Poor
Still, I was eager to give the game a go. After all, The Simpsons: Hit & Run is a great game. Maybe Family Guy will follow that game's lead. It turns out I should have trusted my first instinct.
On its surface, Family Guy looks promising. Its script is written by three of the show's writers, and the entire main cast is on hand to voice their characters. Several of the series' regular guest stars even put in cameos like Patrick Warburton as Joe, Adam Carolla as Death, Wallace Shawn as Bertram, and Adam West as, um, Adam West. The cel-shaded graphics do a great job of mimicking the look of the show, and for the most part, the characters make a good transition into 3D (although Peter's character model feels a bit "off").
The trouble begins once the game actually starts. Throughout the course of the adventure, you'll play as Peter, the bumbling patriarch; Brian, the classy, booze-loving dog; and Stewie, the toddler with plans for world domination. Each of the three characters has their own storyline and style of gameplay.
This Is Just Like That Time When…
Out of these three styles, Stewie's platforming bits were the only ones that I found myself genuinely enjoying. His storyline has him facing off against his equally diabolical half-brother, Bertram, who is attempting to take over the world for himself. For the first few Stewie levels, you travel through Peter's body to take out Bertram's forces that still reside in his old lair in Peter's testicles (this, of course, makes perfect sense to fans of the show). Afterwards, you fight your way through Bertram's current fortress. As you blast your enemies, you're also collecting scattered bolts that upgrade Stewie's laser gun. There are also light puzzle-solving aspects to some of the stages where you must maneuver through mazes, bounce lasers off of reflective walls, or use Stewie's mind control helmet to control other characters. The action is further diversified by occasional segments that play like a 3D version of Namco's arcade classic, Galaga (and one towards the end that is a direct homage to Space Invaders).
Peter's levels are beat-'em-ups in the vein of Capcom's Final Fight. After being hit on the head by a falling satellite dish, the dazed Peter becomes convinced that his family has been kidnapped by the fictional '80's television character, Mr. Belvedere. He also thinks that everyone he encounters is one of Belvedere's henchmen, so no man, woman, child, or little old lady is safe from Peter's wrath.
Unfortunately, Peter controls rather sluggishly and has a very limited selection of moves. Strangely enough, most of his enemies are invulnerable to specific attacks. That is to say, some enemies are only affected by punches while others are only affected by kicks. Others require a specific move combo (like, punch-kick-punch) to take out. Everyone flashes when they're hit, and if they flash blue, they're not taking damage. Red means that they are. Why a random guy on the street can only be hurt by punches and not kicks is beyond me, but frankly, it's a pretty lame fighting system.
Get further in the game, and Peter will begin learning powerful special moves that drain his "Snack Meter." Collecting food throughout the game will refill this meter, of course. Towards the end of the game, I found that I was using these special moves almost exclusively, as swarms of powerful enemies could home in on me. Jumping into the center of a mass of foes, using a special move, collecting the food they drop, and repeating isn't exactly the formula for a winning brawler.
