Fur Fighters: Viggo's Revenge

"An incredibly humorous and satisfying game providing some real laugh-out-loud moments."

Introduction
Firstly, I ought to mention that this game is a port of the Dreamcast version. However, it is completely different. This version is larger, with additional tokens and babies (explained further in the gameplay section). The appearance of the game is also different, thanks to some cell shading.
It is difficult to categorize this game, mainly because it contains elements of so many contrasting genres. Part shooter, part platformer, it is a hybrid of concepts blended to near-perfection.

Please note that this game may not be enjoyed as thoroughly by children, purely because some of the humor may be too mature. I am mentioning this because it may appear at first glance to be a childish game, whereas it certainly isn't.

Story - 7/10
This is the only element of the game that is lacking. A supremely silly plot involving a bizarre criminal bear who steals the babies of six cute and fluffy animals in order to prevent them getting in his way. The animals - the heroes of the game - turn out to not be as fluffy as first anticipated however, when they gather the kind of military arsenal that would put a small country to shame and go on a mission to get their babies back.
The main concept of this game, if you hadn't already guessed, is humor. It is funny and it does work, but during the opening sequence, you may find yourself laughing at the story rather than with the story. This is certainly rectified however as the game progresses.

Gameplay - 10/10
This is wonderful, truly. You can beat the game comfortably in around 20 hours, but in order to collect everything available in this game you would need to play for around 60.
You must explore the various levels collecting tokens and rescuing babies. There are over 2000 tokens to collect, and 124 babies. Many of these require you to solve puzzles in order to complete the sections. Some of the puzzles are easy, others are infuriatingly difficult.
In order to accomplish the goals, you will need to gather weapons to shoot the bad guys who hide around every corner. There are some 17 weapons to collect and use altogether, providing a variety of different effects.
There are six playable characters in the game. All have different strengths and weaknesses - you must use them all in order to complete the game. There are various character change points scattered around the levels, which you walk into to swap characters over. These change points are fixed - you cannot choose which character is gained from the point - which adds an additional strategic element to the game since not all characters can access all areas.
There are some charming mini-games included within the main game, including a fantastic bemani-style dance sequence early on. Throughout each level this game provides fun and surprises the player constantly.
As far as replay value is concerned, it's immense. By the time you've completed this, you won't remember where all the tokens and babies are so you can confidently play from scratch again without detracting from the pleasure of the first play-through. The multi-player function also adds variety.

Graphics and Sound - 9/10
Nothing cutting edge here. But then, why would you want cutting edge graphics in a game like this? Fur Fighters has the appearance and feel of a cartoon. Not anime; traditional, ''old school'' cartoons. This perfectly complements the style of the game and the mode of gameplay. The entire appearance of the game is cartoonish, right down to the details of gameplay. This really is exquisitely done.
As far as sound is concerned, there really isn't much to say. The characters are narrated by means of voice acting. Often, this is a bad thing, but in this game the quality of the voices is perfect. Not once does it become irritating.
The only let-down in this section is that the sound effects (explosions, gun-fire etc) can be a little... obtrusive. Not a serious fault, but if you have the volume too high, you WILL know about it.

Final Recommendation
I own both versions of this game, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend buying both. The PS2 version is better to buy than the Dreamcast one purely because this game has more to it than the Dreamcast game. If you owned and enjoyed the Dreamcast version though, you may want to add this to your collection.

For those completely new to the game, I would recommend renting first to make sure that you enjoy it. The humor aspect of the game may not be funny to everyone, so you should check that you will enjoy that part of the game before buying it.

To summarize, this is a highly enjoyable, and very long game that will never stop surprising you from beginning to end. Very highly recommended.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/26/03, Updated 02/26/03