Review: Rocky and Bullwinkle
For the uninitiated, Rocky and Bullwinkle were the premier cartoon comedy duo way before Patrick Star and Spongebob Squarepants ever grabbed their nets and headed out for Jellyfish Fields. Just think of them as the Ben Stiller/Owen Wilson combo for Generation X, except Rocky and Bullwinkle are funny. The release of a Moose and Squirrel game on Xbox Live Arcade is cause for celebration for children of any age, or at least it should have been.
Rocky and Bullwinkle is a party game reminiscent of WarioWare: Smooth Moves on the Wii. It has more than 100 fast paced microgames, plenty of humor both adults and kids can enjoy, with all the classic characters from the cartoon included. That's where the similarities end because Rocky and Bullwinkle has a number of flaws that prevent it from being a true family pleaser.
The Xbox LIVE Vision Camera, used for many of the games, is a complete bust (surprise!) forcing players to rely on a sometimes baffling controller scheme. Levels are divided by themed shows - Dudley Do-Right, Sherman and Mr. Peabody, etc. - which is nice, but the microgames in each level are repeated too often. This creates a snoozefest for Rocky and Bullwinkle's core audience: kids, who wonder why they're playing the same thing over and over. Music and dialogue are also on a nonstop loop in each show. Ugh!
With their iconic status Rocky and Bullwinkle will find an audience, but it could have been a much broader and more fulfilled one if this title lived up to its name.
CONS: Not enough Sherman and Mr. Peabody, boxtop references lost on kiddos