Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

"Dear Reader..."

Introduction
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If you like reviews that have happy endings, I strongly urge you to go to another game, such as Super Mario Bros, or Crash Bandicoot. Not only does this review have no happy ending, it has no happy beginning, and few happy things inbetween. This review is of the game, which is of the movie, which is of the book. Not many of these things are good, so you should count your blessings this received a six.

Gameplay - 5/10
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This game is so-so gameplay wise -- that's exactly why it received a five! This game is mainly filled with boring "find the items and slap them all together", and undercooked boss fights. Sure, a white-faced lady here, and another there, who'll care if all you have to do is wait 'til they stop spinning, and then attack! There are also some places where the creators of the game (Activision) couldn't care less about the game, and stick you with boring press the switch quests.

But then, some places truly shine in it. Like finding all the puzzle pieces in a level (though boring to some, I found it fun). Then there's the mini-games. Like hitting away leeches from Aunt Josephine, or battling the hook-handed mans minions. Even though it can get a touch annoying, they're fun -- as long as you don't die : ) .

Also, I was disappointed to see they did cutscenes by storybook - by the characters moving around would have been much better, no?

Graphics - 7/10
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A place where this game is best is the graphics. They're excellent overall, though sometimes Olaf and Violet can get a bit edged. You can see spiders crawling around the floors of Olaf's mansion. The costumes of the bosses are excellent, and the atmosphere is eery, just as you can imagine it from the books. Though I'm getting confused. Monty's hair was red in the book, white in the movie, and now grey in the game. Which is correct?

Story - 7/10
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The three Baudelaire children - Violet, Klaus and Sunny - are at Briny Beach one cold, foggy day, when Mr. Poe (a family friend) arrives to tell them that their parents had "perished in a fire that destroyed their entire home". Of course, Violet and Klaus were extremely upset (not necessarily Sunny - she's only a baby : ( ). So, Poe takes them to live with Count Olaf, a greedy and repulsive uncle who is after their fortune their parents left behind for them (which can only be received once Violet turns eighteen). Olaf forces the children to do a great deal of hard chores (like kill the rats - Violet's fear - and spiders - Klaus's fear).

I won't reveal any more, so as not to spoil the storyline : )

Sound - 6/10
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I've lowered it's rating for two reasons - voice acting and background music. The voice acting could have done better - only three of the many, many actors from the movie (Jim Carrey - Olaf, Emily Browning - Violet and Liam Aiken - Klaus) voice their respective parts. Where's Billy Connolly? Where's Meryl Streep? Where's...you get the picture. I was mostly disappointed with Olaf's henchmen. The bald man should hardly speak at all (unless you look at him from the books point of view), and where's the "Not a Man, But Also Not a Woman" person? I loved both the white faced women in the movie, so I was slightly dismayed to see they had not returned (but their voices - especially the chubbier of the two - are still welcomed).

The music in the background is okay, it just gets repetitive and annoying after a while. Alas, let's move on to...

Replay Value - 6/10
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Unfortunately, ASoUE is not a game you will spend many weeks trying to complete - I finished the game within four days of getting it. However, some people are not fussy gamers like me, who like to get all puzzle pieces before moving on to another level (don't worry - you can go and get the puzzle pieces you need after you beat the game). Places like Justice Strauss's library, or Curdled Cave are deceptively short (there is only five levels in the game, just to point out). Plus, you can do Sunny's sub-levels over and over again if you wish, and there is all the extra content from the game you can watch (you get one every 25 puzzle pieces, then must find the secret place that holds it - you get a clue as to where it is, mind you - to get it in the extras menu.

Overall Score - 6/10
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This game is pretty good - just it could have done with a bigger improvement. Such as more levels, or better voice actors. Or longer levels. Oh well.

Rent or buy?
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I bought this because I trusted a review in a magazine I read. They were correct in some areas, others not so correct. If you want to buy it, do it from eBay (that's how I got mine). Or rent it. Up to you really.

I hope that you enjoyed this dreadful review. Sure, the ending wasn't too bad, but I needed some lines! Seya!

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 10/04/05, Updated 01/19/06