Carnival Games

E3 2007 Preview

Carnivals can be an exciting place: cool rides, fun games, the memory of watching your friend freak out at the mere mention of a 50-foot drop. Over the years we've seen various carnival games make their way to malls and arcades. Soon we'll see them appear on Wii in the form of a game that's simply titled Carnival Games. More than 25 games will make it into the final package, including virtual adaptations of ski ball, basketball, strength testing, and the water-squirting balloon game. Join me as I examine some of the mini-games shown this week at E3.

Alley Ball

It's ski ball meets Wii Sports Bowling. Aim just as you would in Wii Bowling using the D-pad to change your swing's direction. Then, without holding down a single button, pull back and swing forward. The ball is released, runs down the lane, and hopefully lands in one of the high-point spheres. Speed plays a roll in how effective your roll is. Move too fast and the ball will go above the last sphere and miss it by a few inches; swing too slowly and you'll be lucky if the ball doesn't just roll right below the first sphere, leaving you with the lowest point award possible.

I reached the 50-point sphere by my third swing and I gotta say, it felt pretty darn good. If there had been more time, I just know I could have landed in the 100-point sphere.

Spilled Milk

A simple game of swing-the-remote-toward-the-screen, Spilled Milk is Carnival Games' version of the game where jocks throws balls at milk jugs to win large stuffed animals for their girlfriends. A green cursor moves independently in a zigzag pattern -- your job is to swing the remote forward as soon as it's lined up with the area of the jugs you'd like to hit. This is a cool mini-game, but as a hardcore gamer, I would have liked the option to manually aim the ball while throwing. Unfortunately, that could have potentially alienated its target market: new and casual game players that want quick, motion-activated thrills.

Super Spilled Milk

Same as the others but with jugs that increase in numbers after every throw.

Test Your Strength

Wind the remote (shake it feverishly until a meter fills), then press the B button and whack your hand forward with as much force as possible. As you can probably guess, this game is designed to emulate the thrill of slamming a hammer against a metal sensor. If done well, a cylinder is sent to the top, showing your prowess. The same is true for Test Your Strength. The slamming part is rather easy, but the shaking / winding portion takes some endurance. 2K Games informed me that one attendee had to quit during his second try, saying, "I'm tired already."

Side Shows

All of the main mini-games will be accessible to up to four players, but Side Shows -- which are "minier mini-games," says 2K -- are only for one player at a time. Only one Side Show was demonstrated -- a fortune-telling game where you ask a question that just has to be answered. It's a just-for-fun game where you are supposed to play along as your actions actually meant something. Hold the remote to your head, ask a question, then point it down and press the A button for an answer.

Due out on August 27, Carnival Games is a mini-game collection to keep an eye on. Stay with us as we bring you more on this game leading up to its release.

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