Freaky Pets
SCORE: 78
The line between toys and video games continues to blur. Freaky Pets is the most recent example. These are stuffed animals (sort of) that you can purchase. Each one of them comes with a code for the online Personal Computer game. The code unlocks that character for play. The toy is interchangeable. There is a cute side, and a cranky side. Think of a nice looking animal, and a hideous Gremlins kind. Opening the velcro in the back to change the creature is a pretty simple task to perform.
I am touching on the creature toys, but I am more interested in the online game. We ran into some lag issues, and long load times with the first machine. To be fair to Freaky Pets, that machine was not quite up to the specs. In fact the specs for this game are a little high, especially considering Freaky Pets is more for the younger members of the family.
The graphics in Freaky Pets are okay. They have a nice layer of detail, and the creatures animate at a decent rate. The mini games in Freaky Pets are diverse, and they include a variety of environments. The 3D areas look nice, and the majority of the creatures I ran into were of the cute variety. The cranky side of the creatures are very ugly looking. For some unknown reason the older children like the ugly looking version.
The music in Freaky Pets is way better than I was expecting. Especially in the dance mini game. The special effects vary between the mini games. Some are amazing, and others were just okay. The sound of hitting the wall in the racing game drove me crazy, but that has more to do with the game play than anything else. It is neat that you can purchase a toy, and then use a code from it to play an online game. Parents have their own area which is a nice touch.
I ran into a few control issues in Freaky Pets. There was some lag in a few of the mini games, and load times can be long. The only mini game that I really did not like was the racing one. The reason is the controls sent me into the wall way too often. You know what that meant, earning last place. Moving around town and selecting mini games is pretty simple. Although the lack of mouse controls in terms of movement felt strange.
The goal of Freaky Pets is to earn coins in the mini games to be
spent on stuff for your character. Getting to play the creature you
registered is a nice little feature. There is a memory game in Freaky
Pets which stimulates short term memory. Shooting blimps out of the sky
was a different kind of a mini game that contains some cartoon violence.
By the way, I did not see an ESRB rating. However Freaky Pets is
generally safe for children.
- Frank
Graphics: 79%
Sound: 85%
Replay/Extras: 80%
Gameplay: 70%
Family Friendly Factor: 78%
System: Personal Computer/MAC
Publisher: Abandon Interactive Entertainment
Rating: 'NR' for Not
Rated
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