SiMediocrity Animals
posted by KingJulian (CORONA, CA) Feb 5, 2009
Member since Nov 2008
2
out of
3
gamers (67%) found this review helpful
On paper, the idea seemed good but its execution in style and substance leads to another Wii title destined to be in the WalMart bargain bin just in time for the 2009 Christmas.
The rule of "know your audience" seems to have been left out in the design of the game. Adults will become quickly bored by the repetitive tasks assigned to characters and environments. Children will be confused by the controls and lack of replay value.
The graphics are somewhat good. The animations of the animals can be sometimes funny and exaggerated at times.
The main frustration, for me, came from the lack of any distinctiveness among the creatures themselves, especially when other similar animals begin to enter the environments you are working in. All the small creatures looked similar to each other and the only way to find out which animal was which was to go into a DISCOVERY mode where you clicked on a on-screen button, which causes all the animals to "freeze" and THEN you click on an animal to reveal its name and habits and likes/dislikes. It may have been better to give the animals different colors or body patterns so that you only have to have to DISCOVER the animal only once and not repeat the tedious DISCOVERY mode over and over again. This repetitiveness is only of the major drawbacks to the game appeal.
The camera angles were not much better as at times, it was difficult to tell where you were in the environment. One wrong turn of the the nunchuck stick or main controller, and it took a while to determine where exactly one was in the environment. The game mechanics are worse. Instead of digging a hole, dropping a seed in and covering it with water, the game play just required you to "rub" over the seed with your onscreen hand cursor which is so similar to how you have "fun" with the animals or find seeds in the first place.
An interesting idea but a lack of fun and entertainment value leads to another Wii title worthy only of a few hours rental and quick return.
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