My Horse and Me Review for the Nintendo Wii

System: Wii, PC, DS	Review Rating Legend
Dev: W! Games	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: Atari	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: Feb. 5, 2008	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1-4	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Everyone	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

Also, In addition to going through jumping courses and playing mini-games, you can also take care of your horse. In the "My Horse and Me" mode, you can groom your horse, outfit it with all the latest gear that you've unlocked by winning and performing well in competitions, and even outfit yourself with some gear as well. This mode is probably the least rewarding of the game because there is not as much to do as one might hope. When it comes to taking care of virtual animals, I like a little bit of a tedious element just to lend some realism to the whole experience. It probably takes about two minutes to groom your horse, and you don't even have to feed it. I realize that this mode might not be the most appealing to some, and perhaps that is why they marginalized it, but I can't help feeling that young people who play this game might have enjoyed having to take care of their horse on a regular basis.

My Horse and Me screenshot

Graphically, this game is pretty good. Sure it is not high-resolution or anything, but it is decent to look at, and there are no glitches or bugs that I have seen, which is great in a budget title like this. Sound is not bad either with enthusiastic voice acting from the coach character and some pretty inoffensive music. I wish there were a little bit more of a focus on horse sound effects, but I can also understand that if implemented incorrectly this could have gotten a little agitating.

Overall, I enjoyed My Horse and Me. It is definitely aimed at the younger sect, as such can provide a fun and entertaining look at the world of horse riding. The controls are definitely hard to grasp at first, but if you can overcome those, then you'll have a great time playing this equestrian game. Have fun riding!

By Amanda L. Kondolojy
CCC Freelance Writer

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

3.5

Graphics
A little above average for a Wii game, though not incredibly spectacular.

3.6

Control
Very difficult to learn, but after about an hour or so you'll get used to them, and they work pretty well from there.

3.7

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Coach voice acting is pretty good and music is generally ineffective.

4.0

Play Value
The various modes provide quite a bit of enjoyment, and can easily be returned to on multiple occasions.

3.6

Overall Rating - Good
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

The Championship: This championship is the main game mode. You learn how to ride your horse while you are passing the different 'galop' stages, and you train to enter and to win the main jumping championship spanning different locations around the world.

Riding Games: The Riding Games are smaller games that range from some that help you advance your riding to fun and exciting ones that tax you in a variety of different ways. Collect butterflies, herd the chickens back into the coop, catch falling stars from the skies… These games offer a fun experience for both the serious and more casual player.

You And Your Horse!: This is your own horse lovers mini-universe! Here you can customize your character and horse, clean, brush, groom and bond with your horse. Unlock new outfits, saddles, animations, gameplay modes, features, and environments in this part of the game.