I grew up watching Looney Tunes, Popeye, and pretty much every classic cartoon there ever was.  It was always a special thrill when the Duck Amuck short would come on Saturday morning TV.  When I heard that an entire game based around the toon was coming to DS, I thick I actually tittered out loud.  The game was practically everything I expected.  Daffy appears on screen and you poke him with your DS.  Various motions and random on screen events trigger minigames.  The sound and animation had the classic Looney Tunes style down perfectly.  Whoever did the voice of Daffy in the game deserves a special shout out; he was almost spot on for Mel Blanc’s original voicing of the character.

Unfortunately, the amount of interactions you have with Daffy are fairly limited.  The “anger” meter that fills up after you successfully complete each minigame also brings the game to an abrupt close.  It’s odd because this game would seem to appeal to a more mature audience familiar with the original cartoon, but caters to a far more young audience in its ease of play.

If there was a bit more to this game, I’d say buy it.  It’s a quick play and definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan of the classic toons.  Verdict:  A must rent!

Have you played Duck Amuck?  Weigh in with a comment.

Being a big fan of the RollerCoaster Tycoon series of PC games, I figured that Thrillville: Off The Rails for Wii would be a big hit for me. Nope. The game makes little to no sense. You’re a kid that runs an amusement park, picking your look in a Sims like configuration when you start the game. I assume this would appeal to someone under the age of 13, but then the game includes a bunch of park management options which seem like boring homework. It’s really a mixed message. The minigames that cover the park are nothing short of staggeringly tragic. The first one I played was some strange ExciteBike knock off. Riding a rollercoaster is in no way a thrill, either. Your character can walk around and have terrificly dull conversations with patrons of the park to see how well you’re doing. And that was about all I could stand.

Buy, rent, or avoid? Avoid! There is no redeeming value in Thrillville: Off the Rails for Wii. It wouldn’t even be acceptable as a $20 discount title, let alone full price at $50. Shame on you, LucasArts.

Have you played this or the DS version? Weigh in on it in comments.