Kool-Aid Man

"OHHHHHHH YEAAAAAAAH! The best of Atari 2600!"

I thought Atari games were simplistic, repetitive, and uninteresting, but this is far from that. No, it's not one of those HEINOUS porno games either! It's a game by Kraft Foods Inc! This is one of the greatest games I have ever played, and Michael Jackson's Moonwalker and Chrono Cross can step aside, because this is far better!

If you were ever a id in the 80's or early 90's, or just plain liked watching cartoons during those decades, you'll remember a giant red pitcher that broke through backyard walls to give Kool Aid to kids. That's what this game is about.

The game starts with a nice melody and our hero, Kool Aid Man, breaking through a wall causing 500 dollars in property damage. He then decides to stop some aliens called the Thristies from drinking the nearby swimming pool dry. To do so, he must dispense his own bodily fluid, Kool Aid, to them to quench their thirst.

If you touch a Thirsty you'll rebound off of it, making a pleasing ''bong'' sound. Kool Aid Man CAN touch stationary Thirsties that are sucking the swimming pool dry, thus eliminating them from the screen, but others will fill their position. The objective is to get rid of all the Thirsties before they suck your pool dry, then move to the next level.

Periodically pakcets of sugar, water, and Kool Aid will fly by. Should Kool Aid Man pick these up, he will become invincible and nice music will play. He can then stop the drinking Thirsties without bouncing about. It only last a few seconds however, so make the best of this time!

In short, this game is very fun, addicting, and whimsical. The designers sure made a good game out of a giant pitcher from 80's commercials. The graphics and sound are quite good for a game near 20 years old, I must say, and it's nice they didn't use a black background for this game. I seriously reccommend downloading this off some Atari site somewhere, but make sure to get a compatible emulator or this game will NOT work and Kool Aid Man will bounce around perpetually.

I am surprised this game engine was not once copied for a modern game. I suppose it's a good thing certain game play schemes get eternally scrapped (Bebe's Kids, Hydlide and Color a Dinosaur come to mind), but I wish some programmer could've tweaked this one for a next-gen game at some point. Oh well, I'll always remember Kool Aid Man, as will Family Guy fans *subtle wink*

Final Score: OH YEAH/10. Very very fun!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/13/04