Video Game Review #596: Hook

Hook

Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis,

Sega CD

Before playing:

Dangeeksout history is being made here: I played through three different versions of the same game and I'm now rolling them together into one big review. Unprecedented times we live in! All jokes aside, I didn't think it made sense to review these games individually when they are all essentially the same thing. Sure, they have some cosmetic differences, which we'll get to in this review, but at its core, all three versions of the game still have the same exact gameplay and the same exact level design.

Before we get too far into the review, I'll give you a little backstory on my history with the game. I knew this game existed when I was a kid, but for some reason my local video stores didn't have it in stock, so I never ended up renting it. If I had heard from friends at school that the game was awesome, I probably would have found a way to get my hands on it. But I heard literally nothing about the game. Complete crickets. No one ever talked about or mentioned the video game version of Hook. I don't even remember reading about it in the video game magazines I was always so glued to back then. As a result, my assumption was that the game wasn't very good. I moved on with my life, never bothering to seek out the game.

Hook came out for home consoles in 1992 on the SNES and 1993 on the Genesis and Sega CD. I would have been about 11 years old at the time. I am just now playing it in 2025 at the age of 43. If you aren't good at math, that's a 32ish year gap between the game coming out and me playing it for the first time. Why now? I have been hearing a lot of things online lately about how this is an underrated gem, so I decided to take the plunge and check it out. I like the Hook movie. I like 2D platformers. I like retro gaming. Why not give it a shot?

So here we are. Let's dive in.

Story:

This game follows the same loose plot as the movie. Peter Pan is called back to Neverland to fight Captain Hook, when his children are taken by the evil pirate. The first level of the game, Peter trains with the Lost Boys as he learns how to fight and to fly. The rest of the game has you making your way towards the bay where Captain Hook's ship is docked. 

Your progress is shown on an overhead map that is displayed in between stages. Each stage you pass, you move one space forward on the map. Although there is a map, there is no backtracking; you move through the stages in a linear progression. There are 11 in total. When you make it to the end of the game, you fight Hook (twice) and rescue your children. There's a quick cutscene and the game ends.

The game's story sequences are a bit slow. The intro of the game drags on forever. I couldn't wait for it to be over so I could just play the darn game already. I do enjoy the faithfulness of the game to the movie, and how the game recreates the world and the magical feel of Hook pretty well. There is a part at the end of the game where the fat kid (Thud) rolls into a ball and knocks down all the enemies right before the final boss. This allows you to pick up all the power ups they left behind so you can come into the battle with Hook at full strength. I thought that was pretty cool.

What are the differences between the versions as far as story goes? Not much. The Sega CD has voice acting during the introduction. There are also some REALLY grainy cutscenes interspersed randomly throughout the game that only last for about 5 seconds. You can barely even tell what is happening in most of these scenes. But aside from these differences, the story is pretty much exactly the same across all three versions of the game.

Gameplay:

This is a fairly standard 2D platformer. I've reviewed the game Skyblazer before, and prior to playing this game, I had heard comparisons made between the two titles. Indeed, I found there to be a lot of similarities. I mean, both games were made by the same team, so this makes sense.

Generally, you start on the left side of the stage and you have to make your way forward to the right. You slash enemies with your sword, you jump, you pick up fairy powder which allows you to fly for a short period of time. Eventually you get to the end of the stage, where you will often (but not always) fight a boss character. 

The first stage, the training stage, you battle Rufio as the boss character. Other bosses you encounter are random Captain Hook cronies, including a skeleton guy who takes off his own head and throws it at you. There's another guy driving a big Robotnik-like flying machine. I don't remember any of them from the movie, but okay. The final battle of the game involves not one, but two boss fights against Captain Hook. For the most part, I enjoyed these boss fights. They all have a simple mechanic or exploit that you must recognize before you can beat them. Once you figure this exploit out, the boss becomes super easy.

The game itself is challenging, but not too overly hard. Every time you make it to a new "screen", you restart there if you die. So you don't have to do the whole level over again. You do have to begin at the start of a level if you run out of lives and have to continue. But that's okay. The stages aren't too terribly long. And the game has unlimited continues, so you can just trial and error your way through everything fairly easily.

There is a bit of a difficulty spike towards the end of the game. There are enemies that fire at you with guns, and their accuracy is startling. Most of the time they are up on ledges or areas that you have to fly to. Your character is very slow in this game, so enemies can often get off multiple shots at you as you make your way towards them. It's almost a miracle if you don't take damage during some of these segments. They are so freaking difficult, especially with their accuracy and their rate of fire. There is knockback/recovery time in this game, so you can't just charge at them, take one hit of damage, and then just kill them easily. You'll often take multiple hits from the same character.

To make things worse, the game often tosses multiple gun shooting characters on the screen at the same time. There is one part where you have to fight about five of them while flying upwards through a narrow chamber. I unashamedly used save states to get my way through this area. There's another area shortly after that has several gun shooting characters AND a boomerang-knife throwing character all bunched up together. It's insanity. Even with save states, I struggled.

And then there is another area where you have to fly through a tight corridor lined with spikes. But your flying power doesn't last long enough to get you through here, so it is inevitable that you are going to take some damage. You essentially have to come into this area with full health, and then make your way through it pixel-perfect to even have a chance at getting through. It sucks.

Aside from this nightmarish fifteen minutes or so of gameplay, the rest of the game is a blast to play. I try to not let this affect my overall thoughts on the game. All in all, I think this was a lot of fun, across all three versions of the game. I'm not going to talk about the differences in gameplay across these three consoles, because I don't think there really is any? It was identical from my experience. There may be some minute differences, but I sure didn't notice them.

SNES:

Genesis:

Graphics:

The graphical quality between the games is the first obvious, glaring difference between the titles. I played the SNES version first. This is easily the best looking version of the game. It's got bright colors, vibrant backgrounds, some very nice sprite work. It is like a cartoon version of the movie. It's great.

I played the Sega CD version next. Immediately, you notice the downgrade. Peter himself looks more muted and yellow than green and vibrant. The levels are more dreary. Everything feels less cartoony and alive than the SNES game. It doesn't necessarily look bad, especially if you have never played the SNES version and have no basis for comparison. But it is clearly inferior.

