Ah well, looks like I'll never be able to add my review about Game Party 3, so I'm just gonna add it here. Grumble!
Even though this game was on sale for a very low price (usually the sign of a very bad game) I had money to burn and needed a new game to play on the Wii. Having only the bare minimum of Wii Sports on my console, I needed something else to expand the usage of my Wii, especially with my other family members who had grown bored of the same baseball, tennis, bowling etc. Not expecting much, I put in the disc. But to my amazement, Game Party 3 was actually very enjoyable! For such an unassuming game, it has loads of variation and games to play for everyone, and more than one way to play your favourites too. It boasts an impressive 19 hit games: Pool, lawn darts, beer pong, mini-golf, darts, bocce ball, horse shoes and trivia challenges to name a few.
The controls are fairly simple (in some cases deceptively simple), but it still takes into account the small variations in your hand movements and throws, so it's not all the same thing. A little more variation could have done wonders, but keeping the controls so simple has its' benefits in allowing the game to be accessible for both young and old. Graphics are acceptable, if not a little bit better than that, for a Wii game, and I'm digging the high-score system (although a high-score for ALL games would've been nice, instead of just single-player games). In a way the preset high-scores already posted are so low it's not even fun to beat them, but I suppose it allows you to fill up the scoring sheets with your name rather than randoms.
Downsides. Let's be honest, for a game like this you can allow and accept a few detriments. The music can be annoying at the beginning, as can the constant need to select a character between games, rather than just keeping it picked for all your plays. But the worst, well not worst but maybe the weirdest, flaw has to be the ticket system. In single player games, your character can win "tickets" - the better you do, the more you earn. These tickets can then be spent on new character clothing, props and new items in game. However, these items have no use or special feature; they're purely there for aesthetics (i.e., instead of a blue dart, you can now play with a striped one). And secondly, the tickets are very easy to get, making you feel like the game was made for very bad, young children or very bad people in general. I literally played for an hour and had unlocked everything.
This of course doesn't effect the gameplay or fun in any way, but it'd be nice to have something to work for or some shiny cool item to unlock. Generally in the way these things come together in the game, Game Party 3 seems to suffer from a bit of an identity crisis - unlocks easy enough for a toddler to clock, yet some games only a frat boy in his twenties could appreciate. The inclusion of games such as Whack-a-troll, although fun, shows the game definitely is made for a younger audience, but again, billiards and beanbag throwing is made more for an older gamer statistic.
So in conclusion, while a bit confusing in regards to who the game is actually intended to be played by, there is no denying it is still a lot of fun for all ages. The games will keep everyone entertained, young and old, and the mixed-bag assortment of games means everyone will find a challenge somewhere. For a game of this calibre, Game Party 3 certainly does impress and certainly has given me the ability to boost any party and my money's worth. If you liked Wii Sports, but like me wanted variation, the this game will be up you alley. A solid performance for its' genre.
And if the stupid reviews system HAD been working, I'd have given this a 3.5 - 4 stars. But it's not, despite me contacting numerous admins/staff members. Sigh.
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