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RATING: (weak) 1 2 3 4 5 (awesome) (No Rating Assigned)
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IN BRIEF
Pros: Great cartoon graphics and hundreds of puzzles. Cons: Predictable storyline, boring. In a nutshell: Forgettable, but with excellent production value and great execution. Multiplayer: None *ESRB rating: T |
FACTS
Game Title: Stupid Invaders Platform: Windows Developer: Xilam Publisher: Ubi Soft Release Date: May 29, 2001 Price: 29.99 |
THE REVIEW by Steven Kent for Gamers Today
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE ABSURD KIND
Adventure game creation is a nearly forgotten art form.
Ten years ago, LucasArts and Sierra practically ruled the computer game industry with witty and clever computer games like Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, King's Quest, and Leisure Suit Larry. These were games that combined humor, puzzles, and storytelling.
Over the last decade, adventure games have taken a back seat to first-person shooters, real-time strategy, and sports simulations. Sierra's comic adventures seem to have disappeared from the face of the earth, and though LucasArts still releases an annual adventure, they seldom crack the best-seller list.
It is the growing scarcity of decent comic adventures that makes Stupid Invaders, a new Windows game from Ubi Soft, such a surprise.
In Stupid Invaders, players help five loveably idiotic E.T. types that have crash-landed on earth. As aliens go, these guys have a certain Simpson-like charm, pronounced overbites and all. None of these beings are particularly smart, but each has its own personality and strengths.
This quintessentially silly quintet is eager to escape because a cruel and powerful villain named Dr. Sakarin wants to kill them and steal their ship. Mostly, he just wants to be evil. All of this should sound very familiar -- it's just another retelling of the familiar endure, gather inventory, and survive the showdown formula that has become the basis of too many adventure games.
Stupid Invaders, however, regurgitates this formula in high style with low comedy and endless bathroom humor. The game also benefits from having cartoon-quality graphics, over 100 unique locations, and dozens of puzzles.
Stupid Invaders is not a monumental game. It is lightweight with excellent production values and great execution; but it is also a forgettable game that people will play once, enjoy thoroughly, and never replay. In the end, it is a lot like its eponymous heroes - silly and with a good sense of humor.
*For a complete explanation of ESRB ratings, check out the official ESRB Web site.