I played the Genesis version last. Woof, this one was the worst looking. Admittedly, I didn't take notes, so I can't really break down exactly how this is different from the Sega CD version. It just feels flatter. It's not as well animated. The colors are flat out bad in certain spots. I remember thinking "this looks like an NES game" on multiple occasions. Again, the game doesn't look necessarily bad, especially if this is the only version of it you've played. But there is a LOT of room for improvement here.

Sound:

The sound is the second most glaring difference between the versions of games. The Sega CD version clearly sounds the best. The music is pulled right from the movie. The sweeping orchestral music really gets you pumped up and in the mood to play the game. Normally, I don't care much about music in games. But here? It makes so much difference. The SNES and Genesis games have cheesy, generic music that only somewhat resembles the music from the film. But the Sega CD version's soundtrack is a work of art.

For this reason alone, if I ever come back and play this game again, it is going to be the Sega CD version. Normally, I'd take the prettier graphics over the better music, but it can't be understated how much of a difference the music makes here. Oh, this version has voice acting, too! 

Overall:

I enjoyed this game in all of its iterations. The gameplay is the same across all three games. The only difference is in the presentation of the games.

The SNES version has the best graphics. The Sega CD version has the best music. The Genesis version is kind of the worst of both worlds. So if there is a hierarchy here, the Genesis version is clearly at the bottom. That said, the gameplay for all these games is identical, so I am giving all of them the same review score. That's what we're here for, right? The gameplay. I always harp in my reviews how graphics and music don't matter. It's whether the game is fun to play or not.

Hook puts this theory to the absolute test. I am soooo tempted to give the Genesis game a lower review score. But I am going to stand my ground and stick to my opinion. Gameplay is king. As far as gameplay goes, these games are all the same. They are equally fun to play, so they deserve the same grade. That doesn't mean I wouldn't pick one version of this game over the others (because like I said, if I were to play through these games again, I'd pick the Sega CD version). But that's more of a personal preference.

If you were alive during the 90s and missed out on Hook like I did, you should probably go out and play this game. It is pretty good. If you are younger and are interested in fun, classic platformers to play, you should check this out. If you're a Hook fan in general (I think it's a very underrated movie), you should check this out.

I feel like I've been glazing this game all review long, so I am a little surprised to find myself giving it only a B and not a B+ or a score in the A range. Why did I grade it so "low?" I just think there are better games out there. That's all there really is to it. Nothing against Hook, because I do like this game. But comparatively speaking, a B sounds about right. I'm not super gung ho about the game. I'm not all like "play this now!! It's fantastic!!" I'm more like: "you should check this out. It's pretty good." That tiny little bit of enthusiasm keeps it from being a truly upper tier game in my opinion.

THE GRADE:

B

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Video Game Review #595: Doom 3: BFG Edition

Doom 3: BFG Edition

PlayStation 3

Nostalgia Factor:

I first played Doom 3 back in 2005. My memory of that time is extremely hazy. I drank a lot back then. I remember buying this at Mega Media Xchange on Brady Street, back when the store was actually part of a strip mall and not its own separate entity. I didn't have an Xbox back then, but my girlfriend Jessica did. We lived together on Milwaukee's East side. I vaguely remember playing the game and enjoying it. Like I said, I was drunk a lot back then so I don't remember much about it.

But as I mentioned in my recent Phantom Menace review, I can often remember the exact date I played a game based on what sporting events were happening at the time. I remember beating Doom 3 on the same day that the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Philadelphia 76ers to open the season back in 2005; Andrew Bogut's first NBA game. It was an overtime game, and I distinctly remember switching back and forth between the basketball game and Doom during the commercials until I beat the game. Using that date, I know that I beat this game on November 1, 2005. I never replayed the game. When Jessica and I broke up a few years later, she'd end up taking the game with her because it was her Xbox. I didn't put up much of a fight, because I would have had no way to play the game anyway.

After beating Doom 3, I wouldn't play it again until 2013 (8 years later). It was the BFG Edition for PS3. This version came with the original Doom games on the disc, and I remember playing through those as well. The next time I would play Doom 3 was here in 2025, 12 years since my last playthrough. So I've played it in '05, '13, and '25. If the pattern holds up, I'll be playing through this again in 2051. See ya then! 

Ah, I'm such a joker. Honestly, I'll probably never play this game again. Not because I don't like it, but because there is not much of a reason to play again. I think I've seen and done everything there is to do with this game. But anyway, let's dive into the review.

Story:

Unlike previous Doom games, this one at least attempts to tell some kind of coherent story. Not that I was paying attention. I was focused on the gameplay; exploring the stages, shooting enemies, and uncovering hidden secrets. I didn't really care about the story at all. So don't expect me to recap it here - because I wasn't paying attention! Some reviewer I am. 

From what I could gather, it follows the same basic path as previous Doom games. There's a space colony on Mars. Some kind of gateway to Hell is discovered. Demons start flooding into our world. You are the only one who can fight them off. As the protagonist, you eventually make your way to Hell and defeat the enemies at their source. Yada yada. Nothing particularly interesting to be found here.

Where this game is different from previous Doom games is how the story is pushed harder. There are cutscenes, NPCs you can interact with, audio logs, notes left behind, etc. I appreciate the effort, but I still didn't really care about what was going on. I was all about the gameplay.

Gameplay:

If you are coming into this game directly after playing the original Doom I and II, you are going to be in for a big surprise. This game is not much like those other titles at all. Those titles are fast and action oriented. This starts as more of a slow burn. It feels more like Dead Space or Half-Life. Cinematic, detailed, a heavy emphasis on pushing a storyline within an atmospheric environment.

After the introduction, where everything aboard the Mars colony falls apart, is when it starts to feel more like Doom. You're going to be running around, gunning down enemies, picking up items, finding keys, and exploring the big, maze-like stages. It still doesn't quite feel like the original Doom, though. There is a lot more maneuverability. You can climb ladders, jump, crawl through tight spaces, etc. One of the biggest differences is how dark the game is. You have to use a flashlight to illuminate your path. It adds a whole new element to the game that wasn't there before. Things start to feel more like a slow, horror based sci-fi oriented first person shooter than a Doom game.

Don't get me wrong, the whole game is not slow. In fact, there are a ton of areas that are nonstop, guns blazing action. That is when the game feels the most like Doom. Unfortunately, that's only about 50 or 60 percent percent of the actual game. Most of the game is walking around in the dark with your flashlight, discovering audio logs, reading emails, and finding passwords to enter storage lockers. You also do a lot of exploring and looking for the PDAs you need to access new areas.

