Twitch:
I’ve always been a big fan of clay animation: Davey & Goliath,
Gumby & Pokey and especially Wallace & Gromit.

Spaz:
I much prefer Clay Aiken myself.

Twitch:
What?! He’s not made of clay.

Spaz:
Dude, have you ever seen his hair! Nobody’s hair could look
like that unless it was molded from clay.

Twitch:
Alright, don’t get started.

Spaz:
And another thing – how come these clay animations are always
either men or animals? I want to see some clay breasts!

Twitch:
You know what I’ll take over from here. For those of you unfamiliar
with the wacky world of Wallace & Gromit, they’re a popular
U. K. based clay duo who have starred in several half-hour animated
films that have won two Oscars and currently have a feature-length
movie slated for release in 2005.

Wallace
is a dumpy, sweater wearing, middle-aged Rube Goldberg wannabee. Gromit
is his faithful and beleaguered dog. In the animated shorts, Gromit
is always saving his master from his outrageous inventions, but the
tables are turned in Project Zoo as Gromit leads the way,
aided by Wallace’s wacky gadgets and droll humor.

The
local zoo has been taken hostage by the maniacal Feathers McGraw,
a dastardly penguin who will stop at nothing to achieve his dream
of dominating the world diamond market. Now Gromit, with the help
of Wallace, must rescue the zoo animals as he runs, jumps, climbs,
swings and solves puzzles through six areas of the zoo.

Even though
Project Zoo is tagged as a platform game, it is actually
anything but. Sure there are some jumping puzzles, but this is much
more an adventure game with arcade elements as Gromit must collect
the objects Wallace needs to create gadgets and weapons that can then
be used to solve puzzles within each level. Necessary items are scattered
around each level and the search for these inventory items serves
to familiarize the player with the level so that sometimes actually
completing an area can be easier than figuring out what to do next
at the beginning of the level.

The
weapons run the gamut from Porridge Gun and Coal Flinger to a Banana
Launcher and Knitting Machine. Contraptions that Wallace can build
once the parts are found include Springy Boots a Toboggan and a really
cool Gyrocopter. As you can see, the operative word here is wacky.

The levels are creative
and also offer some humorous movie references, overshadowing the sometimes
mundane settings you would expect in a game set inside the animal
houses of a zoo. Still, much of the appeal of Wallace & Gromit
is that its characters live in a recognizable world that just happens
to be inhabited by intelligent animals, so while a futuristic sci-fi
or fantasy setting may have been more fun, it also would have been
most inappropriate to the spirit of the characters.

A large
part of the fun can be attributed to Gromit’s expressively animated
movements. As he can’t express himself in words, his body language
speaks volumes as does the entire cast of characters from Archie the
polar bear to Feathers McGraw. Toss in some Clockwork Cyber Penguin
and monkeys jonesing for bananas But Gromit especially is a joy to
behold as he back flips, somersaults and break dances (with your help
of course!) through levels.

Complaints
about Project Zoo are few, but occasionally threaten to squash
the fun flatter than splattered Play Dough. Sometimes the biggest
obstacle on a level is figuring out exactly what to do next. Levels
are huge and sometimes confusing. Some jumps are unforgiving and the
frustration level can quickly boil over and bring the frivolity to
a screeching halt, which should be a no-no in a game featuring such
great characters. There is literally, at times, too much going on
in this game and how often have you ever heard that complaint? There
are supposedly 24 hidden levels, but we missed at least half of them
– and it is apparently not necessary to visit them to complete
the game.

Still,
give Frontier Developments credit for bringing the charismatic humor
and inventiveness of Wallace & Gromit to a gaming universe overpopulated
with emotionally devoid mascots. There is just a ‘feel’
about this game that the developers were having a great time during
the development process and cared more that their creations be perceived
in the correct light rather than taking short cuts to add more coins
to their coffers. For those who have yet to enjoy the award-winning
shorts, scenes from the ‘The Wrong Trousers’ and ‘The
Snoozatron’ are unlocked when the player achieves milestones
in the game and these alone were impetus enough to continue through
the more difficult areas of Wallace & Gromit in Project Zoo.

Spaz:
Can I talk now? You’ve been boring us forever with your big
words and over-analyzing.

Twitch:
Sure, what insights would you like to add to the review?

Spaz:
First of all, let’s return to that clay breasts suggestion….

Twitch:
Okay! Well, that’s all the time we have for now – see
you soon!

Final Grade: B

There is a great Project
Zoo trailer
here and this is one game we would love to have some wallpaper and
screensavers for!