Wed, 13 May 2009 by Kaes Delgrego
Does this new party title set sail for glory or is it forced to walk the plank?
Although some would argue that it flies in the face of common sense, Aksys Games has decided to continue their "Family" franchise with the release of Family Pirate Party. Previous games in the series received unanimous criticism. Unfortunately, Family Pirate Party does little to differentiate itself from its poorly-received predecessors.
Taking the Mario Party syle of gameplay, Family Pirate Party has players traversing a set of islands (i.e. spaces on a board game) and competing for gold...and that's it. There are no alternate methods of play, such as Mario Party's Minigame Mode. Users simply select a character, a stage, the number of turns, and then start.
The game can be played by up to four players, any of which can be controlled by local multiplayer or AI. Character selections are limited to the extremely generic "Mommy," "Daddy," "Billy," and "Sarah" characters. As mentioned, the only single player mode is to start a game by yourself with computer-controlled partners.
After selecting a stage (between which there doesn't seem to be many non-graphical differences), the game begins. Players take turns rolling the dice (which, as expected, involves a wild flailing of the Wiimote) and move the corresponding number of islands. Once you reach an island, your marker is placed there and you earn gold. Similar to Monopoly, anyone who lands on an island that already has your marker will have to give you gold. Certain islands have cannons which can be used to destroy markers. The player with the most gold at the end of the pre-determined number of turns wins.
So what you're left with is a poor man's Mario Party. Indeed, some have been classifying the game as "Mario Party without the mini-games." This isn't quite accurate, as there are brief challenges that take place whenever landing on an island with the "!?" marker. But they pale in comparison to the mini-games of Mario Party. Particularly, they are far too few in number (there's only three as best as I can tell) and are played by only one person at a time. Where's the "family fun" in that? What kept Mario Party going was the use of a mini-game after every person's turn on the board, especially it's random team rules (1 vs 4 to 1 vs 3, everyone for themselves).
And after all, Mario Party's board game section always took a back seat to its mini-games. There have been many instances of friends getting together and just diving into some Mario Party mini-games without even bothering to pay attention to the central board game section. Thus, a mini-game-fest without solid mini-games is quite aimless. Unfortunately for Family Pirate Party, randomly flailing the Wiimote to beat up an octopus just doesn't cut it.
There's some minor excitement thrown in with the "helper" cards, which act similarly to power-ups in Mario Party: moving further, stealing money, skipping turns, etc. But it's not enough to make things terribly interesting. And additional-cost DLC? Seriously?
Development costs are typically quite higher for 3D games than for 2D ones. This leads one to wonder why, if short on resources, the developers couldn't have gone with high-resolution sprites for the game board and characters and instead devoted that time and money to having better fleshed out the playing experience. If there's one mantra that core Wii owners are known to chant, it's "gameplay over graphics."
That's not to say that the graphics are stellar by any means. Rather, the idea should be that when creating a new game for any system, the resource allocation should not automatically grant the largest chunk to creating graphics. It's beating a dead horse at this point in the Wii's lifespan, but no game can survive on graphics alone.
The music isn't hideous, but it could have been much better. It still has the "hotel chain welcome video" sound to it: self-assuringly brisk but not tense and repetitive as heck. It kind of comes with the territory, as any game with significant non-action time tends to have this sort of musical accompaniment (i.e. Wii Fit). Regardless, it's certainly not a saving grace for Family Pirate Party.
What's most unfortunate about games like this is that it risks defining WiiWare as a whole. The reality is that some poor games influence future prejudices on undeserving targets. It's not as though Family Pirate Party was a spectacular failure, but rather that Aksys Games seems content with the package it has delivered. It's understandable to try and not succeed; it's noble even. But to be content with the bare minimum harms not only oneself, but also one's similarly unsung equivalents.
1. Sycoraxic98
13 May 2009, 22:21 BST
Ok? DLC might make it better. I though Family Pirate Party was alright, but a little too child friendly.
2. Hyper Luigi
13 May 2009, 22:26 BST
They should call this Crapware Party,beacuse that's what it really is.
I would LOVE to see Mario Party on VC!
3. Terranigma
13 May 2009, 22:27 BST
Big surprise, another Family gane that sucked. You'd have thought that they'd got the point by now that the series needs serious improvement.
4. Corbie
13 May 2009, 22:29 BST
Please make our newest reviewer Kaes Delgrego feel welcome. Great review Kaes! That saved me some points.
5. Bahamut ZERO
13 May 2009, 22:29 BST
I remember when this was first announced and I wondered why it was E10+. Then some guy gave the descriptions from ESRB talking about it's Suggestive Themes. I loled so hard
6. WolfRamHeart
13 May 2009, 22:32 BST
Ouch! A three is pretty harsh but still I'm not surprised by the score. Pirates just can't get a break these days.
7. sirgrim
13 May 2009, 22:33 BST
Show momma pirate's cleavage plz.
8. sirgrim
13 May 2009, 22:34 BST
Oh there it is! Noice. No more reason to buy this.
