Written by Kelly Heckman, 1/10/2007
Played on:
PSP
If you’re from the US, Vince Guaraldi’s, Linus and Lucy, is one of the most recognizable piano tunes from childhood. Charlie Brown, Sally, Peppermint Patty…these are the characters that make up Peanuts and the ever-present TV specials for any holiday one can think of. There’s something pure and simple and unique about Peanuts. It’s something indefinable and pure. And none of it would exist without Charlie Brown’s dog, Snoopy. If there is an adult presence in the cast, Snoopy is the closest to it. But, unlike the rest of the gang, we only ever knew Snoopy’s thoughts through his actions or, more likely, through his dreams. And his greatest dream? To be a World War I Ace Pilot defeating the Red Baron!
I have to admit, I approached this game with more than a bit of skepticism. I’m not fond of my PSP. I’m a purist for the PSP and well, I’m not particularly good at shooters (flying or otherwise). But, a few games lately have made me rethink my negativity towards my PSP so I’ve been giving it a second try and well, this just looked fun.
I’m going to get right to it, the game is fun. The neighborhood is that of Peanuts. Marcie does a great job of training you. You ARE Snoopy, on his doghouse, flying! It’s only during training that you get your first plane! The music is that of Vince Guaraldi! (OK, he’s dead but it sounds like him.) It’s Snoopy laughing as he fights the Red Baron…
They got Peanuts right.
Oh, and Dog Fighting is HARD. Not hard as in “you can’t play this game” hard. But, I can’t imagine what it was like to actually BE a World War I fighter pilot because it’s more of a spray mentality and hope you hit.
The game does an excellent job of teaching you the basics of maneuvers, both basic and special; how to fire your guns and missiles – the Woodstock cannon is great!; then sends you on your first mission. You’ll collect balloons, defeat robots, take out tanks, boats, airplanes and achieve whatever other objectives are put in place while you collect coins to upgrade your plane and root beer to increase your health. If you’re lucky, you’ll find a letter along the way that helps you to spell out the name of another Peanuts character that lets you unlock their name and their airplane.
There’s plenty to do in single player. You’ve got the full campaign to get the Red Baron – you’re graded on each mission from private to colonel so you can work on beating your own score as well. Then there’s Dog Fight mode with three variations. It’s great for practice and good fun to use some of the other Allies. Peppermint Patty was one of my favorites. You can play in teams or against bots, etc. King of the Skies is tough as you’re only allowed to be knocked out once before you have to return and as I said, dog fighting can be tough!
Find a friend with the game and really get down and mean. In a good way! You’ve got all of the options of a standard first-person shooter – Death Match, Capture the Flag, etc – but with a few twists. There’s Blanket Thief – Linus’ blanket has been stolen and placed in the center of the world; it’s your job to grab it and keep it as long as possible. Or say Pumpkin Bomb – Two teams of three attempt to deliver a pumpkin bomb. A handler is randomly selected on the attacking team leaving all other members as support; if the handler is shot down or time expires, the attempt is reset with a new handler.
There are four other types of multi-player matches.
I really can’t make enough positive remarks regarding this title. The art is unequivocally Peanuts, as is the music. The voice acting is superb. The gameplay is fun. The controls work – and with my experience on the PSP that’s saying a lot! The UI is simple and clean. And it’s fun. What more can you ask for?
