Sesame Street Sports
Score: 95% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: NewKidCo Developer: Realtime Associates Media: CD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Sports
Graphics & Sound: Like the show, Sesame Street Sports keeps things simple and sweet. Each of the characters look like they should, although it's a little weird to see them without that big red brick wall in front of the lower half of their bodies. Nothing about SSS really pushes the system, but since everything has that nice, colorful charm, it is hard to fault the game. I found the use of sound to be top notch and very interesting. In most games, all of the instructions for how to play are usually given in a seemingly endless parade of text boxes. This is a fine way for getting the message across, but what if your target audience can't read? Simple, just have all of the instructions read by Big Bird and Elmo. Major thumbs up to the developers for doing this. I was a little disappointed that the familiar Sesame Street theme song isn't in the game.
Gameplay: Baby SSX? Baby Tony Hawk? Baby Dave Mirra? Call it whatever you want, but it sure is fun. In Sesame Street Sports, you can choose one of six characters, including Elmo, Ernie, and Cookie Monster and compete in various events like dirt bike racing, snowboarding, and rollerblading, each with their own unique Sesame Street touch. For example, in the dirt bike races, you get to ride a Big Wheel. And what would Sesame Street be without someone learning something? That is where the Training Room comes in. After selecting a character, you can go to the Training Room and hear a funny interview with your character about how they train. After the interview, you can help him train - usually by matching shapes, numbers, or colors. Fun and educational - can't go wrong with that.
Difficulty: As you can probably imagine, I had no problems with Sesame Street Sports. Of course, I am also a tad bit older than the game's target audience. The good thing about SSS, and something I wish more developers would do, is that it is easy enough for kids to play, but never so easy that it poses no challenge.
Game Mechanics: Sesame Street Sports is very easy to just pick up and play. The D-pad controls both your character's left and right movements, and speed. Every other button allows you to pull off some kind of trick. Overall, they are well done and responsive. The only complaint I have with SSS is the lack of unlockables. This would not only increase the replay value, but also give kids something to work towards instead of just playing the event to get to the end. Bottom line, SSS is a great game for young kids, especially if they want to play a game like SSX or Tony Hawk, but are a little too young. PS2: Since the graphics are so simple, the smoothing option doesn't improve things. The same goes for the load times, which are already so short that there is little improvment. This review was brought to you by the letters G, V and the number 1.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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