Chu Chu Rocket

by "Sega of America, Inc."

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00005KAPT
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: June 5, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,198 in Video Games (See Bestsellers in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

While it's easy to explain the concept of Sega's brilliant cat-and-mouse puzzle game ChuChu Rocket--players use arrows to guide cute little mice (ChuChus) into rocket ships and help them avoid evil, hungry cats--the game's appeal comes from a complex union of many small, simple elements that have been done very, very well.

The game's graphics and sound are both fairly rudimentary. The GBA version looks much like the original Dreamcast version of the game, which isn't saying much. Like Tetris and other puzzle games, graphic quality is a minor issue here. A major issue is that you can build, save, and actually trade homemade levels.

Most of the appeal comes from intense strategic frenzy. You've got to place arrows to redirect the fast-moving mice, and, hopefully, redirect any hungry cats that are on their way to eat your mice. This can get crazy in single-player mode, as you drop arrows and collect mice, approaching the goals set for each level. At the end of the level, when the timer runs out or the goal is reached, the rockets blast off and you proceed to the next level.

And though the single-player game is loads of fun, ChuChu Rocket really shines when you grab a link cable and connect with up to three friends. When all four of you are placing arrows to redirect mice into your rockets, and are directing cats into opponents' rockets (cats that enter a rocket steal mice, or points, from that player), you'll be laughing hard the entire time. There's nothing quite like it in gaming, and, best of all, you only need one game cartridge for the four of you. Awesome. --Andrew S. Bub

Pros:

• Addictive, unique puzzle gameplay
• You can play with up to three friends on one cart. Four players, one purchase!
• More than 2,500 levels, plus you can make your own!

Cons:

• Graphics and sound are very simplistic

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rocket To The Stars!, July 4, 2001

By	Bruce Aguilar (Hollywood, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

To my mind, puzzelers are the best games for a handheld system. They're easy to learn and don't require hours of play to accomplish something. ChuChu fits that description perfectly and is the best GBA game yet. The game is easy enough to understand, but it might be a bit harder for younger gamers to get into it due to the fast pace, spatial relationships and lightning quick reflexes needed. The game is designed to be played with up to 4 other people competing against each other. I've never done that, but computer controlled opponets can be selected and their skill levels chosen as well, to meet your proficiency. You also have the choice of team battles, stage challenges (which give you a tough stage to beat on your own), and the puzzle challenge (which gives you a limited number of arrow tiles to complete the stage with). If your brain (not to mention fingers) needs a break, there's always the design your own level and design your own character options as well! These are really fun and let you put your own personal stamp on the game. What's even better is you can trade your level and character creations with another ChuChu owner via the link cable!

On all fronts, playability, challenge, fun, interactive features, and multiple players, ChuChu has the competition beat! This game offers so much, you're practically guarnteed of enjoying it for a long, long time. Did I mention there are 2,500 puzzles to beat? So get ChuChu Rocket and be prepared for intense puzzle action! Believe me, you won't be able to put it down.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HIGHLY addictive, June 15, 2001

By	Pierre Trufaut (Bellevue KY) - See all my reviews

To just look at it, Chu Chu Rocket doesn't seem impressive. The Graphics are not that amazing, and it seems a bit confusing. But don't be scared away, Chu Chu Rocket is a great game. I only have Super Mario Advance and Chu Chu Rocket, but I can tell I'll play Chu Chu more. Super Mario is great, but after i beat it, then what? Chu Chu Rocket is a game that actually lets you take an active role, creating stages and even characters. So if you ever get bored, it's really your own fault. I assumed it was only one game, but its really a series of games using the same elements. There are the battle stages, the stage challenges, and then the puzzles. Each are pretty unique, the Battle stages are lightning fast and require fast thinking, while the puzzles require methodical problem solving skills. The controls take a little getting used to, but you have several settings to choose from. I mentioned that the graphics are not amazing which is not really true. They are simple, but they are perfect for this game. Actually the cats look really nice. My only problem is that it is often hard to distinguish blue from green, which can cause some problems. Still this is a very minor problem and you'll be having too much fun to be frustrated.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Crazy Japanese Game, August 4, 2002

By	William Jacobs (Wellington, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

The premise is simple. Guide mice to your goal and cats to opponents' goals. But there's a lot of room for innovative and interesting playing.

For those unfamiliar with the mechanics, Chu Chus (mice) and Kapu Kapus (cats) are released at random from "hatches". They go straight until they hit a wall, where they turn predictably. You are able to place 3 arrows on the board at a time. Any cat or mouse that passes the arrows will follow their directions. The goal is to guide the mice to your rocket, which awards you a point each, and to avoid allowing the cats in, which deduct a number of points proportional to the number of mice you have stored. To spice things up a bit, some mice have a 50 above them, as they are worth 50 points. Some mice have a ? above them, and bringing them to your goal initiales one of several random events, such as Mouse Mania, Cat Attack, and Everybody Move. The gameplay is more addictive than it would appear, as players fight to keep away the cats and Mouse Mania sends people scrambling to guide the hordes of mice. It focuses on multiplayer action (which the GameBoy version can accomplish with a single cartridge rather than one per player), but has a surplus of 1 player support. There is a puzzle mode, in which you must place a finite number of direction-specific arrows to guide all present mice to a rocket. There is also a Stage Challenge, in which you must accomplish one of several goals within 30 seconds.

The GBA version is a very accurate port of the Dreamcast game, but with a few extras. It includes virtually all of the original sounds, right down to the "Sonic Team" spoken strangely in the intro. There are new random events not possible in the Dreamcast version (and a couple that were possible), such as "Night Time", which blackens all but a small portion of the screen around your rocket, and "Blindfold the Winner", which hides all but special mice from the person in the lead.

The GameBoy version is incredibly replayable. It has literally thousands of puzzles (2500+). The board editing is no longer limited to puzzles, but now includes 4 player games and Stage Challenges, a big bonus. It even lets you make your own images in place of the standard cats and mice (which I've been having WAY too much fun with).

All of this goodness is not without downsides, of course. Unlike the Dreamcast controller, the GameBoy only has 2 face buttons, which makes arrow placement difficult. You have to choose from one of three control schemes, all of which have disadvantages. The first (my preference) allows you to place an up arrow with A and a down arrow with B. Pressing A or B repeatedly rotates the arrow. The obvious disadvantage is the possibility for incorrectly oriented arrows. The second scheme has you hold A and press the desired direction of the arrow. This is good, but takes a bit of your valuable time. The last control setup uses A for an up arrow, B for a down arrow, L for a left arrow, and R for a right arrow. The problem is that holding your fingers over the L and R buttons for an extended period of time is uncomfortable (at least for me).

The only other major disadvantage (besides the occasional 5 seconds of loading) is the speed. The mice and cats move 29% slower than in the Dreamcast version. This is probably to compensate for the degraded control scheme, but reduces the exitement of the 4-player mode.

Overall, I would recommend this game to Chu Chu Rocket for Dreamcast owners and fans alike. Of those who haven't played, I'd suggest it if you enjoy puzzles or playing crazy games like this with your friends.