| ChuChu
Rocket For: dreamcast Genre: puzzle/party Reviewed by: Escee (Brandon) Developer: Sonic Team Publisher: Sega Released:3.7.00 Sonic Team has always been known for good games. Not only have they delivered with the Sonic series, but they also developed other stellar titles such as NiGHTS. This, in addition to the fact that ChuChu Rocket is the Dreamcast's first online multiplayer game, sets high expectations for the game. The game delivers, but the online multiplayer component is hindered by mass lag. Graphics Granted, the graphics aren't mind-blowing, but for a game of this style, which simply can't be played in 3d, the graphics are crisp and smooth. The game is very fast-paced, and the animation stays great at the speeds they need to be rendered. Sound Well, ChuChu Rocket doesn't call for much sound, but it does an alright job at it. The music is kind of, um, strange... but it does fit the kind of game ChuChu is... The music also changes depending on the event going on (such as "mouse mania"), and the music actually fits well into the background. The voices (such as the "mouse mania" announcer) are fine, nothing great, but not bad. Gameplay ChuChu Rocket sports five different modes of gameplay: puzzle, stage, team (2 vs 2), 4-player, and online. The game is fun, and sometimes even addicting, and the 4-player mode is great fun. The network support is definately a plus, and being the first Dreamcast game with online multiplayer is a milestone. This is a great party game. The puzzle and stage modes are also fun, but the game was built for multiplayer - even if you are playing against 3 computers. But damn the immense lag for online play. ChuChu Rocket isn't a bandwidth-heavy game - even Sega has admitted this - but yet the lag is still immense. You can no longer act on split second reactions - which is what the game is built upon - because when you press a button to place an arrow, the arrow is not placed immediately. Still, this is the first online Dreamcast game, so it is the first test of SegaNET, and hopefully future games will be better. The game is still playable online, although the lag does detract fro mthe experience. Control The controls are simple and easy enough to master. The four buttons represent each of the four directions (up, down, left, right) to place an arrow, and both the D-Pad and analog stick control your pointer. Lastability The long puzzle mode will keep you playing for awhile, in addition to the stage mode. The multiplayer mode is always fun to play with friends or against the computer, and the network play is fun too, but when better network games come out, the lag in ChuChu will make ChuChu a great party game, but no longer as much so a great network game. But the tons of modes, and the 4-player battles give ChuChu a lot of lastability. The network mode is just an extra that adds to the lastability. Ratings
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10.1.00
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