Top Shop

"The Understated Top Shop Review"

Okay, Top Shop was a great game. Just as simple as that. It wasn't my favorite, but it was cool. I mean, it had good music and all, but something was missing. Overall, I enjoyed it, and it is certainly worth the ten bucks I spent on it! Here's what I thought about the following areas...

Graphics- The Graphics were pretty bad, but I am one not to judge a game solely by the graphics. I mean, the little character illustrations that would pop up above the text boxes were pretty good, cute to many. But the sprites and other little details were horrible. One thing that bothered me most about the game is that the characters would never sit still. They would move a certain way, and repeat the movemeant over and over and over, and after an hour, when I am almost halfway done, two hours later, I would rip my hair out! I really don't think the graphics were thought of ahead of time.

Gameplay- Not much to do to figure out how to begin. I had a feeling I wouldn't quite get it, because board games are tough, but I got it immediately. Now, there may be not too many options, but do not underestimate your opponents. The game is tough. Very tough. You must also be patient because a single round might take up your whole day. Overall, the Gameplay is pretty simple, yet you still have that little voice in your head that argues between each option, which can be fatal if making a false decision.

Music- Great music! I loved it! Nice tunes! One problem though: You can get very annoyed hearing the same little tune over and over and over. I sure did. By 30 minutes, I turned my volume off. Don't get me wrong, the music is great, its just how it keeps repeating itself in an annoying sort of way.

Characters- Characters were very memorable. I thought it took a very creative mind to think up a little jellybean with a bow-tie an umbrella, and a little marble hanging from the umbrella that speaks the same time he does. The names were even great! A walking tv named Chat, a snowman named Colin, a Jellybean named Oilow, a Cactus named Dona, and many other obsured characters! Although some were boring. Some were just normal people with no personality, and referred to as ''modern person/teenager/lady'' in the book, which truely does suit them. One weird thing that I thought was too much was how many characters had a little ''companion'' next to them that would mimic their every movements. For example, a rock named Squosh has a little rock next to him/her that speaks the same time he/she does. Oilow has a little marble hanging off his umbrella that does the same a Squosh's little companion. Even the little boy, Merlin, has a hat with a face on it that does the same thing. I mean, it would be cool if it weren't such a big feature in all the characters! Also, their expressions were strange. Every little thing would insult them, and they would burst out tears. It may be a childish game, but hey, why not be more real? I sure wouldn't be insulted when called mean, and then cry out tears, and from then want revenge! The characters were pretty neat, but there were some problems...

Story- The story was funny, but really childish. As said above, the charcters were always insulted by little remarks, and the jokes were not funny at all. Half of what they said, I didn't understand what they meant. Especially the part where your character, Meower the cat, is speaking to Big Bro. I had no idea what any of that meant!Although it was truely funny at times, especially the weird things happening in the backrounds. Another thing that was not too good about the story is how the characters would refer to ''making more money than their opponent'' as ''fighting'', or ''beating''. When I hear that, I expect blood! Rather than saying, ''I will except your challenge to a fight'', why not say ''I am the true money-maker, and I will gain far more money than you expect, while your companies will go bankrupt. Mwahahahaha!'' I also found many glitches and mistakes. Just to name a few...
1. In story mode the character Ryoko was called Patty. What was that all about?!
2. When the characters would move around, (such as when Meower walks up to the robot, Santa, at the end, and gives him gasoline to work), you are able to click through, and before he walks up to Santa, they would be done talking. Another is when Meower tries to walk off from Merlin. You can click through, and he might start walking off after Merlin says ''Wait!...'', or, for that matter, when they are done talking.
3. At the end when talking to Santa, after he is giving gasoline, his name changes from ''Santa'' to '' a t ''. Another typical, very noticable glitch. I notice it every time :)
The story was a bit dull, and could have been worked on...

Secrets- I have so far found two secrets. Beat story mode once to get a surprise! Beat it a second time to get a better surprise! I haven't seen anything the third time, but hey, nice secrets! The cheats/secrets are pretty good, judging by how some don't have any! I was surprised.

Overall- I would rate this a 6/10 overall. It was really fun, and would probably get a higher grade if it hadn't have had all those little flaws and mistakes. I enjoyed it alot, and remember, I am a very strict reviewer, and these grades don't apply to everybody's opinions on the game. All I can say is try it for yourself, its only ten bucks, and its worth it!

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 10/18/01, Updated 11/08/02