Publisher: Vivendi Universal
Ages: eleven and up.
Parental
Advisory:
Arcade violence
Fans of the 31st century, as depicted on television's Futurama, may enjoy Vivendi Universal's Futurama. But while the game successfully captures the spirit of the show, serves a good plot and features lots of fun humor, its gameplay doesn't quite measure up.
The third-person action game serves conventional puzzle/platform gameplay and features characters from the show. Series writer J. Stewart Burns, who won an EMMY for scripting a Futurama episode, wrote the game's intriguing storyline. The game also features some 30 minutes of new Futurama footage for fans.
The game asks players to run through levels, jump on various platforms, flip switches, collect power-ups and objects and eliminate enemies. Gamers get to play as different characters from the show, however, each is quite similar. While the gameplay is adequate, it suffers from an inadequate camera that often gets trapped behind walls.
The graphics are excellent and do a great job of recreating the characters and the feel of the show. Increasing the illusion, the game features the original voices from the series.
Futurama effectively captures the spirit of the television show and brings it to the PlayStation 2. Fans of the series will enjoy experiencing the game-based episode. Gamers, on the other hand, may become frustrated with the gameplay.
9/15/03 Daytrum.com Editorial Staff
