Adaptation of popular TV show blows our minds by not being crap
Finally, we got to watch (but not play) some of Brian's segments, which had him sneaking through the Quahog jail and police station. These stealth levels were of the "keep your defenseless character hidden in patches of shadow or you lose" variety, which are rarely fun. But their presentation - which has Brian sneaking past hordes of naked, showering prisoners and unique criminals in cells as well as cops - was bizarre enough that we'll withhold judgment for now.
Also, it wouldn't be a Family Guy game if it didn't have the non-sequitur gags from the TV show, which here come across as quick, WarioWare-style minigames that pop up suddenly and give you a bonus if you win. They're not quite as rapid-fire as they are on the show, but they're acceptably silly; the ones we saw included a sumo-looking Peter beating up a giant can of tuna (think Street Fighter II 's bonus rounds), and Brian hastily burying a film canister labeled "The Blair Fist Project starring Quagmire."
Yeah, OK, they sound lame when we write them out like that. But in context, they were funny. As for whether they stay that way throughout the course of the game, we'll know for sure when Family Guy ships to stores on Oct. 16.
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After graduating from college in 2000 with a BA in journalism, I worked for five years as a copy editor, page designer and videogame-review columnist at a couple of mid-sized newspapers you've never heard of. My column eventually got me a freelancing gig with GMR magazine, which folded a few months later. I was hired on full-time by GamesRadar in late 2005, and have since been paid actual money to write silly articles about lovable blobs.
