voodoo vince (review) - 06/14/04 As one of the first members of Generation Y, it’s obvious that I have an incredibly short attention span. For me, a video game has to be able to keep that attention span satisfied and Voodoo Vince (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/voodoovince) from Beep Industries (http://www.beepindustries.com) certainly did so. Vince, a sarcastic and somewhat cynical voodoo doll from the Bayou, is our little hero. He was created by Madame Charmaine, a local fortune-teller with mystical powers who also happens to be our damsel in a dress. Vince’s job is to rescue her from the not-so-villainous Cosmo the Inscrutable Enough background. This game was addictive from the beginning with it’s easy to learn controls and entertaining story line. As Vince travels throughout the Bayou fighting Cosmo’s evil monsters and traversing treacherous paths, you encounter several friends who help you along your way. You also collect Voodoo powers that will help you with larger groups of foes. These powers are downright ridiculous, but incredibly entertaining. Everything from a failed re-enactment of William Tell all the way to a deadly bovine shower. As you unleash these powers, they pummel the snot out of you. Instead of accumulating damage, you obliterate all of your enemies within a certain range. One of the highlights of the game is the puzzles you encounter. It’s nothing compared to Myst, but it’s got some challenges you likely won’t solve your first try. The game’s graphics aren’t spectacular, but they fit the genre very well. It looks, acts and feels like a cartoon and that’s the point. The physics aren’t perfect and the effects are a little overboard, but it all meshes seamlessly to create an awesome viewing experience. Even the music fits well into the mix, although it can get somewhat repetitive and annoying after extended periods of play. My favorite part has nothing to do with the game play, controls, or even the graphics. The one-liners that occur throughout the entire game crack me up like nothing else can. Vince and I have a very similar sense of humor so it’s easy for me to relate. The only problems I have with this game are minimal compared to my overall experience. Firstly, it was a little too short for my liking. I finished in three days while still going to class and work. I could have finished it in one day of solid work. Secondly, it lacked some features that would have made it go from a B+ to an A+ in my book. The entire game is made for one-person play. If there were a cooperative mode, it would have made Voodoo Vince far more entertaining. Even better, a combat mode where you battle a friend or roommate on the same console or even over a network. In conclusion, this game was well worth the $49.99 USD spent on it. It’s not a game that you play through once and throw back on the shelf to collect dust. Even with my short attention span, I still go back and play through it every so often. It’s an older game but it is still available to purchase in most retail stores. My advice is to grab a copy and play until your thumbs fall off. -mac