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[PSX] Sheep Raider/Sheep Dog 'n' Wolf - Happydays82

Discussion in 'Game Reviews' started by happydays82, Jul 20, 2009.

  1. happydays82

    happydays82 Member

    Sheep Raider/Sheep Dog 'n' Wolf
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    Okay, to start off, this game may look cartoony and easy, but some of the later levels can get quite hard. For the purposes of this review I will call the game 'Sheep Raider', but it is also known as 'Sheep Dog 'n' Wolf', so bear that in mind. This is an underrated game for the PS1, and is a puzzle platformer. You can sometimes die from being too slow, not timing it right, or jumping wrong, so platforming does play a big part in this. The purpose of every level is to get a sheep and bring it to the white ring. To win, the sheep and the wolf must be in the ring at the same time. The game starts off simple, such as having a bridge that can only support 1 thing at a time, so no carrying the sheep across, to having to cross a minefield, wear a sheep costume to coax the sheep out of the guards sight, and remember the way across the minefield. So, on with the review!

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    Yoink!

    Presentation.

    Surprisingly enough, this game doesn't have what nearly all other games do. A title screen. It starts off with the language select screen, then goes onto a screen where you can load/create a game. and that's it. The in-game display is very easy to understand at a quick glance. On the upper left it shows you an action and what that action does. On the upper right it shows what Sam (The sheepdog) is currently doing, and whether he can see you or not. The colors are easy to understand. Green means your safe, Orange means be cautious, Red is bad.

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    The game is platform aswell as puzzle!

    Graphics.

    The graphics are pretty good in this game, taking into account that it's in the style of a cartoon, but there are still graphical glitches. There isn't much to say about graphics, You can tell which is the sheep, which is the dog and which is the wolf, very easily. There aren't many contrasting colors, which makes for good visuals. When items are on the ground, it is occasionally hard to tell what item is what, but that problem can be solved by just picking it up, or looking at the items in that level in the map screen.

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    Time clocks give you bonus points, which you can use to buy extra things, such as secrets or art.

    Sound

    The tunes in the game are catchy, but sadly not too memorable. The sounds are very much like you would find in a cartoon, with high notes for tiptoeing and low trumpet notes for getting punched. Overall, the sound is very fitting for a game of this type. The music is very forgettable, and not one of the strongest points, and it feels like it's only there to cope with the silence, as a last minute job. The game has full voice-acting, though, and the voice acting isn't that bad, apart from the fact that the voice-acting has a long pause between sentences, as it needs time to load the next sentence, as far as I can see.

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    Huh, just a bush.

    Gameplay

    The gameplay in this game is about thinking and strategy. What do I use that button for? How do I keep that button down and still go through the gate? The game helps you in the first few levels, but out of them, it's not as easy-going. Sometimes, getting the sheep out of Sam's sight is easy, but getting it to the ring isn't. There are lots of items in the game, such as lettuce, a ghost costume, a sheep costume, a hairdryer, a metal detector. There are many others too. You will find yourself dying a lot in this game, from when your strategies do not work, but luckily it has no limit to lives and it restarts you right where you left off. It can be very fun to work out how to solve each level.

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    Sheep just love perfume!

    Lasting appeal

    Each level takes quite a while to solve, and therefore, the whole story mode can take a while to beat. Even if you beat the game, you can still go back and find the bonus clock in each level. It lasts for quite a while. Sadly, though, the replayability is not very high, as after you know how to beat a level, it can be solved within about 5 minutes, with the exception of a few levels, and there really is no motive to play the whole game through again.

    Overall, this game is quite fun, and I hope more people play it, because it seems to be very underrated, most likely because of it's cartoony nature.

    Presentation: 5/10
    Graphics:6/10
    Sound:5/10
    Gameplay: 8/10
    Lasting Appeal: 7/10

    Overall: 31/50
     
  2. insanecrazy07

    insanecrazy07 Well-Known Member

    I'd have to disagree with you on the graphics, judging by your screenshots. An 8? Compared to FF8's FMVs (or just regular gameplay), I'd say that this doesn't really compare. I'd give FF8's graphics a 9. Jet Set/Grind Radio has cel-shading (for a cartoony feel) like Wind Waker, but that was on the Dreamcast, way before its time.

    That time clock looks like someone drew it in ms paint. Solid monotone color, no depth.

    I've had my fair share of Bug's Bunny games and the last time I played one was on the SNES and that game frustrated the hell out of me.

    You should add a little bit more. Generally a page of text (copy pasted into ms word, no title, just body text) is good or okay, depending on what game it is.
     
  3. meganova

    meganova Well-Known Member

    Try put more explanation about the game.
     
  4. kanwarrulz_123

    kanwarrulz_123 Well-Known Member

    The review as being your first isn't that bad, although it lacks description, and I really feel that graphics are way sketchy and pathethic to be given a 6. As, insane said the body text should at least be a page to become an entry in the Review sec. Honestly I have hated Looney Tunes games since the start, they have a huge share of games on NES.... that I should say are staid compared to the present condition of them.
     
  5. grimsim1

    grimsim1 Well-Known Member

    I remember buying this game in my younger days. It wasn't that bad actually. I remember enjoying it for a while but I never really completed it because I got pretty bored. Anyway, as Vincent said, it is decent for your first review but I would like to see more text and description before I accept it. Your screennshots are great but with so little text it just seems too much. There has to be a balance between screens and text. So try to expand it a little more and I am sure it will be accepted with ease :)
     
  6. happydays82

    happydays82 Member

    (Finally) Extended the 'Sound' and the 'Lasting Appeal' paragraphs. I can't find any way to extend any others. And I toned down the scores a bit.