Wallace & Gromit Episode 1: Fright of the Bumblebees (Xbox 360) Review
Wallace & Gromit Episode 1: Fright of the Bumblebees is an entertaining game that anyone who is a fan of either Wallace and Gromit or adventure games will enjoy. The graphics are not stunning but they are excellent for an arcade game and stick to the signature clay-mation style very well. The voice acting is notable although not the original series actors. The puzzles can be just challenging enough to keep you interested but are not extremely frustrating.
My first experience with Wallace & Gromit was The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and I quickly came to realize what the fans were raving about. I was excited to have the chance to sit down and play this game hoping to experience some of the same humor, story telling, and wackiness that just seems to flow when these two are on the screen. Unfortunately, I am afraid I might have to wait until the next episodes to see the potential realized. I do hesitate to write that as I do not want to give the impression that I disliked this game. That would be far from the truth.
Fright of the Bumblebees is the first of four episodes that are on their way from Aardman and Telltale games. In this episode Wallace’s grand idea is to construct a fortune making honey business. As usual, things do not work out the way intended and it’s up to the player to take control of Wallace and Gromit to make things right.
Aardman and Telltale games do not attempt to redefine adventure gaming by breaking new ground. Rather, they take a giant lead towards perfecting the genre while setting the standard for episodic games.
Players will not find themselves with a massive inventory of items that may or may not ever be used. Everything has its proper place and the inventory system is easy to use and understand. There is also no need for hours of running through everything in your inventory trying to combine it with everything else in your inventory and the environment hoping to trigger something.
The solution to the puzzles make sense and players should not find themselves stumped that often or for too long. Unlike some adventure games we have seen that seem to punish the players for picking up the controller, it seems like Aardman and Telltale actually wants you to play and enjoy the game. If players find themselves getting stuck to often, they can change the settings to allow the game to give them hints more frequently.
Fright of the Bumblebees is very versatile in its game play in that it could be a great intro game for those new to the genre as well as a fun game for adventure veterans.
A few issues that I have with the game is that the story seems a little forced and the humor while still enjoyable was not as often or as potent as you might expect. There were not any moments that had me laughing out loud like there are in the series. While there are glimpses of excellence, most of the time it’s merely an enjoyable game. That is impressive in most respects though it’s not enough to push it out of the “above average” score of six stars and into the “Really Good Game” level of seven stars.
I look forward to see what the next episode brings to the table and will be more than happy to get the chance to sit down and spend some more time with Wallace and Gromit.
Find more Xbox 360 reviews over at Test Freak!
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