World Gone Sour Review for Xbox 360

System: Xbox 360, PS3*
Dev: Playbrains
Pub: Capcom
Release: April 11, 2012
Players: 1-2
Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p	Cartoon Violence, Language, Suggestive Themes

Of course, these sacrifices aren't necessarily a bad thing, as a third of your final score is derived from different methods of execution. There are eight ways to die, which includes being drowned, sliced, squashed, burnt, flung, exploded, skewered, and melted. If you want to spare yourself, you can be completely maniacal and toss one your companions to its death instead, watching it writhe in pain briefly before evaporating. It may seem inhumane, but since your buddies poof back into formation after a few seconds, it's worth the brief bout of sadism.

World Gone Sour Screenshot

Like the visuals, the music and effects are a throwback to the golden days of side-scrolling platformers, although in the sound category it's a mix bag of odd but humorous voice acting and just plain boring everything else. The narration and commentary throughout the journey makes me believe the designers were sparked by another recent downloadable title called Bastion. However, instead of a cool, deep Clint Eastwood-like voice, the narrator sounds more like Bill Murray's portrayal of Carl Spackler in Caddyshack. The musical score sounds like it was taken straight from the old arcade hit Paperboy, and your Sour Patch army sounds exactly like Pikmin when thrown. It's nothing worthy of any praise, so hit the mute button or throw on your own tunes for this one.

When I first began playing World Gone Sour, I was disappointed with the technical flaws of the game. But as I progressed, it started to stick to me like the wet gummy I was controlling. Perhaps it's the hilarious product branding, or the ability to send Sour Patch Kids to their doom, or maybe it's the fact that this simple adventure is only five bucks. It's not going to win any awards, the dark humor may be a turnoff to some, and it doesn't do anything drastically new, but it's a fun diversion nonetheless, and worth five Washington's if you've grown tired of your high-priced picks.

By
Sean Engemann
Contributing Writer

@CardCanuck
Date: April 25, 2012

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

3.1

Graphics
It's reminiscent of LittleBigPlanet, but not nearly as pretty.

2.5

Control
The button lag and horrid wall jumping are huge issues. You can adapt, but you shouldn't have to.

2.2

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Oddly humorous narration doesn't make up for the rest of the shoddy audio.

3.5

Play Value
There's not much to it, but it's only five bucks, so it's still worth a quick sugar fix.

3.0

Overall Rating - Fair
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 - 1.9 = Avoid	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	3.5 - 3.9 = Good	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair	4.0 - 4.4 = Great	5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

World Gone Sour takes players on a journey from the perspective of a lost piece of candy finding its way to its ultimate destination: the human stomach.

Gamers take on the role of a miniature Sour Patch Kid in a stylized human-sized world, guiding the hero through unique locations such as the sticky floors of a movie theatre and a concession stand counter.

Joining forces with fellow lost Sour Patch Kids, players use a combination of jumps, twists, and puzzle-solving to overcome larger-than-life obstacles.