Very loosely adapting the format of the successful Mario Party series but swapping spontaneous reversals of fortune with repetitive, unfulfilling dice rolls, Wii Party U singularly fails to match its predecessor. Disappointingly, despite the emphasis on use of the console's gamepad, the majority of the games here can be played with pen and paper or are just virtual versions of parlour games.

While the gamepad-based mini-games feel rather like pared-down iPad apps and the presentation makes it feel too sterile and safe, the biggest problem is that Wii Party U has no core focus or mode to fall back on. Hence play sessions feel equally unfocused, as you scroll through a series of what tend to feel like Wii U tech demos. Even with four players many of the mini-games are too simple or chance-based, with little sense of competition or suspense, while the few clever ideas on offer are subsumed beneath the blandness of the whole.