It's a fun game full of madcap situations with a blend of platforming, puzzle solving, collecting and combat. by Colin Thames

As you can imagine, reviewing games can be a tedious process, especially when you have to play games that represent certain genres that you don't particularly care for. It also gets boring playing games that may be good but are so similar to other games. So there is a tendency for jaded reviewers such as myself to get all excited about a wacky, offbeat, original game. As much as I throw myself into such a game I have to be careful to remain object even though I want the game to succeed with all of my heart. Thankfully Cloning Clyde didn't let me down. Considering what it is and how much it cost, it's excellent value for the money.

Cloning Clyde can be downloaded for the low price of ten bucks. The single-player game alone is worth the money but there is also a great multi-player co-op mode that lets you share in the single-player adventure with more friends.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't the second-coming of Super Mario, although it does share the same old-school, 2D, side-scrolling platform elements. The game is funny and worth playing over a couple of times but when you tire of it you'll probably tire of it forever. Overall the presentation is no-frills but there are some faux 3D environments to play in, and the characters are rendered in 3D as well. It's not a very long game with 24 levels and the story doesn't develop much beyond the initial premise, but if you're looking for some challenging arcade fun, you should seriously consider the ridiculous Cloning Clyde. You can test drive the online demo for free so you've got nothing to lose if you don't like it.

Clyde is your average slob. He's agreed to subject himself to some scientific experiments in exchange for some petty cash. The experiments involve cloning. It doesn't take long before things to awry and Clyde finds himself in the predicament of trying to escape from the lab while saving a few his clones. The lab is huge and is essentially a maze. The only way out of each level is to find the transporter machine which teleports Clyde to another level. All of the levels in the lab are filled with booby traps, obstacles and sentinels including robots and killer guard chickens.

Not only will you have to be dexterous with the controls to navigate Clyde through the platform areas but often there will be puzzles to solve at the same time. You might have to scale a wall but find that you can't jump that high and there isn't a ladder or anything else you could use to climb to a higher position. But if you look around you might just find a trampoline. This may sound like a simple and obvious solution, and it is, but there are plenty of other situations that require a lot more thought and technique. For instance, you may come across a switch that requires that three buttons be pressed at the same time to active a door or other opening. The only way this can be accomplished is to involve a couple of your clones to help you out as they each man a button.

Like many things in the game, your clones can be found in secret hiding areas - or you can actually create them yourself. The more clones that you can get successfully save in each level will increase your score dramatically, although it can be somewhat tedious. It's not easy but it's a tempting challenge that can extend the replay value of the single-player game. If that doesn't interest you, you're not committed to saving your clones and you can blow through the levels alone.

Throughout the levels are various power-ups and collectibles including health, Killer Ken action figures and DNA strands that allow you to unleash a super attack as well as assimilate other creatures' DNA with your own to create a hybrid-Clyde endowed with unusual but useful abilities. Most of these creatures are animals such as sheep, goats, monkeys, chickens and frogs. The sheep will increase your jumping abilities while the frogs will aid in your swimming. You can also turn into an exploding-Clyde that can self-destruct at will.

The more stuff that you collect, the more goodies you will be able to unlock. All of them are not only useful but have a humorous bent to them. Fortunately the game offers you enough freedom so that you're not forced to use all of these power-ups and DNA mutations. Notes written by the original Clyde that he left to the cloned versions of himself can be found hidden in the levels. They offer hilarious insight into Clyde's irreverent personality. It's hard not to like the oafish fellow, especially when he's climbing a ladder with his bare ass hanging out of his hospital gown.

Up to four people can take part in the multi-player modes which include Co-op and Verses. There are six levels in the Verses mode and while they are similar to the single-player mode they are still good fun when shared with friends - or even strangers that you meet online. The co-op mode incorporates a split screen so that the players aren't tether to each other. You can go anywhere in the level and if you're really familiar with most of the areas in each level you can really clean up on the points by ambushing or distracting enemies while the other players collect more goodies or save more clones.

Cloning Clyde has a warm, old-school look to it with plenty of charm to make up for the lack of sophisticated 3D graphics. There is still a good amount of detail to the environments but the sight gags and inane animation will be more than enough to hold your interest. The music is goofy but fitting. The cartoonish sound effects are also perfect for this game. But all of the audio tends to repeat. It would be best if you waited a number of days or weeks before replaying the game just to keep it fresh.

It's hard not to have a smirk on your face throughout most of the game as you revel in the light-hearted, comical atmosphere. It's a treat not to have to take things so seriously for a change.

By Colin Thames
CCC Freelance Writer

Rating out of 5 Cloning Clyde (X360) 4.0 Graphics The game has a old-school charm with hilarious animations that will make you forget that it's basically two-dimensional. 4.5 Control The controls are easy to master even though new moves are always being added. There is a number of training stages available. 2.7 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting The audio and sound effects are perfectly cornball, but they tend to repeat. 3.0 Play Value There are lots of collectibles to go back for. Players can always try to increase their overall score and the online multi-player modes also add to the replay value. 3.8 Overall Rating - Good Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.