 Review By: Jared Black |
Developer: | Warthog Games |
| Publisher: | Ignition Entertainment | |
| Genre: | Platformer | |
| ESRB: | Everyone | |
| # Of Players: | 1-2 | |
| Accessories: | Game Boy Advance Game Link cable | |
| Buy Now: |   |
Along with Batman: The Animated Series and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Animaniacs was always one of my favorite cartoons. Not only did it have a catchy theme song and outrageous antics, but it also featured a dynamic and appealing cast of characters. The stars of the show were the Warner Brothers (and the Warner sister!): Yakko, Wakko, and Dot. Week after week they caused trouble for the studio's owner and several other characters, and they were repeatedly locked inside the tower on the Warner Brothers studios lot as a result.
In Animaniacs: Lights, Camera, Action! Mr. Plotz, the head of Warner Brothers Studios, has determined that the trio has cost the studio approximately $1 zillion dollars through their antics over the years. To recoup those losses, he forces them to star in three different movies filming simultaneously. The movie sets act as the different areas throughout the game (5 missions per movie), and include Treasure Iceland, Martian Invasion, and The Castle of Dr. Stratchansniff.
As you've probably guessed by now, gameplay is standard platform fare with the player regularly switching between the different Animaniacs. Playable characters include Yakko, Wakko, Dot, Pinky and the Brain, and each has different strengths and weaknesses. For example, Dot will not push anything (she is a princess after all) but can glide using her skirt. On the other hand, Brain can operate advanced switches but can't jump due to his massive cranium. Both Pinky and the Brain can also fit into tight spaces to reach areas inaccessible to the others, while Wakko's built-in burp attack means he doesn't have to hunt for ammunition on each mission.
Since the levels are movie sets no lives are actually lost; instead, each "death" results in the loss of one roll of film. The game's over if all rolls of film are used up. Additional rolls are scattered throughout each level, and the director also provides extra rolls if the player is almost out but doing well. If all available film is used up before the end of a level, production of the movie's called off and the Animaniacs are locked up in the Warner tower for good.
While the setup is formulaic, it's a time-tested formula that has been seen in a number of decent platform games. Unfortunately, the execution here is poor and makes the game a chore to play. Everything takes place in an isometric view, and while the game offers both isometric and direct control schemes neither works that well. The direct control scheme makes it hard to move in a "true" up/down/left/right direction on the screen, especially given the GBA's small d-pad, as well as line up attacks on enemies. The isometric scheme gives the player more precise movement, but the tradeoff is a rigid and unnatural feel that makes every movement like a constant battle with the controls. I actually ended up switching between the two schemes on a regular basis as the situation demanded, which is annoying to say the least. This kind of game is just begging for an analog stick (or a bludgeoning), and indeed the best setup I found was playing it on my Game Boy Player with a Wavebird and the direct control scheme.
The other major problem is that the game doesn't utilize the Animaniacs license like it should. A number of major characters from the show are missing, including the Goodfeathers, Buttons and Mindy, Chicken Boo, Hello Nurse, and more. I wouldn't expect them all to be playable, but some minor participation in the story (even as enemies) would've been nice. Worse than that, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot are almost totally out of character. While they were decidedly anti-authority on the show and constantly getting into trouble, here they follow orders from the director with little to no complaint. Some ways to cause havoc while still finishing each movie would've made this more true to the spirit of the cartoon and a more enjoyable experience.
The graphics and sound are both solid but unspectacular. While the isometric view may be bad for gameplay, it does help things look a bit better than if they were strictly 2D. Each character is drawn and animated well, right down to little details like the Warner brothers' different-sized eyes. However, the environments are boring, generic takes on pirate, space, and horror movie themes and enemy types repeat far too often. Sound effects are standard, and the music is fairly average as well.
Bottom Line:
Yakko: "It's that time again!"
Dot: "To discuss how cute I am?"
Wakko: "To make bubbles with our spit?"
Yakko: "No, to find out the moral of today's review! And to help us, we turn to…The Wheel of Morality! Wheel of Morality turn turn turn, tell us the lesson that we should learn. And the moral of today's review is…Never ask what hot dogs are made of."
Me: "I thought it was to never make a game that doesn't capture the spirit of the license and doesn't offer up a compelling gameplay experience."
All: "Run!"
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5.0 |
Posted: 2005-11-09 16:16:56 PST