N-Philes

Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties

Posted November 13th 2006 by Matthew Warren.

There comes a time in every youngster's leap into adulthood when he decides what he really wants to do with his life. Some become doctors, some travel the world and broker business deals with foreign investors, some battle Wall Street and become fabulously rich, and some make mediocre video games for all eternity. Thankfully, one of the latter chose to apply for a job at The Games Factory, and so the world is now blessed by Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties for the Nintendo DS.

Honestly, this game could have been anything. It doesn't feel like a Garfield game at all – rather, it feels like a game that somebody finished and inserted Garfield graphics into. Storywise, Garfield is looking to make his way to a prince who will supply him with lasagna. If Garfield had been a fat Italian plumber, The Games Factory might have had a lawsuit on its hands. The controls are stiff and awkward to get used to, and the microphone is only used to activate the "meow" command by blowing. You can only meow at very specific points in the game, and a small icon in the corner alerts you as to where you can meow. Fun. There are virtually no enemies, and Garfield is typically the only moving thing in the level. Food floats in the air here and there, but there is almost no motivation whatsoever to collect it.

The graphics are colorful but rather harsh. Occasionally, the game can shift to a first-person mode where Garfield must search for a hotspot in a very limited viewing area. Once it is found, the game says "PERFECT!" and the player is spit back to a stage-select. It's a very jarring transition, and the 3D would have been impressive on the Game Boy Color; here, it only comes off as hackneyed. The music is irritating, and sound effects are incredibly generic.

Of course, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties isn't meant for a 20 year-old collegiate male. What does a member of the game's target audience think? My 8 year-old sister Hannah, Kid Correspondent for N-Philes, played for a while and gave her impressions:

Garfield is a wonderful game to play. However, I do not like the music. When played in the car Garfield meows all the time. I can't stand it so I have to turn the volume off which completely ruins the game for me. Otherwise, the game is awesome. I am usually playing the game. It is a great game and I can't wait until you make more games!!

Slight Pulse - Roughly as fun as reading a Garfield comic strip written in the past 15 years.

How does Garfield's DS outing fare? The graphics are mediocre, but the music grates on your nerves quickly, and the sound effects don't help much. The gameplay is frustrating at best. These elements combine to create a game that will keep a kid occupied in the car for a little while, but one which older gamers, or even younger gamers without much patience, should avoid at all costs. Had our kid reviewer not enjoyed it so much, it would have received a lower score.

Posted in: Reviews

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