"Your balls are dirty...Go to the ball washer. Now!" I can
remember watching Beavis and Butt-head on MTV and laughing at
their crude jokes. With the exception of Star Wars and Star Trek,
it seems that every game based off a television show or movie
seems to flop. Take the Die-Hard series for example. Great
testosterone movies but let's face it, the game sucked. I went into
this game with that mind set and came out with a new opinion on
Hollywood spawned games.
Bunghole in One at first sounds like a cheesy B-movie, in fact it
sounds exactly like one of the Beavis and Butt-head episodes.
Maybe in this episode Beavis turns into Cornholio and goes around
showing people his lone bunghole. But no, this game actually has
a premise. It was not like Virtual Stupidity in which you luggied
on people and fried bugs. It is a simple game of mini-golf set in
the Beavis and Butt-head universe.
Graphics:
No outstanding 3dfx graphics, nor FMV, just your cartoon style
sketch-drawings. The game is not meant to be graphically
appealing. It is all playability. The only animation that was worth
while was the main screen with a big spinning golf ball with
cutouts of Beavis and Butt-head on it. Imagine any game with
simple looping animations and moving shadows with blocks of
black and gray to give the effect of a shadow and you have the
graphic quality of Bunghole in One. The still shots are nice. The
game is true to the show, it has very bland drawing and no
shading. The game basically models the show with almost perfect
accuracy.
Sounds:
The game's sound made me play the game rather than the usual
graphics/gameplay combination. The game actually made me
laugh a few times. I went around the next day talking in that
annoying Butt-head voice. With off the wall comments and well
placed one liners, the game is actually entertaining to listen to.
Howeve, after about the 11th hole, the one-liners become more
annoying than funny because as is with all games, the sound bytes
are limited. I was told to wash my balls about 10 times throughout
my round of mini-golf.
Gameplay:
If you can control a mouse then this game is easy. The object of
the game is simple, get the golf ball in the hole. The hard part is
the terrain. However tricky the course, there is always a simple
way to complete it under par. Some of the courses take a few tries
to complete with a decent score, but none are anywhere close to
impossible. The most annoying factor in this game would have to
be the poor physics. The whole point of mini-golf is to bounce
your ball off the necessary walls and objects to get it as close as
possible to the hole. In this game, you just hit it as hard as possible
and then tap it in when you’re near the hole. There’s really very
little strategy to each hole. I also noticed a few physics based
bugs in the game, especially holes that had ramps and rubber tires
in them.
Fun Factor:
The game has appeal, but only those who lived through the Beavis
and Butt-head era. If you have never heard of them, get out from
under your shell and see an episode and if your sick of them then
consider this just another reason to hate them. The game is just
mini-golf in disguise. This could have easily been the Garfield and
Friends "Pasta-hole in on" and nobody would have noticed the
difference.
Multiplayer:
The game suports multiplayer. I for one did not even try to play a
whole round by myself. You can choose from six different
characters from the show. All of which comes equipped with their
own set of one-liners. If you don't choose Beavis and Butt-head,
they stay in as commentators. You can play with up to three
friends, however no network play is supported.
Overall Impression:
If you loved the show, then by all means go get this game. If you
despised the show and were one of those people to sign the "Fire"
petition then stay away from it. If you're just trying to find a game
to pass the time, pass on this title. It offers nothing more than a
Beavis and Butt-head skin over any mini-golf game. The
one-liners are a nice touch but it doesn't make up for the
not-so-good graphics and terrible physics.
The people that brought us frog baseball are back again, this time
to create a game of mini golf for the PC. Mini Golf... Beavis and
Butt-head style that is. No more pathetic windmills to block your
way, now you have to get your ball past mine fields, trains, and
more. Each hole portrays a unique aspect of Beavis and
Butt-head's warped wacky world.
Graphics:
Being based on a cartoon you would have to expect that the
graphics be just a reflection of what you watch on your box at
home. The Beavis and Butt-head cartoon has often been noted for
it's lack of attention to detail but the actual script of the cartoon
makes it a winner. Not having watched many of the cartoons I
didn't really know what to expect in terms of the visualization
aspect in the game. What I got was nothing out of the ordinary.
Very plain colors, a lack of, or, no shading, no real flare or good
use of the imagination. It does reflect the cartoon well and the
graphics suite the game, but in comparison to what is on the
market these days, it certainly falls short of extraordinary. Little
amounts of extra detail have been added here and there, but what
can you expect from a cartoon-based game. It’s uses 16-bit colour,
so I guess that’s a plus.
Sound:
To make any game a good game, you need good quality sound.
Featuring the voice talents of Mike Judge (creator of Beavis and
Butt-head) I thought that I would be in for a treat. Sadly, once
again, I was disappointed. Although there were a few spots with
some funny speech. I found it got repetitive VERY quickly. This
made waiting to putt very annoying as the same thing was
beginning to be said over and over. The ability to turn it off is
probably the best feature of the game. Sound effects where
reasonably good. You had little invisible bugs making their sounds
in the background and the sound of explosions weren’t too bad.
Definitely nothing out of the ordinary. There was some music in
some of the holes, but once again I found this to be rather pathetic
in comparison to a game with great music. The game supports
direct sound. Don't forget though, you can turn it off.
Muliplayer:
There is only support for two to four player via the same machine.
So if you like a lot of bodies scrambling about in your computer
room, this is the game for you. There is a four-player limit but I see
no reason why it doesn’t allow for the option of six players. The
biggest drag is, the more players you compete against the longer
you have to play the game. There is no support for ipx, tcp/ip,
serial, or modem.
Gameplay:
Let’s face it, this is mini-golf. How much can you expect from a
game where you hit a ball around an enclosed area, hoping to get
it down a tiny hole. It's basically just aim, and whack. You can use
objects to bounce the ball off, but this requires working out
particular angles and so forth. There is a fly-by of each hole,
allowing you to work out what is required to sink the ball on each
hole. Putting is the only requirement of the game. You don't have
to walk around or choose a club. You just putt. Your character will
be highlighted in the score bar when it is their time to go forth and
swing their putter. Doesn't this sound fun? To putt you just click on
your ball, drag backwards, and release the mouse button when
you feel the length of the power line is right for your shot. Sounds
simple? It is! There are six different characters you can choose
from. None of them are any different from each other. No extra
power, or increased accuracy. There are 18 holes each with their
own unique theme. Unfortunately you can't skip to a particular
hole, you have to play each in the same boring order.
Fun Factor:
I tried, I really did, but I have failed. I simply could not find anyway
to enjoy this game. After three or four holes it became as repetitive
as a game can get. Even the 18 different holes that you could play
didn't help the situation. Even my mates gave up after about 6
holes of the multiplayer game.
Overall:
I love sports games. You name it, I have played it. But this was
simply a good idea gone wrong. It starts out amusing but by the
time you finish it, you will be wishing you hadn't paid good money
for it. And if you were one of those unfortunate people that bought
this game, use the CD as a beer coaster.