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Developer: Avalanche Software
Publisher: Buena Vista
Genre: Platform
Region: NTSC
Format:
Release Date: 20 Oct 05
User Rating
7.5 (4 votes) -
- While the movie wasn't exactly a resounding success for a Pixar-less Disney, the game is a surprisingly decent adventure that will please the younger gamers.
Overview
I have reviewed quite a few games from a diverse genre throughout the year, some of which has surprised me and exceeded my expectations. The Chicken Little movie was released, to some mixed reactions, considering this is Disney's first modern animation without Pixar. I did not have a high expectation of the movie and game, so can this game surprise me? Read our full review to find out!
Gameplay
For those that were never told the story of Chicken Little as a child, here is a little recap of what the story was all about. Basically Chicken Little was of course a small little Chicken who really believed the sky was falling. Well of course this didn't end up overly well for our buddy Chicken Little, so now he has to redeem himself by saving the world from the invasion of evil aliens. As you can tell right away, this is not an adult based game, but is targeted directly at the young ones.
Well before I even got into this game, I honestly can say I thought I could describe this game without opening the box. I figured the game was going to be a pretty typical platforming adventure that didn't offer a whole lot in terms of gameplay. Well I must say that Avalanche Software really impressed me because they actually decided not to go with the typical children game route and gave us some variety in the game. First off, this game starts off with platforming, which is surprisingly smooth and works extremely well. You will find that this game then branches out from there into all sorts of different sequences.
This game really has quite a bit to offer to the user. What is nice is that they continually change the style and pace of the game so you never feel like you are doing the same thing over and over again. What are also good about this game are the controls, which are spot on in everything that you do. You will not have to be worrying about clunky controls, and the camera even works with you as well.
Of course Chicken Little is not without its faults. Sure the game has a great deal of variety and is pretty finely tuned, but it is also extremely short. I would think that the average gamer could finish this game in one or two sittings, which is not surprising for a kid's game; however I still feel that the game could have been much long. But for the target audience this game was going for, I must say that I was impressed with the amount of variety that was put into this game. Nothing in this game is overly revolutionary, but it still has enough good things going for it that it ends up being a well made children's game.
Graphics
Where the gameplay is pretty different from most children's games, the visual presentation is pretty typical. The character models are decent giving an adequate amount of detail and a nice use of color. The one thing this game really does do well visually is color, as you have a very bright and easy-going look and feel that works well for the game. The biggest problem for me was the environments, which really lacked any sort of detail and although you are in different places everything always seems to look the same. The presentation of this is pretty typical for a kid's game, and although these graphics are not terrible, they are still nothing to write home about.
Fun Factor
I am a huge advocate of variety in video games. I am not one who likes to do the same thing over and over again, and therefore when I saw that Chicken Little had more then just simple platforming, I must say that I was very pleased to see this. Chicken Little may not do anything that hasn't been done before, but what it does do is keep you entertained throughout your experience with different ideas, easy controls, and just an overall nicely made game. Kids who like the movie are really going to enjoy this game.
Overall
Chicken Little is just a solid children's title that I think should be one of the top games for parents to purchase this Christmas season. If you have a child who really enjoyed the movie, then I would highly recommend giving this game to them as a Christmas gift as it is truly a lot of fun. You have to give the developers credit with Chicken Little, as it has a great deal of variety and is really a fun game to play.
- Gameplay
7.0 - Graphics
6.0 - Fun Factor
7.0 - Overall
7.0
