The Gallop Out

I love me a good horse racing video game. In the past month or so, Nintendo has been advertising a new game called Wii Party that's comprised of a slew of mini-games. For a few seconds on the TV commercial, they show a family swinging their Wiimotes similar to a jockey whipping a horse, and then they show the screen with four horses racing to the finish line over green turf.

This horse racing mini game on Wii Party is called Derby Dash. Every horse racing video game I've seen before has been a niche game that is only horse racing, but Derby Dash charts a new frontier into general family/party games. It also makes use of the Wii's groundbreaking sensor technology.

Here's a video of a race:

Based on first impressions, the race is far too short. I'm guessing it's three furlongs, based on the final time of 35.2-seconds. The race may be short, but the frontrunner hung in there way too long considering that it was whipped right out of the gate. Also, the amount of whipping is an exaggeration. The last thing racing needs is another false impression that horses are "beaten to death" by jockeys. Speaking of jockeys, these ones better hope they don't fall, seeing as they don't have any helmets on.

However, Derby Dash also does many things correctly. Considering the audience, the simple design works well. They don't need every minute detail, but they include enough little touches to satisfy a racing fan - a starting gate, inner dirt track, distance poles, colored saddlecloths, grandstand and photo finish. The horses come in every regular Thoroughbred color - chestnut, gray, bay, and dark bay - and players can suit up in jockey silks as their self-designed Mii characters. And wouldn't real-life racing be great if every race ended in a blanket photo finish like that?

I haven't had the chance to play Wii Party and/or Derby Dash yet, but there's still some time for Santa to get it for me. Otherwise, don't expect me to cough up $49.