Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg

"Another unfortunate martyr to Sega Cameraitis"

It's very rare, only happening once in a blue moon, but sometimes a game comes out that is so wierd, so unique, so undeniably... well... Japanese, that it causes one to wonder if it was ever really ment to be released in the united states. Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg is one such game, and let me tell you, we need more.

I know what your thinking, and yes, it IS wierd. Now run with me on this, you're Billy. You wake up late one morning, and run off to play with your friends, Rolly, Bantam, and Chip. Suddenly, a baby chick staggers out of the bushes, and passes out. A crow dives after it, and you smack that bird into left field with a stick. Because of this, the Chicken God (...) decides that you are a hero. You find your chicken suit, and gain the power to use oversized eggs for your every whim (provided they are of the rolling and jumping nature). One question that you will have, tho, is why a god listens to rumors, and does not know if they are true.

Graphics: 9/10

It fits. That needs some substance, doesn't it? Okay, colors are bright and.. well... colorful. Everything from the eggs, to Billy, to the crows looks streight out of a saturday morning cartoon. You can even watch merrily as your egg fades in and out of transparicy as you roll along a rail. The only thing that brings this score down is the fact that the FMV's are far mor grainy than anything else in the game, and a few other little piddly things that are to trivial to mention.

Gameplay: 7/10

How can a kiddie game instigate so much vulgarity? Seriously. The way this game is set up is clever, entertaining, and inspired, but frustrating as hell! Why, you ask? Camera. Camera! CAMERA!!! Too many times, the camera switches in mid jump. This can lead to many, many deaths by falling into the dark abyss, since the direction is determined by the camera angle, and the camera switches at the most inconvienient times. You CAN controll it, but not convieniently. Just like recent Sonic games, it's an actual object, meaning that it can't go through walls or floors, and sometimes gets stuck behind trees, eggs, enemies, anything it can find, really. Now, if you can get the camera to cooperate with you (...if...) you can have a blast. There's plenty of missions, plenty of items, and plenty of time to do it all. Think of it as a combination of Super Mario Sunshine, and, say, LSD.

Sound: 1/10

Bleech! Irritating music, irritating voices, just bleech! After hearing ''okay! Okay! Okay! Okay!'' for about an hour, you just want to take a hammer and bash in the speakers. I reccomend turning down the sound, and popping in, say, Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers. Hey, the music fits.

Buy or Rent:

Buy it. There's more to do here than can get done in five nights. There's also a deceptivly exciting multiplayer mode in here, witch pits you against your buddies egg to egg to see who's the man. But.. don't let your girlfriend see it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/07/03