Gaming Target - Dreamcast: Stupid Invaders

Written by Arthur Hughes on July 16, 2001

Review: It's a non-stop point and click laugh fest

When I did a preview of this game a month ago I had a couple thoughts go through my head about what to expect for the title. On one hand I thought, УWow this game looks funny and coolФ, on the other hand, УIt's a point and clickerФ. So going into playing this game I wasn't sure what to think.

My first impression of Stupid Invaders was that it looks exactly like a cartoon. And after I spent a little time playing the game I realized that's what the developers were going for. To put it simply, the game is an interactive PG-13 cartoon. On a side note, I've never laughed so much playing a video game in my entire life.

Now, onto the material you really care about. The graphics of the game are some of the most impressive I have ever seen. Everything in the game moves so fluently and carefree. The whole game has a life-like feel to it. The only problem I have with the graphics is the prerendered backgrounds. I have never been a fan of them due to the fact that I believe; with the technology we have now, along with the power the Dreamcast, that the game could have utilized a full polygonal world.

While the music in the game takes a back burner, the rest of the sounds effects and voices of the aliens are done well. Ubi Soft did a great job in getting the voice talents from Fox's hit show, Futurama. With the voices and sound effects in the game mixing together so well, it seems as if Ubi Soft was able to add a whole new dimension to the point and click genre, which games like Myst was lacking.

The gameplay is fairly simple. You see an object, you pick up the object, you look to where it can be used. You will almost never carry an object around for a long time, and in most cases you'll use the object either right when you acquire it or in the very next room. So basically, it has a super-low learning curve so that just about anybody can pick it up and play. The downside is that the game never really gets that much harder, so it is possible to beat it in just a few sittings. One of the things that I found most enjoyable is the many FMV scenes throughout the game. Almost all of them are funny in one sense or another.

The biggest flaw in the game is the replay. In essence, there is none, unless of course you can sit around listening to the same jokes over and over. The game also lacks in features department as well, there are absolutely no extra features to mention. The only thing you can do is play the basic game, and nowadays people are looking for a little more.