So after about 2 hours of playing Carnival Games for the Wii yesterday after picking it up at the Carnival Games Launch party from Nintendo World New York, I can say that this is a GREAT (not amazing) party game.
Pros:
Alley Ball (aka Skeet Ball, Ski Ball) is just as fun as bowling, but you can win tickets and the “game host” is pretty funny- Multi-player Competition Mode keeps a party going. With 4 Wii Motes, the games go on and on. On some sort of random shuffle after 5 games and a winner is declared you can head right to the next random shuffle of games (sometimes includes 3 of the 5 games previously)
- Single Player mode you can earn tickets to buy new “clothing and accessories” for you character OR to play other games OR buy “virtual prizes” OR to unlock new games. This will keep me entertained when there is no party to be had
- At least 25 games in the Multi-player competition mode shuffled
Cons:
My right arm is killing me! (mainly from the intense shaking on the “Test Your Strength”- Some games you need to spend tickets to play… no tickets, no play
- Just like a carnival you can play some of the “Crappier” games and lose tickets for nothing
Found Bug: 
1. In the horse racing “Day at the Races”, on 4 player Multi-player Competition mode Todd had come in 3rd place, but almost immediately it reset his character back to the beginning of the race and he had to spend the next minute after 3 of us were way done trying to finish again.
Conclusion: At $39.99, this is my first game that I am proud to throw Wii Parties for, true Party mode makes the game. Single Player will get old after awhile, but will definitely still play a few of the classic games.
Technorati Tags: Nintendo, Wii, Carnival, Games, Review
The first review I’ve seen of this game on the web. I’ve been waiting on IGN or 1UP, but still nothing. Maybe you could add an overall score like 7/10 or 3/5 …something to give a quick glance of your overall opinion. Nice review, and very appreciated. I reserved my copy today.
Thanks for the review… I’ve been waiting months for this game and can’t find much about it. Just picked up my copy today and I can’t wait to get home to give it a whirl!
Thanks for the review…all the big review sites seem to be focusing on Metroid 3 so there aren’t any other Carnival Games reviews up yet. I’m worried about the bug in “Day at the Races,” since that game is an old family favorite and will get a lot of play. Is it pretty common, or was that a freak occurrence?
David, let’s hope it was a one time experience. We played that game at least 3 times 1on1, then at least once before with 4 players with nothing going wrong.
Also, Brandon, compared to Wii Sports and Wii Play, I’d give it a 7/10…
Since there’s still no reviews except for yours anywhere else on the web, I took your advice and picked up the game.
Good clean fun without the mud and stink!
Great for fun with friends and a few beers! (I don’t have kids, so I guess it would be fun without the beers as well!)
I especially like the character design… No matter what you do, they always look like people you’d run into at the fair! Plus carnies with mullets get two thumbs up in my book!
Thanks for the review!
I can’t find anywhere what the “unlocked” boas, scuba tanks, etc, is for? I keep unlocking things but not sure how to use it…any advice? Fun stuff tho. Thanks
Cool post.