5th July 2009 - It’s My Birthday is a party game brought to us by 2k Play. The Wii is “the” console for party games with millions worldwide purchasing the Wii for its wide appeal to all members of the family. Is It’s My Birthday a worthy addition to the party game genre or is it a game that should not be celebrated?
Gameplay
It’s My Birthday features 3 game modes, Custom Play, Quick Play and Free Play. Custom Play is where you want to go if you want to create a full on party with customised avatar’s and the ability to name the birthday boy or girl. Quick Play is playing a party without any customisation and Free Play is where you can play all the games available in the game in any order.
It’s My Birthday can utilize up to 4 Wiimotes and allows up to 12 party participants. The game comes with Birthday banners, a special birthday crown, colouring sheets, invites and thank you cards to enable someone to run a real life birthday party! There are 10 different party themes in the game with ones that suit both girls and boys. The themes included are:
1. Pirate
2. Princess
3. Sports
4. Music
5. Army Men
6. Magical Forest
7. Monsters
8. Construction
9. Glamour
10 Stuffed Animals
There are 22 games included in It’s My Birthday and they include:
1. Piñata Blast
2. Birthday Blow Out
3. Present Frenzy
4. Laser Gremlin
5. Sack Race
6. Musical Chairs
7. Pin The Tail
8. Puzzle Racer
9. Bug Catcher
10. Hat Mixer
11. Hot Potato
12. Slingshot Splash
13. Rock Climber
14. Cake Stacker
15. Ro Sham Bo
16. Scribble
17. Music Mania
18. Guess What
19. Copy Cat
20. Balloon Popper
21. Candle Ball
22. Red Light Green Light
When starting up a party in custom play mode, you designate the name of the birthday person and his/her age and then you select how many Wiimotes are to be used and then the amount of players at your party. You then select a theme for your party and then each person can customise their avatar by picking the sex, look and clothing of their avatar. The characterisation of your avatar is not very complicated and detailed, but this is a game aimed at children after all. Once all this is done you are ready to play. Depending on how many participants there are, a party will typically last between 45 mins to 2 hours. After playing each game in the party, your virtual party room gains decorations, food, presents until it is all decked out and after you finish the last game in the party, the words and music to Happy Birthday play so that you and the other party participants can sing to the birthday boy/girl. The games themselves are quite fun, even for an older person like myself. Before each game, instructions are shown on the screen as to how to control your Wiimote to get the best results in the game. Although you are competing against one another there is no reward other than bragging rights for finishing first in each game. It is really all about the fun of actually playing these simple, but entertaining games. You can really see why this game will massively appeal to younger girls and boys and how it would be an excellent tool for parents to run an awesome birthday party for their children.
Graphics
It’s My Birthday is not the best looking game around, but it is very colourful and tailor made to appeal to children. The avatars perform funny little dances when they win a game which looks funny and the decked out party room looks great.
Sound
The sound in It’s My Birthday is great with lots of bells and whistles going off and themed music for the different party themes suit the game really well. There is nothing sophisticated about the sound, it just fits the style of the game and is appealing to young children.
Overall
Although there is not a lot to It’s My Birthday as it certainly doesn't have the length or depth of more traditional full game releases, the 22 games included and the 10 customizable party themes do give it plenty of replay value for children and adults alike, and it will always be useful as a basis for running an actual boy or girl birthday party.
AAG Score: 7.9/10
Reviewed and Written By Craig Cirillo