Family Guy Video Game!

Family Guy Video Game!
Image:Family Guy Video Game.jpg
Developer(s)	High Voltage Software
Publisher(s)	2K Games, Fox Interactive
Release date(s)	October 16, 2006 October 27, 2006
Genre(s)	Adventure
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: M (Mature), PEGI: 18+, BBFC: 15,
Platform(s)	Xbox, PlayStation 2 , PlayStation Portable
Media	1 DVD-ROM, 1 UMD (for PSP)

Family Guy Video Game! is a 2006 video game released by 2K Games. It appeared on the Xbox and PlayStation 2 consoles, and the handheld PlayStation Portable. It is based on the animated series Family Guy. The game's structure reflects an episode of the TV show, and its game-play is similar to an arcade game.

It was believed that the game would be given an ESRB rating of T, to match the show's usual rating of "TV-14". However, it was actually rated M for its disturbing humor, dialogue and partial nudity. It was also given a PEGI rating of 18+ for violence, profanity and drug abuse.

Structure

The playable characters in the game are Peter, Brian, and Stewie. The character used is determined by the current level, and not selected by the player. Each character has a different game-play style. Stewie's levels resemble a Shoot 'em up like Galaga or Space Invaders, but also with similarities to games like the Futurama video game. Brian's levels have more in common with Stealth games like Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell. Peter's levels have a beat 'em up style, similar to Final Fight and Double Dragon.

Each character has a unique story, reflecting a real episode of Family Guy. Stewie's story sees him fighting his evil half-brother Bertram for global domination. Peter's story concerns his attempts to seek revenge on the TV sitcom character Mr. Belvedere, believing him to have kidnapped his family. This misunderstanding is no doubt caused by the numerous blows to the head that Peter receives, particularly since he was watching an episode of Mr. Belvedere when recieving this particular head trauma. In Brian's story, we find him imprisoned after being accused of once again impregnating Carter Pewterschmidt's prize-winning greyhound, Sea Breeze. The ensuing story deals with his attempts to escape and find the one who actually impregnated her, later revealed to be Glenn Quagmire. Brian's part of the game directly references the episode "Screwed the Pooch".

There are 22 levels, though the "Cheesee Charlie's" level has a few sub-sections; including these, there are 25 levels. Stewie has 8 levels, Peter has 8 levels, and Brian has 6 levels. The game's locations include the hospital, the Griffin house, the police department and its warehouse, the harbor, the casino, Peter's brain and testicles, the park, and the dog track. A key feature of the game are mini-games in the same style as the cutaway gags that the show is famous for usually lasting less than 10 seconds. The game also sees Peter and Brian adopting several different disguises, each seen previously on the show. Brian's disguises include a pimp, a lamp, the Peanut Butter Jelly Time banana and a cheerleader. Peter's alter egos are Rufus Griffin, Hooker Peter, and A.N.N.A. (Automaton Nuclear Neo-Human Android), in which he can perform different moves to his normal repertoire. Stewie does not use disguises, but does receive weapon upgrades as the game progresses.

The game's final boss is the giant chicken from the episodes "Da Boom" and "Blind Ambition". Just as in the cutaway gags in each of those episodes, Peter fights the chicken in a lengthy cross-city battle. The game-play of the fight resembles that of the Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith video game. During a boss fight in this game, if the enemy's health is reduced to a certain percentage, the fight moves on to a different arena. Likewise, as Peter battles the chicken, the pair move between various familiar Quahog locations.

Reception

The game received average to poor reviews, though it was slightly better received on the Xbox. The review collation site Metacritic gave the Xbox version a score of 53%.^[1] The same site awarded a slightly lower score of 52% to the PSP version,^[2] and the PS2 version scored slightly lower still, at 51%.^[3] The difference could be attributed to the slightly weaker graphics on the PS2 and PSP versions. In a joint review of the PS2 and Xbox versions, X-Play gave the game 3 out of 5, mentioning Brian's levels as a weak point, and suggesting there is little to recommend in the game beyond its humor.^[4] The Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine gave it a 3 out of 10 score, the main problems being broken AI, frustration and repetitive objectives. Another UK based PlayStation magazine, PSM3, gave it a 48 out of 100, with uninspired levels, restrictive controls and obscure references being the main reason for panning it. Game site IGN gave the PS2 version a 4.8 out of 10, a "poor" rating. However, it did win the "Best Cast" Award in 2006 on Spike TV's Video Game Awards.

References

Wikipedia information about Family Guy Video Game! This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Family Guy Video Game!". It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer). Help contribute to Americola and edit this article.