#2: Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (PS2)
Once in a while, there comes a game that completely and
utterly surpasses my expectations, granted my expectations for Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the
Were-Rabbit for the PlayStation 2 weren’t that great anyway. Sure, I
enjoyed the movie. I thought it was very good, but could it lend itself well to
a video-game? Honestly, I didn’t think so. I can’t quite put my finger on why,
but I didn’t have high hopes for it. How wrong I was! In all seriousness, I
never expected to say this about a Wallace and Gromit-centred game, but this
perhaps ranks amongst one of the best I’ve ever played in my life. No, really.
This game is well and truly cracking.
The game begins at Tottington Hall, and you must clear Lady
Tottington’s lawn of rabbits, very much like the opening scenes of the Dreamworks/Aardman
movie of the same name. At this point, it just kind of feels like it’s going
through the motions. Okay, the graphics are good, and it looks like the film,
but it doesn’t ‘grab’ you instantly. I distinctly remember getting so far into
the tutorial before shelving it for another few weeks, thinking I might come
back to it at some point. And man, am I glad I did! As soon as you’re done with
the tutorial, you get to explore the town centre, and it is nothing short of
impressive. The game is 2-player, besides the tutorial, and both Wallace and
Gromit have their own abilities. For example, Gromit can perform a ‘wall-jump’,
while Wallace can produce a blast of air from his bun-gun, a device used to
suck up and shoot rabbits into open drains.
Now, the most perceptive of you will probably have noticed
that I am often critical of movie tie-ins that stray away from the plot of the
film. That’s true. I am. But in this case, I’m going to make an exception. Yes,
there are a great number of tasks that diverge far from the main storyline of
the film, but it’s justified in that you’re doing your job as Anti-Pesto,
clearing lawns of pests and the like. It’s fun and, above all, it makes perfect
sense. The game becomes truly engaging as soon as you progress to the
night-time levels. Not only is there a were-rabbit at large (and it is, indeed,
very large), but there are also numerous other were-creatures roaming the
streets. Some might say this goes too far, but it’s explained and it makes
sense, and it only serves to make the game more exciting. Since Wallace, at
night, is, erm… ‘indisposed’ (I don’t want to risk spoiling the film for those
who haven’t seen it!), his character is replaced by Hutch, the Wallace-like
rabbit from the film, who can perform both Wallace and Gromit’s abilities.
Before long, you unlock new areas, including the seaside
town Wallersey and the industrial district Grimsley. It may not be until you
unlock Wallersey that you realise just how immense this game is. The
environments are huge, detailed, and supremely enjoyable. Furthermore, you get
to speak to all the residents of the town, most of which are seen in crowd
scenes in the feature film, and most of whom will reward you should you
complete a task they have for you to perform. Not all of the voices are the
same – Peter Kay as PC Mackintosh is sorely missed, as is Liz Smith as Mrs
Mulch, but this can’t necessarily be helped. Besides, the impersonators
replacing them sound very alike (except for Mrs Mulch – she sounds like she’s
swallowed an apple). There are also several details that make the game all the
more charming, such as growing Gromit’s prize marrow in the greenhouse.
Sadly the game isn’t all great. The gameplay itself is
hardly unique, and some of the controls are a little awkward. Wallace is
particularly annoying because of his size, but this barely detracts from the
overall enjoyableness of the game, which is full of surprises and fun
activities, most of which are fairly challenging. However, perhaps the most
prominent flaw is the 2-player feature. Co-op mode is fun, but without that
second player, the other character proves to be rather irritating. In order to
get your friend to perform a particular action, you need to use the L1
‘whistle’ feature to call them over. While this seems a good idea, there is a
delay before the character responds, and this is especially annoying during
timed tasks, which may therefore require several attempts, and this is sure to
send you hopping mad. Ha! Get it?
Okay, maybe it’s time to wrap this up before the jokes get any worse.
Regardless of these minor faults, this game is undeniably grand.
The characters are believable, the environments are incredibly detailed and
free-roaming, and the game is full of highly enjoyable tasks (albeit
occasionally frustrating). No, it isn’t a strictly accurate adaptation of the
movie but, unlike the likes of Toy Story
2 and other movie tie-ins, the game actually feels like it’s an extension of the movie, as opposed to a
lazy spin-off. This truly is a grand adventure.
8.5/10
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