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Birthday Party Bash (Wii)

common sense media says

Birthday party planner in a box uses Wii games to entertain.

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this is more than a birthday-themed minigame collection – it is also a guide on how to throw a fun, high-tech at-home birthday party using a Wii. By choosing a theme for your party, and then entering each party-goer's name, the software sets up the rotation of kids playing the games. The game's manual is full of suggestions of other non-tech games and activities to use in addition to playing the birthday-themed minigames.

Educational value: The manual helps to educate parents on how to plan a fun birthday party.
Positive messages: The predominant message is that birthday parties are a way to have fun with your friends. The game manual contains many positive messages about how to plan a party. It suggests asking about food allergies and explains how to ensure that everyone at the party has their fair share of turns on the Wii. The manual also contains many healthy recipes for party snacks. It suggests real games that would go well with the Wii games.
Positive role models: The possible avatars are racially diverse and come in all shapes and sizes. Everyone within the game is supportive of others. When your avatar wins a game, it is show on a platform as being higher than the other players. The winning avatar does a dance while the others clap. The game creates an environment of celebration.
Ease of play: Each game comes with a short video showing you how to play. The controls are easy to pick up and intuitive, even for kids as young as age 4 or 5.
Violence & scariness: In one game you will shoot at gremlins to turn them into Teddy bears or other toys, and in another, you shoot at balloons on the screen to collect points.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: 2K Play has partnered with Duncan Hines, Party City, and Evite to create this game. One of the minigames is called "Duncan Hines Cake Stacker" and has advertisements for Duncan Hines products within the game. The game manual contains recipes using Duncan Hines, and also recommends using Evite for online invitations.
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More on Birthday Party Bash

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about how birthday parties have changed over the years. Had you heard of or played most of the games in the compilation, or were many new to you? Did you like the tech version or the real world version better? Why.
  • Did you relate to your avatar? How important is it to you what your avatar looks? Do you like your avatar to look like you or very different from you?

What's the story?

What's the story?
Got a child's birthday party to plan? BIRTHDAY PARTY BASH can help. This Wii game is more than just a compilation of 22 birthday-themed minigames, it is also a birthday party planner. The game manual explains how to organize a party from choosing a theme and sending out the included invitation cards to planning the food and crafts, and then trying out the Wii games that will be played during the party. By selecting Custom Party and entering each party-goers name, the game will take over the organization of taking turns playing the 15 randomly selected games. With the Quick Party and Free Play modes, you decide which games to play and who is playing them. Kids can play virtual musical chairs, hot potato, sack races, Red Light-Green Light, break the piñata, and pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. Other games feature virtual rock climbing, balloon-popping, and shooting gremlin statutes with lasers.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

With 22 birthday party-themed games, there is a lot to choose from. Most work well and provide a fun 2-3 minute multiplayer game experience. The Pin the Tail game is quite good because it uses the Wii remote's speaker to send out a series of clicks. The donkey is hiding behind a closed barn door, and you use your remote to sound out where he is. The faster the clicks, the closer you are. When each player has pinned their ribbon on the door, it is opened to reveal who was closest to the donkey.

The Custom Party option really does take away some of the stress of party-planning because it manages what games to play and who is playing when. However, you might decide that some games would be better played for real – like the sack races to burn off energy -- so you would want to use the Quick Party setup instead. As a veteran boys' birthday planner, I loved the option of having 12 little boys whack a virtual piñata, instead of one hanging inside my house. And that is the beauty of this game – you can customize it to fit your needs and preferences.

Game themes & details

Game Details
Available on: Nintendo Wii
Not available online
Genre: Party
Developer: 2K Play
Released on: July 14, 2009
Price: 39.99
ESRB Rating: E for Comic Mischief
Screenshots
This review was written by Jinny Gudmundsen
 
 

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ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age
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