Squeeballs Party – WII – Review

It’s no secret that the Nintendo Wii
has become a thriving platform for party games. Most of these games are highly
accessible, fairly simplistic, and lighthearted enough for children and families
to join in. Squeeballs Party is similar to most Wii party games, with the
possible exception of its tone. The game’s premise sees players as toy testers
for the Squeeballs, a highly-animated bunch of critters that will happily submit
to all manner of gruesome experiments at the hands of the player.

Granted, there is nothing overtly
grotesque about the “games,” which test the Squeeballs to their limits. If
anything, it’s more about the implied suffering – the rotund little guys will
take anything you throw at them, but since they don’t appear to suffer, it’s a
fairly thin strand of moral tightrope. Still, Squeeballs Party has been rated E
for Everyone, so the ESRB obviously took no offense by the act of tossing a
cartoon critter into a meat grinder.

Squeeballs should help the kiddies
to get a bit more exercise with their Wii-motes, or at least, burn off some
excess energy. The multitude of gameplay challenges requires different uses for
the Wii-mote, as one might expect, with some obvious “inspiration” taken from
previous games (Cooking Mama, for example). Due to the highly competitive nature
of the games offered, this is perhaps not the best introductory title for
someone who has never played a Wii game before – a point worth mentioning, if
Squeeballs is intended for use during holiday gatherings.

As far as party games go, Squeeballs
Party does manage to hold up nicely. The games certainly offer hours of fun, and
the slight changes in gameplay modes help to extend replayability. The games
that utilized the paint mechanic seemed impressive at times, but there were more
familiar game modes available. Unfortunately, the adjustments made to each game
type do not keep the game fresh indefinitely. I suspect the bowling modes will
cause many players’ eyes to glaze over; no matter how hard one tries to dress up
an old game, its tired mechanics will always show through in the end.

The main saving grace of Squeeballs
Party can be found, as you might imagine, in the Squeeballs themselves. These
lively creatures definitely help solidify the game’s signature style, and
provide a simulated level of interaction during the single-player games. Not
surprisingly, Squeeballs becomes a far greater delight when played in groups.
Children will no doubt enjoy the antics of the creatures, and the game’s vibrant
use of color helps to reinforce the family-friendly nature of the game. Like the
gameplay, the audio gets a bit repetitive at times, but it’s still tolerable. It
might not be in the upper echelon of Wii party games, but Squeeballs Party can
provide suitable short-term entertainment for the family.


Review
Scoring Details for Squeeballs Party

Gameplay: 7.2
The mini-games
are fun and nicely executed, but lack long-term appeal and could use greater
variety.


Graphics: 7.8 
Appropriate use
of color and excellent animation brings the Squeeballs to life, almost to a
creepy degree.


Sound: 6.0
Zany audio cues
can get a bit annoying, so you may find yourself lowering the volume during a
prolonged session.


Difficulty: Medium
Approachable for
children, but the challenge is still substantial.


Concept: 8.0 
A unique premise
for a party game, Squeeballs successfully spruces up the genre.


Multiplayer: 7.5
Full of frantic
gameplay, this is where the game shines at its brightest. Squeeballs is best
enjoyed with groups of younger players.


Overall: 7.5
Squeeballs Party
isn’t the best party game on the Wii, but it’s certainly nothing to scoff at. An
innovative premise hides a conventional, but fairly streamlined set of gameplay
modes that should keep young audiences occupied for hours. A bit more variety in
the gameplay could really improve the experience for a sequel.