Zen Studios misfires badly in its new Live Arcade treatment of the iconic 1960s Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon series. Keying on the show's rudimentary (and universally derided) animation instead of its wonderful writing and goofy humor demonstrates an atrocious error in judgment. Worse still, the XBLA edition is nothing more than a series of rapid-fire mini-games - most lasting less than 10 seconds - where you must frantically manipulate buttons and triggers on your controller to direct some character's obscure on-screen movements.
Much of the time you won't have a clue what you did right or wrong before the game advances you to the next, often repetitive, set-piece. It's enough to make you swear off squirrels and moose forever.
GWN reports:
''The characters Rocky and Bullwinkle strike a familiar chord with baby boomers. During their show's on-again, off-again run from the late 1950s through the mid-1960s, they captivated audiences young and old with a deft blend of madcap antics and timely themes, much the same way The Simpsons grabbed hold of its massive demographic during its creative peak in the 1990s. Perhaps that's why Rocky and Bullwinkle, the Xbox Live Arcade game from Zen Studios, is such a disappointment. Though it tries to combine the source material with the frantic gameplay and zany visuals of WarioWare, it instead comes off as a half-baked attempt to cash-in on a beloved license.''
Robert Workman reports:
''We hate it when a game developer takes a classic franchise we grew up with and trashes it. Zen Studios is guilty with its Xbox Live Arcade release of Rocky and Bullwinkle. What should've been a fun, easygoing mini-game compilation is anything but. It's more like a virtual example of how NOT to do one.
In the game, you go through a series of episodes featuring stars from the classic cartoon, including Rocky, Bullwinkle, Boris and Natasha, Peabody the Dog and Sherman, among others. Each offers a variety of mini-games, in the same tradition as Nintendo's WarioWare games. The gigantic difference here, however, is that the WarioWare games are fun, where Rocky and Bullwinkle's are not.''
XBF writes: "Mini-games should be one of two things; and preferably both. They should be quick and they should be fun. Rocky and Bullwinkle magically avoids being either with "mini" games that seem to be far too long to be enjoyable. The ones that are quick are so frustratingly annoying; they can't even be enjoyed for a quick thrill."
Highlights:
Sound - 5.0
Graphics - 4.0
Controls - 5.0
Hey IDIOT REVIEWER
The game is made for 5 year olds! Its a CHILD's VIDEOGAME.
Its hillarious that they reviewed this game totally out of context.