games that have come out this year. How many times have you purchased what
appeared to be an angel, only to open the box and find a devil inside?
The other kind of sneaky
game – besides tactical espionage action – is the one that looks like it just
can’t work. I’ve seen a lot of game ideas over the years, and there’s no way
you could have ever made me believe that Snoopy Vs. the Red Baron would be a
potential hit.
Until I played it.
Within that first five
minutes of play I discovered and nearly mastered the game’s wonderful flight
controls. Within the first 20 minutes I had dodged enemy fire from land, air,
and sea. Despite the unlikely odds, I turned the tide and won the battle by
retaliating with an amusing Woodstock-guided bomb. Woodstock rides the bomb to
its destination. The little yellow bird is temporarily under the player’s
control, allowing you to send the bomb to virtually any location.
By the end of the first
hour I had destroyed blimps, escorted comrades to safety, and witnessed
several computer-generated sequences – all of which feature the cast of
Peanuts and were created specifically for this game.
And by the end of the
journey, I had come to one conclusion: Why can’t more aerial combat games be
like Snoopy?
Set during the First
World War, Snoopy Vs. the Red Baron is an interactive tale about the original
Red Baron story. Snoopy’s a big dreamer. Whatever he envisions comes to life
in the game. To give you an idea as to how far his creativity stretches, you
start the journey by flying his doghouse. You don’t get to take it into
battle, but that won’t be much of an issue once you see the fighter plane he
gets to control.
Snoopy’s worlds are
decent in size and are completely open to flight maneuvers and exploration.
The mission usually incorporates some form of enemy destruction. There are
always enemies to defeat, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be the main
goal. Secondary goals allow you to boost your point totals, which in turn
gives you more loot to spend at the weapons stand. (Yes gamers, Snoopy has a
weapon stand in his dream. And it’s in his backyard, no less!)
Missions vary from
straight enemy destruction to ally protection to goals that are somewhere in
between. Every mission has restrictions and limitations, but they’re not so
massive that you’ll have to play them again and again. You’ll want to
play through them more than once though, as the game is a great mix of action
and excitement. But you don’t have to. That’s a key difference between Snoopy
Vs. the Red Baron and other kid-targeted games. Kids don’t want easy, but they
don’t want frustration either. They want a challenge. This game gives them
that (albeit, not too extreme of one) plus a number of bonus requirements that
make the game more difficult and more rewarding.
Some, but not all, of
your defeated enemies will release weapons and health pick-ups. You’re going
to want to snatch these up as quickly as possible. During missions where
enemies are approaching from all sides, you won’t have time to think about
healing your plane. Try and escape and you’ll be shot down. Continue to fight
and they’ll team up to penetrate your defenses. It was an amusing and somewhat
unexpected onslaught. I really thought I’d win the battle without getting a
single scratch on my plane. Next thing I knew the wings were on fire.
On that note, Snoopy Vs.
the Red Baron offers some great weapons, including the fire boomerang. Launch
the boomerang on any enemy that’s giving you a hard time and watch as its life
meter depletes. Shoot the pillars holding up an enemy base and they’ll catch
on fire with or without the boomerang. The special weapon works faster, but
standard gunfire will also do the trick.
Whether cruising the sky
for balloons (a potential bonus), diving in the middle of combat, or flying
just for fun, Snoopy’s controls are top-notch. They use a style that falls
somewhere between Star Fox 64 and the old arcade game Afterburner (which,
after many years, is finally getting a console update). You have complete
freedom over where you want to go. Directions can be switched by turning
manually, or by pressing the circle button to perform a reverse roll. Enemy
evasion spins are executed by tapping the L2 (left) and R2 (right) buttons.
The other shoulder buttons let you increase or decrease your speed, which is
very useful for maneuvering in combat.
The light analog
sensitivity of the plane, and how you’ll naturally conform to its actions, is
not at all common. Most aerial games, even the good ones, have something
notoriously wrong with their controls. It’s nice to see that Snoopy Vs. the
Red Baron has broken the trend.
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Gameplay: 7.9
The controls are
the number-one reason for the game’s success, but don’t let that cause you to
overlook the impact of great world and mission design. Snoopy succeeds in
those categories as well, with a few stumbles along the way. The game is
exciting from start to finish, but it isn’t overly long, nor is it completely
free of repetition.
Graphics: 6.9
A few cool
effects here and there. Explosions are colorful, but not too stunning in their
semi-dated, semi-cel-shaded form.
Sound: 6.9
This is one of
Snoopy’s most dynamic soundtracks yet. It’s got explosions, gunfire,
voice-overs, and an orchestral soundtrack. In the game world, however, these
features are not at all “dynamic.”
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Additional
challenges are available to those who finish the game too quickly. Players who
are just trying to get to the end won’t find Snoopy Vs. the Red Baron to be
that difficult.
Concept: 7
Snoopy has never
had a game like this before, but there have been other aerial combat games
with this style of play.
Multiplayer: 7
Split-screen
dogfights for two.
Overall: 7.7
A light-hearted
and entertaining aerial combat adventure. Snoopy Vs. the Red Baron soars above
and beyond most other flight games, kid-targeted or not.
