Rugrats Go
Wild is the latest game based on the Rugrats universe that only ten
people will buy and nine of those ten will be disappointed with. This is
the premiere kid license, but there hasnt been a decent kids game made
from it yet. In Go Wild, the Rugrats are teamed up with The Wild
Thornberrys in an adventure on a jungle island. It is a strictly kiddy
affair, but Im not too sure if kids will have any more fun with it than
I did.
In Go Wild, the Rugrats are shipwrecked on an island and the babies
have to find their parents. The Thornberrys are already on the island
shooting a documentary, so they help the babies in any way they can.
There
are several types of gameplay, but they all play pretty much the same.
Most of the time you are sent on simple fetch quests where you have to
collect logs or tidy up a campsite. Along the way you also get to drive
the Commvee, steer a runaway stroller down a steep hill, and also
control a submarine in a search for a secret beach. The controls for
each scenario are basically the same. You control the characters by
moving the mouse in the direction you want to go and then press either
mouse button to fire "gooshy balls" at animals to keep them at bay. The
submarine is different in that you have to repeat patterns on the
control panel in order to pass through the level. None of this is very
difficult and it only takes about an hour to play through.
The graphics and sounds in Rugrats Go wild are about as good as can
be expected. The characters all look and sound exactly like the movie,
but the backgrounds are pretty simple. The things the characters say are
repeated seemingly twenty times a minute and it becomes annoying very
quickly. Some things like "good job" or "way to go" are repeated a lot,
but it is understandable because those sorts of things make kids feel
all warm and fuzzy inside. However, nothing is more annoying than
hearing Chuckie wuss out or Angelica screech. Overall, the graphics and
suitable for this type of game and cant really be expected to impress
anyone.
This is
probably not the right forum for this, but I need to take up some space.
I have often wondered how the Rugrats parents have managed to actually
keep their children for this long. In the real world, if you let your
kids run all over the place and didnt watch them they would probably be
taken away from you. Reptar on Ice is more important than keeping an eye
on your children? Come on! In this very game when you finally find
Tommys dad, Stu, he decides to lay down and take a nap rather than
taking care of his kids while they are being chased by leopards and
giant spiders. Im sorry, but that is just stupid.
In terms of Rugrats Go Wild being a kiddy game, it has all of the
right pieces together that should make a good kids game: A license kids
already love, fun graphics and sounds, easy to control, and lots and
lots of positive reinforcement. In my experience, though, kids arent
really interested in overly simple concepts like this. My five year old
nephew would rather play a fighting game like Marvel vs. Capcom and my
two year old nephew is far more entertained by watching me play Winning
Eleven 6. They liked the Rugrats theme, but they didnt like the simple
gameplay. I think that says a lot more about the game than I ever could.
Rugrats Go Wild isnt a bad game, but it certainly isnt a good game
either. It has everything a game directed at kids should have minus one
key ingredient: Fun. I cant speak for everyones kids, though, so some
people might like it. If you are a die-hard Rugrats fan or are looking
to kill an hour or so, Go Wild might be worth checking out.