Frankie_Says_Relax
11-07-2007, 08:29 PM
You know, 7 years ago when Adult Swim premiered it's block of original animated programming - I didn't appreciate the subtle genius of Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis's "Aqua Teen Hunger Force".
While it had some of the heavily-computer-assisted comedy animation qualities of Space Ghost Coast to Coast, it just seemed to be quickly produced, sloppy, and not very cleverly worked out writing-wise.
Here I am, 7 years later, and perhaps it has something to do with the fact that it's been endlessly re-run, shamelessly merchandised, and hammered into my head just about every weeknight between the hours of 11 PM and 5 AM that my feelings for the show evolved from confusion and apathy to understanding and love ... or maybe I just wasn't "trying" hard enough to get it in it's earliest days on the air ... but, whatever the case, in 2007 the folks at Midway, Williams Street Games and Creat Studios have given us "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro Am".
Now, most of us have played comedy cartoon licensed fare before.
There were a lot of South Park games in the PS1 / N64 era ... and all of them were pretty painful experiences.
There was a Futurama game that shared a similar amount of input from it's creative team that this Auqa Teen game does, but unfortunately it didn't really stand out amongst it's quality platforming peers on PS2 and XBOX.
Simpsons games have been around since the NES, and recently there were a few positive moments in the last generation, and most recently "THE Simpsons Game" seems to be garnering some positive reviews on current gen systems. (From EA no less!)
So. Now then.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie. Ninja. Pro-Am.
From start to finish (okay, I haven't FINISHED it yet, but I'm a few levels in), the game feels like it was done the way a licensed game based on a cartoon should be done. Granted ATHF is a toon of a very "alternative/absurdist" quality, the level of involvement from the creators, animators and voice talent is evident. You really feel like you're participating in an episode of the show ... if ... the episode was taking place in Hot Shots Golf.
Did I mention it was a golf game? LOL
Okay. Yes. It's a golf game, similar in quality to the PS1/PS2 series Hot Shots ... of course it doesn't have the depth, but it has something that Hot Shots or ANY golf game I've ever played doesn't : the walk to the ball after you've hit it. During the walk, you get to control Shake, Frylock, and Meatwad - explore the course, fight recognizable characters from the show like pubic crabs, cloned mothman brownies, talking trees, the knowledge cube, turk-a-tron, and, of course, Carl and the Mooninites, and unlock extras.
There are some golf kart combat racing levels (it's pretty scary that that statement doesn't really sound strange in contemporary gaming) and some unlockable games. Everything is multiplayer, sadly no online ... but, most PS2 games of this generation are dumping online servers and play.
So. Is it fun? Is it good? Is it worth $29.99 MSRP?
If you're a fan of the show, you shouldn't pass this up. If you're a hardcore fan, you'll appreciate every moment that went into the production. Every joke, every line of dialog recorded, every character referenced. (It even includes a very funny bonus episode of the show that has never been aired on Adult Swim and isn't on any of the DVD releases!)
As far as an alternative style golf game goes ... it's not QUITE as well put together as the Outlaw Golf series, but it's almost shockingly good in it's own right.
Based on it's content and subject matter alone I can't see me recommending this to anybody who's not strictly a fan of the show, but at the same time, there's nothing about the quality of the game, graphics, gameplay, or comedy that would make me say it's not a well made late-entry into the PS2's library. (And it'll probably make for a decent collectible in the future.)
So, yes, it's fun. It's not AMAZING, but it's good, and it's well made. And while it doesn't do anything innovative (aside from adding combat between strokes in a golf game) it certainly is a good example of "licensed comedy cartoon" product.
Out of 10, I'll score it 7.5 overall for fans of the show with an emphasis on being "worth owning" for content, and 6.5 for non-fans with the understanding that the game is competently made, but there's not MUCH for non-fans of the show.
http://sublog.subimage.com/files/athf-led.jpg
Remember Boston 2007!
While it had some of the heavily-computer-assisted comedy animation qualities of Space Ghost Coast to Coast, it just seemed to be quickly produced, sloppy, and not very cleverly worked out writing-wise.
Here I am, 7 years later, and perhaps it has something to do with the fact that it's been endlessly re-run, shamelessly merchandised, and hammered into my head just about every weeknight between the hours of 11 PM and 5 AM that my feelings for the show evolved from confusion and apathy to understanding and love ... or maybe I just wasn't "trying" hard enough to get it in it's earliest days on the air ... but, whatever the case, in 2007 the folks at Midway, Williams Street Games and Creat Studios have given us "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro Am".
Now, most of us have played comedy cartoon licensed fare before.
There were a lot of South Park games in the PS1 / N64 era ... and all of them were pretty painful experiences.
There was a Futurama game that shared a similar amount of input from it's creative team that this Auqa Teen game does, but unfortunately it didn't really stand out amongst it's quality platforming peers on PS2 and XBOX.
Simpsons games have been around since the NES, and recently there were a few positive moments in the last generation, and most recently "THE Simpsons Game" seems to be garnering some positive reviews on current gen systems. (From EA no less!)
So. Now then.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie. Ninja. Pro-Am.
From start to finish (okay, I haven't FINISHED it yet, but I'm a few levels in), the game feels like it was done the way a licensed game based on a cartoon should be done. Granted ATHF is a toon of a very "alternative/absurdist" quality, the level of involvement from the creators, animators and voice talent is evident. You really feel like you're participating in an episode of the show ... if ... the episode was taking place in Hot Shots Golf.
Did I mention it was a golf game? LOL
Okay. Yes. It's a golf game, similar in quality to the PS1/PS2 series Hot Shots ... of course it doesn't have the depth, but it has something that Hot Shots or ANY golf game I've ever played doesn't : the walk to the ball after you've hit it. During the walk, you get to control Shake, Frylock, and Meatwad - explore the course, fight recognizable characters from the show like pubic crabs, cloned mothman brownies, talking trees, the knowledge cube, turk-a-tron, and, of course, Carl and the Mooninites, and unlock extras.
There are some golf kart combat racing levels (it's pretty scary that that statement doesn't really sound strange in contemporary gaming) and some unlockable games. Everything is multiplayer, sadly no online ... but, most PS2 games of this generation are dumping online servers and play.
So. Is it fun? Is it good? Is it worth $29.99 MSRP?
If you're a fan of the show, you shouldn't pass this up. If you're a hardcore fan, you'll appreciate every moment that went into the production. Every joke, every line of dialog recorded, every character referenced. (It even includes a very funny bonus episode of the show that has never been aired on Adult Swim and isn't on any of the DVD releases!)
As far as an alternative style golf game goes ... it's not QUITE as well put together as the Outlaw Golf series, but it's almost shockingly good in it's own right.
Based on it's content and subject matter alone I can't see me recommending this to anybody who's not strictly a fan of the show, but at the same time, there's nothing about the quality of the game, graphics, gameplay, or comedy that would make me say it's not a well made late-entry into the PS2's library. (And it'll probably make for a decent collectible in the future.)
So, yes, it's fun. It's not AMAZING, but it's good, and it's well made. And while it doesn't do anything innovative (aside from adding combat between strokes in a golf game) it certainly is a good example of "licensed comedy cartoon" product.
Out of 10, I'll score it 7.5 overall for fans of the show with an emphasis on being "worth owning" for content, and 6.5 for non-fans with the understanding that the game is competently made, but there's not MUCH for non-fans of the show.
http://sublog.subimage.com/files/athf-led.jpg
Remember Boston 2007!