Thanks to games like Grand Theft Auto and Midnight Club Street Racing, Rockstar Games has quickly become one of the most popular publishers in America. While not every game in their repertoire hit the heights of a San Andreas or Vice City, most of the titles produced by Rockstar Games end up being critical and commercial success stories. So it's no surprise that Nintendo has been trying to court this publishing house, Rockstar's stable of great games is one thing the Wii is missing.
Lucky Nintendo fans are in luck, because Defunct Games is here to bring you the exclusive preview of Rockstar Games' first game for the Nintendo Wii. Is it a Grand Theft Auto game? Maybe The Warriors, Bully or Manhunt? Nope, it's the spiritual successor to Table Tennis, Rockstar's one and only next generation title. I give you
This picture comes straight from the Lawn Darts instruction manual, it is just one of the useful graphics that explains how to play this exciting new game!
Rockstar Games Presents Lawn Darts for the Nintendo Wii, the one game everybody is going to want this holiday season!
Rockstar Games Presents Lawn Darts combines the fun of Jarts with the innovative controls of the Nintendo Wii. Due to safety concerns (and death) Lawn Darts were outlawed in the United States back in the late 1980s, but now you can relive all of those great times with this interactive experience. And thanks to the Wii's motion sensing control you will be able to experience the real thing right in the comforts of your own home. Rockstar has finally provided you with the ultimate Lawn Dart simulator, and as far as we're concerned it's about time.
From our short time with the game we can tell you that it's just as easy as pulling your arm back and thrusting up as fast as you can. But don't worry, even if you've never had the pleasure of playing real Lawn Darts this upcoming Rockstar Games title will make it easy to have a good time. The instruction manual will not only teach you how to hold your dart and throw
Little Joey didn't have as much fun playing Rockstar's Lawn Darts, but that will teach him to get in the way of my flying Wii control!
it, but it will also give you a brief history of this amazing sport. Once you've finished the tutorial you're off to experience a Wii game unlike anything else you've ever seen. Forget tennis, bowling and boxing, Lawn Darts are here to provide you with a real man's game.
Rockstar Games Presents Lawn Darts starts you out with only a few characters, but as you start to win tournaments you will unlock a whole host of interesting characters. So far we've been able to play with Sarah the angst ridden teenager, Betty the grandmother, Charlie the unhappy middle aged man, Sun Yi the overly serious Asian character, and Crazy Frankie the pyromaniac boy who has been in and out of juvenile hall all of his life. We also noticed that the game featured a few celebrity players, including Steve O from Jackass and Star Jones Reynolds.
But Lawn Darts is not all good clean fun, sometimes the action can get a little dangerous. If you don't wait until the field is clear or your throw is a little off you can accidentally send one of the other players to the hospital. We also noticed that it was possible to throw the Lawn Dart straight up and end your own life. Perhaps it's just a glitch in the preview code, but once the dart hits you the game goes black and freezes. You won't be able to play the game again until you physically turn the system off and restart the game.
Speaking of problems, it didn't take long before some of the issues we had with real Lawn Darts started to rear their ugly head with the Wii. For one thing we ended up going
Expect to put some money away if you're going to play this game, chances are you're going to have to go and buy a few extra pieces of furniture after enjoying Rockstar's newest title!
through four different control straps. To make matters worse, we ended up ruining a perfectly good lamp and knocking our neighbor's kid unconscious while playing the game. Seeing as you are thrusting your arm upwards it seems like there is no risk to your television, but I would be concerned about any lamps, windows or humans that may be in the way.
Lawn Dart enthusiasts would probably argue that this isn't that big of a deal, injuries and property damage are simply part of the excitement of the sport. To a certain extent we agree, but look for this game to renew the debate over whether people should be worried about playing the Wii. Rockstar Games Presents Lawn Darts will no doubt cause quite a stir when it comes to TV news and anti-game crusaders.
Unfortunately our preview build didn't have all of the modes available, so we look forward to playing a more complete version of the game sometime later this year. It looks like Rockstar has another hit on their hands with Lawn Darts, so expect more coverage of the game as we near its October release date. If this game sells as well as the company hopes then we hear Rockstar may release a companion game, Rockstar Games Presents Horseshoes. We can't wait!
