|
| Foocha! is a non-profit Web site. We do it for kicks, not for cash. If you're interested in writing for the site, click here |
|
 |
| Donald Duck Quack Attack,
PlayStation 2 |
|
 |
|
| Games,
Richard Young,
15 January 2001 |
Rating: F3
|
|
| |
| |
|
There are certain video game genres that have existed pretty much from the outset, the platformer being one of them. From Prince of Persia to Mario Brothers to Another World, the seemingly simple task of moving from one platform to another, collecting tokens and avoiding bad guys made for an addictive way to pass the time in the 2D realm. These days, it tends to be only the specialist beat-em ‘ups, your Capcom vs SNK vs Marvels, that still make use of sprite based animation. Crash Bandicoot on the Playstation, Super Mario Brothers on the N64, and even Tomb Raider redefined the platformer as something that encompasses a much more immersive form of 3D gameplay.
The latest title of this kind is Donald Duck: Quack Attack on PlayStation2 (Dreamcast version coming soon). Placing itself somewhere between the aforementioned Crash Bandicoot and the excellent Rayman 2 is Disney’s effort, and although it sports one or two interesting features, the zany feathered one owes a bit too much to Crash to stand out from the pack. The areas themselves are pretty linear in design, and have none of beauty of Rayman 2’s free roaming vistas. Even Donald’s jumping and spinning attacks are basically lifted from the Bandicoots’ series of games. The graphics themselves are not bad, with some pretty lighting effects that the PS2 seems to do so well, but is no way a showcase for it’s (as yet) untapped power. We have also seen the Dreamcast version of quack attack and to be honest, there’s not much between them.
Despite its unoriginality, the familiar tasks of token collecting, box opening and baddie biffing are all executed fairly well, with a simple and intuitive control system that manoeuvres the nicely animated Donald around as he searches for his kidnapped sweetheart Daisy. Ubi Soft, who interestingly also made Rayman seemed to have missed out on an opportunity to include those marvellous cell-shaded graphics already seen on Jet Set Radio and Looney Toons Space Race, which would have made the game look not unlike an actual cartoon. Donald Duck: Quack Attack will appeal to the Disney fan and to youngsters who are less demanding when it comes to games for their super-consoles, but there is better out there.
Top Home |
|
|
|
|
