| System: X360, Wii, PS2 | Review Rating Legend | |
| Dev: Red Tribe | 1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid | 4.0 - 4.4 = Great |
| Pub: Brash Entertainment | 2.0 - 2.4 = Poor | 4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy |
| Release: Feb. 12, 2008 | 2.5 - 2.9 = Average | 5.0 = The Best |
| Players: 1 | 3.0 - 3.4 = Fair | |
| ESRB Rating: Teen | 3.5 - 3.9 = Good | |
Playing the game is made more difficult than it needs to be due to its lazy camera. The camera will rarely give you the view that you need, but it can be moved so that you can correct it. Unfortunately, you will need to take your thumb off of your attack buttons to use the thumbstick to reposition it, which leaves you open to attack. More importantly, since the game's combat relies heavily on your ability to see the ring around your enemies' feet, having a bad camera angle makes successfully attacking enemies an unpredictable chore. The camera will also get stuck on just about anything in the game, leaving you completely nauseated and lost most of the time. This horrible camera succeeds in sucking just about any enjoyment that you could possibly have right out of this title.
Sadly, Griffin's Story looks just about as bad as it plays. Graphically, the game can easily be compared to an early PS2 game. Character models all look fairly generic and lack any real detail. There are only about four different enemy types in the game so you will be fighting the same ugly looking characters over and over again. The levels aren't designed particularly well either, most just being made up of a few hallways and rooms that all look very similar to the last hallway/room you were just in. Not to mention, the "cinemas" are just made up of slightly animated still pictures with voice work and music laid over them. I know that this is just a movie-licensed game, but this level of ugliness is still unacceptable for an Xbox 360 title.
If Griffin's Story does have a redeeming quality, it has to be that the game is incredibly short. You will easily be able to complete this game in two to three hours tops. The experience may be painful but not unlike removing a bandage, the quicker it's over the better. This is also an excellent title for players who are obsessed with getting achievement points. If you can at least stomach this game for the two to three hours, you will most likely unlock every achievement this game has. It only includes twenty, and they are worth fifty points apiece. These aren't incredibly difficult to achieve either; I honestly got half of this game's points in the first half-hour of gameplay.
I really can't recommend this game to anyone. With its incredibly short play time, lack of any reason to play through more than once, horrific camera, and just overall feeling of being rushed to the market, Jumper: Griffin's Story is unlikely to make anyone glad for the experience. Perhaps this game could have been slightly better if it had been delayed and released when Jumper eventually got released on DVD. In any event, the only possible reason anyone should play this game is for some super easy achievement points and even then, only if you are desperate.
By
Adam Brown
CCC Freelance Writer
Game Features:
