PN Review: Paparazzi (Wii U Eshop)

When you think about being a celebrity it seems like the best job in the world. Traveling, being rich and famous, ah the life. Well don’t forget about the people whose job it is to exploit your every mistake and misstep along the way, the dreaded paparazzi. In this 2 player WiiU game Paparazzi, player 1 will take control of a celebrity while player 2 (the paparazzi) tries to snap as  many shots of you as they can before you make it to your limo. This goofy fast paced game is sure to keep you on your toes but is it worth your time? Let’s take a look.

 Paparazzi is a simple game but we all know that the word simple also means average. I was intrigued by the pixelated graphics and quirky gameplay when I first started out. Everything is bright and colorful, but everything is also TINY and seriously lacking detail. Your character (the celebrity) moves freely through a side scrolling level in which they can hide behind various objects or greenery from the paps (using the joystick). The Paparazzi (player 2 or the computer) uses the Wii U gamepads touch screen, or the Wiimote to point and take as many pictures of the celebrity as possible before you reach the limo that’s waiting for you.

Character selection screen

You can choose from 6 different levels when playing, like a nightclub or a zoo. I found that the levels were so short I easily got bored with the few choices that I did have. The 7 celebrities you can choose from are pretty funny though. My favorites to play with were the tucan and the bear riding a tricycle, they’re all pretty goofy but in a comical way that actually made me laugh. The music wasn’t bad throughout the game, kind of an action movie/escape scene thing going on. The only thing I had a problem with was how hard it was to keep track of my tiny little person while this crazy paparazzi is taking pictures left and right.

I believe running from the real life paparazzi would be just as insane as it is in this game. Its really easy to get lost in the craziness of whats going on. The graphics in the game don’t help much with that either. Your pixelated celebrity characters are all very unique compared to the random people standing around which helps but everything is so darn small that I found myself not knowing where I was half the time. The way to win in this game is based on how much dignity the celebrity has and how much money the paparazzi makes by the end of the level. Notice the bar at the top of the screenshot below, it represents who is winning.

So while Paparazzi is a good effort at a fun multiplayer experience, its a game that will loose its excitement very quickly. With the frantic gameplay and lack of variety its something you wont be coming back to very often. Which I don’t like saying since I was hoping for a better experience from such a fun looking game. The $4.99 price tag isn’t too bad but if you interested in Paparazzi I would wait for a discount in the future.