Once players have grown accustomed to the controls, holding down the '1' button to charge an attack, tapping it to dash, using the '2' button to jump, and the 'B' trigger to re-centre the camera (a constant necessity, unfortunately), PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond starts to show itself as a far more attractive prospect than its predecessor, and a game that will have instant appeal thanks to its inclusion of characters from the world of Pokémon Black and Pokémon White, especially since the four main characters have to be used independently to unlock specific areas of the adventure (Pikachu cannot cross bodies of water, for instance, whilst Oshawott can, and battling uses the same mainline Pokémon strengths/weaknesses technique of fire beats grass, and so on). Can Pikachu enlist the help of enough fellow creatures to overthrow the dastardly Master, Cofagrigus, in the dreamy world of Wish Park and rescue those captivated by its wiles? There are also various attractions that have been used to lure Pokémon through the special portal and entice them to remain there forever. Piplup and his newfound friend, Pikachu, head off to a land beyond the beach at PokéPark, a place called Wish Park, where they find wonders in the form of structures made completely out of sweets and cakes. The basic overarching objective is to save missing Pokémon whilst traversing PokéPark, discovering a mysterious new land along the way and trying to unlock its secrets. What Creatures, Inc was thinking about on this front is anyone’s guess. The characters are also either too slow or too fast, with no happy medium. Picking up items can be painful enough because of this, but when battling other Pokémon it can be highly troublesome. Rather than allowing for smooth analogue movement using the Wii Nunchuk or Classic Controller, the general Wii Remote must be held on its side and the D-pad used, making for some really annoying moments when Pikachu (or one of the other three characters to choose from - Oshawott, Snivy, and Tepig, each with unique abilities) runs past items because a diagonal direction cannot be achieved, instead having to position the little yellow critter in the correct place further away and then move him forwards. Sadly, the truly awkward control system makes progress extremely frustrating in places. On the positive side, the presentation is bright and breezy, with plenty of familiar Pocket Monster noises to keep children happy, uplifting music that keeps spirits high when pouring through your speakers, and a fun, engaging tale to maintain interest levels for the most part.

PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond falls from one category to another, sadly. There are children’s games that are done well, and those with good intentions, yet are poorly executed in the end.

Pokepark 2 youtube