Furu Furu Park Game Sample - Wii
0Furu Furu Park is an update to a Japanese mini-game compilation released back in 2006 for the Nintendo DS (under the name of "Turn it Around" Internationally and "Mawasunda!!" in Japan) that was originally meant to be a Wii launch title but was met with a few delays and complications and released several months later in 2007. Unlike the DS game, the game was only localized in the U.S. and not released in Europe and Australia from my understanding, which is strange since 505 Games is a pretty big supporter over there.
It's probably just as well, as the original game wasn't especially great and the Wii game was a mediocre game with an even more subpar localization (censoring certain mini-games, removing Japanese songs, and removing the primary 1P Mode, "Ikemen Challenge", which featured a basic plot where you try to impress girls). It has recieved mostly negative reviews for its short-lived experience, teaser-like mini-games which bring several beloved Taito characters and games back into the spotlight in (mostly shoddy) revivals like "Pocky & Rocky", "Sonic Blastman", "Bubble Bobble", and "Cameltry", and poor Wiimote play control and sensitivity. It was released as a budget game and developed by Taito and 505 Games, and published in the U.S. by Majesco. It's speculated that the game was censored to maintain an E10+ rating.
There are some things you can do to make the game more enjoyable, such as alter the difficulty and use a classic controller if you have one (though the game nor manual explain at all how to properly play with a classic controller). You can also play over twenty mini-games (some having multiple challenges or settings for up to 30 mini-games) and play against a friend in a few different modes (Love Challenge, Panel Attack, and Free Battle) and just seeing some old favorites in action is nice. It's budget price at $20 new was enticing, but the game as a whole barely manages to justify its pricetag. Of course, if you play well enough and capture at high enough quality, it's hard to make any game "look" bad, such as this one. It features a bunch of bright and colorful mini-games, quirky music, and an arcade-style approach with Wario Ware-esque appeal, and that's usually enough to entertain those who are easily amused. Many games should've had more depth though, especially the Taito classics like Bubble Bobble and Cameltry (they could've added more than ONE level to these games at random just to increase the game's longevity). With a little practice, almost every mini-game is pretty easy, but a few are a pain no matter how much you try to overcome the shoddy play control.
The game features extremely rudimentary but serviceable graphics for the most part and a few good tunes (I like the music in Puzzle Girls and the Sonic Blastman game in particular). The gameplay is questionable, as certain games can be beaten with little to no skill (such as Skateboarding and Unwrapping the Mummy) while others will give you migranes with their poor controls and Wiimote recognition. Generally speaking, all the games are playable on some level but unbalanced (some have stupidly easy clear conditions, others are strict, and some have more than one even though it's not pointed out). The verdict? If you're into Taito and Mini-Games, you should give the game a chance, especially since its bound to be cheap. If you hate censorship and missing content, import the Japanese version. This is a video showing the game in action. Enjoy.