9. WolfRamHeart
13 May 2009, 22:37 BST
Welcome aboard Kaes Delgrego! Too bad you got stuck reviewing this game!
10. Chicken Brutus
13 May 2009, 22:45 BST
@Corbie:
You want US to make him feel welcome? YOU'RE the one who stuck him with this bomb!
11. Corbie
13 May 2009, 22:46 BST
I didn't, Daz did.
I'm innocent, I tell you! It's his initiation. 
12. Dazza
13 May 2009, 22:52 BST
Haha blame me as always, reviewing a "Family" game is a good initiation to the team. Reviewing a great game is easy after all
Thanks for taking the bullet Kaes, great job!
13. Chicken Brutus
13 May 2009, 23:09 BST
Ha! Too true, Dazza. It's the Nintendo Life version of hazing.
Great job on this, Kaes. I never would have bought it anyway, but I enjoyed the review.
14. LegendofPasta99
13 May 2009, 23:15 BST
Good review, Kaes, very insightful!
15. pixelman
13 May 2009, 23:27 BST
I saw the review caption, and I knew it'd be the latter.
16. MarkyVigoroth
14 May 2009, 00:50 BST
I wonder if the hazed one will get revenge by formatting ALL of the hazer's Wii Systems (thus requiring them to re-buy everything, including that expensive World of Goo)? /hates hazing/
17. Twilight Crow
14 May 2009, 00:59 BST
Nice review Kaes, and welcome!
I don't like videogame board games that much, especially on wiiware, I'm usually a lonely player, and my place is very small so, my friends prefer me to go over theirs to play; still, I recommend good games like Jungle Speed to them, but I won't recommend this to anyone, thank you.
18. subzerobf
14 May 2009, 01:44 BST
Can't say I'm suprised, but I thought this one had some potential. I think the problem with the Family series, is it's just too generic. Having Family in the title really turns people off.
19. Ferret75
14 May 2009, 02:56 BST
Two things are making me laugh.
1. This got rated E10+, for jiggle effects, in a FAMILY game. XD
2. DLC? You gotta be kidding me.
20. Koto
14 May 2009, 03:14 BST
Nintendo can just make another Mario Party game,but they should make it seems as fresh and great as the first few games were.and they should also fix that framerate issue from Mario Party 8.until there is an actual board game style party game that i can play while taking breaks from the more core titles on Wii,i guess i'll just go get Dokapon Kingdom which seems really awesome for a party game
21. Objection_Blaster
14 May 2009, 03:54 BST
Thanks for the review. Trudge on, brave soldier.
Also, they actually surprised me with this game by it being even worse than its predecessors.
22. kaes
14 May 2009, 04:13 BST
Thank you all so much for the kind words! And hey, the new guy always has to earn his stripes.
23. KnucklesSonic8
14 May 2009, 04:48 BST
Honestly, I didn't like the review and in many ways its no better than IGN's review. I don't think the game's great but it definitely didn't deserve the judgment it was given. For starters, quit comparing it to Mario Party. It has much more in common with Monopoly than anything else. Besides, consider the game as its own unique style. Geez.
Additionally, there are some notable things that the review overlooks such as the fact that the names of the characters can be changed, plus, the reviewer didn't even bother to go into details about the different stages and how there is some strategy involved (more than the review lets on anyways).
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a big supporter of the Family series at all. I hated FTT and regret accepting the gift I was given. That being said, the game has had me have second thoughts about the series.
And no, the game is most definitely NOT worse than its predecessors. FTT is terrible compared to this.
I could go on with complaints but I'll restrain myself. I can see where the reviewer is coming but the game does have some redeeming qualities enough to warrant it a decent score in my books.
The review didn't surprise me at all, honestly. I knew the reviewer would approach the game with a not-so-open mind. Irregardless of that fact, I'm glad I didn't wait for a review because I would've been too hesitant to give it a go. Just like Boingz, the score the game received is undeserving.
@Bahamut: "Some guy" is me...
24. pie4prez
14 May 2009, 05:00 BST
shakes head
When will you learn Aksys Games? WHEN!?!?
25. KnucklesSonic8
14 May 2009, 05:13 BST
Really, you should be asking Arc System Works that question...
26. Corbie
14 May 2009, 05:20 BST
Honestly, I didn't like the review and in many ways its no better than IGN's review. I don't think the game's great but it definitely didn't deserve the judgment it was given.
Wow! Completely and utterly shocking!
You don't know how close I came to changing your username to "Some Guy"
27. KnucklesSonic8
14 May 2009, 05:35 BST
Corbie, honestly, IGN's review wasn't very professional. I think it's very clear that IGN's Wii reviews are rushed and their review for this was no exception. Didn't surprise me at all that it was poorly-written.
And don't get me wrong, it's not that I didn't like it because of the score. If there were enough things for me to agree upon that would make me see that the final score was warranted then sure, I'll agree. But some parts in the review are just not very well-written. The whole aspect of comparing it to Mario Party is what I find particularly... annoying, for lack of a better term. But each one to his own....
edit:
That "Some Guy" joke would've been funny. I'm actually surprised Bahamut didn't remember it was me since he talks about me quite a bit.
