Having been ruthlessly axed by Fox Entertainment after three television series, Family Guy enjoyed the kind of resurrection that we all wish the BBC stopped granting to weekly dirge-fest ‘My Hero’. I would be very interested to know who watched it in the first place, let alone four years later. Following news of the decision by Fox, reportedly demand for FG DVD and merchandise rocketed through the roof in the UK and Europe, eventually resulting in the US Corporation back-tracking to make the announcement of the commissioning another couple of series, a full length film, and apparently a video game - a licence duly snapped up by Take-Two Interactive.
Personally, I love Family Guy and would take it over the Simpsons any day of the week. There may well be some readers who either disagree with that statement, or have yet to sample the delights of Seth MacFarlane’s ‘adult’ cartoon, and to both of these categories I would perhaps be wary of recommending this game immediately. FG is riddled with ‘in jokes’ and storylines which refer back to each other making it difficult to anyone to come in cold. That aside, it has to be one of the better TV to Console ports I have seen for some time.
Family Guy the series focuses around the antics of a typically dysfunctional American family, the Griffins. The three main characters focused on in the game are Peter - the obese and somewhat simple father, Stewie – megalomaniac one-year old hell bent on taking over the world, and Brian – their talking dog. What sets this cocktail of seemingly unbalanced characters up so well can be attributed to their individual personalities and quick-witted interaction with an array of backup cast members, all of whom make an appearance throughout the game.
What sets FG apart for the likes of other shows, is that it is both clever and funny, in an adult manner, but with absolutely no trace of a sensible character or meaningful lesson to be learned. Pure unadulterated hilarity. As you would expect then, the producers were intelligent with the format and storyline of the Griffins first video game outing. Choosing not to focus around just one set plot, there are three continuing side by side, separating up the three playable characters into their own missions and allowing you to experience the different types of game play attributed to each individual.
I have no wish to spoil the storyline for you, mainly because if you have yet to have a chance to get your hands on the game, it is almost worthy of a standalone episode or three. I will however go as far as to give you a taste of what to expect from each character:
Peter: His game play involves mass destruction, wandering the streets and scenes of Quahog kicking and punching his way though to various checkpoints. Children, women, and elderly people exiting church are all targets, not to mention park benches and trees. In true Double Dragon style, combos become available allowing you to cause even greater damage. Different enemies demand more powerful or strategic combinations in order for defeat, enabled by snack fuelled melee moves obtained by powering Peter up through the collection of foodstuffs usually found while smashing inanimate objects.
Stewie: Stewie wanders around with his ray gun shooting enemies, using his grapple hook to climb tall obstacles and even has the use of his mind-control device to take charge of other characters to do his bidding. Blessed with the task of emulating the mighty InnerSpace film of the 1980s, he also gets to maraud his way through Peter’s gut, enabling some surfing through his blood vessels adding a racing element.
Brian: Brian’s game play however takes on an altogether new slant. To cut a long story short, he is on the run and you have to guide him to an exit point in a room or scene, without him being seen or caught by the other characters wandering the screen. Any shadow can provide a resting point; timing is of the essence as you sneak away while backs are turned. Other tactics can involve crawling and finding disguises which can make your task that little bit easier. True to the nature of Brian, he has weaknesses, wander too close to drinks, trees or female dogs, the bone-shaped gauge starts to fill up, and once totally full, Brian ‘loses control’ and exposes himself by demanding a top up, having a wizz or making over amorous advances.
Throughout the game you swap control of the characters, flicking between storylines making sure that you never get too much overkill of hiding under benches or whacking riot police officers. Each location used has a rich animated landscape with plenty of visual gags, although the numerous mini games which crop up are definitely in-jokes which only the FG enthusiast would really appreciate. Cut scenes move the storyline along and contain the real voices from the show, which are used to good effect in the form of both throw-away and helpful comments made as you march through the game.
The game itself is played in a 3-D landscape, and the same is true of the cut scenes unlike the cartoon it spawned from. This makes sure the game play does not fall into the usual linear trap that 2-D landscapes cannot avoid, while also allowing for Stewie to pick his wits against some tricky mirror situations. But this provides my major annoyance, with inconsiderately placed jumping stones almost impossible to land on, unless you happen to have the mind of a fighter pilot. Bearing in mind I tackled the game on the default difficulty level, any loss of life sends you back to the last checkpoint, making progress a matter of trial and error more than skill, and ultimately time dependent.
That said there was very little else I disliked about FG the Video Game. For any FG fan, this really is a must and an enjoyable romp through Rhode Islands’ finest. Any other gamer may wish to check the series out first, as much of the script and humour may well be lost on them, even if the experience is possibly good enough to stand on its own two feet. Bearing in mind too, that with careful searching you can find this title for a paltry ten of your English dollars, it would be rude of you to say no. And you are not rude people.
And in case you were wondering, Peters’ final boss? Yes. The chicken is back.