Curious George
SCORE: 96
Curious George books have been a favorite of this reviewer since my
childhood. It was quite a joy to receive a reviewable copy of a Curious
George video game on the Gameboy Advance. Namco was able to capture the
little curious monkey, and the man in the yellow hat quite well. It was
very nice that they stayed true to the source material, which was the
movie based on the books. This is a side scrolling adventure that is for
children, but not the youngest of kids. The main reason is this game can
get complex, and difficult in the later stages of the game. The story is
about the man with the yellow hat working for a museum that is in
trouble. He must find a specific artifact, or the museum will be
destroyed. Can you playing as a curious little monkey save the museum
for the man in the yellow hat?
Graphically this game looks really good on the Gameboy Advance. The
amount of on screen enemies, items, etc. is obviously pushing this
little hand held machine to its limits. The graphics are bright and
colorful. There is also no violence allowed from the player at all.
George avoids his enemies, and this really makes the player work harder
than in most action adventure side scrolling 2D titles. The art work is
like the books have been brought to life, which is good news indeed.
Wholesome images are used properly in this game. A real visual treat in
this game is to see George floating up on a blue balloon.
The music in this game fits it nicely, and had this reviewer happily
humming along with its cheerful nature. The sounds are crisp, and clear
as well. These sounds also fit the different on screen action quite
well. What makes the sounds so amazing is this is on the Gameboy
Advance. This little machine can still churn out some nice little
ditties.
Curious George is like a lot of children's action adventure games;
meaning it is lacking in the replay department. There are quite a few
secret areas to be found, along with bonus levels to be earned and
played. This reviewer was able to amass over forty extra lives playing
through each level. Since this game can be found for under $20.00 US
Dollars this reviewer feels that the purchaser will receive their
money's worth. The life bar being the hear no evil, speak no evil, and
see no evil monkey's was a nice touch indeed.
This game handles flawlessly. The control design works great, as does
the level design. The level design is something amazing to behold in a
great many levels. The intricacies of many of the levels was very nice
indeed. This is also a very fun game to play. Since there are easy ways
to earn so many extra lives (every 50 fireflies found), making a couple
of mistakes and dying a time or two is never a bother. Namco could have
churned something out, banking on the name recognition of Curious
George; but they didn't (instead they worked hard on this title).
This game was a real pleasure to play and review. There is no
violence from the player, and the lesson being taught is to avoid
violence. This is a game that is safe for the entire family. This is
also the kind of game that this reviewer would recommend to a pastor. A
real hats off (a yellow one) goes to Namco for doing a video game based
on Curious George exactly the way it should be done. This is one of the
few secular games to receive our seal of approval.
- Paul
Graphics: 98%
Sound: 95%
Replay/Extras: 88%
Gameplay: 100%
Family Friendly Factor: 100%
System:
Gameboy Advance
Publisher: Namco
ESRB Rating: 'E' for Everyone
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