That said, the pacing of the game is pretty good. You are constantly getting peppered by enemies as you make your way through the stages. The classic Doom trope of walls opening up as you walk past them, and enemies attacking you from behind is on full display here. There's always enough action keep the game fun and interesting. That's the biggest complaint I had about the 2016 Doom reboot. It seemed like a lot of the stages were empty. And then you'd enter a big room, the doors would close behind you, and the room would turn into a battle arena where you fight waves of enemies. It didn't feel natural, where you are constantly battling enemies the entire stage, like the other Doom games. This feels a lot more natural than the reboot.

The game is quite long. I was playing this for weeks on end, it seems. I do have to say that the game outstays its welcome. I was starting to get bored. The environments are all dark and dreary looking. Everything is a metal, industrial looking corridor. It all started to get really repetitive. And then when I was done with the game, I had two full DLC packs to play through.

All in all, it was a... fine experience. Never at any point did I say "wow this sucks." It is well-put together and fairly entertaining. Even if it does drag a little bit from time to time.

Graphics/Sound:

The game looks great. It is hard to believe the original Doom 3 came out 21 years ago. I assume the BFG Edition on PS3 cleans up some of the rough edges, but it still looks like something that could have come out within the last 3 years. I guess that says more about how graphics have plateaued somewhat than anything else. But I stand by it.

The game sounds pretty darn good, too. The music is dark and moody when it needs to be, and it ratchets up in intensity when it needs to, as well. The whole game is carried by its heavy, oppressive atmosphere. The sound and the visual design have a lot to do with that. While things do start to look "same-y" after a while, at least it looks good in the process.

Before we move on, I do have to comment on how some of the classic Doom characters were brought into the 3D world. While most enemies look fine, like Imps and pinkies (which are much scarier this time around), there were a few redesigns I didn't like. Cacodemons are one of them. They are almost unrecognizable from their original design.

Overall:

I don't have any strong feelings about this game either way. It is a perfectly suitable first person shooter. It's fun, it handles well. It's a perfect way to kill some time. It's very forgettable, though. It lacks most of the charm of the original Doom games. It feels more standard and generic, especially when compared to other dark space station shooters that have come out in the last 20 years. There's just not much that really sets this game apart.

It's hard to get excited for this game. I'm not walking away from this like "oh hell yeah! You need to play Doom 3!" I mean, it's a fine game. It just doesn't inspire much from me. I'll probably never play it again, if that amounts to anything.

It's a well-made game. I think it's a good game. But aside from that, I don't really have much else to say. Play it if you're a fan of the genre. Otherwise, you won't be missing a whole lot if you pass this over.

THE GRADE

B-

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Video Game Review #594: Altered Beast

Altered Beast

Sega Genesis

Nostalgia Factor:

I've never been a big Altered Beast fan. I remember renting it for the Sega Genesis back in the early 90s. I could only make it to the second level before the eyeball boss would kill me. I could never figure out how to defeat him.

Back in the day, when you rented a game, you usually would devote a big chunk of your weekend to playing it. But that did not happen here. I just wasn't into it. That weekend, I would end up playing other things instead. Later on in life, I'd say around 2001, I would play Altered Beast again - this time on the Sega Smashpack for the Dreamcast. Yet again, I found myself unable to make it past the second boss of the game. What the heck was I doing wrong?

I wound up putting aside Altered Beast for the second time, and it would end up being a really long chunk of time. 24 years, to be exact. I wouldn't give the game another go until here in 2025.

What put the game on my radar was how I've been seeing it discussed in retro gaming circles online. Opinions on it are mixed. But the general consensus it that the game is really short and easy. Wait, what? Short and easy? The game I tried to play twice and couldn't make it past the second level?

I made it my mission in life to come back and beat Altered Beast, and exorcise those demons I've been carrying since the early 1990s. Not that making it past the second level was a very high bar. How did that go? Let's jump in!

Story:

I'm not really sure what's going on in this game. I didn't have the manual for it. And the game itself doesn't explain much. Here is what I do know: you play as a warrior who is resurrected from the grave. You have to save the princess from the evil villain. Real original stuff here. But what makes this game different is that you morph into various beasts as you make your way through the game's stages.

What significance does this have to the princess-rescuing story at hand? I don't really know. Maybe it is explained in the manual, but it never is in the game. I suppose I could cheat and go to Wikipedia, but where is the fun in that? My standard is that a game's story should always be able to be told through the game itself. If you need a manual or you have to go to Wikipedia, I'm not going to talk about it here. If it's not in the game, I don't talk about it. That's just how I roll.

 

Gameplay:

Once you figure out how this game works, it becomes very simple. Coming into this blind, you'd think it is a somewhat typical side scrolling platformer/beat 'em up. You start on the left side of the screen. The screen scrolls forward, enemies coming at you from in front and behind. You can jump, kick, and punch. Gameplay reminded me a bit of Kung-Fu for the NES. Your punch and kick attacks are very rapid, and you have to keep yourself at arms length from your enemies.

As I was playing through, I would notice that occasionally a blue wolf would run across the screen. It moves faster than other enemies, so it is very possible for it to get by you. As I made my way through the game, I began to notice that each time I'd kill the blue wolf, it would release an item that would power my character up. When you collect an item, your character becomes bigger and more powerful. Once you collect three of these items (by killing three blue wolves) you transform into a beast.

There are only five levels in the game, and each level has a different beast that you can transform into. The first level is a wolf, the second is a flying dragon. Subsequent levels include a bear, a tiger, and a golden werewolf. When you are in your beast form, standard enemies don't stand a chance. Unfortunately, you don't get to fight very many of them. Almost as soon as you turn into a beast, an evil magician dude appears and summons the stage boss.

Defeat the stage boss, you move onto the next stage. These bosses can be somewhat difficult, but with a little practice, you'll realize they each have an exploit or a weakness. Once you learn that weakness, they become fairly easy.

So really, this is what the game boils down to: you start a level. You fight through some enemies. You kill three blue wolves and collect the items within them. You transform into a beast. You fight the stage boss. You move onto the next stage. Conceivably, the levels keep going and going if you let all of the blue wolves get past you and you aren't collecting any power ups. That's what I didn't realize the first time I played this. Once I realized that the stage will end as soon as you kill three wolves and collect their power ups, the game immediately sped up for me. You can make it through a level really, really fast armed with this knowledge.

