Can humor and a neat concept carry a limited multiplayer game?
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/39692/paparazzi-wii-u-review
The new Wii U eShop game Paparazzi is filled with the boundless potential of asymmetric multiplayer. It’s a competitive two-player game where one player controls a celebrity dashing through an environment to get to their limo, while the other controls the titular paparazzi, trying to earn points by taking pictures of the fleeing celeb. One player uses the GamePad, while the other uses the Wii Remote. It has the makings of an all-time classic, innovative Wii U game. Unfortunately, the asymmetric possibilities are cut short as the TV and the GamePad display the same image at all times. However, what remains is still a fun, strategic multiplayer game even if it has a limited scope.
As the celebrity, you dash through various auto-scrolling environments, dodging the ever-present camera by hiding behind structures, blending in with crowds, and triggering power-ups. For example, one of the power-ups creates clones of your celebrity, obfuscating the paparazzi’s view. On the other hand, the paparazzi is represented by only an on-screen camera reticule that can be controlled on the GamePad’s touch screen or the TV using the Wii Remote’s pointer. Your goal is to take pictures of the celebrity, but any picture without the celebrity loses you points. Each bout is a tug-of-war battle between the celebrity’s dignity and the paparazzi’s coffers.
And that’s it. It’s not really any more complicated than that. If you’re so inclined, the gameplay can get a little deeper by playing mind games, such as trying to trick the other player into thinking they’re safe if you’re snapping pics or baiting the camera operator if you’re the talent. Aside from the hilarious different celebrities (there is one that is just “Bear on a Trike” that reliably always gets me to giggle) and locations (the most different one takes place in a zoo and scrolls vertically instead of horizontally), there isn’t anything else to Paparazzi. If you’re playing by your lonesome, you can play as a celebrity against the computer-controlled paparazzi, but that highlights how weak the game is without in-person player interaction.
Paparazzi ultimately feels like a small, refined part of a larger game. It is fun, but in the same way that a throwaway local multiplayer mode in a larger single-player adventure is entertaining. In a sea of incredible local multiplayer games, Paparazzi is just a short-form, amusing blip on the radar.
Topic: Paparazzi (Wii U) Review (Read 1624 times)
