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Chu Chu Rocket Dreamcast Sega 2000 NOTICE: For your reading pleasure I have included an entirely factual account of my Chu Chu Rocket buying experience at the end of this review. Chu Chu Rocket is the poster child for the Dreamcast. It is a spectacular game but, though receiving critical acclaim, it never caught on. After about 1 minute of low impact thinking, I have come up with three reasons why this game failed. 1. It is on a Sega system, all of which have been destined for failure. Even worse, it's on the Dreamcast, the most tragic of all Sega systems. 2. It is a puzzle game. Puzzle games have not been popular since Dr. Mario came out. 3. It looks goofy as bot. The game also failed because modern consumers are Dum. Allow me to illustrate by jumping into the mind of today's average gamer. "Hmm, I think I will go to Electronics Boutique and by the newest most unoriginal game I can find. What is this Chu Chu Rocket game? Oh dear, it appears to be fun. Luckily I am game-snob who will not play such a ridiculous looking game." . . . What? . . . Ok, fine, that's not exactly what he would say, but you get the idea. Moving On! Next Paragraph! Next Paragraph! The basic idea of the game is to guide mice (Chu Chu) into rockets (Rocket) so they can escape the cats. To guide the mice, you place arrows on the stage. You can place up to three arrows at a time. The cats also follow the arrows. And, um . . . that's it! (Editor's note: To actually play the game, you can place 3 arrows, up, down, left, or right, on any of the squares on the grid table. You try to get your mice into your rocket, or try to stop others from getting mice in theirs. With a roulette wheel that chooses random stats, like cat mania or slow motion, the game gets crazy fast.) There are multiple game modes including multiplayer and online. The single player modes involve moving a certain amount of mice past some patrolling cats into the rocket. While there are more single player puzzles than you can shake a stick at (what does that mean?), the game really shines in the multiplayer mode. With up to four players placing arrows and hundreds of mice on screen even the most skilled gamers will be lost on their first game. However, that is the fun. The multiplayer games are complete chaos and hundreds of mice can be gained or lost in an instant. Despite the mess of mice, the learning curve is very short. The controls are so simple that anyone can jump in and play. What I liked:Puzzle games should be simple and Chu Chu Rocket is about as simple as they get. I also love the frantic multiplayer mode. What I didn't like: It does not involve monkeys or their balls. What to expect: Chaos. Single player mode provides some very challenging puzzles. What not to expect: To jump right into the game. While the controls are simple, it will take a couple of games to get used to the pace. What is different from other games of the genre: Chu Chu actually provides a very different experience than other puzzle games. Most puzzlers involve the matching of colored blocks (Dr. Mario, Puzzle Fighter, Bust-a-Move, Tetris Attack, Tetris 2, etc.). Ratings on: Control- 8 - Very simple, which is good, but control isn't really important in a puzzle game. Graphics- 6 - Nothing special but it does manage not to slow down. Sound- 5 - Repetitive music and sound effects add little. But it does increase the chaos. Style- 6 - The game is original and I like the cats and mice. 1st hour- 7 or 8 single or multiplayer. 5th hour- 6 or 8 single or multi. 1st week- 5 or 8 single is starting to drag on but multiplayer is still fun. 1st month- 8 you have probably beaten or quit single player. #1 thing I hate about this game: Cat Mania.
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