Go Vacation

Review

Common Sense Media says

Cute, varied, and enjoyable collection of active mini-games.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Go Vacation is an interactive game that involves competing with up to four players in a variety of active mini-games. Many of the games involve competing against either non-playable characters or others on the same machine. It does not require peripheral devices (like the Balance Board) to play, but if you have them, they can be utilized. One game in particular, the sword-fighting mini-game, has a little violence and requires Wii Motion Plus to play.

  • Positive messages3
    The dialogue in this game is all text-driven, but each of the non-playable characters encountered is always complimentary when an event is completed. The whole mood of the game is light, respectful, and polite.
  • Positive role models1
    Lily is the main character that acts as a guide through the game, but she is not voiced and only shows up when the player visits the information booth. The stars of the game are the numerous mini-games, and while Lily is polite, and conveys a positive attitude, she does not really impact the game's content.
  • Ease of play3
    The Wii remote and nunchuk are used throughout the various games and even the Wii Balance Board, the Wii steering wheel, or the Zapper (a peripheral used for shooter games that holds both the Wii Remote and the nunchuk) can be utilized. While the games themselves are easy to jump into and play (without a lot of instructions given), each is scored and achieving the best scores are the goal. This can take some practice. Overall, the learning curve is easy on the vast majority of games.
  • Violence2
    In a sword-fighting mini-game, players deplete the health of their opponents and there are impact sounds, but no one is really hurt and the violence is minimal. Even when motoring (or skating) around the island, if other tourists are hit, there are no repercussions. Player's characters can fall off cliffs without damage of any sort.
  • Sex0
    Not applicable.
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What's it about?

GO VACATION is a series of mini-games, each attached to one of four themed areas on an island. Up to four players compete in a variety of events to get stamps, which help unlock new areas. Each time an event is visited, once it has been initially completed, it may change up a bit. In addition to the mini-games, there are treasure chests to find (seven in each area) that contain new costumes to customize the look of the player's characters, and players can even obtain and re-model a vacation villa (though this is limited mostly to moving furniture about). Sword fighting requires the Wii Motion Plus system integrated into the Wii console, while the other games can be played with a Wii-mote and nunchuck or by using some peripheral devices like the Balance Board.

Is it any good?

 

Go Vacation sports a fun vibe, from the design of the island resort, to the ease of moving around (open the map, select where you wish to go and poof! you are there), to the variety and style of the games. Playing against the non-playable characters is rather easy, whereas playing against other, real players can provide challenging. There are several versions of the same style game, like racing, but the different venues create enough variety to keep it lively. The light mood, the vibrant look, and the variety of games make this enjoyable and may be suited for family night gaming.

What families can talk about

This review was written by Michael Lafferty
Kid, 11 years old
February 22, 2012
AGE
2
 
a game that people of all ages can play
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This review was written by Michael Lafferty
Platforms:Nintendo Wii
Available online?Not available online
Genre:Mini-games
Developer:Namco Bandai
Release date:October 11, 2011
Price:$39.99
ESRB rating:E10+ for Cartoon Violence
This review was written by Michael Lafferty
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-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.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
Our child development rating guidelines

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