28. Corbie
14 May 2009, 05:36 BST
Hey Knuckles, you know I'm just messing with you. I love it that you chime in. If you didn't, what would we talk about?
29. KnucklesSonic8
14 May 2009, 05:40 BST
Well that is relieving. It's nice to know my presence is welcomed even when I feel I'm not. XD
On that note, guys, I've uncovered that this series is FAR from over. They've unveiled two new games and I can guarantee you they'll come here. One is a Card game that has online play and the other is... Tennis... Oh boy. Like they didn't get enough with TABLE Tennis, they had to do Tennis too. XD
I certainly hope ASW starts getting the messages, though, that their games are in need of some improvement in many aspects. At the very least, they are realizing that they can take advantage of online play to help rectify their games, sure, but why not focus more on the core mechanics a bit more? Sure 500 is hard to beat but that doesn't mean we should get bare minimum either. Who's with me?
I should also add that I've discovered that the game wasn't a direct localization from the JPN version. The maps have been slightly changed and the menu now has the Configuration button (just for Languages). For example, the first map (the Jungle stage) was only 10 turns in the JPN version and was essentially just a circle but the map we got is slightly bigger (looks more like an oval or at least a bigger circle) with 15 turns. Just some interesting details...
Also, could these be the hinted swimsuit costumes....? If so, once again, ESRB missed that.
http://arcsystemworks.jp/sugoroku/system.html
30. jangonov
14 May 2009, 06:26 BST
A very well spoken review that brings up many good points.
31. Dawnclaude
14 May 2009, 07:57 BST
uhm ...and a normal swimsuit would be +12 age rating in ESRB?
32. City Of Delusion
14 May 2009, 08:45 BST
Another Family game gets a universal kicking...
It makes me glad that they're stupidly slow in getting the PAL version released.
33. LEGEND MARIOID
14 May 2009, 09:21 BST
Good review.
I thought the score seemed a tad low judging by the content of the revw (5/10?), but either way its not for me obviously!
34. Chicken Brutus
14 May 2009, 12:54 BST
You guys should set up an interview with the Family Series game designers.
NINTENDOLIFE: Will you stop making these games?
DESIGNERS: No.
NINTENDOLIFE: Please, please, please stop making these games.
DESIGNERS: No.
35. Mainstreamguy
14 May 2009, 14:57 BST
great review, but i noticed a little mistake
you said Mario Party has 1 vs. 4 mode but it has only 1 vs. 3 mode
36. kaes
14 May 2009, 15:58 BST
@KnucklesSonic8: Thanks for the constructive criticism, I'm always very open to it. I assure you, I did go into the game with an open mind. As I said in the conclusion, I really don't take pleasure in watching games fail (particularly in such an isolated niche as WiiWare). I'd love for every game to succeed. But as I interpreted it, this game just wasn't worth the money. If someone is looking for a similar experience, their money would be better put towards a Monopoly board.
And I totally understand how it can get nauseating to hear a game repeatedly compared to another franchise over and over and over again. But seeing as the game was obviously inspired by Mario Party, it'd be an oversight to ignore it. Additionally, many people are familiar with Mario Party so it helps to have that as a reference point when describing how it's played.
But either way, thanks so much for your honesty. I look forward to reading more of your critiques in the future.
@Mainstreamguy: D'oh! Thanks for the heads-up.
37. KnucklesSonic8
15 May 2009, 04:10 BST
@kaes: It does me good to hear that you appreciate my... umm... "critiques". Lol. AFAIC, the game isn't so bad to label it as a failure.
I wanted to ask you (yes, this means you kaes), did you bother playing multiplayer and getting the DLC before writing the review?
Everyone's thoughts on the game will vary. kaes views it as a game that doesn't work well, I view it as decent yet fun, OMG Nintendo also labels it as good fun. Like I said before, each one to his own. It's not for everyone (like a lot of other games on the service) but the game is enjoyable with the right setting.
The bit about the Mario Party comparison, though. What I didn't like is that was compared to it SO much (though not as bad as IGN's review). The game should be considered for what it is. It's not meant to compete with Mario Party and given the fact that the game's focus is more on strategy, there are more differences between the two than one would gather upon first glance.
"If someone is looking for a similar experience, their money would be better put towards a Monopoly board." - Last time I checked Monopoly isn't available on the WiiWare service. There are other reasons why that's not really the greatest of comparisons....
38. SonicMaster
16 May 2009, 01:55 BST
Hello! I'm new to the site, but I've been reading the reviews here since early this year. Good review. I DON'T plan to buy this ANYTIME soon.
39. KnucklesSonic8
16 May 2009, 22:26 BST
Welcome to the site!
40. SonicMaster
17 May 2009, 03:49 BST
why thank you!
41. boomface123
05 Jul 2009, 17:25 BST
welcome here im new 2
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