Rabbids Go Home Review for Nintendo Wii

System: Wii, DS	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Ubisoft Montpellier	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: Ubisoft	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: Nov. 3, 2009	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

All of the Rabbid editing takes place, well, inside your Wii Remote. By pointing at the screen and pressing the A button, you can suck up one of the Rabbids into a virtual representation of your controller. Once inside, you can play with the Rabbid (by turning or shaking the remote), torture it (using a loose wire), or doll it up with various editing tools and trinkets. There's also a separate Rabbid channel you can install onto your Wii menu, which will allow you to compete in weekly expos and check on various Rabbid-related news updates. Additionally, you can download other people's Rabbid creations, as well as share your own with friends.

Rabbids Go Home screenshot

Folks are really getting a lot of Rabbid goodness with Rabbids Go Home, and that extends to the game's presentation as well. Though there are a handful of visual "wow" moments during level play, it's the consistent polish that makes the game a real looker on Wii. The style, color palette, and animations all work to the strengths of the system, and nothing about the game's production feels rushed. There is a bit of shimmer here and there, as well as the occasional hiccup, but on the whole, Rabbids Go Home is a really clean and fun game to look at.

The sound and music are equally noteworthy, adding tons of zing and wackiness to this Rabbids fiesta. One moment you're hearing John Denver singing Country Roads, and the next you're listening to elevator music while viewing the game through the lens of a video surveillance camera. The tunes are sprinkled in at just the right moments throughout the game, lending that extra touch of silliness as you romp around town. The speaker in the Wii Remote is put to especially good use, with all sorts of crazy Rabbid utterances emanating from the controller.

As a one-off adventure, Rabbids Go Home is a ton of fun. It's great as a pick-up-and-play game, but equally enjoyable in long sittings. The humor is innocent on the surface, yet poignant underneath. Rabbid laughter is contagious, and with such solid gameplay to lean on, it never gets old. In spite of some recycling, Rabbids Go Home is one of the strongest third-party Wii games we've seen to date. Ubisoft put some real love into this title, and anyone who finds it under the tree this holiday season should be well pleased.

By Tony Capri
CCC Freelance Writer

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.2

Graphics
The visuals won't knock you off your feet, but the level of polish is impressive. The game just has a great look and feel.

4.0

Control
Controls are responsive and fun. Wii waggle would be more enjoyable with a bit of rumble feedback, but the mechanic is still used to great effect.

4.7

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The soundtrack and sound effects are excellent, playing a major role in this comedy adventure.

4.3

Play Value
Rabbids Go Home is a pretty fat package, with loads of cool extras. The Rabbids channel is an inspired addition, and the level play of the main game is rock solid throughout.

4.2

Overall Rating - Great
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

The Rabbids First Comedy-Adventure: Control two Raving Rabbids and their shopping cart and cause mayhem in a world full of uptight Humans with shopping on the brain. Collect varying sizes of human stuff to build the Rabbids sky-high pile of junk in their quest to reach the moon.

Make a huge mess and provoke hilarious situations in over 15 striking game environments: Scour through supermarkets, race across rooftops, jet past airports and boost through the Bayou, visiting the game's unique take on everyday places.

Play over 40 missions: Race, chase, boost and generally run amok while scaring the Humans right down to their undies - literally! Ridicule reams of relentless enemies and their nasty pooches in an increasingly paranoid world of Rabbid-haters.