The Chronicles of
Narnia may be based on an epic book, but that doesn't
mean this game has an epic length. With
only fifteen levels it's easy to
beat the game in six or seven hours, something most gamers can easily do in one
sitting. While there are a lot of hidden
items to go back and collect, I doubt many gamers will worry much about them
after they've experienced the entire
story. For one thing, the extras you
earn are all pretty weak (such as a video showing the voice actors reading
their line). Another problem is that to
get these items you have to do completely ridiculous things, like hit a chair
ten times to get ten coins or move a desk around enough to get a special item. Just because it's
in a game doesn't make it any less
of a chore, and chores are rarely fun.
But beyond graphics, beyond the easy puzzles, and beyond the
fixed camera angles there is one thing I just can't get into, and that's how
the story in this game unravels. While
the full motion videos do a fine job of showing you parts of the story, it
seems like some of the scenes are just kind of skipped past in order to present
something with more action. I got the
feeling while playing this game that it was designed exclusively for people
familiar with the source material, people that would be able to fill in the
blanks left by the game. I have no doubt
that there are millions of kids who know the story inside and out, but this
game could have used a few more scenes of explanation for those of us unfamiliar
with the original book. This works more
as a companion piece to the movie than it does a game with a strong story.
Fans of the book and movie will probably find a few things
to like about this game, but it's awfully hard to look past some of the game's
glaring problems. In a lot of ways this
like a kinder, gentler Lord of the Rings game, but at the end of the day it's
just another movie game with good, but not great production values. It would have been great to see some of the
puzzles fleshed out more and some better fighting mechanics, but the game is
what it is. This journey is not
essential, but if you feel like you're being called for it, then I suggest you
give it a rental and see if it's the type of thing you'll still be interested
in when it's over.
D
The Chronicles of Narnia has a built in fan base that will likely enjoy seeing a classic book brought to the Xbox, but if you're not a fan of the books (or movie) already then you may want to avoid this title altogether.
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