Like I said, there are five stages in total. Each one can be beaten (boss and all) within 5 to 10 minutes. So yeah, it is a fairly short game. I wouldn't say it is easy, though. It's actually kind of tough. You only get three lives to complete this game. There are no extra lives to pick up or continues to earn. There aren't even items that refill your health. You essentially have to have a perfect run if you want to beat this game. So yeah, it can be quite challenging. Short, but challenging. It can be cheap, as well. Lots of enemies like to just COME RUNNING IN from off screen, giving you very little time to react.

Graphics/Sound:

This is a pretty basic looking and sounding game. That should be expected. This was the first "pack-in" game to come with the Sega Genesis. A lot of people seem to think that the Genesis came out of the gates right away with Sonic, but that isn't true. The system came out a few years before Sonic was released. Altered Beast was the title that initially came with the Sega Genesis when you bought a console in its early years. The OG pack-in title. If it looks old, that's because it is old.

The game doesn't look fantastic by any stretch of the imagination, even by Genesis standards. I can name about 50 Genesis games off the top of my head that look better than this. Not to say it looks bad. It is just very basic. I suppose the beast transformations and the design of some of the bosses help salvage the look of the game.

Music and sound effects are pretty average, too. Nothing really stood out to me too much as I played the game. There is a catchy song or two to be heard, but they faded quickly from my memory. Pretty forgettable in the music category. There were a few sound effects that stood out to me: the laughing of the bad guy and the yell of your character when he dies. I also like it when the bad guy says: "welcome to your doom!" It may not be much now, but voice acting in a game this old was a big deal back then.

Overall:

This was a fairly fun game. I'm not jumping out of my seat over it or anything, but I enjoyed playing it. I liked the learning curve of the game, and how simple things become once you figure out how it works. I did not like the difficulty of the game, and how enemies would run onto the screen and cheap shot my character. That was my main problem with the game. Give us some health items or some extra lives. Anything. When you have to be essentially perfect to beat the game, it can lead to frustration very quickly when you suddenly hit a rough patch. You can be on a great run, only to have it fall apart in seconds. And if you fail, you have to start the whole game over again. It doesn't help that the hit detection is very questionable in the game as well.

I've been going back and forth on my grade, but I think I'm going to settle on C+. It's an above average title, but I don't quite feel good enough to give this game a score in the B range. I feel as if when I take a look back at all the games I have played in my life, this game won't have left much of a long or lasting impact on me. I appreciate the importance of the title and what it accomplished, being a pack-in Genesis title and all that. But from a personal standpoint, the game is simply "good" and not much more than that.

THE GRADE:

C+

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2025 Things: October

2025 Things: January

2025 Things: February

2025 Things: March

2025 Things: April

2025 Things: May

2025 Things: June

2025 Things: July

2025 Things: August

2025 Things: September

10.01: Listened to 1 episode of Retrovaniacs (ep 44). Watched 2 episodes of Twin Peaks: The Return (1.11, 1.12). Watched 1 episode of The Challenge: All Stars (5.04). Finished video game: My Friend Peppa Pig.

10.02: Watched 1 episode of The White Lotus (2.01). Watched 1 episode of Survivor (49.02). Watched 1 episode of Andor (1.04). Watched 1 episode of Somebody Feed Phil (Basque Country of Spain).

10.03: Watched 2 episodes of Twin Peaks: The Return (1.13, 1.14). Listened to 1 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (9.26.25 ep). Watched 1 episode of Andor (1.05). Watched 1 episode of The Challenge: All Stars (5.05). Watched 1 episode of Big Brother Canada (12.01). Watched 1 episode of The White Lotus (2.02). 

10.04: Listened to 1 episode of Post Show Recaps: The White Lotus (1.01 recap). Watched 1 episode of Big Brother Canada (12.02). Watched 1 episode of The Challenge: All Stars (5.06). Watched 1 episode of Twin Peaks: The Return (1.15).

10.05: Watched 3 episodes of The White Lotus (2.03, 2.04, 2.05). Listened to 1 episode of Staff Picks: Rollercoaster. Listened to 1 episode of The 7th Rule (ep 297). Listened to 1 episode of Retrovaniacs (ep 45). Listened to 1 episode of The Retrograde (Will Gamers Like The Last of Us - HBO). 

10.6: Watched 2 episodes of Twin Peaks: The Return (1.16, 1.17). Watched 2 episodes of The White Lotus (2.06, 2.07). Listened to 2 episodes of The Stephen Kingcast (ep 80 and Bonus: Low Men in Yellow Coats). Listened to 1 episode of The Cartridge Club (ep 73). Listened to 1 episode of Retrovaniacs (ep 46). Listened to 1 episode of Unsolved Mysteries (Secret Diary of  a Missing Girl).

10.7: Watched 1 episode of Twin Peaks: The Return (1.18). Watched 1 episode of Star Trek: Discovery (5.01). Watched 1 episode of The Challenge: All Stars (5.07). Listened to 1 episode of Post Show Recaps: The White Lotus (1.02 recap). Watched 2 episodes of Big Brother Canada (12.03, 12.04). Listened to 1 episode of Retronauts (Micro 58). Watched 1 episode of Andor (1.06).

10.8: Watched 1 episode of Andor (1.07). Watched 1 episode of Star Trek: Discovery (5.02). Watched 1 episode of The Challenge: All Stars (5.08). Listened to 1 episode of Retronauts (ep 93).

10.9: Listened to 1 episode of Retrovaniacs (ep 47). Watched 2 episodes of Big Brother Canada (12.05, 12.06). Watched 1 episode of Survivor (49.03). Watched movie: Zodiac.

10.10: Watched 2 episodes of Andor (1.08, 1.09). Watched 1 episode of The Challenge: All Stars (5.09). Watched 1 episode of Somebody Feed Phil (Boston). Watched 1 episode of The White Lotus (3.01).

10.11: Watched 2 episodes of Andor (1.10, 1.11). Watched 1 episode of Big Brother Canada (12.07). Watched 1 episode of The Challenge: All Stars (5.10). Listened to 1 episode of Post Show Recaps: The White Lotus (1.03 recap). 

10.12: Watched 1 episode of Monster: The Ed Gein Story (1.01). Watched 2 episodes of Andor (1.12, 2.01). Listened to 1 episode of Retronauts (ep 94). Watched 1 episode of Star Trek: Discovery (5.03). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Gaming (ep 56 pt 1). 

