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CHUCHU ROCKET
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system.... all, ST, STe, Falcon
makers.... RESERVOIR GODS
kind...... multi player puzzler
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Naaa! Moondog is going to review a multi player game?! No! He can't do that
again! Yes, I wont do that again since it isn't possible, I know by myself.
Happily "CHUCHU ROCKET" features also a single player option and so I was able
to take at least a small look behind the scenes, since I haven't got my daughter
to play that game, she's still infected with "BUGGER" :)
So this wont be a real review then, I just want to write down my impressions of
the stuff that I could discover as single player.
After all, what is this game all about?! It's some kind of multi player puzzler
as written above, coming originally from the DreamCast console. This game does
not live from it's gorgeous grafix or something but only from its addictive
game design.
A puzzler can't be addictive you might say, but you're wrong. You will think it
even more if I mention the basic things of the game... but you're then still
wrong...
This game is all about mice... the little "chu"s. Your aim is to guide those
little chu's to your rocket. A rocket? Yes, a rocket, don't ask me why :)
So you have a playing field were the mice run around. On those playing fields
there can be obstacles and if your chu's are running into an obstacle they're
changing the direction of their movement, they will always turn right if they
run into an obstacle. But there is more around on the playfield. So there can be
holes and if your chu's are falling into them, they will die.
And finally, if the mice are here, the cat's aren't far away. Here are they
called "kapu" and if they catch a mouse/chu it is dead, ofcourse. But also those
kapu's can be guided into holes and die. If they catch your rocket, they will
always eat the third part of the chu's you already collected there, in the
puzzle mode you will loose in this point, but there I will go on later...
To guide your chu's to your rocked you have a set of arrows you can set on the
screen. If the chu's are running over this arrow they're going into the
direction of it... But as said, also kapu's will run in that direction then and
so you use them to kick your oponents if you're playing a more players game.
So, this sounds quite easy at first, but after all it isn't. Ok, the first few
stages are, but the higher the stage the more complicated it is to find the way
to your rocket. So it is a bit like "Lemmings", since the chu's are running
straight away and don't care about the fact if there is some kapu coming or some
hole and you are the master with the arrows you can set and you really have to
think hard where you have to set the arrows, since it can be that you lead all
your chu's right to the kapu for example...
The game features 4 different play modes.
4Battle Mode... This is the 4 players game, but you can play it also alone and
against the computer. You have a big load of chu's on the screen
and there coming more and more... So the whole thing starts to
be very chaotic and last but not least you nearly have no chance
against the computer controlled players, esp. when you're just a
beginner. The aim of the game is clear, get in a special set
time as much chu's as possible into your rocket and try to kick
your oponents while stealing them chu's they're already guiding
to their own rockets or just guide a kapu to their rockets.
I can imagine how funny this could be against human players but
against the computer you don't have any chance.
You can decide in a menu how many time and rounds have to be
played until a winner is set.
2 vs 2 Mode.... This is the Team mode, but it can be played alone as well since
one of your team will be taken over by the computer, too. The
aim of the game is the same as above only with the difference
that you can fight both against the other team and together you
have more chances, but you also have coordinate your work very
well...
Stage Challenge is also a 2 player mode, but can be played alone as well, since
the second mouse pointer can stay inactive or taken over by a
friend for example. Here doesn't stays the rule to catch more
chu's as your opponents but you have to fullfill your jobs, that
are given you on the start of any stage. So you have to collect
a special number of chu's to win the stage. The problem is that
the chu's are running after a short time and you don't have much
time to think about their ways but you can set a lot of arrows,
that are disappearing after a while.
Puzzle Challenge is a real one player mode. Here you see the stage and you can
see where you have to set the arrow to guide all your chu's to
your rocket. After you have set the arrow you can click the "go"
button and see if your idea worked out and all chu's are finding
the right way. If not you can restart the stage again... The
first levels are quite easy but the later ones are really brain
tormenting ones, esp. when the first kapu's appearing since here
you have to check what way they could use as well and try to
avoid it with your chu's to run into the kapu since in this game
mode you must save all chu's and your rocket as well, or you'll
loose the game.
Yes, that's it more or less all about the game in short! So this doesn't has to
be seen as a real review since I can imagine that the motivation and playability
differs much if you have human opponents and not the high computer AI.
The game itself is a typical Reservoir Gods game... The grafix are really neat,
nice animated and obvious inspired by the original game on the DreamCast. The
game features a nice chipmusic soundtrack and a lot of special effects like
speech samples and so on.
On Falcon and STE the sound quality is ofcourse a lot better as on the later
released STFM version. (the lite version). On the Falcon/STE you can make use of
the Jaguar Pad as well and furthermore the game runs on VGA too...
The game itself features the typical Reservoir Gods menu mania and there seems
to be nothing you can't set. It is a hard thing to step through all the menu's,
skill grades, stages, and playing modes but therefore you're able to adjust the
game in the way you want to play it...
So what to say to end this short impression? This game is really addictive but I
have to admit that I don't have the time to step deeper into it or to spend more
hours on it atm. This is as said just thought to make you think to take a look
on it by yourself too.
So if you have some friends on the hand and you like puzzle games where you can
kick them also, not only playable side by side, but really against each other,
you have to take a look on it. As single player you should mainly use the puzzle
mode that will make your brain burn for sure... so fans of puzzle actions really
should take their hands on it, if they have enough time.
This game surely isn't something to play in the lunch break since it sucks you
in and you can't leave your fingers from it.
The style of the game is surely a matter of taste. The grafix are neat and doing
their jobs, the chu's are nice animated but after all I'm not the biggest fan of
that far east styling, but after all this doesn't changes something on the game
itself.
The music is really nice but I wish the in game samples would be a bit better
and clearer. There are different musics in the whole game and so there is enough
diversity and they won't bore you with the time...
The control's are quite ok and after all also the game play should be easy to
understand...
So what else?! Nothing more to say... if I have kicked out that damn UCM some
day I will surely find time to take a closer and deeper look onto it...
You instead have to get and play it if you like puzzle games!
.tSCc. moondog . o3/2k2
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