forcing them to take part in fifteen different button-bashing exercises to earn their freedom. Here, with Carnival: Funfair Games, we have a carnival. Plain and simple. In this carnival, there are 25 carnival-style games for you to play. Ah, the refreshing release provided by a lack of stupid plot.
Once you’ve crafted your character of choice from the simple but varied customisation options available, you are free to let loose in the virtual funfair and battle with cheeky carnies, rigged games and little plastic ducks. The aim of it all is to win prizes and tokens, which can unlock new games and hidden surprises and make you feel like a real man.
If the mechanisms behind the games was wonky or rushed, this game would have been such a wimpy, pathetic fart of a game that I would have stormed it back to my local shop, demanded my money back, then mugged the cashier in order to apply some self-administered compensation. With its loose, cartoony graphics and cursed nature as a bundle of minute-long exercises, this could have been yet another cheap-o failure, cursed to rip off unsuspecting mums for the rest of time. Thankfully, it’s pretty good.
Each game is significantly different from the last, which is the first box to check on the ‘Good Mini-Games’ checklist (Rayman, I’m looking at your freaky-lookin' self right now). The controls of the Wii are used so well, each experience is a genuine pleasant surprise. Taking a handful of games at random, we have Shoot for the Stars, were you have to aim the Wii Remote like a gun and try to shoot out a target – but be careful, your remote vibrates heavily in your hands. Hoops is a basketball sim where you throw the remote like a ball and aim for a lucky dunk, Nerves of Steel is one of those annoying electric shock games where you guide a metal hoop over an electrified metal structure. Test Your Strength has you shake the remote like crazy to slam a hammer as hard as your weakling self can manage, and Pigskin Pass has you tossing a ball threw tricky targets. The games keep on coming, each with different styles and rules, but the controls are consistently good all the way through and the games are snappy enough to stay fun, despite their superficial and brief nature.
Before I forget, let me mention the voices in the game. Finally, we have narration and instructions given to us by a person's actual voice, rather than endless screens of text. Nintendo, you could learn from this. The characters who talk to you are a nice and varied bunch, ranging from the helpful hosts to the smart-assed, loud-mouthed hecklers and carnival scum. They're all very fun, and keep the experience accessible and alive.
The individual games may take a minute to play and an hour to master, but Carnival: Funfair Games as a package will keep you delighted for quite some time. There are two reasons behind this. The first, and most obvious, is the multiplayer appeal – while there are only two simple gaming modes available (basic two-to-four player versions of the standard games, plus Competition mode where the Wii randomly selects six events for you to compete in), this is enough to keep most social gamers happy.
Secondly, the game wades deep in unlockables and secrets. Bonus costumes, accessories and even extra games are up for grabs along with the virtual prizes the carnies will heap upon you (ranging from cheap stuffed toys to remote control vehicles). There are secrets hidden in the games that only reveal themselves if you can fire a shot at a secret target, or pull off a flukey or funky move. Perform well enough and you will be blessed with a ‘Super’ version of one of the existing games. Despite how lame these sound, they are usually brand new games that are only loosely based on whatever game they are related to. Hunting out all the secrets and fighting for top scores on the new games will quench the thirst of competitive gamers.
Not forever, though. You can’t go into the carnival expecting to pitch up a tent and hang out for months on end. Nope. Just like real carnivals move on once the marks have been sapped of cash, you too will leave Carnival after a few weeks of intense, exciting, but vapid gaming. However, though the game might sit on your shelf for seasons at a time, when the time is right and the wind blows in the right direction, when you and some friends get together and the carnival rolls back into town, you’ll be first in line for a ticket.