Go, Diego, Go! Safari Rescue (Wii and PS2)
© 2008 2K Play
Designed for preschool- and kindergarten-aged children but fun enough to keep a grownup entertained, this one-player scavenger-hunt lets children steer Diego -- Dora's older cousin -- across Africa in an attempt to help the animals. An evil magician has been loose, doing things like steeling the zebra's stripes. Children collect needed items in their backpack, along with large, easy-to-find diamonds. The plot works well with the game play; clearly this type of game could be a template for many future cartoon-related adventures. There are ladders, platforms, rivers with moving logs, tunnels, trampolines and swinging vines; plus six types of races for one or two players with elephants or hang gliders (lean left or right to steer). While none of these venues are unique to video games, they will be to the audience of first-time players. That makes this game a powerful first introduction to interactive content, and to NickJr. characters -- an outcome that won't go unnoticed by the marketing department at Viacom. One particularly nice attribute of this game is that failure isn't an option. As hard as we tried, we just couldn't kill Diego by doing things like walking over a cliff or falling off a vine (he just stops if he gets in a dangerous spot). Features include an auto-save feature that bookmarks up to three children's games when in the Adventure Mode. On the PS2 version, you'll need a memory card. We also liked the Helper Mode, where a parent or older sibling can pick up a second controller to assist with one of the tasks such as blowing up a balloon or washing off an elephant. The initial setup of the game is clunky, so you'll want to be on hand to help your child navigate through the saving games options, which unfortunately require reading (what were they thinking?). Also the Wii's handlebar control scheme takes some getting used to. Interestingly, this is one game where the PS2 controls are more intuitive to use than the Wii. But once you get through the usability initiation, the game format pulls even the youngest child in. There's a bit of educational content, but not much. Some animal facts are thrown into the story ("hippos are plant eaters and elephants are good swimmers"), and children learn that the Swahili word for 'hello' is 'Jumbo'. As with other Dora and Diego titles, there's a bit of Spanish introduced, and children enjoy counting their collected diamonds. If you're looking for an excellent first experience for a first-time Wii or PlayStation players, this game will keep young children busy for many Saturday mornings. Developed by High Voltage for 2K Play with consultation by designers at NickJr. Note that a DS version is also available (see review). See also Dora Saves the Mermaids for PS2 and Go Diego Go! Great Dinosaur Rescue.
$40303, Wii, PlayStation 2
Teaches: language (Spanish, English, some Swahili) logic, timing, animal facts
CTR Rating: 90%