‘Game Party 2’ Midway Games D – ‘ ‘ ‘ With winter on the horizon and frigid weather… ‘Game Party 2’ Midway Games D – ‘ ‘ ‘ With winter on the horizon and frigid weather already nipping the weary heels of class-goers, the gaming industry offers a variety of distractions for those days when trudging to the Cathedral ceases to even be an option. Fortunately for the introduction to Shakespeare class, ‘Game Party 2’ is not one of those games. ‘ ‘ ‘ While the overall concept of the ‘party game’ genre is a novel and often exhilarating addition to the refried market of first-person shooters and role-playing games, it is very possible to get it wrong. As nothing more than a lackluster attempt to cash in on the success of get-together games like ‘Rock Band’ and ‘Rayman: Raving Rabbids,’ ‘Game Party 2’ completely misses the mark. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Published by Midway Games, this Wii exclusive ($29.99) contains 11 different games with the option of having up to four players join in the ‘fun.’ Harnessing the motion-sensing capabilities of the Wii console, gamers can choose from party favorites like Bean Bags (corn hole), Skill Ball (ski ball) and Ping Cup (beer pong). Do not be deceived. This does sound like the video game equivalent to the world’s greatest drinking game, but these virtual representations drastically fall short of their Stone Age predecessors. ‘ ‘ ‘ All 11 mind-boggling attempts at entertainment consist of one action each: Hold the A button, move your arm forward, release the A button. This repetitive motion is the entire game play. Yes, in Darts the Wii Remote is held like a dart, and in Hoop Shoot the controller is arced like a basketball, but the monotonous action remains. Despite the simplistic button scheme, performing these tasks is more chore than enjoyment as lawn darts sail acres over the target and horseshoes clank inches from the player’s feet. Frustration sets in as the lightest toss sends ping pong balls flying across rooms and heavy heaves hit earth harder than Brad Lidge sliders. Beer pong enthusiasts will likely be drawn to the idea of using their consoles for the collegiate staple but are better off shopping at Rite Aid. There is no option of changing cup numbers, rules or subgenres of the game. As for dynamics, the first player to shoot can simply bounce balls to victory as the cups automatically rerack. Defense does not exist. ‘ ‘ ‘ The introduction of Chuck E. Cheese-esque tickets allows players to purchase different color throwing apparatuses and accessories for creating characters by performing well in arcade style games. However, all these extras can be unlocked in a matter of hours and do little to enhance game play, except cause a few chuckles with some of the more outlandish accessories. ‘ ‘ ‘ Bubbling in appropriate gender on a Scantron sheet is more satisfying than the ‘Game Party 2’ Create-a-Player. Gamers can choose from a handful of skin colors with predetermined faces, ridiculous hairdos, retro clothes and slapstick accessories. The intricacy here is kiddie pool deep. Why not simply allow Wii owners to import their lifelike Miis? ‘ ‘ ‘ Tournaments that can include up to 16 players are possible, but the game lacks online capability. An obvious question comes to mind:’ ‘When will 16 people be so desperate for entertainment that they skip the Friday night bar crawl for a virtual Puck Bowling fest?’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Game Party 2’ is rated E and is encouraged for family use, but at the same time it tries to market itself to the beer-guzzling Super Nintendo generation with games primary associated with drinking. The game suffers from a severe identity crisis that ruins an innovative idea. ‘ ‘ ‘ With the winter gaming influx arriving, where sure-to-be blockbusters like ‘Fable 2’ and ‘Dead Space’ garner the majority of attention, ‘Game Party 2’ looks to bounce to the bargain bins. ‘