NintendoLand: Rediscover The Pleasure Of Couch Gaming

Walking through the entrance of Earl's Court at this year's Eurogamer Expo, the first thing we set our sight on was Nintendo's Wii U booth. Already bustling with activity, so short a time after the doors were opened. So naturally that was my first port of call. Corralled like cattle into the space populated with promises of fun times, flustered looking convention goers and pretty women who probably aren't being paid enough to stand around smiling all day, I set upon my journalistic duties by eating sweets. Nintendoland is a collection of mini games that based on popular Nintendo franchises, but you probably knew that already. Being handed a standard Wii remote by a perpetually smiling brunette, we had a go with Animal Crossing: Sweet Day. A five player game with four people armed with standard Wii remotes, while one has the Wii U gamepad. It's essentially a game of tag. The four players are tasked with collectively eating 50 sweets which are shaken from trees. The person with the tablet controls a knife and fork character simultaneously, each one mapped to a separate control stick. Running around the map eating sweets, your head grows larger the more treats are consumed, meaning you'll lose a lot of speed if your particularly greedy. This of course makes it easy to become a victim of the rogue cutlery. It's a delicate balance act between the four players, requiring coordination and teamwork. The person who is it can keep both of their players together, however if the other four split into groups then it'll be harder time pouncing on them. This means the tablet wielding player will have to keep track of two characters at different parts of the map as he tries to corral the others together, distracting them enough to impede their progress and pick them off. The second of Nintendoland's offering was Luigi's Mansion. Essentially it's a game of hide and seek. The four wiimoters are armed with flash lights while they are hunted by player 5's ghost. While the ghost is invisible on the television, everything is visible on the GamePad's screen. The only way to hurt the ghost is to hit it with the lights, while the ghost simply grabs players and can drag them away from the group. The others can then revive that player with their own flashlights. It's a simple mechanic with a lot of depth. The more you use the lights, the more battery is drained. Use up your battery and you'll be defenceless, relying on other players to protect you until you find a battery. The only indication the ghost is near is the vibration of the wii remotes. As the hunter, the player needs to be patient. Grouped together it's easy to get zapped while making an assault. There's a need for constant communication among the group of Luigi's. However as soon as one person breaks away you can begin to pick them off, separating them, choosing your moments. One weak link will open up massive holes in their defence. An incredibly simple mechanic it may be, and yet it was some of the most fun to be had at the expo. Finally we had a go with the Zelda themed game with three players. Using Wii remotes the players advance automatically and fight off enemies, swinging the controller to slash their sword and using the Z button to raise their shields. The GamePad player acts as an archer, picking enemies off from afar. All players share health, so if your sword skills aren't up scratch your merry band of heroes aren't going to last long, as I found out when an errant piece of steel put me and the rest of the team out of the game. Compared to the rest of the games we tried, this was the weakest of the bunch. It wasn't particularly engaging and lacked the energy that was present in the other titles. There wasn't any urgency, just a simple plodding pace towards the goal, with no great amount of teamwork required. However based on the strength of the other two games, I came away very impressed. I certainly spent more time playing them then I thought I would, Luigi's Mansion getting most of my attention. It reminded me of how much I love local co-op with a bunch of friends laughing and shouting at each other. It's something that has in a sense disappeared in this more online orientated world. Not that online gaming doesn't have its merits, but it's through local play where its soul really lies, and Nintendoland is looking rekindle our love affair with sofa gaming, just like Mario Kart and Golden Eye did all those years ago. Are you excited to visit NintendoLand? Share your thoughts below.