The Nintendo Wii has, it is fair to say, more than its fair share of party games. It’s My Circus is the latest addition to the foray, offering players a chance to compete in a whole wealth of sub games, all centred around the big top theme. What this boils down to is 40 different interactive games, which require you to wiggle, waggle and wobble your way through thanks to cunning use of the Wiis remote control. Owners of a balance board are also catered for here, with some games able to make use of it to play certain games on, which makes a nice change from simply using it to get fit on – at last, it has other uses!
Party games are all about the quality of the games themselves, and I have to say we have a mixed bag here. Some of the controls were just impossible to pick up, some of the other games seemed unresponsive, and there were only a handful that I could keep coming back to.
Graphically, this looks overly simple in places, and you get the impression the artists just put the bare minimum effort in at points. Music and sound effects are fair to middling, and the derivative circus tunes will have you reaching for the volume control after about an hour or so.
Let’s make no bones about this, It’s My Circus is a game intended for children. Having said that, adults will still be able to find enough here to keep themselves occupied as they play along with the kids.
A word of warning though – some of the controls in certain games are a bit tricky to get to grips with, and I think they’ll be beyond the abilities of some children. I would like to say with 40 games to keep you going, this represents good value for money for the younger gamer, but unfortunately the games themselves are not of a high enough standard. If this was a real life circus, it would be shut down. If it is a true party game you are after, you’re really best off sticking to Wii Sports…
