Toy Story Mania :: Wii Game Review
Toy Story Mania is a collection of mini-games based in the Toy Story universe that features appropriately themed shooting/tossing galleries adorned with favourite characters like Buzz and Woody. Up to four players can enjoy what little is offered here, with only 10 shooting galleries and a handful of other short games.
Mania-cal Motion Control
Though named Toy Story Mania because of the “manic” carnival atmosphere, most of the mania I experienced while playing this game was due to the un-cooperative and unpredictable controls. One of the mini-games in story mode has you navigate a silver ball through a maze by moving the maze itself, like the old wooden mazes with knobs on the side still available in old-style toy stores. This mini-game would be difficult enough on it’s own even if the motion control worked properly, but in the current state it’s in, this mini-game is virtually unplayable and certain to frustrate even the most patient young gamers.
Firing Off Target
The shooting galleries don’t fare much better. I was playing on a 27 inch TV, which is always very accurate when pointing the Wiimote due to the small size, was sitting 6 feet away from the screen and still wasn’t able to accurately aim outside the center of the gallery area. This meant that many of the targets near the corners of the screen are difficult for even the most skilled Wii-marksman, let alone the young people who this game was designed for.
Moral Of The Story
In the end, Toy Story Mania offers neither quantity nor quality. The few mini-games offered are either too easy or too frustrating because of the sloppy controls. The Toy Story theme isn’t strong enough to recommend to fans of the series; this is a poorly made collection of mini-games looking to cash-in on the new 3D Toy Story films. Best to stick to the Mario Party or Rayman Raving Rabbids series for your mini-gaming mania.
Rating:
Price: $49.99
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
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