 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Entertainment Developer: ZEN Studios Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios |
The title of “Rocky & Bullwinkle” often bring memories of the past and gamers who see the game on Xbox Live Arcade may want to think twice before spending their Microsoft points to take a trip down memory lane.
Though many players may think that this would be a perfect game for younger gamers, this may be a disappointment. There are of course some great elements to the game, but they may be outweighed by the negative
components of the game.
“Rocky & Bullwinkle” is a collection of micro-games, which must be classified as such because they are much smaller and less involved than typical mini-games. There are many games that players may recognize this
format in games such as “WarioWare” and “Carnival Games.” Sadly the difference is that the mini-games are far less fun than in other games. Overall the games prove to be boring and extremely repetitive, the
animation is executed poorly and the overall presentation of the cartoon’s license is handled in such a way that players of the cartoon series from the past will be very difficult to enjoy.
Many players may ask themselves why “Rocky & Bullwinkle” was made into a game in the first place. For a cartoon series that was popular back in the 1960s, it didn’t seem like the best choice for a videogame release
in 2008, especially in the Xbox Live Arcade format. Though the classical cartoon is an icon in the entertainment industry, the presentation of the series through this game and its characters come across as cheap and
inappropriate for the time.
The overall game mechanics for each mini-game in “Rocky & Bullwinkle” are extremely simple, from spinning a single thumb stick in a circle to pressing the trigger buttons repeatedly or pressing the right button at the
right time. Most of the games last for a few seconds, lasting 30 seconds at most, and are so easy that they don’t technically qualify as real games at all. The game asks players to complete simple tasks and considers
it a game. Is a game really classified by the idea that players need to complete a simple task? By clicking different buttons to set up the Xbox 360 in a certain doesn’t make it a game, does it?
Of course some of the games in “Rocky & Bullwinkle” really do qualify as games, such as the shooting ranges, races and mazes, but even those quickly become very unsatisfying and lose their fun factor as quickly as
the game is started. That is a very bad thing for a videogame, and sadly with “Rocky & Bullwinkle” the game continues to go downhill from that point forward.
As simple as of the mini-games are, they can often be confusing and not very precise, even when players are playing the mini-games that use the Xbox Live Vision camera to control the game, which seldom works.
Also, games often repeat through multiple levels. The levels are arranged by the different shows from the original show including Aesop and Son, The Peabody Show, Fractured Fairy Tales and more, but there isn’t any
real story line to the game and the characters are very flat and boring from beginning to end.
The game does offer games the option of playing in multiplayer mode. For the gamers who want to challenge their friends, they are able to compete with 11 friends in a hot-seat multiplayer mode, which involved players
to pass the controller back and forth between each game that is played. There are online leader boards for players to work towards making it onto, there is no Xbox Live play option to play again others across the world,
though that isn’t something that would probably be used too much.
By the time players are done playing through “Rocky & Bullwinkle” for Xbox Live Arcade, players will not only be sadly disappointed by the presentation of the game, but they will probably also be extremely confused with
the format of the game and the often times awkward controls. Many may ask who this game was really created for. Was is created for young gamers, fans of the original cartoon show, casual gamers or those who have
no idea what a quality videogame really is? The games are so simple that many would think that they were created for young gamers, most of whom would never know who any of the characters are and what the point
of the different shows is. For the adults who are familiar with the series from their youth, they will be insulted by the presentation of the series in this new game and the controls that were obviously created for children to
play the game. Unfortunately none of the above listed demographics will have much fun with the game. It is obvious that Zen Studios didn’t spend a whole lot of time or money on “Rocky & Bullwinkle” and that may
cause gamers to ask why they are expected to.
Some people are going to like this game because of the ease of the game and the repetitive nature of the game, but those are the exact elements that are going to turn a lot of players away from the game. Also, with no
real audience for this game, it is difficult to determine whether or not it is worth the time or money to even try out the game to determine whether it is worth playing. Those who are super fans of the cartoon series may
like to have “Rocky & Bullwinkle” as an addition to their game collection.
