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Snood 2: On Vacation Review
Written by Robert Falcon on Thursday, December 29, 2005
User Score
Budget priced; decent modes.
Fails to innovate in design, or fun for that matter.
It's not like there was a high demand for Snood 2: On Vacation for the Nintendo DS. We didn't suddenly see a flock of fans gathered outside of a Blockbuster Video store demanding the game's release or threatening to keep their movie rentals an extra day (a threat that, by the way, probably wouldn't have flown over due to Blockbuster's lenient return policy). But Destination Software still felt compelled to give us the game on the Nintendo DS, and in such wonderful, 20-cent packaging, too. The artwork on the cover alone should tell you that you're going to be in for a budget title, and that's exactly what Snood 2 is.
The game is a basic rip-off of Bust-a-Move, but takes the play concept and makes it a bit more limited. You're still shooting at a group of enemies that are gathered up in the sky, aiming a likened enemy at them and shooting to eliminate them from the screen. These enemies are made up of Snoods, little annoying creatures that make faces at you and remind you of politicians (or bosses for Internet gaming sites- hoho!). You have a limited amount of moves to eliminate them in, or else, yep, game over.
The real value of Snood 2 comes in the form of its modes. There's various modes to choose from here, all wrapped around some decent gameplay. Granted, Bust-a-Move DS does it better, and for a mere $10 more, but the gameplay is still fathomable here, and enjoyable if you're someone in the younger set. The game doesn't feature any kind of fancy downloadable multiplayer (that's like asking if generic cola has any kind of slogan going for it), but its multiplayer that is offered is competent.
But the game reeks of lacking design. The graphics are downright fugly and pasted on, like a Flash game. It seems that this may be a new trend for the DS, between this game and Elf Bowling 1 & 2...and it's a trend I wish would die a quick, sudden death. Worse yet, the European techno music, made up of annoying world themes, doesn't really get off the ground. The sound effects are literally non-existent, and it would've been nice had the programmers decided to give the Snoods a little personality. But, then again, at least we don't have to hear merciless taunts like we did in Elf Bowling.
For $10, you get what you pay for- a budget version of Bust-a-Move that makes no attempts to be anything than what it is. For some people, this may be the pitch perfect reason to snag Snood 2: On Vacation, just as a quickie title that they can play between sessions of waiting on an audit or sitting around while your girlfriend tries on unattractive overalls. But the game could've been better, could've been something, could've been ANYTHING but the cheap, Bust-a-Move clone that it is. My advice? Plunk down the extra $10 and get Taito's take on the legacy instead. Nothing beats being the original.
