PokePark 2: Wonders Beyond Review

As Poke Maniacs the world over await their next dose of portable Pokemon goodness, a new Wii title seeks to tide us over. PokePark 2: Wonders Beyond is a sequel to 2010's PokePark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure, and the gameplay hasn't changed much from the original. You're still tasked with playing mini-games, befriending Pokemon and doing some light battling, all on your quest to save your fellow monsters from danger. The game does a stellar job of bringing the world of Pikachu and pals to life on the big screen - but is it an adventure for the whole family to enjoy, or just the youngsters?

PokePark 2 is, not surprisingly, utterly adorable. Obscenely adorable, in fact. From the loading screens that feature Pikachu and pals waving and running about to the way your playable characters waddle across the world, everywhere you turn you'll find something unbearably cute to behold. The character models of the different Pokemon look amazing too, as do their fluid animations. All of this goes a long way in bringing the world to life and capturing the Pokemon spirit.

As for the story, it's completely nonsensical, though pretty hilarious at times. The basic gist involves a scheme to kidnap Pokemon. How, you ask? By using cake to hypnotize them. No joke. It's silly, to be sure, but you'd expect nothing less from a new PokePark game. Still, while the skeletal story may amuse kiddos or anyone with a fatal attraction to cuteness, there needed to be some substantive gameplay to make it worthwhile for anyone else. Unfortunately, this is where the game falls short.

PokePark 2 presents a charming world to run around, but when it comes to gameplay, there's just not that much to it. The game is incredibly slow to start, and never really finds a satisfying stride. Throughout the adventure you switch between four different Pokemon, Pikachu and the Black and White starters - Snivy, Tepig and Oshawott. These are the only Pokemon you get to play as, which is a huge shame, as more variety would have been much appreciated.

Since the plot, much like the original, places a huge emphasis on the importance of friendship, a large part of the experience involves befriending a limited group of different species of Pokemon from all five generations (no, they're not all in here, just a hundred or so). You can do this in a variety of ways, from playing games to doing favors to battling. As you progress you'll gain access to several mini-games - like shooting cake ingredients or completing small side-scrolling levels. Once you unlock these games you can play them with up to four players locally, which is a nice touch. You'll also play Chase with your Poke pals (which involves you dashing after them and is usually over in a couple of seconds), as well as engage in a few fights.

Unfortunately, there's far too much repetition in this game for it to hold your interest for too long. Seriously, you'll never want to chase another Pokemon by the end of it. The battle system is also rather shallow, just tasking you with spamming a couple of buttons until you win. And the mini-games, while amusing, aren't exhilarating or numerous enough to make the game feel like a complete package. Poke Park 2 is also in severe want of Nunchuk support. As is, you play with the Wii remote on its side, but moving your character in a 3D space with the D-pad is less than preferable.

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