10.13: Watched 2 episodes of The White Lotus (3.02, 3.03). Watched movie: The Fifth Element. Listened to 1 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (10.10.25 ep). Listened to 1 episode of Retrovaniacs (ep 48). Listened to 1 episode of Retronauts (ep 95).

10.14: Watched 1 episode of The White Lotus (3.04). Listened to 1 episode of Sega Saturn Shiro (Live Show: Mar 26, 2021). Watched 2 episodes of The Challenge: All Stars (5.11, 5.12). Watched 1 episode of Somebody Feed Phil (Tbilisi). Listened to 1 episode of The Cartridge Club (CC Portable #28). Watched 1 episode of Andor (2.02).

10.15: Watched 2 episodes of The White Lotus (3.05, 3.06). Watched 3 episodes of Big Brother Canada (12.08, 12.09, 12.10).

10.16: Listened to 1 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (10.15.25 ep). Listened to 1 episode of The Losers Club (Hearts in Atlantis Pt 1). Watched 1 episode of The White Lotus (3.07). Watched 1 episode of Survivor (49.04). Watched 1 episode of SEC Football: Any Given Saturday (1.03).

10.17: Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Cinema (ep 101). Listened to 2 episodes of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (10.14 and 10.16.25 eps). Watched 2 episodes of Big Brother Canada (12.11, 12.12). Watched 1 episode of The White Lotus (3.08). Watched 1 episode of Star Trek: Discovery (5.04). 

10.18: Watched 1 episode of The Amazing Race (38.01). Listened to 1 episode of Retrovaniacs (ep 49). Watched 1 episode of Star Trek: Discovery (5.05). 

10.19: Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Cinema (Scary Movie Review). Watched movie: Dead Alive. Listened to 1 episode of Ear Biscuits (ep 63). Listened to 1 episode of The Cartridge Club (ep 74). Listened to 1 episode of Retrovaniacs (ep 50). 

10.20: Watched 2 episodes of Fargo (2.01, 2.02). Finished video game: Video Pinball. Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack (ep 239). Listened to 1 episode of The Losers Club (Hearts in Atlantis Pt 2). 

10.21: Watched movie: Raw. Listened to 1 episode of The Stephen Kingcast (ep 81). Watched 2 episodes of Big Brother Canada (12.13, 12.14).

10.22: Watched 1 episode of Andor (2.03). Watched 1 episode of The Amazing Race (38.02).

10.23: Listened to 1 episode of Retro Blast (FuncoLand). Watched 1 episode of Survivor (49.05). 

10.24: Watched 1 episode of Andor (2.04). Watched movie: No Country for Old Men. Listened to 1 episode of The Losers Club (Hearts in Atlantis with Director Scott Hicks). Watched 1 episode of Big Brother Canada (12.15). Listened to 1 episode of Sega Saturn Shiro (Live Show: Apr 2, 2021). 

10.25: Watched 2 episodes of Big Brother Canada (12.16, 12.17). Listened to 1 episode of Post Show Recaps: The White Lotus (1.04 recap). Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack (ep 240). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Gaming (Ep 56 Pt 2).

10.26: Listened to 1 episode of Retrovaniacs (ep 51). Listened to 1 episode of Staff Picks: Train to Busan. Listened to 1 episode of The FF Dynasty (9.97). Listened to 1 episode of The 7th Rule (ep 299). Listened to 1 episode of The Retrograde (Kratos is my Son! Video Game Family Draft). Listened to 1 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (10.21.25 ep). 

10.27: Watched movie: Train to Busan. Listened to 1 episode of Unsolved Mysteries (Black Friday). Listened to 1 episode of The Cartridge Club (CC Portable 29). 

10.28: Listened to 1 episode of The Losers Club (Turns 5 and Season 6 Preview). Watched 3 episodes of Big Brother Canada (12.18, 12.19, 12.20). Watched 1 episode of Star Trek: Discovery (5.06). Watched movie: The Perfect Neighbor. Watched 1 episode of Somebody Feed Phil (Sydney & Adelaide). 

10.29: Watched 1 episode of Star Trek: Discovery (5.07). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Cinema (ep 102). Watched 1 episode of The Amazing Race (38.03). Watched 2 episodes of Big Brother Canada (12.21, 12.22).

10.30: Watched movie: Bring Her Back. Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack (ep 241). Watched 1 episode of Survivor (49.06). Watched 1 episode of Big Brother Canada (12.23). Finished video game: The Last of Us Part Two. Listened to 1 episode of The FF Dynasty (9.99).

10.31: Watched 1 episode of Fargo (2.03). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Cinema (ep 58 pt 1). Watched 1 episode of The Amazing Race (38.04). Watched 3 episodes of Big Brother Canada (12.24, 12.25, 12.26). Finished video game: Altered Beast. Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Gaming (ep 57). Listened to 1 episode of Retronauts (ep 96). 

26 episodes of Big Brother Canada watched.

15 episodes of The White Lotus watched.

13 episodes of Andor watched.

9 episodes of The Challenge All Stars watched.

8 episodes of Retrovaniacs played.

8 movies watched.

8 episodes of Twin Peaks: The Return watched.

7 episodes of Star Trek Discovery watched.

6 episodes of Fantasy Football Happy Hour played.

For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click

>HERE<

Re-Review #22: The Last of Us Part II

The Last of Us Part II

PlayStation 4

For my original review of the game, click

HERE

Earlier in the year, I replayed the original Last of Us game to get myself in the mood to watch the second season of the TV show. That was back in April, about six months ago. I didn't really have any intention to play through the sequel again, but what can I say? I randomly got the itch. There's no rhyme or reason to the way I do things here. I was smack dab in the middle of playing two other games (Doom 3 and Far Cry 5) when I saw this on PS Plus. The thought suddenly popped in my head: I'm going to play that next. So I did.

I forgot about those other games really quick when I started playing this. Immediately, I was 100% invested in the game. Last time I played this, I came into it relatively blind. I knew Joel died, but that was about it. The whole Abby storyline and how you play as her for half the game was not something I was expecting. I liked the game, though, giving it an A score. 

My criticisms of the game were its pacing, repetitive battles, and its tendency to drag its feet from time to time. Honestly, I didn't have many complaints this time around either. In fact, I think I liked it more this time around than I did the first time. The only area that I ever felt like "geez this game is dragging" is when you are playing as Ellie and you are wandering through large portions of the city by yourself (shortly before the aquarium section). You can only handle walking through moldly dark buildings and looking in drawers for supplies for so long.

