The adorable rabbit-like Rabbids return in yet another party-style game for the Nintendo Wii. The big difference – aside from mini-games based around TV shows like Desperate Housewives, A-Team and Night Rider – is that several games support the Wii Balance Board. One of those games, Beestie Boarding, was on display at UbiDays Paris and get this – you control this particular mini-game with your butt.
Yes, you sit down on the balance board and lean from left to right as a Rabbid races down the mountain in between a series of flags – using a beestie (aka a cow) like a giant snowboard. The board picks up even the smallest movement from left to right, and it seems like it can give your abs a solid workout. Lean back for a quick boost while boarding, and it gets harder to hit your marks. Can you play this mini-game standing up? "Sure," says the game demoer, "but what would be the fun in that?"
TV Party will have 75 mini-games total and will include everything from dancing, playing music (a rehash from the previous Rabbids game) and using the balance board to go to the restroom or "pee" as International Product Manager Loic Gounon delicately puts it.
"Pretty much, you pee like a man. What you do is stand on the balance board and you have to (mimicks shifting his body left and right) do is aim. So what you're gonna do is (mimics stream of well, pee) and you'll have to move front, back, left and right and you're going to aim at stuff (laughs)."
Gounon says this particular mini-game might not be framed as "peeing" per se, but it will be something very similar.
The overall experience will be structured like a week of TV shows. You'll start with playing through the TV schedule on Monday, trying out a cooking show from 8-9, then the news from 9-10 and then, say, a movie from 10-12. Each TV show will have a related game. Win them to unlock the games from the next day. Once they're all unlocked, you'll be able to mix and match your favorites for easy access.
Microgames in the form of advertising will come into play. Want to screw up you friend while he tries to "pee"? Then throw in these 20-second Wario Ware style games that (s)he has to quickly complete before finishing up the interrupted game. The microgames will be rewarded as credits for good performance and can be used at will for an added advantage.
Rayman will make an appearance in the game (but not playable), but Gounon was uncertain if Miis will be part of the experience. There's no online connectivity for the game, but the crew plans on building in leaderboards and an area to show off your customized Rabbids (he says Rabbids will be much more customizable this go-round) on a separate Web site.
As for a Rabbids Wii Channel, Gounon says the dev crew is still deciding on whether they'll have one or not. Look for this new installment of Rayman Raving Rabbids on Wii late this year.







Reader Comments (2)
omg! i have raving rabbids 2 for my DS and i LOVE it! much more fun then the first. and this is yet another reason for me to get a Wii! :)
Haha! That actually looks fun! But I guess you'd have to wash the board frequently...