WizardWorks: In-Depth
When the news first broke out that a DBZ game was finally in the works, most fans jumped with joy. The last game based on the world of Dragonball was released in 1997. It was less than stellar. We here at Namek were elated with the news as well...until we dug a little deeper...
"We are extremely pleased to partner with FUNimation to bring Dragon Ball Z to video game fans,'' said Paul Rinde, senior vice president and general manager of Infogrames' WizardWorks division. "Dragon Ball Z is a favorite among millions of kids and is one of the most highly searched topics on Lycos. We're confident we can bring the characters into a new medium for its growing fan base to enjoy.''
"Infogrames was the clear choice for publishing the next series of Dragon Ball Z games,'' said Gen Fukunaga, president of FUNimation Productions, Ltd. "Their expertise in taking well-known licenses and bringing them to life, while representing their true integrity of the storyline and characters, will surely please our Dragon Ball Z fans."
Infogrames has produced several quality titles in the past such as Driver and Unreal. However, the developers that were responsible for those titles won't be laying a finger on the DBZ game. Instead Infogrames has decided to put their license into the hands of WizardWorks, a sub-division of the company. Considering WizardWorks' chooses poor developers (like Sunstorm), this spells another disaster in a long line of poor decisions. Let's have a look at their portfolio, shall we?
Deer Hunter 4
I won't bother going over the three games that led up to the latest version of this title. This genre has been done to death in recent years, and Deer Hunter 4 had little new to offer. Reviews are lackluster: nothing is horribly wrong with it, the game's just not very fun to play. The mechanics of this title are the complete opposite of what a DBZ game should be. Few DB fans would enjoy hunting for Cell in the woods. WizardWorks is responsible for several other hunting games, all of which just plain suck (Bass fishing, anyone?). Unfortunately, this is the company's best title. It gets much worse from here.
Adrenaline Vault:
3.5 out of 5
GameZone.com:
7.3 out of 10
BeachHead 2000
I can give my personal opinion of this game because I actually played it for a few minutes while browsing CompUSA: It gets old really, really fast. Looks like the critics agree with me...nothing to keep one's attention for more than a few minutes:
BeachHead 2000 isn't horrible, though it's not ambitious at all. It has moments that can be satisfying, and the gameplay is quick and easy to learn. If you're a casual game player looking to let off a little steam in a WWII environment, you might enjoy BeachHead 2000 for a little while. But the game isn't suitable for anyone else.
Ambition? That's a word I like to hear. Apparently Infogrames doesn't share my view by making such a poor choice.
Gamespot.com:
3.9 out of 10
IGN.com:
6 out of 10
Harley-Davidson: Race Across America
This game is actually based on a brand-name, so this should give us a pretty good idea on how WizardWorks handles their licenses. From the two reviews provided, it's easy to see that they can't handle it very well. Here's what Gamespot.com had to say:
Things start off great when you begin installing Harley-Davidson: Race Across America - you hear the roar of a hog revving up followed by the low chug-a-lug rumble of a massive Harley engine idling as the files are copied to your system. And you'd better relish those moments if you buy this game, because they're among the only authentic ones you'll experience in this latest addition to WizardWorks' ongoing line of Wal-Mart Wonders. It's not that there's an inherent problem with arcade racing games such as this. The problem with Race Across America is that its uninspired arcade-style biking action doesn't come close to doing justice to the big-name license that will surely coax a lot of people into buying it.
Dragonball has a much larger fan-base than Harley-Davidson. Rest assured they would all be disappointed by a release from this company. What was it that Gen said? Pay close attention:
"Their expertise in taking well-known licenses and bringing them to life, while representing their true integrity of the storyline and characters, will surely please our Dragon Ball Z fans."
*Buzzzz* Sorry, we won't be finding that sort of expertise with WizardWorks.
Gamespot.com:
5.2 out of 10
Gamecenter.com:
3 out of 10
High Impact Paintball
Now we delve deep into bargain-bin land! Deer Hunter 4 would probably sell for the full retail price of 20 bucks; High Impact Paintball would be lucky to empty a week-old piggy bank. This is the kind of title you find next to the half-melted mouse pads and fried motherboards. If you actually purchase this game and enjoy it, may you keep that secret to yourself. Here's a quote from IGN that pretty much summarizes their thoughts of this craptacular title:
"Come paint the town red with us in one of the worst first person shooters ever."
That bad? Well, I guess that just makes WizardWorks the PERFECT company for a DBZ game. I can see it now..."From the producers of critically-acclaimed masterpieces such as HIGH IMPACT PAINTBALL™ comes DRAGONBALL: XTREME SKYDIVING. Fall through the sky as your favorite DBZ characters, including Piccolo, Hercule, and Gocku! Impress your friends as you press a button to open your special DBZ logochute!"
IGN:
3.3 out of 10
Gamecenter.com:
4 out of 10
The biggest problem with WizardWorks and the developers they choose is the lack of a plot in their games. Granted, there may be a few people who find beauty in a story revolving around shooting deer or firing paintballs, but for the most part people will be extremely disappointed if the main DBZ title in WizardWorks' line has a similarly weak plot. If WizardWorks puts out any minor games based on DBZ in their line, like a racer or a puzzle game, then a style over story situation would only be expected. Hoever, considering that the main title will almost definitely be either an RPG or fighter, there should be concern over how well the developer WizardWorks chooses can represent the series.
Fortunately for the video game industry there are tons of great developers that continue to push the envelope with new and innovative games. There are others that make most of their money by doing wonderful sequels that can please fans of classic series. This great balance of new games and familiar faces helps the gaming industry to become a bigger and bigger part of our economy as consoles get more powerful and these games get more advanced.
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