The Bottom Line
Pros
- Every element of the game stays true to the 'Price is Right' game show.
- You get to choose which pricing game you want to play.
- Game play can be single person, or multi-player up to four people.
- Sound effects are terrific, from the sound of the horn when you lose to the cheering of the crowd.
- 'Price is Right' announcer Rich Fields does all of the voice work.
Cons
- Multi-player mode utilizes only a single controller (Wiimote), which must be passed around.
- When pricing items, some descriptions are lacking much-needed detail.
- The unique functionality of the Wii isn't taken advantage of here.
- There is no host.
Description
- Users can choose single or multi-player games. Up to four people can play.
- You start off in Contestant's Row, where you bid on the current item up for grabs.
- Once you make it past Contestant's Row, you choose a pricing game to play.
- After the pricing game, it's off to the Showcase Showdown where you get to spin the big wheel.
- The final showcase segment works exactly as it does on the game show.
- The Award Mode offers classic video clips from the Bob Barker era as a bonus.
- Pricing games include Plinko, Hole in One, Cliffhangers, Shell Game, Freeze Frame, Punch-A-Bunch, Master Key, and more.
Guide Review - 'The Price is Right' for the Nintendo Wii Review
I played The Price is Right for the Nintendo Wii with my husband, who loves video games but is not a huge game show fan. We came away from the game with vastly different opinions!
For me, it was a lot of fun to try my hand at the pricing games, complete with announcing by Rich Fields and the classic music and sound effects that have become synonymous with The Price is Right. It was odd for the game to be host-less, especially during the Showcase Showdown. But after playing a couple of rounds, I was ready to settle in and try all of the pricing games and explore the game further.
On the other hand, my husband only lasted two rounds before declaring The Price is Right the "worst game ever." Simply put, he was bored. The game doesn't make use of any of the nifty features of the Wii hardware except during the pricing game Hole in One, and when you have to spin the Big Wheel. Since he wasn't all that keen on the show to begin with, there was very little to offer him in the way of entertainment value.
With console games being so expensive, this one is really only for die-hard fans of The Price is Right. While the game offers a bucketful of nostalgia and at least an evenings' worth of solid entertainment, it's not really one that you'll end up coming back to again and again. The bonus video material is a nice addition, but even then you'll only end up watching it a couple of times.
