Voodoo Vince

"Voodoo Vince: Painful to Play"

Voodoo Vince is an uninspired platformer that tells the story of a voodoo doll in New Orleans on a quest to save his creator from the clutches of Kosmo the inscrutable.
The misadventures of Vince begin when his master, Madam Charmaine, is taken hostage during a zombie dust heist. As the thieves escape they accidentally spill some of the dust in Charmaine’s shop, bringing Vince to life. At this point, players take on the role of Charmaine’s quirky voodoo doll.
As Vince, players have the ability to punch, double jump, perform a spin kick, and even float. When players use these abilities to defeat enemies they release special beads that give Vince voodoo powers.
These powers allow players to do massive damage to a group of monsters by hurting Vince.
For example, one power causes Vince to jump into a bathtub with a shark. The damage inflicted on Vince gets transferred to any nearby enemies, resulting in their demise. The idea is creative, but ultimately unsatisfying, because it is hardly ever used.
Unfortunately, that same feeling of unsatisfaction is present throughout the progression of the game. Players are forced to move from one end of a level to the next, collecting random items, or completing repetitive tasks. This recycled style of game play creates little motivation for anyone to finish the game. There is however, a few features that make Voodoo Vince worthy of at least a rental.
For instance, the graphics and sound create an atmosphere that fits the New Orleans theme perfectly. Furthermore, the game doesn’t take itself seriously. Players will often find that their protagonist pointing out the numerous amount of unoriginality within the game. The statements made aren’t exactly side-splitting, they do however, add a significant amount of comic relief. When compared to other Xbox platformers, such as Blinx: The Time Sweeper, Voodoo Vince takes the cake. Its level of quality is a hair greater. Nevertheless, it pales in comparison to Nintendo’s Super Mario Sunshine, and Naughty Dog’s Jak & Daxter.
Voodoo Vince is a perfect example of a good idea gone wrong. The voodoo powers could have been used to create not only a unique experience for gamers, but also to eliminate a large amount of the repetitious game play. Avid fans of the platforming genre may find this game worthy of purchase. Everyone else should either rent it, or run from it like it’s the plague.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 10/14/03