Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal Xbox 360 Review
I was really looking forward to playing a new Looney Tune game for the Xbox 360. After all it’s been a long time between games and with the Next-Gen system, it looked like this was a perfect chance to make a great game for both younger gamers and those older fans of the cartoon gang. There is always a risk when creating a game based on a popular cartoon series sort of like the same risk when trying to make a game based on a popular movie. Fans know what they want and how it should look and they want it to offer a solid gameplay experience. Read the full Looney Tunes Acme Arsenal Review and find out if it delivered the things fans wanted.
Gameplay
The basic story and concept is not bad for a cartoon game. An evil scientist has invented a time machine. He uses it to try and eliminate the Looney Tunes gang with his army of killer robots. The basic plot is not deep and it’s not supposed to be. Even with not expecting a deep storyline, there is too much given away immediately. Then it’s just a matter of repeating the same thing. There is nothing new introduced as the game progresses. For younger gamers, they may get a kick out of seeing their favorite characters in the game but soon the novelty wears off. Sadly what is left is a game we have seen before and not as fun to play.
The basic fighting moves that you repeat are easy to pull off for the younger players, but leave little challenge for older players. The game borrows things from other games in the genre which adds to the feeling of familiarity. The game’s camera hinders the overall ability to make the timed jumps and avoid the traps. This means several deaths and restarting from checkpoints and a high frustration level. The levels are neat looking, but the dark lighting and the camera hinder the game. Even with the weapons and gags, the basic theme is pretty boring. If they would have mixed up the levels and added different ways though each level, the game would have offered more. Even the weapons you can get in the game become boring fast due to the fact you will only be able to use them for a short time. When your ammo is used up, you’re back to the basic attacks. The game does have a few interesting features including being able to change characters while playing alone as well as a chance of playing through each level using a Co-Op system.
Control
Okay, so the game is not great to start off with. I could have looked past this and enjoyed the game for what it was. I tried but the controls have some major issues as well. The combos are easy to learn and are 3 or 4 buttons-nothing complicated. The real issue comes into play when fighting a slew of enemies and trying to find your way through each level. The game’s camera moves when it wants to and not when it should. You can adjust the camera for a better angle, but this just leads to more frustration. It reminded me of the camera from the Terminator game and we all know this is not a compliment.
It’s really hard to believe the game was made for younger gamers since aiming weapons is difficult. It also has some issues when fighting the waves of robots. You can nail an enemy right in front of you, see the hit, and land but it won’t do damage. The control layout is not an issue and seemed to fit the Xbox 360 controller. It just seemed like a rushed job by the developers of the game.
Xbox Live
They added the Co-Op mode which was a good idea, but the problem is going to be finding someone online to play with. They also added a short online battle type mode. The problem with this is while it’s very simple to create or join a game; I only found 2 matches and both ended by the host leaving within the first five minutes of starting the game. The Co-Op I think was planned the whole time and made sense, but the other online mode looked rather rushed. It seemed more of a way to say there was Xbox live support to help sell copies and not really made or tested for enjoyment.
Graphics
Bugs, Marvin, Taz and the rest of the gang look good. The problem with the graphics is the same as the gameplay. They repeat the same movements and it gets old quickly. The level design seems to be recycled.
The game really never gets to shine graphically. Sometimes while creating a game things go wrong and for whatever reason the graphics really look pretty weak. Throw in the camera issues and it’s hard to remember this was on the Xbox 360.
Audio
The voices are perfect but sound sampled. They limited what each character offers in the way of comebacks and one-liners. The other sound effects are decent but overall average. For a game that is built around well-known Stars, the audio does not make the game stand out at all.
Replay Value
At first glance the game shows a lot to offer including the Split screen off line mode for two players and the online Co-Op mode. It’s just not a well designed game that will keep gamers interested. Even younger gamers that watch the cartons are going to probably grow tired of the game due to the issues and problems. I won’t say there is no replay value but gamers will find it hard to replay the game more than once.
Bottom Line
Overall Score: 4.0/10.0
Additional Comments
Looney Tunes Acme Arsenal should have been the perfect game for all ages, instead it’s hard to even recommend as a rental. The game just lacks the basic things that gamers expect and the gameplay is recycled. Add in the fact you’re always messing with the camera and it’s just easier to pass on it and wait for another release with the Looney Tunes Gang.
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Filed under: Reviews • Xbox 360
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