I’d never had to take a quiz before testing a video game until “Napoleon Dynamite: The Game” came out.
But since the folks at Crave Entertainment knew the goofy teen from Idaho was an acquired taste, I found myself explaining how he hunted wolverines with his cousins and fed a llama named Tina. I passed with flying colors, of course. After all, I have 13-year-old twins and have seen the movie many — probably too many — times.
The E10-rated game highlights many of the film’s characters and activities. There’s Pedro and Uncle Rico, llama feeding and a Rex Kwon Do smackdown. If you don’t know who or what these are, you’re likely to find the action and quirky humor a bit befuddling.
Play involves a series of mini-games, such as Pegasus flying, tetherball whacking and lots of dancing. The Nintendo DS version offers 20 games, while the PlayStation Portable offers 30. The DS version uses a combination of the buttons and the stylus to control the action — a major plus since some of the games reacted much better to the stylus-based controls.
Many of the games can be easy to beat, but others — especially the later dance competitions — can be demanding. However, even the easy games offer additional challenge if you aim for silver- or gold-medal status.
The graphics are basic but entertaining. The characters consist of photographed heads atop simply-rendered bodies. The “scoreboard” for the llama-feeding game is a stomach that fills with casserole.
Although I enjoyed the game, I knew the real test would come from my sons and their friends. When I took it home, it simply disappeared — until the boys hit tetherball. That’s when Dad proved to the boys that he still has a few skills, and Crave proved to me that it had a sweet little game.
Platforms: Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable
On the Web: www.cravegames.com
