Game Review: Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon
Billy O'Keefe - Mclatchy -Tribune News Service
Sep 12, 2011
For: Playstation 3 (via Playstation Network) and Xbox 360 (via Xbox Live Arcade)
From: Backbone Entertainment/345 Games/Comedy Central ESRB Rating: Mature (strong language, blood and gore, intense violence, sexual themes)
Price: $10
---
"Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon" gets the rare distinction of being a game that animates better than the cartoon on which it's based, but if you're familiar with the low-rent Comedy Central cartoon, you also know that's a small hurdle to clear.
You also know what to expect from the game's audiovisual department - namely, ugly characters, gallons of blood, bizarre weaponry (desk laps, rubber chicken rockets, propane tank shooters) and several premium cable channels' worth of blue language flying freely and repeated ad nauseam. Whether you love it, hate it or simply enjoy the bewilderment it engenders, the presentation is the most unique thing about "Apocalypsegeddon," which otherwise combines a decent sidescroller and a decent twin-stick shooter into something that is neither exemplary nor bad.
"Apocalypsegeddon" helps itself by providing three playable characters and outfitting each with upgradable attributes that enhance their abilities without marginalizing their unique strengths and weaknesses. The game also prioritizes co-op play (online/offline, four players) insofar that it's the default mode of play throughout the campaign. Turning it off or setting up a friends-only game is easy, but a stiff (and erratically spiking) default difficulty means you'll probably want to play with someone who can share the load and revive you when you succumb. The loose difficulty progression and mostly non-existent enemy A.I. work in concert with the cheap presentation to form a game that never comes together completely, but if you love the cartoon or can't get enough twin-stick action, "Apocalypsegeddon" is (faint praise alert) certainly competent.
----
----
Sound Off...What do you think? Join the discussion
Copyright 2012 by Mclatchy -Tribune News Service
