Kombo : : : PS3 | 360 | Wii | Cube | Xbox | PSP | DS | Forums | Podcasts

AROUND KOMBO:
REVIEW
REVIEW: LittleBigPlanet PSP
It's fun, but lonely without multiplayer.
REVIEW
God of War Collection
The PS2 games upgrade to PS3 visuals
EDITORIAL
The Children of Mickey
The Mouse has had influence.
Furu Furu Park
Console
Wii
Publisher
Majesco
Genre
Action
Developer
Taito
Release Date
2008-01-19
ESRB Rating
Everyone
StumbleUpon Toolbar  
Posted by:
Ryan Olsen
Reviews Director
REVIEW
Furu Furu Park
February 5, 2008 | 8:26 AM PST

Kombo's Review Policy: Our reviews are written for you. Our goal is to write honest, to-the-point reviews that don't waste your time. This is why we've split our reviews into four sections: What the Game's About, What's Hot, What's Not and Final Word, so that you can easily find the information you want from our reviews.

What the Game's About
Furu Furu Park is another collection of mini-games for the Nintendo Wii. This time, Taito classic games are used in the backbone of some of the 30 mini-games to choose from. Arkanoid, Bubble Bobble, Sonic Blastman and even Pocky and Rocky make an appearance in the collection.

What's Hot
If you want a trip down memory lane in 90 second bursts, then Furu Furu Park is the place to start. Taito has some great classic gaming franchises for those gamers that can remember the 16-bit generation. Some gamers might want to check this out for the inclusion of a Pocky and Rocky mini-game in 3D.

The simple games that only require a stand-alone Wii-mote will keep you constantly on your toes. There are mental puzzles and the standard "wave your arms like crazy" games. You'll keep your hands moving in different positions from "lever position" to a classic "game pad" position. This ensures that most games feel slightly different than the last one you played, as long as you picked different categories of games.

Since this game is unapologetically catering to the fans of Eastern games, expect to see many strange things, like a green pig that tosses insults at you. A character named AfroLove that measures compatibility between first and second player makes for some awkward multiplayer matches. The list can go on. It makes the game unique and has a charm it can call its own while maintaining the casual game feeling.



What's Not
The box claims to have 30 mini-games. Technically, that is true, but a few of the games are rehashes or difficulty adjustments of other mini-games. So you get shortchanged slightly. Not only are there some duplicate games, many of them are not fun. Furu Furu Park tried to clone the success of other random mini-game titles but it never keeps the same frantic pace. Some of the games linger for too long and loose the excitement in the first 15 seconds.

The games are inconsistent across the board. While there are some outrageously fun games, others fail in the opposite direction. A few games you'll wonder why they were even included. Once you narrow in on the good games, the zany nature of the game will wear thin until you can find some more friends to play with.

As a general rule of thumb, for casual games like Furu Furu Park, which throw new challenges at players all the time, thrive when there is more than one person playing at a time. Furu Furu Park caps the multiplayer limit at two people and consequently limits the good kind of insanity that occurs.

Final Word
There are some strong positives with Furu Furu Park, mainly with the classic gaming angle. To say we were not impressed with Furu Furu Park when the Pocky and Rocky mini-game appeared would be a big fat lie. However, for a genre that lives and dies by how the next mini-game can out-do itself, Furu Furu Park wanders somewhere in limbo. There are some sweet high notes and some definite sour notes which will leave Furu Furu Park as an average mini-game title with some strong personality and a strong nostalgia factor for gamers who can think back to the 16-bit wars.

Visuals
The game scores points for creative absurdity and flashy neon colors.
7.5
Sound
Music is kept up-tempo to make you feel the game is more frantic than it is.
6.5
Control
There are not too many different ways to hold the Wiimote and some games are made more difficult because the controller doesn't always register the motion.
6.0
Gameplay
You can almost classify the games as the good, bad and the ugly.
5.5
Lasting Appeal
Multiplayer modes are the way to play Furu Furu Park but the limit of 2 players caps how crazy the game can get.
6.0
Verdict
While the mini-games are hit and miss, the personality and nostalgia factors in a degree to help the game overall.
5.8
[not an average]
Review Scores Guide
Screenshot Gallery

July 10, 2007

July 10, 2007

July 10, 2007

July 10, 2007

Got something that we should post on the site? Send it to us!
November 20, 2009
Happy Friday! Check out the new feature content we have available. Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Make sure you think about what you're most thankful for... Also, make sure you become a fan of Kombo on Facebook!!!

-- Ken Cauley, Editor in Chief

Kombo Breaker
FTW
Do you and your family celebrate Thanksgiving?
Vote!
(11/20/09 | 9:55 PM PST)
Supreme Commander 2 Moves Out in March
DiRT 2!!!
  • DiRT 2 for Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3
    Enter to win!
    E-mail us and include your full name, age and mailing address to enter.

  • Software
    Hardware
    All Time
    Weekly
    8.75m Japan
    26.08m America
    21.86m Others
    56.69M 
    1.19m Japan
    19.24m America
    12.94m Others
    33.37M 
    3.89m Japan
    10.32m America
    12.48m Others
    26.68M 
    28.36m Japan
    39.12m America
    46.54m Others
    114.01M 
    13.12m Japan
    17.80m America
    21.88m Others
    52.80M