For being considered such a mini-game/party machine, Wii is really missing a strong core lineup of those type of games. Don't get us wrong -- we're not asking for Game Party 2, or Carnival Games, unless they can seriously up their value -- but when it comes to truly well-made offerings in this department, developers are coming up short. Even Nintendo's own Mario Party 8, which totally boasts better gameplay than the seven previous titles (I mean, c'mon, there's new mini-games, right?) was a tremendous letdown. It seem like for all the hype behind party titles and mini-game compilations, there really aren't too many worth the disc they're printed on.

So when we saw Dokapon Kingdom for the first time, you can understand why our reaction was less than enthusiastic. We have faith in Atlus -- especially when it comes to the obscure -- but it looked like just another random party title, now with Chibi characters and some kind of RPG mash-up design. Lame.

Then we played it.

Half RPG, half party game. Sleeper hit of 2008 confirmed.


We'll draw the line right now with Dokapon Kingdom, before we even get into why we had so much fun playing it in our recent hands-on. Dokapon isn't a "mini-game" party title. Instead, Atlus is doing what it does best, and is delivering a unique RPG experience; it just so happens this one takes the role of a party game. And as a party game, Dokapon Kingdom cleans up, already delivering more depth, strategy, and versatility than most any party title we've ever played. It's an odd one to wrap your head around, but there's no denying it has legs. This one is truly fun to play.

Dokapon Kingdom doesn't have IR support, it doesn't support waggle, and it's nearly identical to the soon-to-be-released PS2 game, shipping in mid-October right along the Wii version. With only 480p and 16:9 support to make the Wii version the lead SKU (still, we're very thankful for those additions), some Nintendo fans may be put off by this one right away. Like MLB Power Pros, however, this is one game that makes up for its Wii-ness for good old fashioned core gameplay. The game carries out in a similar fashion to something like Mario Party, as you'll have one main game board in the game -- it's huge though -- and are in a race to complete objectives before your three competitors can. Since the game is all about getting the RPG experience (and ruining friendships) you won't have mini-games to determine who takes the upper hand on a turn-by-turn basis. Instead, this is less about luck, random challenges, and Mario Party-like mini-games, and more about strategy, leveling up, and economy management.


Since there's no mini-games included, players in Dokapon Kingdom will have to learn the ways of oh-so-many classic RPG designs before it. You'll begin with a player, select a class for him, and set out into the world with an overall quest (the king deals them out one at a time in the game's campaign mode, or you can play a simple party mode where there's one overall objective). Every turn you'll use items or manage spells, spin a six-numbered dial , and travel anywhere that spinner allows you to with the exact number displayed. Where it takes you, however, will determine how the game truly carries out

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