"Rabbids Go Home" A BWAAAAAA-ll To Play
Rayman has been kicked to the curb in the recent game in the "Raving Rabbids" series, and thus far the furry little bastards appear to be capable of holding a game on their own.
In Rabbids Go Home those lovable fuzzy buggers are on a mission: to grab as much stuff as possible. What are they gonna do with that stuff? Pile it up high to reach their destination: the Moon. Will the Rabbids succeed, or will their idea go up in smoke?
Gameplay is simple, at first. You control two Rabbids as they push a shopping cart through various areas (i.e.: shopping mall, grocery store, hospital, nuclear power plant) and collect everything that isn't bolted to the ground. If it is, simply have your Rabbid go "BWAAAH," and the items may become obtainable. However, as the game progresses enemies, barriers and various other things that hurt the Rabbids will appear to try and keep the critters from getting anywhere near their goal. It starts off easy, but gets harder as the game progresses. (In short: how any good game should be.)
Controls are fairly easy to handle. The Nunchuck moves the shopping cart, and the A-Button accelerates it. Flinging your Wiimote down launches the "BWAA!" attack, which comes in handy for when you need to scare the clothes off of the people, as well as eliminate weaker barriers. To accelerate faster you must hold down the A-Button to help spark up the cart, and then press the B-Button to launch your cart to super speed. (This will also come in handy for certain jumps.) Your Rabbid Cannon is the C-button, and when pushed after aiming your Wiimote will launch a Rabbid at what you were pointing at (whether it be a human character or an object containing more stuff to grab). There are also other controls that you'll have to do when you get larger objects, but you'll be told how to use them in the game when the time comes. This may sound a bit confusing at first, but once you get a hang of it the controls become very easy and accessible.
Graphics are a tad bit disappointing. If one were to see the CGI Rabbids in the commercials for Rabbids Go Home (which were Pixar-quality), and then compare those graphics to the ones in the actual game, they will see some sort of a significant difference. However, video games so far don't have the capacity to look like Wall-E, so we can quickly forgive Ubisoft for not making them look top-notched. So if a gamer hasn't seen the commercials for this game, they won't be let down by the cartoonish graphics. I especially like the look of the towns, as they have that mid-1950s vibe to them.
The soundtrack used in Rabbids Go Home is also top-notched. The licensed music of Jefferson Airplane and John Denver fit oddly well with the style of the game, and the Rabbid Oompah Band songs are hilarious (especially when you watch them play while surfing the sewers on an old bed mat). The voice acting from the characters is also fantastic. The Rabbids sound lively as ever, and the humans and announcer (who sounds like a female Big Brother) are well-scripted. Some may complain about political incorrectness in the game (you'll hear what I mean), but it's all in good, harmless fun.
Players may return to Rabbids Go Home to try to collect every piece of stuff that's obtainable, but the thing that will keep them coming back is the Rabbid in the Wiimote. You'll spend a good hour or two swinging your Wiimote and smacking the little Rabbid around inside it. (It's also a very useful stress reliever.) You can also design your Rabbids however you want them, and then post them online via the Wii Wi-Fi for everyone to see and download as their own. Though two players can play at once, Rabbids Go Home is mostly designed for single play, a downer for those that enjoyed the original Raving Rabbids games. Nevertheless, Rabbids Go Home is surely one hell of a fun, funny game.
PROS:
- Immensely funny, nonstop laughs and fun for all ages to enjoy
- Great soundtrack and voice-acting
- Rabbid in the Wiimote
CONS:
- Can be a bit repetitive at times
- Graphics could've been tweaked out a bit more before the release date
- Lack of multiplayer games may turn off Raving Rabbids fans
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Rabbids Go Home is one of the most fun games out there. Though it may feel repetitive at times, the added challenges the game adds as the levels reach higher help to add more variety to the gameplay. Not to mention that the Rabbid may steal the "Funniest Video Game Bunny" prize from Max (of Sam & Max fame). In short: Rabbids Go Home is a must-own!
FINAL GRADE: 9.3 (out of 10)
