Carnival King first arrived in the arcade scene in 2002. This WiiWare release is a pretty direct port of that coin-op cabinet, and it's a design that holds up pretty well for being seven years old -- it's kind of like one of the New Play Control! GameCube games, in that way. For fans of light gun shooters or the long-lost carnival aesthetic, this could be a decent download for just seven bucks.
Presentation - 6.0
Graphics - 7.0
Sound - 6.0
Gameplay - 6.5
Lasting Appeal - 6.0
Overall -
RunDLC writes: "Step right up and try your luck with Carnival King, Incredible Technologies' shooting game for WiiWare. Armed with just a remote, you'll enjoy a series of carnival inspired mini-games, blasting targets before time expires to achieve high scores. You can then upload those high marks to an online leaderboard, where you'll compare them with other players across the globe. While surprisingly enjoyable, it's a shame that you'll see everything this game has to offer in less than 30 minutes. That, unfortunately, comes at the expense of your wallet and 700 Nintendo Points ($7)."
NWR writes: "One of the breakout genres in the Wii library is that of carnival games. It shouldn't come as a surprise, however, since people generally have a soft spot for carnivals. Their nostalgic value and simple games combined with the gameplay potential offered by the Wii Remote can result in titles that are fun and unique, such as Take Two's Carnival Games. With this in mind, n-Space and Incredible Technologies have created Carnival King for WiiWare, a very fun and solid title marred only by its length."
There's certainly no question that the carnival shooting action in Carnival King is very well done. In fact, aside from the fact that that experience is over a little too quickly, it's difficult to find much to complain about. Solid play control, a wide variety of shooting gallery themes, and a competitive two-player game mode make this WiiWare title a lot of fun, especially considering the very reasonable 700 Wii Point price tag.
If you love a good old-fashioned carnival shooting gallery or are just looking for a new reason to dust off that Wii Zapper, Carnival King is one WiiWare title you should seriously consider adding to your WiiWare collection.
