Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

by ACTIVISION

Product Features

• gather objects throughout your adventure to build ingenious inventions for solving tricky puzzles
• vanquish the villains
• experience the adventures: over 15 different missions to explore
• Solve tricky puzzles to get away in time and prevail
• Experience 20 different missions based on the books and movie - From exploring Count Olaf's mysterious mansion, to Uncle Monty's intricate hedge maze and Aunt Josephine's rickety house

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0001I9YGW
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches ; 4 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: November 4, 2004
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,160 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is the only game that lets players experience first-hand the misadventures of the savvy and resilient Baudelaire orphans as they narrowly escape from the clutches of the villainous Count Olaf who is after their inheritance. In the game, players switch between the three orphans, mastering each one's skills to solve puzzles and collect various items to build ingenious inventions. Players make their way across 20 levels filled with puzzle-solving and platforming challenges. Each of the three kids has their own unique talents and skills. There's Violet, the oldest child and the inventor of the family. Then there's the middle child, Klaus, the bookworm. And lastly, there's baby Sunny, who has a penchant for mischief and four very sharp teeth.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Way Way too short!!!!!!!!, December 30, 2004

A Kid's Review

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:2.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (Video Game)

I recieved this game on christmas eve from my parents and played practically 1/2 the game that night! Then I finished the game the next morning! And it's no fun whatsoever playing it over again. I must say I just wanted this game because I am in a book group at school and read 5 Lemony Snicket books! Here's my review:
Challenging: 3 out of 10
Fun: 10 out of 10
Graphics: 8 out of ten

I would defintly tell you to rent this game instead of buying it!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun game for all ages, November 24, 2005

By 

Farffleblex Plaffington (Parnybarnel, Mississippi) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (Video Game)

I enjoyed this game quite a bit--I ended up putting all of the other games I was playing aside to just finish this one. You play as the three Baudelaire kids. The story follows the 2004 Lemony Snicket film fairly closely, as you must first escape Count Olaf's decrepit mansion, then avoid being killed by a train before you head off to Uncle Monty's herpetology paradise, Aunt Josephine's seaside town, and finally save Violet Baudelaire from a fate worse than death. The environments are attractive and fun to explore, and the game play and puzzles are neither too easy nor too challenging and frustrating.

For most of the game--as you explore environments, solve puzzles, search for secret rooms and such, you can switch between Violet and Klaus Baudelaire as you please. For many "important" events, such as boss fights, you must play as one or the other, as they each have different skills and weapons. For some sequences--those that are basically 2D platformer sections (the entire game has some platformer aspects, but it's usually loosely employed and 3D), you must play as Sunny, the baby Baudelaire (and this is the only time you can play as her).

The various puzzles and challenges--they almost amount to a series of "mini-games", are varied and mostly non-repetitive, helping retain your interest. Some are fairly easy to figure out and perform, but some are appropriately more challenging, both mentally and in terms of manipulating the controller, and take many tries to complete. A couple first-person shooter sequences (the game is mostly in a third person mode), are especially challenging, particularly the end, but that's the final boss fight, so that's to be expected. Like most games, winning boss fights requires discerning patterns in the bosses and adapting a strategy appropriate to the pattern, which takes both brains and manual dexterity.

There are a couple negatives with the game, but they are minor. Games like this, released in response to the success of a film, are often rushed through production. That becomes evident here in the cut scenes, which are not very exciting--they feature 2D black and white sketches that are more like a slide show as major portions of the story are read to us. But I'd rather have skimping done in cut scenes than in game play, and that's just what was done here. Also, although the graphics are wonderful for the most part, the visuals are a bit dark overall--I found it best to play with the lights off. With a bright overhead light on, the glare was too much to see important information in the game. Finally, I would have preferred a different save game scheme, as you can only save when the game asks if you want to, and the save points seem almost random. Sometimes you can save after accomplishing only one more minor task. Sometimes you have to do long sequences (and sometimes a number of challenging ones) before you can save again.

The game isn't quite as funny as the film and doesn't have exactly the same "magical" atmosphere, but it is an engaging and fun journey to another world. The soundtrack, by Jeremy and Julian Soule, and inspired by Thomas Newman's great soundtrack for the film, is also a major asset--I found myself wanting to explore levels again later on as much to hear the music again as anything else.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Family Fun, July 7, 2005

By 

Karen Hall "PS2 Mom" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (Video Game)

All the family have played this game and have had a blast, Sorry you have to use your brain to play this one kids. The graphics are great and the puzzle solving is fun. We also own the movie.