Review: Hasbro Family Game Night 2 (Wii)
November 22nd, 2009 | Written by Danreb Victorio | Topic: Reviews, Wii
Remember those rainy days where you’d stay home and play board games with your family? … Yeah, neither do we. But the fact of the matter is board games still hold some sentimental value, even though sales have dropped drastically over the years—mostly due to the fact that they cost at about $30 a pop. EA Play is taking advantage of this situation by releasing a compilation of games that are actually updates to American favorites, and if you can get by the fact that none of these games are violent nor include some kind of story, there’s actually some enjoyment you can get out of these.
Hasbro Family Game Night 2 comes packed with five games that are playable by up to four people. The games included are Connect 4×4, Jenga, Operation, Pictureka, and Bop It. As stated in the introduction, if you were to buy physical sets of these games, they’d probably cost around $30 each, so this is compilation is actually quite a deal at $40.
If you’re unfamiliar with any of these games, explanations of each follow.
Connect 4×4 is an update to the wildly popular Connect Four. The rules have remained the same, except now, there are even more colors and different kinds of checkers you can drop onto the shuffling board. The Remix Mode (which is available in every board game) adds different power-ups that you can use to gain an advantage over your opponent.
Jenga is a game that begins with a tower of blocks. The object of the game is to remove blocks from random areas in order to make the tower taller. The player who causes the tower to collapse loses. The Remix Mode limits players from touching certain blocks.
Operation is a game that requires healthy and timely reflexes to get Cavity Sam off the operation table. Players take turns digging into different cavities to rid Sam of whatever ails him. The Remix Mode gives the game a bit more of a realistic feel by having players participate in different waggle-type minigames to keep them on their feet.
Pictureka is a game that challenges your vision by forcing you find a certain picture amidst hundreds of other pictures. The first player to find that matching picture wins. The Remix Mode adds even more pictures of cards to further confuse the player.
Bop It is definitely the most recent game of the bunch, but unfortunately doesn’t play that well on the Wii. Due to the fact that the Wii Remote is not a Bop It accessory, and also due to the fact that the motion sensitivity is overly sensitive, Bop It is simply impossible to play.
For a different taste of each game, you can also take part in the Game Show, which stars Mr. Potato Head as the host. In the Game Show Mode, players take turns spinning a wheel to play different games, and the player who does the best at each game will move farther on the game board. The game board is divided into four parts, and the object of the game is to have the player claim the most parts by traveling farther than the other. Ties are broken by playing a gauntlet of games in Remix Mode.
The game’s graphics are not only what you’d expect out of a Wii game, they’re also what you’d expect out of a board game. Visuals consist mainly of graphics you’d see last generation, except with a slightly higher frame rate. The sound is also fairly standard with nothing annoying, except for random quirks from Mr. Potato Head. They definitely don’t do anything to push the envelope, but either way, this is a casual game for a casual audience.
Hasbro Family Game Night 2 is nothing but a way to take advantage of the Wii’s younger and more family-oriented audience. But at that, the game is actually a pretty solid title. With the exception of Bop It, every game is playable and has its own unique flavor to it, keeping things fresh and interesting. If you’re looking for a good stocking stuffer for a young Wii owner in the family, Hasbro Family Game Night 2 isn’t too bad.
Score: 6.6 | Recommendation: Rent It
(Casual players only.)
