Gaming Target - GameCube: Zapper: One Wicked Cricket

Written by Jonathan Nicklas on January 09, 2003

Full Review: 1 plumber + 1 hedgehog - 1 bandicoot = One Wicked Cricket.

The latest mascot to make the rounds is Zapper, Frogger's non-union Mexican equivalent. Zapper is one wicked cricket with a dash of attitude and cocky behavior, but you could probably care less within five minutes into the game. Fortunately, Blitz Games has smartly taken a tried-and-true formula with a few new additives. However, the overall package just doesn't scream ?buy me?.

The story goes that Maggie the Magpie has kidnapped Zapper's younger brother Zipper and carried him away to her nest. Naturally, it's up to Zapper to rescue his little brother and save the day. The single-player game revolves around collecting all of the eggs on a level with your trusty antennas leading you through thick and thin.

Graphically speaking, Zapper is barely passable. The low-polygon environments just don't make the cut while the visuals are dark and muddy. Without the semi-interesting art direction and fun character designs to keep things running smoothly, Zapper wouldn't offer much. In addition, the game moves a bit too slowly for my liking and aside from a few particle effects and nifty character animations, there isn't much to write home about. It's not entirely bad though, and if anything, the overworld map is fairly well done.

Aurally, Zapper's music becomes monotonous within a few minutes. The music comes down to average beats that don't go anywhere. Likewise, the sound effects are decent, while voice acting rarely occurs at all. Overall, get yourself prepared to look long and hard to find anything worth any merits.

Not unlike Frogger, Zapper hops one step at a time with the control stick. Control-wise, A jumps while B zaps, Y locates eggs, X chirps, and L and R turn left and right respectively. Fortunately, the controls become second-nature with some time but turning left and right at a moment's notice takes some practice, and jumps seem a little risky at times.

Fortunately for us, the gameplay side of things goes a little better. Indeed, our faithful hero drudges across different areas moving one hop at a time, like a checkerboard set, but the game feels slow and clunky. Further, be ready to spend some time hopping and jumping through basic obstacles and the various foes that may cross your path. The game's cheap one-hit kills will leave you a bit frustrated at times, but Zapper is easily beatable in a day or two with the many lives on hand. Without any translucent grid, enemies are sometimes hard to avoid as they walk into you. It's all in the name of good fun though.

Zapper wouldn't be anything without some multiplayer modes to throw in. However, don't expect anything too rewarding. With Zipperball, Death by Zipper, Death Math, Last Man Standing, and Strangle Hold, there's enough to keep you interested if only for a short time. However, with three friends, you really can't go wrong.