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Looney Tunes: ACME Arsenal Review for Xbox 360 (X360)

Looney Tunes: ACME Arsenal Review for Xbox 360 (X360)

Not really a Blast…

Oh to be young again, to relive the days where my only responsibility was to tune into Saturday morning cartoons, the days when my meetings were headed by the likes of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. Those were indeed good times, but then I played this sterling title and it all faded away. Everything I used to enjoy so much about the Looney Tunes and their insane antics was mired in a turbulent flow of frustration. It was bad enough when I had to sit through an hour and a half movie with an ultra creepy Steve Martin, but then their next desperate attempt to stay relevant turned out to be this masterpiece.

Looney Tunes: ACME Arsenal screenshot

We will start with the story. Yes it sucks, but this is a Looney Tunes game so there really should not be that much to it. Basically there is an Evil Scientist who is hell bent on destroying the past as well as the future. Bugs Bunny, being the noble rabbit that he is, leads a team of your favorite characters against this tyrannical midget in hopes of saving the world. As you weave your way through the past saving the characters’ ancestors from the bad guys robot lackeys you will visit several unique areas. It all boils down to the fact that in Looney Tune grade school all the popular kids called the Scientist egg head, and let’s just say he got a little more then bent out of shape about it. Wow, and I thought Space Jam was stupid. I really should not think too much more about how this played out because it just makes my brain hurt.

The gameplay did nothing to ease the pounding that was emitting from my skull either. Now back to the game; it is just stage after mind numbing stage of relentless button mashing. To give you an example: enter room, robots attack, continue hitting (x) till all the robots are dead. Next room: robots attack, hit (x) multiple times and if you feel saucy throw in a (b) or (y), robots die then move on. To mix up the combat there are a multitude of weapons to use as well, so the right trigger comes into play. Although you can’t actually aim these weapons they sort of focus on whatever tickles their fancy at the time. That is the game in a nutshell; oh wait, lest I forget the incredible platforming elements in which you constantly die because the camera is wackier than Taz after drinking a bottle of your grandpa’s old cough syrup. I have been so negative up to this point that I feel I must say at least one nice thing: it has co-op play so you don’t have to suffer alone. You can bask in the glory of watching one of your friends grow closer and closer to tears as the game wears on. There is also a shoot out style multiplayer, which is nearly unplayable due to the awful camera. Surprise, surprise, there were zero people playing this game online.

Looney Tunes: ACME Arsenal screenshot

Bright spots, comparatively speaking really, but bright spots none the less. The graphics are okay, not quite up to par for the 360, but the Looney Tunes themselves look pretty good. The enemies are fairly bland, as are the environments. Despite that, each level is unique in its own way, and you will see level specific enemies throughout the game. Unfortunately, because of the overall repetitive nature of the game, the mechanized enemies are not original enough to stick out. It all begins to jumble in your head after awhile. Rewind a second back to the Looney Tunes, who have competent animations, each have their own specific melee weapons, and they all move much like they do in the classic cartoons. Rewind a second back to the Looney Tunes, who have competent animations and their own melee specific weapons. All the characters move much like they do in the classic cartoons. Big time fans of the show will appreciate the way these characters come to life; they may even enjoy playing it. Wait, I take that back; the last thing I need is a legion of angry cartoon fans sending me hate mail.

Looney Tunes: ACME Arsenal screenshot

The sound shines above all as the best part of this game, much like the look each character is represented perfectly. You will hear classic lines from everyone, even the great Foghorn Leghorn is present. Some cut scenes are even slightly entertaining due to the classic wit of the Looney ones. A major drawback is that they just did not do enough voice work. The Evil Scientist repeats the same lines in every level, for some odd reason even when it is clear his plan is screwed he seems to think it is going, “Purrfectly.” The Looney Tunes also enjoy the powers of limited vocabulary, which is sad. They definitely could have made this game more entertaining just by using the voice talents of this loveable group.

Looney Tunes: ACME Arsenal screenshot

As I mentioned above, the camera is just plain terrible and is a major drawback to the controls because they give you the ability to steer it. Only it does not do what it is told; most times it will not do anything at all leaving you unable to see where you are supposed to jump. As for the rest of the control scheme, this game keeps it simple enough that nothing ever becomes a problem. You can literally go through the entire game hitting the jump and regular attack button. There is a good portion of it where you do not even need to attack; you can just run from checkpoint to check point.

To conclude this mean spirited piece of writing, I must say that I understand this is a game meant for kids, but even kids will not find it enjoyable. It would be a slight at the intelligence of the younger generation to think any different. There are too many glitches, and the overall lack of polish in the title is painfully obvious. Hopefully, future titles will not continue to take this license for granted. It is a classic series of cartoons, and it deserves better.

Features:

  • Tag-Team with the ‘Tunes to stop the Evil Scientist from wiping out the past and destroying the future. Rocket through the ages, explore Looney worlds, and command an enormous arsenal of ACME weapons
  • Play as Bugs, Daffy, Taz, Marvin, and more
  • Over fifteen pick-up-and-play ACME weapons plus a range of upgradeable melee weapons
  • Take on the Evil Scientist solo or in two-player Co-op mode; battle your friends in Looney arena battle mode
  • Race a jet scooter through space or wage battle in a sidecar motorcycle

    RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 2.6 Graphics
    Decent visuals, the Looney Tunes look great, the environments not so much. 2.0 Control
    Work well for what little they are asked to do. The camera is terrible. 2.8 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
    Good to hear these classic characters again. I just wish the would quit telling me the same things. 0.7 Play Value
    There is no reason to play it twice, let alone beat it once. 1.3 Overall Rating – Avoid
    Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

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