Guilty Party (Wii)

[Rev1]

I somehow was recommended this game from a source (I thought it was this site but when I checked the review section it was absent, so I guess not) and I picked it up from a game store a while ago. I was digging through my games with a friend today and I suggested we try this game, not really knowing what to expect. I know it is one of the many different shovelware titles on the Wii but supposedly this one was supposed to be pretty good.

After starting it up I found out it was a mystery solving game, kind of like clue. The game has the main story, multiplayer, and a variety of different modes. However, the only thing that is unlocked at first is the main storyline, so we selected that and thankfully it had a co-op mode. This game is a lot of fun. The first mission is a tutorial and walks you through how to play the game. You're given a number of coins which allow you to perform actions during your turn. During your turn you can walk around the map (this varies from a mansion, train, and many other locations) and enter different rooms, search for clues, investigate your surroundings, gather action cards, and interrogate witnesses. All of this is done with a pseudo-timer, as you're given a set number of turns in which you have to complete the mission or you fail.

Each stage has a mission of some sort, with the first stage being a search for who ate the pudding. As you walk around the map you enter various rooms and random events happen in between turns, such as rooms locking, traps being placed, and a random card being given to you which allows you to perform power ups. Your main goal is to gather clues and figure out who the guilty person is, all while gathering evidence against them. Even if you know who the person is you must be able to prove it was them by your evidence. The game never takes itself very seriously and the clues would definitely not hold up in a court of law.

As you search for clues and interrogate witnesses you must play mini-games in order to gather the clue from the person/environment. There are a wide variety of mini-games which are all fairly fun and as you do better on the mini-games your detective rank goes up, thus making the mini-games more difficult. If mini-games aren't your thing, the game will keep you on the easier mini-games making it a good game for those with gaming experience and those who are a casual gamer. The mini-games tend to be ridiculous such as staring at the witness, putting literal words in someone's mouth, popping their thought bubbles, and many more. I found the games pretty funny and they are perfect for a kid.

The game is controlled completely by the Wii Motion controller and all the game plays use the controller in different ways. The map is easily moved around on the map with simple buttons on the screen and the use of the pointer. Most of the mini-games are fairly easy to figure out with the motion controls and they are simple enough that the games never feel aggravating for a lack of a controller.

I only had a chance to play the story mode with my friend, and we really dug through the clues (as we gathered them) and tried to figure out who was guilty. It was a lot of fun and the gameplay lends itself well to co-op play. There was a lot of strategy about who would go where and sharing power up cards with each other. We cleared the first 4 missions. As the game progresses the stages get larger and the number of clues and suspected increase. I definitely want to play this again as it was a lot of fun. It took us about 3 hours to clear the first few mission.

I would definitely recommend this game for anyone who is looking for an obscure Wii game to play. If I remember correctly the game is a expensive for a shovelware Wii title, running at around $20 used (which really isn't too much) but it is a great co-op game and fun for kids and adults. I really want to try the multiplayer mode next time my friend comes over, it seems like it'll be a lot of fun. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Give it a shot.

[JustLikeHeaven1]

Thanks for highlighting this game.  Games like this are why I say the Wii has such a great library of games.  If you dig you'll find some really good 3rd party stuff.