ChuChu Rocket!

"Get away from my rocket, you evil KapuKapu!!"

This review is dedicated to those poor, poor chu-chus whom I failed to save today and were eaten ruthlessly by raging kapu-kapus.

Word count : 992words
(I put this in so you know what you're getting into. Too long? Scroll down to the bottom.)

Imagine.. helpless and defenseless space mice wandering around looking for their rocket so they can escape. Then the giant freaky looking space cat comes and swallows them whole. Yeah I know it may sound violent from the way I described it, but not to worry, there's nothing dangerous here. The average gamer will take a look at the pictures on the front and back of the case and say ''Hahahah, look at that! Ahahaha!'' I pity those poor, stupid fools. They're missing out on one of the best puzzle/party games ever! Tsubabababa!

The first time you play, you'll be wondering what the heck is going on. But just after a few rounds or so, anyone can have fun bringing chu-chus to their rockets and sending kapukapus to other's. You can play with up to three of your friends, and you can fill up remaining spots with computers if you don't have those 3 other buddies to play with. It's one of the best party games, right up there with the likes of Mario Party, Goldeneye and Bomberman. And even if you don't feel like facing the computers and you have no one to play with, how about facing people you've never met before in your life? Yea, you heard me. Chu chu is ready for internet play! I finally managed to connect to the Sega network and I was able to play Chu Chu Rocket online. The menus and chat options aren’t bad, but it could’ve been more organized. And for those of you worrying about lag – most of the time it depends on the Sega network and your ISP, but most of the time there’s a 1-5 second pause between when you press the button and the arrow appears. Some may think of this as a bad thing, but the more optimistic gamers will see this simply as a new challenge – to be able to predict correctly what will happen, what will be where, and when’s the right time to put down the arrow.

There are team battles, 4 player battle, puzzle, puzzle edit, etc. It has a lot of stuff to do, and it'll keep you occupied (especially if you're really into puzzle games and have Internet access) for a looong time. Don't expect to be ''blown away'' at first. And make sure to never judge a book by its cover. Give chu chu some time, and then you'll see how great it really is. It’s simple, extremely fun and addictive. Everything that you could possibly need In a party game.

The game is fast, furious and hectic. You'll be screaming out loud, and not even notice. It's crazy. Imagine you have a steady line of chuchus coming on in to your rocket.. then all of a sudden ''CAT MANIA!'' and your arrow placements allow more and more kapukapus in. Or in speed up, you're frantically chasing the kapukapu with your cursor, trying to keep it away. All the while, your opponents are cashing in big time with all of what could have been your chuchus. Great fun!

As soon as you turn on the game I'm pretty sure the graphics won't blow you away. And if you look at the low-res screenshots on the back of the GD-case, you won't be impressed. I can guarantee you that. But I swear, do not judge this game by it's simple graphics. They may not be beautiful, but it gets the job done and allows Chu chu to keep up the fast-pace that is needed.

While you play, you won't even notice the music. All the laughter, screaming and yelling’ll easily mute it out. But when you do hear it, it's nothing special, and it's repetitive and annoying. Oh yeah, speaking of music, check out the tune in the chu chu rocket commercial here : http://dcmedia.ign.com/media/news /video/chuchu/chucommercial.mpg [without the spaces] Trust me it'll be stuck in your head for days. Tsubabababa!

As you may have suspected, a game like chu-chu needs controls with lightning quick responses, and it has to be easy-to-learn. Chu-chu's controls have both of these. Simple, and easy to learn. That's another one of the reasons chu-chu so great, anyone can jump in and have fun! But then again, as I said earlier – when you play online the response may not be as quick. Don’t complain, adapt.

Rent it, buy it, borrow it from a friend, whatever. Just try it, and I promise you, you'll get sucked into the hyper powered vacuum that Chu chu is - just like I did. Then you'll play with 3 friends, then you'll play the puzzle mode, then you'll play some more.. and more, and after that.. you'll be seeing chu-chus and kapu-kapus everywhere you look. It happened to me! AHH! Get away from me you rabid kapu-kapu!!! AHHHH!!!!!

***
Sushi's Quick Sheet™

Gameplay : Fast, furious, and fun.
Graphics : Could be better, but it gets the job done.
Controls : Quick and responsive.
Sound : Ehh.. not bad
Music : Not very good.
Replay : Good. Internet play helps to add to this.
Internet : Fun, but lag can make or break your experience.
Overall : Simple, and great for a party.
***

Ratings

Gameplay : 10
Graphics : 6.5
Controls : 10
Sound : 7
Music : 4.5
Replay : 8.5
Internet : ? [depends]
Overall : 8
Sushi says : ''Give it a try, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.''

As hot as wasabi : Playing with three other people and team battles!
Stinky like seaweed : The little voices are annoying, and puzzle mode isn’t as fun as multiplayer.

TSUBABABABA!
(If you don't know why I'm saying this, check out the commercial)

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/27/00, Updated 10/27/00