Furu Furu Park review

Part minigame compilation, part classic collection - all shallow

12DOVE Verdict

Pros

  • +

    It's only $20

  • +

    Afro Love and his brothers

  • +

    Remembering classic originals

Cons

  • -

    So little to do

  • -

    Only marginally interesting

  • -

    Classics are wasted here

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We've lived with the Wii for more than a year now, so there's really no reason to belabor this opening point: Yes, the Wii plays host to an inordinate amount of minigame collections. Furthermore, most of them are insipid, although some few are actually worth your time, whether you're flying solo or waggling with companions. Furu Furu Park unfortunately does not fall into that worthwhile category, but it's hard to tell if it just misses the mark or if it truly falls into the category of soulless casual cash-ins. We're not even sure that the developers knew what they were aiming for.

Thirty minigames populate the lineup in Furu Furu Park, most utilizing the motion controls of the Wii Remote to perform simple actions. While the majority are original bits concocted specifically for this release, a handful of the minigames are patterned as bite-sized versions of Taito classics, including Pocky & Rocky and Arkanoid. But we're using only a miniscule amount of hyperbole when we say there's nothing to these games. Case in point: Arkanoid and Bubble Bobble each feature only a single stage.

Even the new segments, such as Skateboarding, Rev the Engine and Super Karate, may last 30 seconds or less and require minimal player interaction, such as holding the Wii Remote in one of three predetermined positions. We're not decrying simplicity as a general design element, but too many of the included games feel tossed together, while the few notable ones offer only seconds of unique play.

More info

GenreOther Games/Compilations
DescriptionQuirky characters and retro favorites from Taito can't save this too-short minigame collection from being largely uninteresting.
Platform"Wii"
US censor rating"Everyone 10+"
UK censor rating""
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
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Andrew Hayward
Freelance writer for GamesRadar and several other gaming and tech publications, including Official Xbox Magazine, Nintendo Power, Mac|Life, @Gamer, and PlayStation: The Official Magazine. Visit my work blog at http://andrewhayward.org.