Disney Think Fast! (Wii) Review
Disney’s Think Fast is an entertaining, but bare-bones trivia game which caters well to its target audience of younger gamers and their families. It features very simple and easy to understand gameplay, a decent variety of questions and an excellent audio/visual presentation, but is a little light on game modes and features. It is maybe skewed too much to the younger crowd, but is certainly something that can be enjoyed for at least a little while by everyone.
The game is presented in a similar manner to a television gameshow. Up to four contestants can compete in the game, which is hosted by the Genie from Aladdin. Players are required to answer a variety of questions about Disney’s many animated movies, as well as some general knowledge questions. Each game is divided into different rounds, which vary the gameplay slightly, but are generally a variation on the same theme of multiple choice questions. Some of the better rounds include an observation round where players must watch a clip from a Disney movie and attempt to answer questions about it, a memory round which asks players to remember which Disney icons appear in a 3×3 grid and a drawing round where players must guess which famous Disney character is being drawn on the screen. It is all very simple and straightforward and plenty of fun, but it is a bit limited because of the lack of extra modes outside the main game.
There are two control options to choose from, a traditional mode which uses the d-pad and a motion control mode which requires the player to press the a-button and gesture up, down, left or right. The motion control option is reasonably accurate, although it can sometimes be misinterpreted, but the d-pad option works fine. Regardless of which control option is used, there is a small quirk that can cause some frustration when things get competitive. It seems there is a slight delay between when the answers are revealed and when players can input their answer. It is nothing game-breaking, but it is noticeable.
The audio/visual presentation is excellent, with faithful recreations of famous Disney locations, well crafted character models and excellent voice-over work. Most importantly the game does a great job of capturing the essence of Disney.
Everything is colourful and bright and the voices, while not performed by the original Hollywood talent, sound just like the real thing. The excellent presentation ensures that there is no mistaking that this is a Disney game and it adds greatly to the overall experience. One of the big problems faced by trivia games is that inevitably, questions will start to get repeated. With only 5000 available, it doesn’t take too long for things to start looking a little familiar and this vastly reduces the lasting appeal of the game. The lack of extra modes also limits the length of time it will take for players to get bored of the experience. Overall Disney’s Think Fast achieves what it is meant to achieve, providing a simple, fun trivia experience that children and their families can play together. While it never raises the trivia game bar, it certainly has enough going for it to entertain Disney fans and those looking for a casual, group gaming experience. Some areas that could be improved before the inevitable sequel include the responsiveness of the controls and the number of questions, but this is certainly an adequate effort.
Personal Thoughts I really didn’t think I would enjoy Disney’s Think Fast. I have never been a fan of trivia games and didn’t think this was going to go anywhere near changing my thoughts. However, once I got a four-player game going, I couldn’t help but enjoy myself.
Sure, there are some issues with the control responsiveness and questions do start to repeat themselves much too soon, but the Disney theme is just too damn charming not to win over even the biggest skeptics. If you have children or younger siblings that are Disney mad, this is the perfect game to bring out if you need to keep them entertained for a couple of hours. It is squarely aimed at the younger crowd and kids of all ages can be competitive. There is none of that Mario Party inevitability to the result either, because the way it is set up ensures games usually stay undecided until the last round. Some extra modes to beef up the single player would have been nice and some questions from Disney’s non-animated or Pixar movies would have been great too, but I am sure if this version is a success, there will be plenty more games of this type in the future.
