Game Reviews: Teenage Zombies, Wits & Wagers

Justin Hoeger - Sacramento Bee

Teenage Zombies: Invasion of the Alien Brain Thingys

2 stars

The undead eat brains, as everyone knows, so when the Earth is invaded by an army of evil, destructive brains in jars, three young zombies rise from their graves to go snacking.

A cheeky premise and sense of humor don't make "Teenage Zombies: Invasion of the Alien Brain Thingys" a great game, but it's an amusing diversion for a while. It has some good ideas, but it doesn't look too hot and it plays sluggishly.

Players can switch at will between the three zombies. Lefty, a one-armed ghoul who was a basketball player in life; can reach high ledges and smack foes down. Half-Pipe was a skater in the mortal realm, and uses his board to get around in the absence of his lower body. And Fins has somehow merged with an octopus to create an undead horror that can climb walls and shimmy along wires with his tentacles.

The side-scrolling levels require the player to switch often between these undead achievers to defeat the brains. They each have several power-ups (like a rivet gun for Lefty's stump, or acid puke for Fins) that allow them to fight and travel more effectively. The levels are peppered with touch-screen mini-games, as well.

Publisher: Ignition Entertainment

System: Nintendo DS

Price: $34.99

Age Rating: Everyone 10-plus

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Wits & Wagers

2 1/2 stars

Based on the board game, "Wits & Wagers" duplicates its mechanics for up to six players online and four players offline. It's a fun and briskly paced party game, though not much of a looker.

The rules are simple. Each game has seven rounds, and each round has a question with a numeric answer - for example, what is the length of the Mississippi River? Each player makes their best guess, then everyone bets chips on up to two of the guesses made by any other player.

The goal is to bet on the guess that's the closest to the correct answer without going over; betting on the right guess can pay big depending on the odds. Whoever has the most chips after seven rounds wins.

Publisher: Microsoft

System: Microsoft Xbox 360

Price: $10 (800 Microsoft Points)

Age Rating: Everyone

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