Work Time Fun

Naming your game WTF (Work Time Fun) will surely get attention. That is one of many things D3 Publisher did right when bringing this Sony-developed game stateside. This quirky mini-game laden game has you playing a temp worker. You visit a placement office where your goal is to earn money. And that's it.

There are 40 mini-games in all; you start with a menu of four. One of the game, Pendemonium, has you capping pens on an assembly line. Sometimes the pens are backwards, so you must flip them over before you can cap them. This game, as you will discover after awhile, does not end! You just play it until you get tired of it. It's seriously just a no brainer game if pressing the same few buttons.

By earning money, you can visit vending machines that dispense capsules that either get you a new mini-game, a useless trinket, or a tool. The tools you unlock in the game are really lame. Handy Light is nothing more than a white (or other color) "light" for your PSP. It just brings up a white picture on screen. You can turn the light on/off, and change the light pattern. Really handy hurr.. Eye Spy is another one you unlock. You can hold this up to your eyes, pointing away from you. Using the shoulder buttons, you can blink (move the analog nub to move the pupils, too). Use Eye Spy the next time you are in a long queue.

You will also get random emails from co-workers, and sometimes, bonuses from WTFNet. Your co-workers ramble on about useless stuff, just like in real life. It's the type of game that makes you scratch your head in amazement, wondering how this made it out of Japan. But the reason the game is a success is because it is so offbeat and is a total time waster.

WTF also supports ad-hoc multiplayer. You can trade trinkets, but the most fun comes by "outsourcing" work, where you can subject your unsuspecting friends to doing menial tasks from the Sub-Contract menu. You can perform single or multiplayer jobs in ad-hoc mode. Keeping with the nonsense of it all, you "interview" potential workers, and can even reject them if you wish.

As with a lot of great software that rarely makes it stateside, this game is going to be a total turn off to some. Work is hell, part-time jobs are hell, but what better way to get through your day than by counting chicks into baskets? Yes the game is odd, and funny. And it gets a little more challenging as you start unlocking more and more games. This is definitely not a game for everyone. It's one of those love-it-or-hate-it games. If you're fascinated by the wacky side of Japanese culture, you'll definitely want to have a go at this game. Likewise if you prefer your games easy to learn and playable in short sessions, or if you adore retro gaming. However, if you like a little more complexity or brain work in your gaming, this is probably not the game for you.