Midway's Game Party hit just in the nick of time. Just when people were wondering when the Wii would finally receive a mini-game collection, Midway responds.

Err, wait. That's not right.

Midway's Game Party hit right when no one cares anymore. Just when people were wondering if the Wii could actually handle another generic mini-game collection, Midway responds.

That's better.

Game Party tosses darts, shuffleboard, a pathetically simple trivia game, air hockey, arcade basketball, ping cup, and skee ball in a Wii Remote controlled environment with varying results.

Most have been done before, and better, in Carnival Games. The arcade basketball is clunky, allowing the player to pick up and toss the balls with no pause in between. Air hockey is played from a side view instead of from behind the back, making it a glorified version of Pong. It's frustrating to control, and you can never hit the puck hard enough.

Skee ball is impossibly touchy in terms of power (especially when compared to the version in Carnival Games). Ping cup isn't particularly fun at a carnival, and it's not enjoyable here either.

Shuffleboard is the first success, offering decent controls and so-so physics. The puck has a nasty habit of falling off the sides of the boards, right through the geometry. The trivia game feels out of place, and the only Wii Remote control is spinning a wheel to determine the category. Questions are fairly broad, and unlikely to hold anyone's interest.

Darts is the overall winner here though. Holding the controller like a dart is natural, fun, and accurate. Aiming is a lock-on system which initially feels easy, but the variance in your power when you throw makes all the difference.

Each play through earns tickets, which randomly unlock new characters and game modes. Given the massive number of characters (which are as close to Mii's without actually being them) available from the start, you'll hardly need more and will be striving to earn extras like baseball darts.

Grating elevator style music is the backdrop for many of these games, and seems to fit with the rest of the product. Generic, dull, and no one likes it. If you're a huge darts or shuffleboard fan, than the $20 bargain price may be worthwhile. The rest of these are nothing more than an excuse to fill disc space and make the game look like it has value. Pick up the far better Carnival Games.

Game Party is rated E (Everyone) by the ESRB.