Review
The fact of the matter is, there really will be only two reasons you will be considering Open Season on your Xbox 360. The first is that you are a gamerpoint whore, and you are looking for an easy score. The second is that you have a young child at home who cries every time you play Fifa and things Kinect is the greatest invention in the history of the world. In either of these cases, is Open Season worth considering?
The game was produced back in 2006 in the early days of the 360, before developers could really get to grips with what the console could achieve. The result of this is although the surround sound mix is engaging and fun, the graphics are functional at best. To be fair to the developers, there is very little glitching present – it is just by 2012 standards the general level of detail present in the environment is pretty poor.
The game follows the plot of the film, I would imagine (I have never seen it). Boog the bear ends up stranded out in the woods with an annoying companion, Elliott the deer. Both must find their way home, by finding their way through the woods. Trouble is, half way through the game “Open Season” is declared, and all animals can be shot at. At this point the game objectives expand slightly as you have to help your fellow animals.
Each level is fairly similar and linear. You move from beginning to end, and on the way you have to frighten off various hunters by creeping up on them and roaring (no killing here). On the way, if you want to 100% each level you have to collect various badges and medals. Occasionally, there is some variety – there is a river ride, a slide down a snowy mountain, and a minecart ride. The general ambience is pleasant enough, and I never actually got bored apart from one level which I needed to repeat several times and annoyed me immensly.
Would it please the children? Well I haven’t tried it on any of the children I have access to but I would imagine that in this day and age of fast pace, and Lego collection games with difficult puzzles, this will not grab their attention for long.
So how about gamerscore? Well, getting 1000 would require some dedication as a couple of the levels are very difficult to 100% (the snow slide level is a bitch). Personally I got to 83% completion of the whole game, giving me 38 / 46 achievements, for a total of 695 points.
Overall then? As a rental yes. As a purchase? Forget it!
About the Author
