Solo Attractions
Yoshi's Fruit Cart
We can't help wondering if Nintendo feeds their game characters enough - or perhaps they just have a more than average share of gluttonous characters. Bowser, Kirby, Wario; King Dedede, Snorlax, Lumas - and of course Yoshi - all have a tendency to think with their stomach first and foremost. Mostly known as Mario's noble steed, Yoshi's Fruit Cart puts the lovable green dinosaur in the driving seat for a relaxing little attraction controlled entirely on the GamePad's Touch Screen. Each stage in the game is littered with yummy fruit, and you need to draw a path to collect them all, avoiding any perils along the way. But as with most of these Nintendo Land games, there's a twist, in that the fruit, items and holes are only shown on the TV screen so you'll need to constantly compare your GamePad route to the TV screen to complete each level.
Octopus Dance
Next we'll be under the sea, in an Octopus's Garden near a cave. We can sing and dance around, playing games in Nintendo Land. Do do dooooo. For this attraction, you play the part of a diver who seems to have stopped for an impromptu dance break - following the lead of your instructor, you have to repeat back a series of arm movements, leaps and leans in time with the music by using the corresponding analogue stick on the GamePad. The awkward twist here is that the camera periodically rotates, meaning the left analogue stick ends up controlling the right arm, and vice-versa.
Donkey Kong's Crash Course
Incredibly tricky, this challenging game sees you tilting the GamePad to navigate a fragile cart though an intricate chalkboard maze, littered with lifts, moving platforms and all manner of interactive obstacles. It's a bit of a challenge, with each new area bringing with it new pitfalls, problems and probably a fair few deaths as you figure things out, but you'll soon find yourself racing through each section with ease; at least until you hit the ninth section, anyway. From our experience, this one tends to be a bit of a Marmite game - some of us find it fiddly and frustrating, while others find it to be one of those addictive 'one more go' type games.
Takamaru's Ninja Castle
Given the fun we've had with the Ninja star-throwing mini-game on Kirby's Adventure Wii, we we're kind of expecting this one to be a lot better than it is. Holding the GamePad portrait, you need to point the controller in the direction of the cardboard cut-out Ninjas that appear on the TV, swiping your finger across the Touch Screen to launch shurikens in their general direction, gaining points for each one you successfully shred. But while the differently coloured Ninjas have different attacks, with some preferring to slash you with swords, while others are a dab hand with bombs, you also have a few tricks up your sleeves, with the ability to chuck clay explosives and slow down time by tracing different shapes on the Touch Screen. Takamaru's Ninja Castle would probably be an alright game if it wasn't so difficult, but aiming the stars, and perhaps more importantly, managing to put enough power behind each shot so that it actually reaches it's target seems nigh on impossible to us. As far as we're concerned, the princess can stay kidnapped - we're kind of fed up with Monita's constant yammering anyway.
Captain Falcon's Twister Race
Much like the game it's based on, Captain Falcon's Twister Race is a high-speed race along a rather twisty, turny track that Health and Safety would have banned were it a real course. Holding the GamePad up vertically, you need to tilt it to control your rocket-powered ship on the TV, trying your best to dodge the explosive blocks, bouncing barriers and marbles that litter the course. Jump ramps provide an extra challenge, giving you a much needed boost, whilst also threatening to chuck you off the course, should you not hit them squarely. Sadly, it's a little bit awkward than it really should be, and there doesn't really seem much of a point to glancing down at the GamePad's screen (despite what it tells you in the tutorial) - not one of our favourites, but much more playable than Takamaru's Ninja Castle anyway.
Balloon Trip Breeze
The final attraction is another slower paced one, in which your Mii floats through the skies held aloft by a pair of balloons. Not actually controlling your character directly, budding balloonists can influence the direction he takes with the stylus, wafting him along with the power of the wind, being careful to avoid all the spiky blocks, angry airborne enemies and ocean-dwelling predators looking for a snack. Your journey begins on a nice sunny day, but as time passes the sky turns from a nice sunset and quiet nightfall to thunder, lightning and gale-force winds, all of which make your journey that bit more challenging. A surprisingly fun game, with an interesting control scheme - although surely he'd have been better off just catching the bus?
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So, to go back to our original question, is Nintendo Land worth the asking fee. As a bundle game, it ticks most of the boxes it sets out to achieve - making use of every GamePad feature imaginable, it certainly helps you get your head around everything the controller can do, although we can't help feeling it doesn't quite measure up to the sheer awesomeness that was Wii Sports Resort, nor is the GamePad itself quite as immediately intuitive as the Wii Remote was. For the fairly steep £40 retail price their asking, people who've picked up the Basic Pack may want to wait a while for the inevitable price drop - it's certainly a fairly substantial collection, packed with many fun games, but it's the sort of game where you're mileage may vary. You won't find any long, engrossing stories here, nor a sprawling career mode to trawl through, and most of the replay value will come from multiplayer mayhem and chasing your own high scores - for some, these alone may prove worth the entry fee.
Format Reviewed: Nintendo Wii U
