EA Playground (Wii) Review
Posted by Ramon Aranda on 11.13.2007
Is EA Playground as fun as recess, or more painful than an algrebra test?
Title: EA Playground
Publisher: Electronic Arts (EA Games)
Type: Sports, Simulation
Players 1-4
Remember what is what like during recess in elementary school? With all the different lines of kids waiting to play one of many games in the school yard, it was hard to choose what to play. What really sucked was when you finally got to the end of the line only to get whopped on in tetherball or handball and have recess or lunch be over by the time it was your turn again. Well EA is giving players another shot at stepping into the schoolyard for some elementary school games.
I had the opportunity back in September to take “EA Playground” for a spin at EA’s Studio Showcase. I came away that day impressed with how much fun I was having with the game and was looking forward to taking the full version for a spin.
Gameplay
“EA Playground” features three different game modes; single player, multiplayer and quick play. As single player makes up for a bulk, if not most of the game, I dove right in to the schoolyard. You begin as one of a handful of selectable characters and then make your way to the schoolyard as the new kid. Your goal is to win in various competitions throughout the four areas of the schoolyard before taking on the champion for bragging rights. You start in a small area and only a couple of games at your disposal. By taking on each opponent, you will battle them in one of seven games and if you win, you can challenge them again in three matches of the same game with different rules. These challenges are known as Dares that will also earn you marbles. Once you have beaten a number of opponents, new areas in the schoolyard will open up.
Speaking of marbles, they are the currency in the game. Every time you win a game or challenge you collect marbles that can be used to purchase new abilities or special moves for each of the games. For example, you can choose to purchase an ability that will allow you to hit the ball harder in tetherball or purchase a new paper airplane that will help you succeed in that particular challenge. Marbles can also be found hidden across the entire schoolyard so you’ll have to be sure and check every nook and cranny.
To keep things on a level playing field, EA decided to unlock all abilities and special moves during multiplayer as to have a level playing field. That’s a good idea as you don’t want one player to be able to smash the ball in games like Kicks (which combines volleyball and soccer) while the other player has no such maneuver. Multiplayer ranges from 2-player games such as Handball to 4-player games like Dodgeball.
To control the game you put away the nunchuck and utilize only the Wii remote. To move your character around, you’ll have to use the D-pad which I found to be rather clunky and imprecise. Too many times you’ll find yourself trying to adjust the camera which is done with the B-button/trigger to get to where you want to be. I understand EA’s decision with using only the Wii remote for ease of use but I yearned for the analog stick time and time again. A lot of the games are fairly easy to play as you’ll only need to swing the remote when playing games like Handball and Tetherball (though you can use the A and B-buttons to affect your hit).
Graphics
One look at “EA Playground” and you’d think you were playing MySims. The characters are all vibrant and colorful and sport a cutesy look. That’s not to say it’s not a good choice for this particular game but I must admit that the lack of Mii Support would’ve been a nice addition given the simplicity of the art style. I don’t see any reason as to why we’re not allowed to use our Mii characters given the small amount of selectable characters and no customization option.
The characters all sport a very similar look so being able to customize each character or simply creating our own would have been welcomed but unfortunately were omitted for reasons unbeknownst to me. The game runs at 16:9 widescreen and 480p while running relatively smooth though I experienced a few drops in frame-rate.
Sound
There are some catchy tunes throughout the game but there is no voice-over work. All the characters talk in “Sim-speak” meaning they speak gibberish as they do on “The Sims”. Truthfully that didn’t bother me too much but I would’ve appreciated hearing some childish taunts like we all remember from school.
You really won’t get much more than that as other sounds are limited to sound effects from in-game happenings such as hitting a ball, racing cars and congratulatory celebrations. What I do like however is that as you’re walking around the schoolyard, you’ll often hear other kids playing in various directions so if you’re playing the game using Pro Logic II, you can hear many different activities going on around you that actually made me look around wondering if it was the game or something going on in my neighbor’s house.
Fun Factor
The game offers seven different games; Tetherball, Kicks, Paper Plane Flying, Slot Car Racing, Darts, Handball and the popular Dodgeball. Some of the games are a little too simplistic such as Handball where you simply wave the Wii remote to smack the ball back to the wall. Many times you’ll find yourself getting into 100-plus rallies that will make you want to lose on purpose. Tetherball is another game that’s a bit simple and you don’t do much than smack the ball which is what you’d do in real life but doesn’t necessarily translate all that well on a video game. There are some fun times to be had though if you look into playing Dodgeball which was my favorite of all the games. You have a squad of three and you simply grab a ball and launch it at one of your opponents. You can also catch a ball or swat it away by using the B-button and roll out of the way by swinging the remote. Dodgeball can be quite enjoyable especially when playing with a friend or friends. Slot Car Racing was also a bit addictive when you have others to play against.
Lasting Appeal
It’s no surprise that with the success of Wii Sports, other publishers try their hands on titles with loads of mini-games. This is exactly what EA Sports is; a collection of mini-games spread out and recycled with various difficulty levels. I can appreciate the single player mode as there are plenty of marbles to collect and various abilities and special moves to unlock by purchasing. There are only seven mini-games to choose from so the pool of games is a bit shallow but at least there are some extra activities you can find such as bug catching and shooting free throws.
You’ll find that the game keeps your stats on each game and on what you have collected so far. Though you can complete the single player mode in a matter of a few short hours, you can at least go back and try to collect all the different stickers and unlockables.
The 411
“EA Playground” is a game that will likely appeal to the younger crowd and there’s nothing wrong with that. Parents who are looking for something other than Wii Sports for their kids to play with will find that “EA Playground” hosts a short variety of fun games to play that also promotes multiplayer fun. For mature gamers however, “EA Playground” may likely be a game you pull out every once in a while with a host of friends, but the shallow gameplay may leave you wanting more.
Graphics
6.5
Cutesy art style similar to MySims but no Mii support or customization options.
Gameplay
6.5
Very easy to pick up and play.
Sound
6.0
Good use of surround sound with different activities happening around you. Not much more than that.
Lasting Appeal
6.5
Single player encourages you to play through a few times for unlockables and collectibles. Shallow mini-games though.
Fun Factor
7.0
Not much to play for after collecting everything. Multiplayer is enjoyable if only for Dodgeball and Slot Car Racing.
