This game opens
during a professional wrestling competition: Da New Guys vs. The Forces
of Destruction. Da New Guys team members include Defender (smart and
conscientious), Simon (strong and cynical) and Brain (weak and
self-absorbed). Brain, whose only prior win was against a bespectacled
eight-year-old, stumbles across a weapon that stuns the other wrestlers.
He then claims the title belt.
Astonished that the worst wrestler among them is
now victorious, dozens of competitors led by Ice Cold (the former
champion) gather to demand that Brain return the title belt. Brain flees
the scene and is kidnapped by persons unknown -- though speculation
abounds that the kidnappers are really after the belt.
Make your Move
Da New Guys harks back to the classic
point-and-click adventure games by LucasArts. Ostensibly about
professional wrestling, the story really concerns celebrity and the
bonds of friendship. The cast of over-the-top characters includes
heroes, unconventional villains, and not-so-innocent bystanders.
Dialogs are frequent, though brief; they feature
tongue-in-cheek humor and zinging one-liners. Professional voiceovers
ably complement the story. Quirky character animation suits the game's
cartoon-like esthetic.
Two characters are playfully defined by their lack
of animation. The roughly drawn (almost one-dimensional) Ice Box bumps
about without moving his legs. Defender's face never betrays emotion or
expression because it is always covered by a visor, which is something
of an in-joke among his friends (he takes head protection seriously).
Defender's cultivated English accent contrasts with his superhero-like
wrestling garb. Does the face under the visor explain the contrasts?
Working Class Toontown
Environments are stylized with blocks of bright
color -- reminiscent of a comic strip. Jazzy background music plays
while the characters travel to different sites, made accessible from a
top-down map. Locations include the Wrestle Zone (a large arena), an
island prison, and the adjacent town. A favorite is the Cosmic Burger,
where customers ride a conveyor belt as "space cadets." Bouncy muzak is
heard in the Cosmic Burger, and carnival tunes accompany the puppet show
at the beach.
Who Choreographed this?
You assume the role of each of Da New Guys during
the game. You don't choose which role -- except in a sequence when you
control both Simon and Brain, going back and forth between them to
accomplish cooperative tasks.
Most of the challenges use, and sometimes combine,
inventory items. Others involve sequencing and/or dialog choices. A
top-down mini-game with changing laser configurations and a top-down
stealth sequence add variety.
Fighting opponents is also necessary -- from a
punching sequence, to matches in the ring, to arm wrestling, to
one-on-one combat as part of a video game. I flunked the video game
fight, but this apparently did not affect the outcome of the main game.
Some fights require a quick response, but others are won by trickery or
the application of inventory items.
The hardest challenges involve creative uses of
inventory, particularly the timed sequences. These can stretch gameplay
considerably, unless you know the precise item and where (and when) to
use it. Another particularly difficult challenge seems to be part of a
dialog sequence -- but the dialog turns out to be a distraction rather
than part of the puzzle.
Ground Rules
Da New Guys uses a third person perspective;
movements and interactions are accomplished entirely with the mouse.
Occasionally you have to move a character to the edges of the screen to
see the directional arrows. Most of the game is in 2D, though the car
chase sequence has an odd, rounded 3D effect.
One glitch in the final match created a dead end.
Going back to a previous save eliminated the problem. Three save game
slots are available, in addition to the autosave -- far superior to
autosave only, but more save slots would be appreciated.
Achievements are obtained during the game, but
these don't (as far as I could tell) involve any extra gameplay.
Jackass Is as Jackass Does
A game about wrestlers with the word "jackass" in
the title invites loads of off-color humor and plenty of pummeling. Yet,
there was practically none of the former, and surprisingly little of the
latter. A few sight gags, yes, and some crazy, risky stunts. But
obscenities, bodily function jokes, and rude gestures were noticeably
absent.
Day of the Jackass (the title) disserves
Da New Guys, because it sets up false expectations. Gamers who avoid
brawling and ribald humor might not even try the game, and therefore
miss an experience they would have enjoyed.
Quick List for Da New Guys: Day of the
Jackass
An amusing "day in the life" of three professional
wrestling celebrities. Bright, cartoon-like graphics, a memorable
villain, comedic situations and stunts. At different times, you assume
the roles of Da New Guys team members: Defender, Simon, and Brain.
Very good writing and voiceovers. You can click
through the dialogs. Appropriate for older children and up.
Third person perspective, point-and-click
interface. Frequent inventory puzzles, sequencing challenges, one maze,
one stealth sequence, no sound based challenges or sliding tile puzzles.
Several timed challenges -- some require accessing and then using
inventory items. A bit of red herring misdirection. Difficulty level
ranges from medium to high. You can't die.
Three save game slots (not enough), plus an
autosave. No problems with installation. One glitch that led to a dead
end, resolved by replaying from a previous save. About seven hours of
gameplay.
Aimed at fans of the classic LucasArts adventures,
and gamers who enjoy a comic strip setting, peopled by outsize celebrity
characters.
Final grade: B
What I played it on:
Dell Studio XPS 8000
Windows 7 Home Premium
Intel Core i5-750 processor
6GB DDR3 SDRAM
1024MB NVIDIA GeForce GT 220
Soundblaster X-Fi
Da New Guys: Day of the
Jackass is available via download from the
Wadjet Eye website.
GameBoomers Review Guidelines
March 2012
design copyright© 2012
GameBoomers
Group
