family guy-xbox

[Sharpshooter]

am happy to report that while the Family Guy game may not be totally freakin’ sweet, it is definitely not horrible by any stretch of the imagination. At times some of the gameplay can be trying, but most of the game actually plays rather well and is quite entertaining. The game is also visually appealing, making good use of cel-shading to make it look very similar to the cartoon that it is based on. All of the show’s voice talent make appearances in the game as well, from the main character all the way to Adam West as the mayor (excluding Will Ferrell as the black knight who Peter actually admonishes in the game for not providing voiceover work).



The game focuses around a very eventful day in Quahog, Rhode Island. You play as Brian, Peter, and Stewie in an interconnected story that has all three trying to accomplish different goals in three different play styles. In Brian’s segment, he is being accused of impregnating Carter Pewterschmidt’s prize racing dog Seabreeze. To clear his name, you must play through several stealth-based levels, collecting evidence that proves your innocence while avoiding being spotted by other characters. To aid you in this, Brian can crawl, hide in shadows and under tables, and wear disguises such as lamp shades and pimp hats. Brian’s levels are by far the low point of this title. While not incredibly difficult, the levels get very frustrating very quickly. While constantly battling the camera, you will find yourself figuring out how to collect the evidence by trial and error. Considering that you have to wait for NPC characters to slowly lurch around the level before you can move, this trial and error can take up a lot of time and really sap your enjoyment. This is also where the game’s greatest ally becomes its greatest enemy. The initially funny quips from characters really begin to make you angry by the hundredth time you hear it while just trying to complete Brian’s levels so that you can get back to the vastly more satisfying Peter and Stewie levels.



Peter’s portion of the game plays very much like an old Streets of Rage type brawler. After continually receiving blows to the head, Peter goes on a quest (that he concocted) to thwart the evil plans of Mr. Belvedere to kidnap his family. To do this, he beats the crap out of everyone he sees including small children and the elderly. Peter has normal punches and kicks that can also be comboed into headbutts and leg sweeps. He is also equipped with special snack attacks that can further expedite the destruction of hordes of enemies. To unleash these, Peter must consume snacks that fall out of defeated enemies and destructible objects to fill his snack attack bar. In several of Peter’s levels, he will receive further head injuries and turn into different variations of himself from the show such as Rufus Griffin and ANNA. While this is hilarious, I can’t help but to feel a little cheated that they didn’t include Lando Griffin as one of these variations. Still, these levels play fairly well and the end battle with Peter’s nemesis, the chicken, is great.

Stewie, equipped with his trusty ray gun and mind control ray, must foil his half-brother Bertram’s latest plan to take over the world. Most of his levels are just third-person run and guns involving some minor platforming and puzzle elements. While the platforming elements aren’t terrible, they tend to sometimes break down because of the poor camera controls. Several of Stewie’s levels also pay homage to vintage games such as Centipede and Space Invaders. Throughout the game, Stewie can improve his ray gun’s performance by finding hidden ray gun components. Once completely improved, Stewie’s little ray gun is definitely a force to be reckoned with, shooting missiles and heat-seeking rockets. You will need this power to help save Rupert and the world by defeating a giant sized Bertram. This boss battle is fun but can also be fairly confusing. The game doesn’t really give you a hint about how to defeat him until you have already figured it out for yourself. Still, it is quite humorous and enjoyable.



Much like the show, the game is full of non-sequiturs. These sections in the game are when the character that you are playing as turns to the screen and says something fairly unrelated to the game. After this monologue, you will play one of a variety of mini-games that will give you a bonus if you complete it. Brian will become invisible for a short period of time, Peter gets a bonus to his snack attack bar, and Stewie will receive some components for his ray gun. These silly mini-games are mostly pulled directly from the show like having Stewie playing Marco Polo with Hellen Keller and Peter trying to get his keys with a clothes hangar from inside his car. While not incredibly deep, they are a good distraction and are a great fan service.

Family Guy is definitely a fun game and is well worth playing through. Unfortunately, you can play through the game in less than eight hours. While brief, most of the game plays fairly well and the quirky characters and jokes will have you laughing out loud at times. Fans of the cartoon should seriously consider playing through this game. If you’ve never watched Family Guy before, I would still suggest giving this title a try because it is rather fun and it will give you a good sense of what the show is like. Either way, this is a funny and enjoyable game that shouldn’t disappoint.



Features: ?

Play as three popular characters from the show: the loveable Peter, the diabolical Stewie and the charismatic Brian. ?
"Freakin' sweet" gameplay switches back and forth to each character throughout the game. ?
Funny and unique combination of combat, stealth and puzzle-solving gameplay. ?
Family Guy wouldn't be complete without the random funny things, satirizing pop-culture, that jump out and seemingly have no place in the flow of the story - now you can actually play them! ?
Interactive Humor - take part in the jokes, parodies and sarcasm as though you were part of the show. ?
Visit familiar locations around Quahog and interact with many beloved characters from the show. Giggity! Giggity! Giggity!

overall 3.5 fair

[Rocol]

Lol, it reads to be a bit of a weird game, character wise, but, saying that, I am not familiar with the characters, or the cartoon it is based on, so it may be very entertaining to those that are aware of both ... definately not for me though.

Thanks for the review, Sharpshooter

[Sharpshooter]

no prob its what I do

[Saurgrist]

I love the show, so I will have to try this game... thanks for the review sharpshooter

[stubacca68]

great review as usual! like saurgrist i love the show so wouldn't mind a shot at this game!