Wii Party
© 2010 Nintendo of America
If you were stuck on a dessert island with three other people, this would be the game you want to have, providing you can get past the first few waves of menus. The game looks and feels a lot like past versions of Mario Party, and there's a LOT of content, with 80 diverse activities found in 13 party game modes. Some games are quite innovative. In Animal Tracker, for example, you place two or four Wii Remote controllers on a table. The game will make a noise, and the first player to grab the remote associated with the noise wins. Hide 'n' Hunt has one player asking the other players to leave the room while the Wii Remote controllers are hidden. When the other players return they have only a few seconds to find the hidden controllers. More traditional minigames include Derby Dash (use the Wii Remote as if you were holding a whip to spur your horse to victory); and Chop Chops (use the Wii Remote to see who can cut through vegetables the fastest). All in all, this is one of the best, most diverse party games we've reviewed. Developed by Nd CUBE CO., Ltd. for Nintendo.
$50, Wii
Teaches: fine motor control, timing, memory, logic, temporal relations, art
CTR Rating: 94%