Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: EA Canada
System: Nintendo Wii
Genre: Action/Arcade
Release Date: Available now
Review by: Scott Lufkin

Recently, I was able to travel back to a time when I was a kid playing on the playground with my friends. This time though, there was no bell to signal the end of my fun. I was able to collect marbles, play tether ball and throw paper airplanes for as long as I wanted to. How could I achieve such a feat? With EA Playground!

EA Playground is the latest selection of mini-games for the Wii, and EA has packed quite a lot of features and content into the disc. You start with an empty sticker book, a custom built child avatar and a dream to someday have a full sticker book. As you wander the starting area, a standard playground that looks like many other playgrounds across America, you come across children who challenge you to games that include such classics as dodge ball, slot car racing and dart shooting. Victories earn stickers to fill up your book. You can choose which stickers you want out of a small selection and place them yourself on that game’s page. This gives each book a unique look.

You are also able to earn Golden Stickers, which operate as skills that you can employ in the mini-games to which they relate. For example, you could pick up a Power Throw sticker that gives you the ability to throw a fierce dodge ball at an opponent for an easy out or a More Nitro sticker for racing slot cars. You need to collect marbles to purchase many of the Golden Stickers, but they’re both plentiful and fun to collect. Often you need to have a certain number of Golden Stickers to move onto new areas, so completing events and collecting marbles in the areas you have already uncovered is paramount to game progress. These new areas offer unique games and more challenges.

EA Playground also boasts a strong multiplayer element that extends the replayability, with seven modes from which to choose. You can immediately play against any challenger without having to collect marbles or stickers. Playing against another player adds mileage to the game.