"There are no Tamagotchis in Mario Party."

This phrase was perhaps the most enlightening of last evening's press conference for the upcoming Wii title Tamagotchi: Party On!, a game whose exclamation-mark inclusive title promises to elevate it into the upper echelon of games with such company as Gotcha! The Sport and Jeopardy! 2003.


In Tamagotchi: Party On! you and up to three other players take turns rolling your virtual dice using individual Wii Remotes or just sharing one. In doing this you move your chosen Tamagotchi character around a board, where they will collect money (creatively called "Gotchi") and participate in fifteen different mini-games. One of them finds you manipulating the Wii Remote to "actually steer a car" while another finds you participating in the equally breakneck task of scooping ice cream. Perhaps, in the player's imagination, it could actually be sorbet for a little zip. In a third mini-game you must scale a tree and—reportedly—throw nuts at squirrels to feed them.

The game is said to have a large audience in—and be perfectly suited for—teenagers or children playing with parents or grandparents.


The ultimate goal of Tamagotchi: Party On!? To become popular enough to be elected as the President of Tamagotchi World. But how do you attain such popularity? Just like in real life: by having lots and lots of Gotchi! This Gotchi can then be spent on all manner of trinkets used to customize your Tamagotchis and push them on a daring crusade to appear more "presidential," regardless of where your true intentions may lie. Hats, ties, and suits (and even earrings for female Tamagotchis or forward-thinking male ones) are just some of the presidential items that can be purchased to trick out your Tamagotchi.

Though the original Japanese version (which was a launch title for the Wii last December) has undergone no changes for its western release aside from translation, Tamagotchi: Party On! promises still to be "the same great fun." This first Wii offering from Namco Bandai begins its U.S. campaign on May 29th.