Nintendo is framing this game as the Wii U equivalent to Wii Sports.
There’s only one problem...Nintendo Land is not Wii Sports.
That game defined a generation, redefined an industry and became one of the most transcendent
and influential video games in history.
Wii Sports was a revolution.
Nintendo Land is a minigame collection.
Of course, that’s not to say it’s not a great minigame collection.
And really, that’s the important thing about Nintendo Land.
If you can forget the expectations, fair or unfair, that you may have due to its pack-in
predecessor...you’re in store for a real treat in Nintendo Land.
It’s not a game changer, but it is a great game.
Nintendo Land is a collection of twelve minigames.
Not exactly a description with a positive connotation, but the thing is...they’re
really good.
I mean, these are not your Wii’s minigames.
These are great, some legitimately awesome, and there are really three reasons they’re
so good...depth, variety and the GamePad.
And I guess this is where the Wii Sports comparisons are useful.
Just as that game served as the introduction to a bizarre controller, so does Nintendo
Land.
Each of the minigames show off different elements of the platform and its controller, and as
much fun as it is...it’s also a relief.
Conceptually, the Wii U is just a muddled contrast to the clarity that defined Wii,
but Nintendo Land finally brings into focus what things like “asymmetrical gameplay”
can mean.
Turns out it means “awesome.”
They’re divided into three categories, hence the variety.
There are team games, which can be played alone or cooperatively with a group; there
are competitive games, which can only be played with friends; and there are solo games for
single-player play.
Yes, single-player minigames...that are so good, you actually play them.
That’s where the depth becomes evident.
You almost forget it’s a compilation when playing DK’s Crash Course, Zelda’s Battle
Quest or Metroid Blast, which is even better with friends.
The player with the GamePad controls a gunship, as the other four players are on-foot, usually
asking for some cover.
And it’s exactly that dynamic between the different controllers that makes Nintendo
Land such a great party game.
One player is overpowered, but the others have the numbers.
And you know, another defining element of Nintendo Land is how it celebrates the games
themselves.
In fact, to make another comparison, it’s a lot like Smash Bros. in that way.
You can earn coins during the minigames, which you can use to play a game of plinko, which
earns you prizes that fill your theme park.
See, the games have a hub world that’s basically a Nintendo version of Disney Land.
Eventually, it’s packed with animatronic nods to Nintendo’s history.
For a gamer, it’s like a trip down memory lane.
Of course, memories are also this game’s undoing.
Particularly the memory of when Nintendo’s last launch title changed everything.
Nintendo Land won’t do that, but with a group of friends, it does capture a bit of
that magic.
Your Aunt Fran probably won’t ask to borrow this one, but I think we can all live with
that.