Telltale Games’ Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures has arrived on Xbox LIVE! Arcade. With the intention of following the same monthly pattern – as opposed to launching in one larger, more expensive package – as the PC releases, we begin with Episode 1: Fright of the Bumblebees; but while the game may essentially be the same, it remains to be seen whether the Point-N’-Click storytelling really be transferred from the computer to the living room.

            The games’ presentation is almost identical to the PC release. From the Main Menu the player can choose to play the exact same pleasant Tutorial bundled with each of the Episodes on PC so far, or jump straight into the game. Distinctly divided into four Acts – more noticeably than on the PC thanks to then Achievements – Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures: Episode 1 – Fright of the Bumblebees is knowledgeably designed to deliver entertainment across successive evenings.

            The first challenge the player is faced with is to wake-up and prepare breakfast for Wallace, as Gromit. The player will change between both characters throughout the four acts as the storyline commands, and each have unique responses to environmental objects. This first task does well to prepare the player for the rest of the Episode, as while the game does have a clearly defined ruleset, it’s entirely based on the fictional world of Wallace & Gromit opposed to that of the real world.

            The game opens-up as the story unfurls on the duo’s new business. Delivering honey straight from the bees, a conversation with Mr. Paneer will land you a grand opportunity. Tasked with gather fifty gallons within the evening, Wallace must come-up with a plan to feed the bees in his basement a great deal of pollen, and thus truly begins the player’s adventure.

            The mapping of the PC games’ control system to the Xbox 360 Controller may be predictable, bit is perfectly functional. Players have direct control over their on-screen avatar, moving in the 3D space via the Left Analogue Stick, and local objects that can be interacted with are scrolled through using the Right Analogue Stick. Further accessibility is granted through quick item scrolling via the D-Pad, and holding the Y Button to highlight all the objects the player can interact with in the area.

            Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures: Episode 1 – Fright of the Bumblebees may look near-identical on the Xbox 360 as it does on PC, though for some reason it simply feels better on the couch than sat at a desk. Passable entertainment for solitary play and fantastic when amongst a small group of friends, bickering about possible solutions to puzzles, the game will entertain within both it’s gameplay and it’s enjoyable story.

            Reasonably priced and readily accessible, Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures: Episode 1 – Fright of the Bumblebees perhaps fits better with Microsoft’s vision for capturing the Casual Gamer audience than many of their own first- and second-party titles. Crossing a large spectrum of gamers with a single stroke, Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures: Episode 1 – Fright of the Bumblebees is the definition of an Xbox LIVE! Arcade gem.

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Comments

MV.

+2

 

 

So... this is better than the PC version then??

Saturday 27 June 2009, 14:46

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