Title: Futurama
Console: PlayStation 2
Publisher: Vivendi Universal
Developer: Unique Development Studios
TORONTO (djc) — Funny how games based on TV shows come out after a show is cancelled (Dark Angel, anyone?). Such is the story with Futurama for PlayStation 2. The show may be gone, but here it is in convenient game form.
And it’s not bad. The game kicks off with Professor Farnsworth making the really dim decision to sell Planet Express to Mom, the series’ ruthless Mr. Burns type. Mom responds by renaming the planet “Mom Earth” and enslaving the population. Not quite sure how one lead to the other, but suffice to say that you’ll be playing as Fry, Leela, Dr. Zoidberg and Bender to stop her plans.
The game owes a fair bit to Tomb Raider, with a lot of running, jumping and climbing. There’s even a stretch where Bender has to out run a boulder, Indiana Jones style. There are many monsters to fight, from weird aliens to robots. You will get a variety of weapons, from a hammer to bonk foes over the head to various lasers weapons. Leela can fight hand to hand. Occasionally, you’ll get vehicles to pilot as well. For the most part, it’s decently done — even if it’s nothing you haven’t seen before.
Despite the gameplay similarities to Tomb Raider, the look is quite different, with lots of futuristic environments, frequently packed with neon-glowing toxins. Overall, the look is great. The cel-style animation translates well into the game, and the characters are backed up with some excellent voice work. Really, there’s no drop in quality from an episode of the TV show. Even the humor is on the level with the TV series. There’s a wonderful moment where the Professor explains what he’s been doing in order to test a machine that reincarnates you that is just brilliantly funny.
Since it is like Tomb Raider, Futurama inherits many of Tomb Raider’s (and other third person action game’s) problems, such as an autocamera that can be tricky at times. You’ll get into a tight corner and find it difficult to swing the camera around so that you can retrace your steps. It also very unforgiving about jumping. At times you need to be absolutely dead on, or you will subject yourself to a fatal drop. Thankfully, there are a reasonable number of checkpoints in a level, and every 25 dollars you collect gives you an extra life. Still, you’ll be doing a fair amount aimless wandering as you try to get past what nailed you last time.
Futurama fans will want to play just for the cut scenes, which act like a lost episode of the series. But be advised that this is the game’s real draw. The kind of gameplay you can get from Futurama can be found elsewhere, and done better.
PlayStation 2 version reviewed. Also available for Xbox.