But that is a minor gripe. Like I said, I liked this more this time than I did the first time I played this. By a lot. I was heavily invested the entire time I was playing. I was rarely bored. I was always pushing forward. I don't know if I've been this "into" a game for years, it seems. I could not put this down. I pushed aside the other games I was playing. I pushed aside the TV shows I was watching. From the second I picked this game up to the second I put it down, my life was The Last of Us Part II.

I think I really short-sold the game in my last review. I freaking loved it this time around. In fact, I liked it more than the original game. Yeah, you heard that right. So I'm actually going to change my review score for this re-review. I'm upping it from an A to an A+. Yeah, the canon review score for my original review stays the same, but I want everyone to know that this game gets better on a second playthrough. If you played this when it first came out, and haven't come back to it yet - you should. I'm curious to see how many people like it more the second time around.

THE GRADE:

A+

For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click

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VHS Tape #24: Too Many Reality Shows

                                                       

I thought I lost this tape for the longest time. That would have thrown a monkey wrench into my entire VHS numbering system. But I didn't, so I can breathe a sigh of relief. Here are the contents of this tape:

(00:00:00)

COPS

 - Cops find meth lab in a camping site. There is a blowtorch running unattended in one of the tents when the cops show up. A police dog finds a man hiding in the woods and he is arrested.

 - Cops spot a truck on the side of the road, and inside the truck one lesbian has another in a chokehold. The choker is arrested.

 - Cops talk to a bloody faced Hispanic guy after he was beaten by 2 men

Hell's Kitchen season 1. This is the very first dinner service, which to be expected is terrible. The chef mocks some blonde bimbos who come up to the window to complain. He also calls Dewberry either an overgrown muffin or Muppet. I can't tell which. The Red Team loses and Elsie goes back on her word and nominates Dewberry after saying she wouldn't. But he stays and the useless redhead chick goes home.

Hell's Kitchen season 1. This is the second episode. Dewberry forgives Elsie, and proceeds to shine in a squid cleaning reward challenge. Jeff is sick and it shows during dinner service. The service sucks all around and Dewberry storms out and threatens to leave. He comes back but the Red Team still loses. Angry customers order pizza and get in Jean Philippe's face when their food doesn't show up. Dewberry and Jeff are nominated, and Dewberry goes home. Dewberry was my favorite. So sad. :(

(1:18:20) 

Carrie Underwood sings Inside Your Heaven on Ellen

Commercial for the American Idol tour at the Bradley Center. I almost bought tickets to this but then I didn't. Good thing because Bo didn't come on the tour with illness.

Angelina Jolie's eccentricities discussed on Access Hollywood

Elimidate. Young women are tricked into thinking they are on a date with an old man, but it's really his son they are being setup with.

Insider clip about a woman who was mauled by her own horse. She is badly scarred and undergoes surgery.

Hell's Kitchen. This is just a short clip from the third episode. Contestants talk about missing Dewberry, and that's it. I lost interest after Dewberry left.

(1:32:00)

Saturday Night Live. Christopher Walken hosts

 - Has a monologue where he sings a song

 - Classic clip with Blue Oyster Cult and the song needing more cowbell

 - Christopher Walken plays a sleazy guy who tries to seduce the woman behind the camera

 - Mango hit on by a janitor backstage

 

Surreal Life. This is the season with Janice Dickinson and Omarosa. The houseguests bowl against mentally handicapped people and lose. Omarosa is surprisingly good with them, but Janice says offensive things.

(2:08:37)

Celebrity Fit Club 2. Busey!

 - The two teams come up with their names

 - Contestants go to a gym and compete in a boxing challenge

 - Gary fights with his team over a prayer after they win

 - Contestants weigh in

 - Jani doesn't lose any weight

 - Gary's team loses more weight

Punk'd

 - Simon Cowell punked into thinking his Rolls Royce is stolen

 - Allen Iverson not allowed into his own birthday party at a club, while other people are being let in

 - Jermaine O'Neal not allowed into the same party

(2:53:26)

COPS

 - Lady is pulled over on a traffic stop, and it is discovered that she has 13 warrants. She is arrested, despite her crying and pleading to be let go.

 - Cops pull over a speeding car and they throw marijuana out the window. When the car is searched, more marijuana is found hidden in a Bible.

 

Family Matters. Urkel angers Carl by causing accidents while fixing the roof. They face off on American Gladiators to resolve their issues. It finishes in a tie, and Carl and Urkel apologize to each other.

(3:29:08)

Mad TV

 - Jerry Springer monologue where he unveils a dirty secret to a cast member

 - "Clops". It is a claymation spoof of the show COPS. Paddington Bear flashes and is arrested. Rock Em Sock Em Robots arrested for fighting. Pillsbury Dough Boy goes postal and is shot and thrown into an oven.

 - Skit where Miss Swan and Antonia appear on Gimme a Clue game show and perform horribly. This angers their partners in a hilarious fashion. Mark Hamill plays the host of the game show.

 - Annoying blonde lady stands at the pearly gates to heaven in place of St Peter and lets people in. It's then revealed that she's really letting people into hell. Jerry Springer comes out and gives his final thought on the situation, and she tells him off

 - Jerry Springer on Lowered Expectations

 - Andy Griffith '98. Andy abuses his power to rig a pickle contest for Aunt Bea. He even cuts off someone's ear, ala Reservoir Dogs.

 - Jerry Springer show spoof where he gets pissed that no one is fighting on the show, and he shoots an old woman to get people brawling. While giving his final thought, a lady hits him with a baseball bat and he gets dragged into the brawl.

Blind Date clip where a very bizarre man named Micah dances

COPS

 - SWAT team raids a crack house

 - Cops attend a funeral for an officer who was killed in the line of duty

 - Clip montage in the day in the life of a tall white policer officer. This is where someone tries to run from him and he yells "Stop or I'll shoot you in the back!" I think I have this part on a different tape too.

(3:59:28)

Celebrity Fit Club 2

 - Contestants voice concerns about the struggles of Jani after he doesn't show up for the weigh in

 - This week's challenge is a rickshaw race. It's kind of boring, except for the cool anime style caricatures that they show for each contestant. Gary's team wins an advanced fitness bike.

