 Review By: Andrew Joy |
Developer: | Blitz Games |
| Publisher: | King Games | |
| Genre: | Action | |
| ESRB: | Everyone | |
| # Of Players: | 1-4 | |
| Online Play: | Yes | |
| Accessories: | Available only at Burger King 11/19/06 - 12/24/06, Xbox 360 & Xbox versions on same disc, Xbox Live (online play) |
Personally, I never thought I was one to get excited about a bumper cars video game. It’s not that I don’t like bumper cars, of course – I mean, I love ‘em...in a strange sort of it’s-either-this-or-ride-the-cute-green-dragon with-dinner-plate-sized-eyes-rollercoaster-at-the-local-fair kind of way, but it is just one of those things that is much better experienced in person. Certainly there are much better things out there for one to desire, even in the car combat genre, if that’s what you want to consider it (it’s the closest I could come without making up one all my own). However, despite all that, I’ve waited in eager anticipation for this game since I first heard about it – just not because of the game, but instead of what it represents. For me, seeing companies actually putting forward an effort to make a true video game and not something as simple as a two-button, self-contained, and annoying-as-hell-to-listen-to contraption or some half-baked flash game on a website, well, it is a dream come true. It proves that video games are finally moving more and more into the mainstream and – for better or for worse – they are almost impossible to ignore. Still, even seeing such a thing realized, well, let’s just say my hopes weren’t that high; I mean, it is a video game licensed off a fast food franchise! Though, after playing Big Bumpin’ - one of three video games (with Sneak King and Pocket Bike being the other two) available at Burger King for $4.99 with the purchase of a value meal - I realize it goes well beyond my expectations.
Were it not for the fact that duct taping a Whopper Jr. to an RC car and chasing down Brooke Burke doesn’t work all that well in real life, Big Bumpin’ wouldn’t have much of a selling point. I mean, sure, the concept behind bumper cars – drive around in a small, electric car and slam into your friend’s small, electronic cars – is fun, but it is also very, very simple. Thankfully, those responsible for this title seemed to have noticed this as well, and an effort was made to pump up the game a little. So, in addition to your standard bumper car go-around (though even those have been changed), players can now also play games that are essentially hockey, keep away, hot potato, and more. The first, Last Man Standing, is your regular sort of bumper cars match, with players zipping across the small arenas, bumping into each other to either knock them off the edge (an instant defeat) or put their car out of commission. Bumpin’ Hockey, as you might imagine, is the hockey game I mentioned, and players must bump around the puck until they make it into their opponents’ goal. Players are scored on how long they can maintain control of the puck in Own the Puck. Playing Shockball means you have to know how to get in and get out, bumping into other players to pass along a ticking time bomb of sorts that will shock everyone nearby when the countdown finishes. And, finally, in Power Surge, players must collect voltage from one point and deliver it to another; getting hit by other players reduces the amount of charge you are carrying.
Posted: 2006-12-13 20:43:05 PST