Customer Reviews

Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Who doesn't love Daffy Duck? My kids now own quite a few DS games, and my 4-year-old plays this as much, if not more, than the more expensive games. It's really funny, even if it is in a comically cruel way. Over the course of the game, players get to poke, throw, chase, feed, and chop Daffy with their stylus in a series of games and situations. It has a more interactive feel because of the way Daffy responds directly to the player in response to what they are doing to and around him. Good, Silly fun.

For anyone who is a fan of classic Looney Tunes, the very concept of this game should be quite enticing. In the original Duck Amuck cartoon, Daffy Duck is terrorized by the animator, who messes with him in all sorts of ways. Duck Amuck for the DS attempts to recreate the cartoon as a game, and does so remarkably well. Many of the lines and gags for the cartoon are reused here, but they feel more endearing than recycled. Such is the nature of nostalgia.

Once you get started with the game, though, you find that it is simply a collection of hit-and-miss minigames, which are accessed by poking, moving, or otherwise irritating Daffy and the background. Some of these minigames are enjoyable, and others are less so, but at the very least you'll be motivated to finish the game in order to see what Daffy does as a result. Ultimately, your goal is to win enough games to infuriate Daffy, bringing the game to an ending similar to the original cartoon.

Other than the fact that some of the minigames are not as enjoyable as others, my main gripe with Duck Amuck is the overall lack of content. The game comes to an end within 6 or 7 games, so that you reach the ending in about a half-hour. Of course, there are considerably more than 7 games available, and after reaching the end, the game promptly brings you back to the beginning to play again. Once all of the games are accounted for, the total package is still underwhelming for the original price.

In the end, I would recommend this game for a true fan of the original cartoon, although only if you can find it for cheap in Amazon Marketplace or a similar venture. This would also be an excellent choice for a young child with a DS, as the games are simple, the humor is genuine wonderful Looney Tunes, and it could pique their interest in the classic cartoons they may not have experienced.

I bought this for my 5 year old for Christmas. He loved erasing and teasing the duck. Also loved the feature where you can record your voice and have the duck replay it in different tones. He didn't put the game down for a couple of days when he finally lost his stylist pen & had to put it away.

Looney Tunes is perhaps the most beloved and famous cartoon in history. The pure comedy of it makes it so lovable, and it's natural to expect that, like most other cartoons and movies, it would be made into video games. Duck Amuck is one such game, and it's based on one of the funniest episodes of Looney Tunes where Daffy is being tortured and humiliated by an unseen animator. In Duck Amuck, you take the role of that animator, but unfortunately you don't feel like you're in that position at all, resulting in a game that is no more than a missed opportunity.

All of the potentially creative moments in Duck Amuck take place with Daffy standing in front of a blank backdrop, similar to the Looney Tunes episode, and this is where you will spend your time between minigames. You can poke Daffy, slice him in half, tear the background, or pick him up. Unfortunately, that's the extent of this scene. You would think there would be some user input as far as what you can do to Daffy, but there is none. You are limited to the few things the game offers, and that's it. This makes Duck Amuck feel like a totally wasted opportunity to make a great episode into a fun game, leaving you not even feeling like you're the animator.

Poking Daffy, tearing the background, or just waiting around triggers events. You are then shown a cutscene involving Daffy doing something revolving around the world created around him, and then you play a minigame. Unfortunately there are very few laughs to be had by watching these clips, as they aren't very funny at all. Daffy's voice is just as it was in the cartoons, though, so it's at the very least slightly nostalgic.

Even if you do enjoy the little cartoons, though, you have to play through the minigame that follows, and trust me when I say you won't really want to do that. These involve such actions as blowing out candles, passing out cards, or, if you're lucky, slicing vegetables. A few of these games have a decent premise, such as making the screen cave in on Daffy, but none of them are fun or amusing because they are uninteresting, way too simple, and very easy. None of these games are worth replaying, or playing for the first time, for that matter.

The goal of Duck Amuck is to win these minigames, which makes Daffy's angry meter go up, and when it's full, you've beaten the game. This takes a half hour at most, and then you see the credits roll and say "Ok... that's it?" But wait, there's more! You can always play the longer versions of the minigames, or look for the secret character coins hidden throughout the minigames. But I don't see why you would want to do that, because the minigames are so dull to begin with and the character coins are too hard to find. Well, there goes any potential value Duck Amuck may have had.

Graphically, Duck Amuck is at least true to itself. The visuals definitely look like Looney Tunes, and they appear fairly decent. Unfortunately, the graphics don't look nearly as sharp as you would expect, in fact they're just a tad choppy. On top of that the few character animations in the game aren't very interesting to watch, which goes even further to push the game's very uninteresting nature.

Sound is easily Duck Amuck's strongest point, but even that isn't without its problems. Daffy's voice is just as it was in the cartoon, which is really fantastic. The voice, at least, is mildly entertaining, even if there aren't any good lines. Unfortunately the sound quality is pretty poor, resulting in everything sounding just a little fuzzy. The other sound effects are fine, but they definitely don't make the game more interesting.

That said, Duck Amuck is nothing short of a missed opportunity. The people who made this game were given the chance to make an awesome, creative, and entertaining game, but ultimately there is little success. The minigames are boring, torturing Daffy isn't very fun, and there is very little content to boot. Even the most avid of Looney Tunes fans will be disappointed by this major flop, because you don't even feel like the animator you're supposed to be playing as.'

Positive:
+ Daffy Duck voice acting is good

Negative:
- too many limitations make it a wasted opportunity
- very few bright moments
- minigames are simple, easy, and uninteresting
- very little content

LAST WORD: Duck Amuck's dull minigames and lack of creativity make it a wasted opportunity that could have been so much more. Even the most avid of Looney Tunes fans are better off forgetting about this game.

4.0/10

my son begged for this game, i hadn't heard of it, but found it on amazon and y son loved it. he has played with it constantly. he has autism so it is always difficult to find things he is really interested in but he really enjoyed how interactive this game was. i would recommend it if you are a looney toons fan

I have 2 kids - 11 year-old daughter and 8 year-old son. Both of them LOVE this game. In my daughter's words it's "amazing!" The overall object is to "harass Daffy." One time I closed the DS (trying to get my son's attention) and we were both surprised to hear, "HEY!! Open up!!" coming from the DS. I opened it back up and Daffy said, "that's better!" LOL!! Well worth the money!

My daughter loves this game. She generally has a hard time staying focused on anything for more than a couple of minutes, but this game keeps her entertained for usually 20 minutes at a time.
This game seems to run more like an interactive movie, which is great for "new" gamers or younger children.
Overall great game!

We really like the looney tunes and this game is great. It is fun to play with challenging levels and of course, there is Daffey!
This was a great pick for my 11yr. She really liked this game. Quick delvery

I just received this game and can't put it down. This game is awesome. I love the way that Daffy interacts with you. I love poking him and making him mad. It is just like the cartoon where Daffy is yelling at the cartoonist for not being able to make up his mind and it turns out to be Bugs Bunny. If you love Daffy and Looney Tunes, you need to get this game.

Good game and a huge fan of Looney Tunes. Bought for a gift and went over well.