Futurama Xbox Review @ Gaming Target

Written by Bryan Montford on August 25, 2003

Full Review: The FUTURAMA is here, now!

If I ever get to meet Matt Groening, I'll shake his hand and thank him for making my world a better place. Likewise J Stewart Burns. And while FUTURAMA The Game is a lot of fun, it's not the kind of thing you'll thank someone for making your world a better place.

FUTURAMA The Game is based on that most wondrous of shows, FUTURAMA The TV Show. The artwork and design is so good you really want to just reach out and bite Benders shiny metal ass. It's that good! Everyone looks like they should, sounds like they should, and the artwork is top notch throughout. The whole presentation makes it seem like some interactive lost episode. Hot stuff if you're a FUTURAMA fan.

Everywhere you look there's something to laugh about. The environment is rife with site gags of various sorts, much like the series. If you keep on your toes and pay some attention you may have a lot of trouble playing, since it's possible you'll be laughing too hard.

If you collect enough hidden items you'll unlock additional cutscenes. I haven't seen them all, but it seems like an entire mini show has been included. The loading screens should charm anyone that liked the series at all. Yes, you heard it right. Someone finally managed to make loading screens fun. The loading screens for levels are cleverly disguised as ads. It was one of my favorite parts.

Alas, many titles stemming from movies and shows suffer a similar malady; the malaise of mediocre game play, and FUTURAMA The Game does not escape unscathed. Puzzles are frustrating at times, the controls are iffy and odd collision detection type things happen a lot. Some things seemed too difficult while others were just repetitive. It mars an otherwise really well done title. They do manage to provide variety throughout the game, but game play lacks depth and polish. Underneath it all is a rather uninspiring platformer.

When it's all said and done you've got an incredibly fun title, but it isn't the game that does it. The writing and feel of the series comes through and provides the only real substance of the game. Not to be too hard on the game itself, I've played much worse titles. Maybe my personal expectations were too high, but I think this one just didn't hit the mark it could have.