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Platform: Xbox Genre: Party Game Publisher: Microsoft Developer: Blitz Games ESRB: E (Everyone) Released: November 2001 Support AE! Buy Games Here:
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Fuzion FrenzyScore: 5.2 / 10 |
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Pros: - Cool lighting effects - Short load times - Good with three other human players - Use your own music
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Cons: - Announcer should be put on extended holiday - Characters too small or arenas too big - Sometimes difficult to get a handle on the controls - Lack of fun without human opponents - Overuse of the vibration feature
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Related Links: Review: Mario Party 4 (Gamecube)
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"The minigames themselves are various and occasionally enjoyable."
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Think
back to the James Bond film, Never Say Never Again (a thinly veiled
remake of Thunderball). Remember
the “video game” scene? Bond
has to duel the villain for command of the world on an electronic
battlefield. Not only that
but the controls actually cause the user pain depending on how well or
poorly they’re doing – the intensity ranging from mild shock to
death. Strangely, that’s
how I felt while playing Fuzion Frenzy (FF).
I’ve
got nothing against party games. There’s
almost nothing better than playing a pick-up game of lacrosse, soccer,
or basketball with a group of friends.
I’ve never really understood “party” video games.
Some are strangely enjoyable but most fall well below board games
like Risk or Monopoly. FF
falls on the latter side. There’s a lot I didn’t like about FF. The first and most glaring aspects of contention are the huge arenas and tiny characters. The graphics are slick – particle and lighting effects put into overtime – but if I can’t tell what guy I’m controlling, what’s the point? The arenas are a good size, which is not bad, but when your character is Tom Thumb proportions you spend 80% of your time trying to figure out where you are (unless you want to sit really close to your TV). There are exceptions across the 45 different minigames, such as the Music Minigames where accurate button pushing reigns supreme and you never move. Any competitions with vehicles are easier to track because they’re bigger. They’re also harder to control. On race minigames, I often found myself traveling in small circles never having finished a lap, as the computer AI was on its final lap. (It’s not so bad when you’re by yourself, but when you’re playing with three other people and none of them can do it either, that’s pathetic.)
The minigames themselves are various and occasionally enjoyable. “Tail Minigames” (put your own joke in here) have a Tron feel to them. You race around cutting out pieces of the playing surface in an effort to box in and destroy your opponents. Splat Minigames have you clubbing big bugs – these games are really bad for being able to see what you’re doing. In Tournament mode, after three minigames you enter a Fuzion Frenzy round where you run around collecting orbs (or punching out opponents for theirs) and returning them to a goal. Before each of these rounds you can bet a number of orbs awarded for your efforts in the other minigames or bank some for points. It adds a level of strategy and incentive to do well, but because the characters are so small the chances you’ll do well aren’t good (unless you’re one to practice). Just bank as many orbs as possible.
The
announcer has to go. Hearing
him bellow, “Fuzioooooon Freeenzyyyyyyy!” got old faster than
someone using a black hole as an interstellar slingshot.
To describe it as annoying would be understatement.
Music isn’t much better – that old light techno beat that
looks so earnestly for street cred.
It fits with the action, but it’s not fun to listen to. (You
can use your own tunes instead via the HD.)
Sound effects are overpowering at times since everything
has a sound. Unnecessarily
loud especially are the grunts from the (on screen) contestants. My
last gripe is that the vibration function is used way too much.
I played with it “off” after my fist play session left my
hands tingling – in a bad way. I
don’t know if there has ever been an academic study on nerve damage
caused by game controllers but if someone out there is thinking about
it, put the X-Box controller when playing FF on your test list. As
a single-player game, FF isn’t worth your time.
It lacks fun or any reason to play – no special characters or
hidden levels unlocked by success.
However, if your house is party central, Fuzion Frenzy has some
potential. It’s far more
fun to play with human beings, but the graphical confusion and so-so
sound, still can’t bring Fuzion Frenzy to “must have” status. - Omni (December 8, 2001) Search for Related Topics: |
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