Though many players may think that this would be a perfect game for younger gamers, this may be a disappointment. There are of course some great elements to the game, but they may be outweighed by the negative
components of the game.
“Rocky & Bullwinkle” is a collection of micro-games, which must be classified as such because they are much smaller and less involved than typical mini-games. There are many games that players may recognize this
format in games such as “WarioWare” and “Carnival Games.” Sadly the difference is that the mini-games are far less fun than in other games. Overall the games prove to be boring and extremely repetitive, the
animation is executed poorly and the overall presentation of the cartoon’s license is handled in such a way that players of the cartoon series from the past will be very difficult to enjoy.
Many players may ask themselves why “Rocky & Bullwinkle” was made into a game in the first place. For a cartoon series that was popular back in the 1960s, it didn’t seem like the best choice for a videogame release
in 2008, especially in the Xbox Live Arcade format. Though the classical cartoon is an icon in the entertainment industry, the presentation of the series through this game and its characters come across as cheap and
inappropriate for the time.
The overall game mechanics for each mini-game in “Rocky & Bullwinkle” are extremely simple, from spinning a single thumb stick in a circle to pressing the trigger buttons repeatedly or pressing the right button at the
right time. Most of the games last for a few seconds, lasting 30 seconds at most, and are so easy that they don’t technically qualify as real games at all. The game asks players to complete simple tasks and considers
it a game. Is a game really classified by the idea that players need to complete a simple task? By clicking different buttons to set up the Xbox 360 in a certain doesn’t make it a game, does it?
Of course some of the games in “Rocky & Bullwinkle” really do qualify as games, such as the shooting ranges, races and mazes, but even those quickly become very unsatisfying and lose their fun factor as quickly as
the game is started. That is a very bad thing for a videogame, and sadly with “Rocky & Bullwinkle” the game continues to go downhill from that point forward.
As simple as of the mini-games are, they can often be confusing and not very precise, even when players are playing the mini-games that use the Xbox Live Vision camera to control the game, which seldom works.
Also, games often repeat through multiple levels. The levels are arranged by the different shows from the original show including Aesop and Son, The Peabody Show, Fractured Fairy Tales and more, but there isn’t any
real story line to the game and the characters are very flat and boring from beginning to end.
The game does offer games the option of playing in multiplayer mode. For the gamers who want to challenge their friends, they are able to compete with 11 friends in a hot-seat multiplayer mode, which involved players
to pass the controller back and forth between each game that is played. There are online leader boards for players to work towards making it onto, there is no Xbox Live play option to play again others across the world,
though that isn’t something that would probably be used too much.
By the time players are done playing through “Rocky & Bullwinkle” for Xbox Live Arcade, players will not only be sadly disappointed by the presentation of the game, but they will probably also be extremely confused with
the format of the game and the often times awkward controls. Many may ask who this game was really created for. Was is created for young gamers, fans of the original cartoon show, casual gamers or those who have
no idea what a quality videogame really is? The games are so simple that many would think that they were created for young gamers, most of whom would never know who any of the characters are and what the point
of the different shows is. For the adults who are familiar with the series from their youth, they will be insulted by the presentation of the series in this new game and the controls that were obviously created for children to
play the game. Unfortunately none of the above listed demographics will have much fun with the game. It is obvious that Zen Studios didn’t spend a whole lot of time or money on “Rocky & Bullwinkle” and that may
cause gamers to ask why they are expected to.
Some people are going to like this game because of the ease of the game and the repetitive nature of the game, but those are the exact elements that are going to turn a lot of players away from the game. Also, with no
real audience for this game, it is difficult to determine whether or not it is worth the time or money to even try out the game to determine whether it is worth playing. Those who are super fans of the cartoon series may
like to have “Rocky & Bullwinkle” as an addition to their game collection.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