 - Contestants weigh in

 - Players do water exercises

 - Toccara bitched at for taking diet pills

Clip from Rockstar INXS with Marty Casey singing Lithium by Nirvana

(4:37:48)

Kill Reality. This is a show on VH1 about a bunch of reality stars filming a cheesy horror movie named The Scorned. Rob Cesternino and Josh Souza are producers. Actors include Johnny Fairplay, Jenna Lewis, Ethan Zohn, Jenna Morasca, Toni Ferrari, and Reichen.

 - The movie is cast and everyone reads the script

 - Reichen complains about gay slurs in the movie

 - Toni is annoying and complains about her role

 - Actors move into the house where they are all going to stay for the filming and pick their rooms

 - Random clips from around the house

 - Tonya annoys people and threatens to jump out a window

MXC. Finance vs Liquor

 - Rotating Surfboard of Death

 - Eat Shitake

 - Pole Riders. Judra Babaganoosh is in this segment

 - Log Drop

 

(5:33:39)

AFV (Tom Bergeron)

 - Man falls off a rope while swinging

 - Woman drives away from from gas station with nozzle stuck in car

 - Water dropped on teachers while they are posing for a group photo

 - Boy playing violin on roller skates

 - Streaker runs out onto football field in high school game

 - Guy freaks out and has a hissy fit while watching a football game

AFV (Bob Saget)

 - Man drops kid in water while running with him on the beach

 - Fat guy climbs out of swimming pool and rolls into a different pool

 - Canoe gets stuck on rocks in rapids and it dumps someone out

 - Other funny water clips

 - Ceiling collapses in middle of play

 - Music montage of people spinning in circles and making themselves dizzy

 - Clown and kid pull off woman's bra

 

AFV (Tom)

 - Little kid falls while pushing shopping cart

 - Duck and chicks slide down a ramp

 - Guy wipes out while trying to ride a bike up a ramp

 - Funny motorcycling clip montage

AFV (Bob)

 - People pushing giant inflatable balls collide and bounce away

 - Asian breaks baseball bat while practice swinging indoors

 - Guy tries to do backflip and lands on head

 - Kid tries to kick ball but misses and falls on it instead

 - Stupid astronaut training camp home made video

 - 4 dogs chase 1 stick and bring it back together

 - Kid gets liquid poured down pants

 - Man tries to water ski off dock and faceplants instead

 

AFV (Tom)

 - Monkey touches woman's boobs

 - Baby picks up cat and drags it around house

 - Woman picks up frog and it pees on her

 - Man meditates with cat sitting next to him in a meditating pose

 - Alligator almost bites stupid woman who is poking at it

 - Fat shirtless guy runs out on basketball court

 - Painter falls off ladder

 - Cop plays dead at morgue and scares another cop

 - Young boy does armpit farts to classical music

 - Man with swollen cheeks and lips

 - Brides on fire vs Trees crushing cars

AFV (Bob)

 - Beer keg pops and hits man in face

 - Guy tries to leap turnstyle at subway and hits crotch

 - Observer nailed in face by arm wrestlers

 - Man hit in face by hood of car popping open

 - Anchor dragged along the ground in tug of war

 - Muscular guy on beach backflips into camera

 

AFV (Tom)

 - Woman gives foot massage with surgical mask on and flips out when she realizes she is being filmed

 - Old lady loses falsie in swimming pool

 - Old man falls over chair after dancing

 - Guy hit in crotch on backswing by bowling ball

 - Man pushed face first into mud while gardening

 

AFV (Bob)

 - Guy sings and plays instruments at a graduation

AFV (Tom)

 - Cuckoo clock won't stop dinging

 

END OF TAPE

VHS Archive:

Introduction: VHS Tapes and Me

VHS Tape #0: Howard Stern Tape

Funny Mix #1

Funny Cable Tape (2)

Rudy Boesch Mix (3)

Funny Tape (4)

The Ultimate Rupert Boneham Mix (5)

Are You Ready? (6)

Mixed Tape #7

Matteo Tape (8)

Funny If You're a Pothead (9)

John Tape (10)

Funny Mix #11

Crazy Tape of Psychos (12)

Funny Mix #13

Mixed, Jumbled, Confused, Shaken: It's a Record Tape! (14)

Peanut Tape (15)

Can You Dig It? (16)

Another Fantastic Record Tape (17)

Fairplay (18)

Survivor All Stars (19)

This Tape is The Bomb, Dawg (20)

Go Bo! Bo Bice Record Tape (21)

May + June '05 Record Tape (22)

Hooo-what?? (23)

For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click

>HERE<

Video Game Review #593: Video Pinball

Video Pinball

Atari 2600

Nostalgia Factor:

My journey to review every game I've ever played takes me back to my childhood in the 1980s. My dad had an Atari 2600 in his basement. While I enjoyed the system and I can credit it to some of my first ever video gaming memories, I can't say that I was ever crazy about the system. Most games I would only pick up and play for a few minutes. I'd quickly get bored with the game and then move onto the next one. Video Pinball is the perfect example of one of these games. I'd put the game in. It would load up the pinball screen. I'd say "hey this is pretty cool." And then five minutes later, I'd be turning it off because there wasn't much to see or do in the game. Plus, I was never very good at it to begin with.

It's been a good 30 to 35 years since I've last played this game. Firing it up was quite a trip. Immediately, all the memories of the game that I had forgotten even existed came rushing back. Unfortunately, not all these memories were good ones. Let's see how the video game from 1981 holds up in 2025.

Gameplay:

I'm completely skipping over the usual "story" portion of my review, because this game has no story. You turn the game on, and you are immediately thrust into the pinball action.

It took me a second before I could figure out what I was supposed to do. I think there are different modes you can put the game in, to make it easier or more difficult. I couldn't figure it out, though. I will say that I was emulating the game, so I had no idea which buttons on the controller were supposed to do what. With each press of the button, the colors on the screen would keep changing, as would the numbers. But then when I would start playing everything would go back to normal.

You launch the ball into the field of play from the right side of the screen. The ball bounces around at random. Occasionally it will venture near your flippers, which you can use to knock the ball to the top of the screen and try to get the bonus items up there. Your goal is to keep the ball from dropping between the flippers and out of the field of play. If you've played pinball before, this should be a very familiar concept to you.

