Animaniacs: Lights, Camera, Action!
Score: 71% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Ignition Entertainment USA Developer: Warthog Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre: Platformer
Graphics & Sound: Who doesn’t remember the zany antics of Yakko, Wakko, and Dot? I have fond memories as a kid watching Pinky and the Brain do what they did every night, “try to take over the world!” It seems the powers that be at Ignition Entertainment are attempting to revive this cult classic with Animaniacs: Lights, Camera, Action!. All of the characters from the show are rendered in sweet 2D goodness on the Game Boy Advance. The bright colors and wacked out animations are perfectly derived from the popular TV show. The game is laid out in a classic pseudo-3D isometric view, reminiscent of games like Marble Madness and Super Mario RPG. Visually, you really couldn’t ask much more of a game like this. Since it is based on a vivid 2D cartoon, it shares that same style of art and does so reasonably well. As far as the audio goes, well this is an Animaniacs game, so outrageous musical tracks and slapstick sound effects are to be found in large quantities.
Gameplay: The game starts off with the magnanimous Warner trio being called forth from their water tower in the sky by Warner Bros. Executives. It seems the Execs are fed up with the mayhem caused by the siblings and have issued an ultimatum: Yakko, Wakko, and Dot must assist in filming 3 movies simultaneously or risk being thrown out of the WB studio lot. The three will be assisted by the Brain along the way and will meet up with just about every Animaniacs character at one point or another. Being an isometric platformer, the gameplay of Animaniacs lies somewhere between the 2D and 3D realms. The game is basically all about running around, hopping across frustrating moving platforms, and throwing things at the bad guys. There’s the usual mix of platforming, combat, item collecting, and switch toggling. The game does what it does well, but overall, is a fairly average and typical experience. The game does sport that rarely used feature of Game Boy games, multiplayer. If you and a friend both have the game, you can hook up and play an amusing, if shallow, little game where you run around trying to hold on to a crown the longest.
Difficulty: Animaniacs sports an average difficulty setting. Just about anyone from little Billy to Grandma will be able to get through some of the earlier stages. While the game doesn’t ramp up in difficulty to any extreme amount, the later stages will require more patience and some well timed jumps.
Game Mechanics: The Warners have to film three movies at once, and each film is broken up into five stages. Rather than go through each film’s stages one at a time, you will do scene one of each movie, then move on to scene two, and so forth. This can get a little disorienting as you’re constantly flipping through pirates, aliens, and monster style themes. But that’s okay, because this is Animaniacs and you aren’t supposed to feel sane. You will control each of the three Warner siblings in different stages of the game. While each of them are basically the same, they do have some unique characteristics: Dot can float, Wakko can burp, and Yakko is um… well Yakko’s just really tall. In addition to the Warner trio, you will also have the chance to play as Pinky and the Brain. Unlike the Warners, these two lab mice are significantly different and require a very different play style. In most cases, you will alternate between one of the Warners and one of the mice in each stage, engaging in a Dance Dance Revolution type mini-game whenever you want to switch. I do have one serious issue with the game, though. Animaniacs: Lights, Camera, Action! uses a password system. Now look, I know this cartoon is a few years old, but how much space could a save file for this game really take up? Passwords are irritating guys, no one likes them. If it’s mindless fun you’re after, Animaniacs: Lights, Camera, Action! should entertain the younger crowd and maybe even a few of the older fans.
-Alucard, GameVortex Communications AKA Stephen Triche
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