stupid not to Buy!!! (Stupid Invaders (DC))

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Product:	Stupid Invaders (DC)
Date:	19/05/01 (32 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: first point and clic, hilarious gameplay

Disadvantages: none!!!

Ubi Soft brings back the point and click adventure, this time for Dreamcast. Our early review gives you time to save up all those pennies.

I like point and click adventure games. Sniff, there I admitted it, are you happy now? They may be simple and randomly interactive, but point and clickers are a nice break from big guns and breakneck speed every now and then.

It was with much anticipation that I awaited Stupid Invaders. It grabbed my attention at last year's E3 (after I got past drooling over Grandia II) with it's absurd brand of humor and promise of top-notch animation.

Stupid Invaders is a pretty game for certain. The backgrounds are detailed, the character models are superb and the animation is silky smooth. The game features a full hour of integrated cinematics triggered by certain actions or played between scenes to advance the story.





As beautiful as the graphics are, they don't hold a candle to the sound. The background music mixes perfectly and never overwhelms. Sound effects are also very authentic to the cartoon canon. Most impressive is the voice work. There are few games on any platform that can hold a candle to Stupid Invaders. The pacing and characterization are near perfection.

Speaking of characters, you get to control them all. Etno, Candy, Bud, Stereo and Gorgious all have their own wacky personality. There's no difference in function between the characters, just a new perspective on the jokes. The jokes are hit and miss, but if you're in the right state of mind you can appreciate the sheer "space madness!" of it all.





The only real sore spots are the lack of depth and some very illogical puzzle sequences that spit in the face of reason. There is a full day's worth of gaming here, but it's mostly a result of the frustrating puzzles requiring a fair amount of backtracking. Thankfully you can save at any time
and the number of saves are limited only by open space on your memory card. Once you've seen the game though you've no reason to go back other than to watch the CG sequences again.

More troubling is the frequency with which puzzle solutions seem very forced and arbitrary. A typical sequence goes like this: you enter a room and the only three interactive spots are a mousetrap, a light switch and a position at the bottom of the stairs. If you go up the stairs to leave, a baddie is waiting to shoot you dead. If you turn off the lights, the game won't allow you to walk to the bottom of the stairs despite the text over the area suggesting you can.





You must pick up the mouse trap, place it at the foot of the stairs, then make the logic leap that if you turn off the light switch this time it will coax the baddie to come investigate (despite the fact it triggered nothing a second ago) and get caught in the mousetrap, clearing your path.

Other sequences require you to fumble in the dark for a hidden switch, tie pantyhose to a chest of drawers (for no reason other than the fact it's required) and make a chicken implode.

Imploding chickens? As you can tell, this game is a big departure from sanity. You will either love or hate the gross-out humor and perverse comedy. There are moments where Stupid Invaders even out-Conker's Conker's Bad Fur Day.





There's one room I like to call the Crap Factory. What is it? A silo with portals in the walls through which cows have their butts shoved so they can poop constantly (poop is a commodity here). A couple minutes later a man in a bunny suit is propositioning you with an exposed bum. Okay then...

For it's beauty, amazing voice work and sheer absurdity, Stupid Invaders is definitely an above average affair. Some very frustrating and crap-tacular moments hold it down, but this is a fine effort that is worth
y of anyone looking for a respectable point and click adventure game.

Pros:

Amazing graphics and sound.
Unique personality.
Cons:

Illogical puzzles.
No replay value whatsoever.
In conclusion, this game is bound to go far on all platforms, its humourous strtline will keep you playing for ages!
Rating: 8/10

Summary: