Go Vacation - Nintendo Wii

When I saw this game I knew it was going to be fun. That was just from reading the write up. At the time of purchase, I spent twice as much as it is listed for now. It was well worth it, with saying that, if you see it for fourteen something, get it for yourself or for a gift for someone who loves to play the Wii, and you will be high on their list.This game has been played for 5+ hours in my house the last few nights. I am a 38 year old female and the other person who plays it, more like cannot turn it off, is a 40 year old male. He has little patience and is easily bored but this game has him and I will get to that soon.At first when we started playing, I will admit, I was not as impressed. I knew it had a lot to offer but I wanted to see to all, you have to unlock parts of the games to get to the 100 play area. I read a lot of people compare it to Sports Resort; I do not see the similarity. I will say without a doubt, if you have mastered Wii Ski and Snowboard, THIS is the game for you! It has the same layout and the controls are the exact same as Wii Ski and Snowboard. After awhile my arthritis hurts but my friends has managed to unlock so many games. One night he was on a mountain and it is set up JUST like Wii Ski and Snowboard. Instead of taking a gondola to the top or a helicopter, you take a ski lift or a helicopter as well. As you play you have the game playing the `resort' ski music in the background with the announcements. There are caves and hidden areas. Last night my friend found a cave on the mountain and it had lava in it and you are able to bungee jump above the lava. There are hidden `treasures' throughout the game and so far they have been outfits. The sound clips through out game are the same are Wii Ski and Snowboard. It make sense though, it is made by the same company, Namco, that put out the other game.This game is for little ones and adults. When my friend walks in he puts this game in and does not stop playing it and I am AMAZED at home much this game has to offer. There is so much to do! Another cute feature is you can use your mii's and also add a dog and pick your dog from their selection and name it. The dog will follow you around as you play, it is adorable.I wanted to hit on that you can use this without the balance board. I have one but we have not used it, just like Wii Ski and Snowboard. We use the motion plus remotes and nunchucks.For the price, GET IT! For someone who thinks they have every game, but does not have this one, get it. If you like Wii Ski and Snowboard, get this. My friend called not too long to ask if he could come over and play this some more since he opened a new area last night.The only con, which is little, with Wii Ski and Snowboard, you have the option to play in day or night mode. Since the layout and controls are the same, I thought it would be great if this game offered day or night. It is only in day mode. I like playing in night mode; it can be relaxing at night. UPDATE: Thanks to Diane in the comment section, we were able to unlock the night/day mode at the 16 stamp. Now you can play all the games in the night or day mode, it is AWESOME!This game is a treat and offers a lot more than I thought it did. I am very impressed and highly recommend it.

THIS GAME IS TOO MUCH, TOO AMAZING TO PUT INTO WORDS, THIS GAME IS DESIGNED TO MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE AT A REAL RESORT, LIKE YOU ARE ACTUALLY THERE, FOUR DIFFERENT RESORTS, IN EACH ONE THERE ARE SEVERAL DIFFERENT AREAS, IN THOSE DIFFERENT AREAS MULTIPLE ACTIVITIES AND GAMES, IN EACH RESORT YOU ARE GIVEN CHOICES HOW YOU WANT TO TRAVEL, DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF RESORT YOU ARE OCCUPYING AT THE TIME, YOU CAN WALK, SWIM, USE A ATV, JET SKIES SNOW SKIES, SNOWMOBILE, SNOW TUBE, ROLLER BLADE, SKATE BOARD, HORSEBACK RIDE, THE RESORTS ARE SO HUGE YOU CAN TAKE A BOAT, SKI LIFT, HELICOPTER, ETC TO COVER ALOT OF GROUND IN LESS TIME, THERE WERE TIMES WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO GET LOST THE RESORT ARE SO BIG, EACH RESORT ARE LIKE ACRES, ACRES BIG, THERE ARE INFORMATION CENTERS AT EACH RESORT WHERE YOU CAN CHANGE CLOTHES, GET ACTUALLY INFO ON THE RESORT, THERE AREA OF THE RESORT YOU WANT TO GO, GET TRAINING ON HOW TO DO ACTIVITIES, EACH ACTIVITY SPOT HAS A GUIDE THAT GREETS AND TALKS TO YOU, THE GUESTS AT THE RESORT ALL OVER THE PLACE, THEY ARE SO LIFELIKE, THEY TALK TO YOU, OMG, HAVE EVEN TOUCHED ON HOW REAL AND FUN THIS GAME IS AND YOU ALSO GET A VILLIA, TWO STORY, MULTIPLE BEDROOMS YOU CAN DECORATE WITH FURNITURE DIFFERENT THINGS, EVEN CHANGE THE FLOOR PLAN AND THE VILLIA IS IN A SEPARTE ISLAND AWAY FROM THE RESORTS AND DIFFERENT FEATURES AT THE VILLIA ISLAND, AND THERE ARE DAY AND NIGHTIME MODES, THE GRAPHICS, THE AUDIO EFFECTS, THE PEOPLE THAT WORKED DESIGNED THIS GAME, IN MY OPINION, DESERVE AN AWARD

What people need to understand is that this is a fundamentally different game from Wii Sports Resort. Yes, it's an attempt at an improvement, but through the creation of a deeper experience for those who have the patience and imagination to appreciate it!The minigames--while not all stellar (come on, there are fifty of `em)--are great for the most part! Surfing captivated me with it's depth and controls--and entire game could be built around that alone! Even so, it doesn't take long to see that the minigames are less than half of the game. I'd go as far as to say the minigames aren't even a quarter of the game. You're exploring the island, solving puzzles, finding secrets....As others have mentioned, just cruising around in various recreational modes is fun in of itself. Go Vacation rewards you for exploring with its impressive attention to detail, from all kinds of sights and sounds, to narrative back-story and subplots... I've been amused to discover it's the most novel take on an RPG (role-playing game)--one where you can play as yourself if you use your Mii instead of one of the generic avatars! :) Even if my wife's not actually playing with me, Go Vacation lets you choose anyone you like to tag along, even the family dog! It deserves high marks for doing something different and really indulging gamers' *fantasies* as far as the resort concept goes.I don't want to leave the first resort on the island (the beach resort) until I've found everything there, and I'm probably close to 10 hours in. This will go down as a classic, even if as a niche hit. Go Vacation is a dream come true for those who wanted a little more whimsy and "Resort" built into the title that inspired it. BIG win for me (a 30 year-old gamer)!