Where I struggled was with the actual mechanics of the game. 95% of the action was watching the ball bounce around. It rarely ever ventures by the flippers, and when it does, you have little control over where you are launching it. I played this game for about five to ten minutes and my initial reaction was: this sucks! I didn't remember the game being this unplayable from when I was a kid. I was ready to pack it up and give the game an F review score.

I turned the game off. I googled some reviews of the game online to see what other people were saying about it. I expected the game to get slammed, but most of the reviews I saw were positive. And I learned something, too. Apparently, when you are playing, you can "tilt" the table, which gives you more control of the where the ball goes. Many reviews were talking about the high scores they were able to rack up using this tactic. I decided to come back to the game and give it one more shot.

I'll admit, using the tilt features does make the game more fun. It gives you a better chance to collect all the items at the top of the screen. But mainly it makes it feel like you are actually playing the game instead of being a standby observer. I probably played the game for about twenty more minutes, exploring this new mechanic.

While I can say that it made the game more fun and saved it from a likely F score, I still didn't really get much out of the game. I wouldn't be surprised if I never returned to it again.

Graphics/Sound:

There really is not much to say here. This is an incredibly basic and primitive looking game. I can't say it doesn't have its charms. But yeah, I can easily see people taking a glance at this and saying "nope" and then not even giving it a try.

The sound is very basic, too. There is no music as you play. You only hear the same grating sound effects over and over again. It's rough. But like I said, it has its charms. Maybe only to people who grew up playing this when they were kids, but it has its charms.

Overall:

I'm glad I came back and played this game, if only for closure's sake. I'm also glad that I turned it off, waited a little bit, and then came back and gave it another chance instead of immediately writing it off as an F title. That said, this still isn't a great game.

I'm going to give it a passing grade, but just barely. I need to appreciate the impact that both the Atari 2600 and this game had when it first came out. I'm sure people were mesmerized by this. But let's be real. If this game came out today, people would laugh at it. I won't say it's bad, but it is not a particularly good game.

So while I can say that I'm glad I came back and played this, for the sake of 5-year old Danny back in 1987, I have to say that the game does nothing for me now. I suppose a testament in its favor is how it gets a better score than the last game I reviewed, My Friend Peppa Pig for the PS4. So old games like this can be better than new games. Sometimes.

THE GRADE:

D

For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click

>HERE<

Video Game Review #592: My Friend Peppa Pig

My Friend Peppa Pig

PlayStation 4

Before playing:

The fruitless quest to get my 5 year old into video gaming continues. Did he care about this game whatsoever? No. He didn't really care about Bluey, either. Try as I might, I just can't seem to get him to show any interest in video games. He paid attention to this game for about five minutes, and then he got bored and started doing other things. This left me having to play through essentially the entire game by myself. Oh joy.

This is not a game I would have chosen to play through if I didn't have a child. Peppa Pig isn't really my thing. But since I had started playing it, I had no choice but to finish it. You know, for review purposes. And the easy platinum. At least there is an easy platinum.

But is the game any good? 

*sigh*

Story:

I'll admit, I've never seen Peppa Pig before. My wife has watched it with my son, but I've never been in the room when this show is on. I don't think my kid likes it as much as Bluey (which is what this reminds me of). That's probably why he didn't care much to watch me play this.

You don't control Peppa, you control a brand new character that you help create using a character creation screen. My character kind of looked like Mister Peanut. The basic plot is that your character has moved into town and has made friends with Peppa Pig. You follow Peppa around town and interact with the characters, completing tasks that are specific to the areas of the game.

This is very much a story driven game. It's all about visiting areas and interacting with characters that I can only presume are familiar to anyone who watches the show. You visit the grandparents on the farm, you fly a hot air balloon, there is camping with your classmates, you go to the museum, etc. There is no real plot, here. It basically is just a "day in the life" kind of story, like you'd see on an episode.

At the end of the game, your character has to go back home, and everyone is sad.

Gameplay:

I feel like I'm not going to have much to say, here. The game is extremely basic. It is barely even a game. I played Bluey a few weeks ago, and I thought it was very simplistic and child-oriented. This is even worse. It is clear that this is a video game for beginners. There are not even any minigames or anything. It is just walking around and talking to people and interacting your way through the game's scenarios by hitting the x button. 

The most interactive thing you can do is pick something up. Like, there is a part where a teddy bear gets lost and you have to pick it up and bring it back to the little one. And there's another area where you pick up trash on the ground and put it in a garbage can. There is literally nothing more complex you do in this game. That's it.

You can't fail at anything, there are no stakes, no timed segments, nothing. There is no challenge whatsoever. Like I said, this is a game for beginners. All you do is walk and talk and unlock cutscenes that advance the story. Occasionally you may pick something up and give it to someone. To make it even more boring, if you leave an area and come back, you often have to sit through the same cutscene over again, as there is no option to skip them.

I will say that the game does a bang up job of making it feel like you are in an episode of the cartoon. I won't deny it that. But as a game it fails miserably. If there is any challenge, it is in remembering which areas you haven't been to yet. There was one point where I thought I'd explored everything (which would unlock the ending) but there was one area I had missed. Once I went to that area, it was smooth sailing from there.

Graphics/Sound:

I don't usually do this, but I am lumping sound and graphics together because they go hand in hand for this game. Basically: this is an episode of the show. The presentation is great. It all looks and sounds marvelous - like an episode of the show come to life. I'd even say it is completely indistinguishable from the show.

The look and feel of the game is clearly the best thing about it. What else can I say aside from that?

Overall:

Unless you have a kid that is six years old or younger, stay away from this game. This is for small children. This is not something that an average gamer picks up for fun. Unless you are a rabid Peppa Pig fan, you are not going to get anything out of this. It's terrible. As I said earlier in my review, it is barely even a game at all.

As an "interactive Peppa Pig experience" I can cut it some slack. I am sure I would have loved to play something like this when I was a kid. And I'm sure there are a ton of parents out there that were able to play this with their kid and have a great time. Sounds lovely. I wish my kid wanted to play this.

As a video game, I can't give it a good grade. It's just not a good game. I do appreciate the look and feel of the game, and I appreciate how cool it probably is for little kids. It's like an interactive episode of the show. But as a video game experience, it is bad. I didn't have any fun playing this. I'm not going to give it a failing grade, though, simply because I do realize I am not the target audience for this.. 

But yeah. If you are a serious gamer like me, there is no reason for you to play this.

THE GRADE:

D-

For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click

>HERE<