Game Over Online ~ Big Brother

GameOver Game Reviews - Big Brother (c) Infogrames, Reviewed by - Dick Ritchie

Game & Publisher Big Brother (c) Infogrames
System Requirements Windows 9x, Pentium 200, 32MB Ram, 4x CD-ROM
Overall Rating 9%
Date Published Tuesday, September 12th, 2000 at 09:11 PM


Divider Left By: Dick Ritchie Divider Right

Ever get the feeling someone is watching you? As if the emergence of voyeuristic televisions shows wasn't bad enough, now we have to put up with video game recreations of the damn things? Oh no you don't, not on my shift poncho! I'm here to save our UK friends because Big Brother is watching and he's laughing his head off if you purchase this steaming pile of rubbish.

If you aren't up to speed with the latest in television shows, Big Brother is a game show where ten contestants are placed in a house in which they will live in for up to 9 weeks. They don't have any luxuries, no contact with the outside world, and they must endure weekly challenges and assignments in order to live more comfortably. Every other week, a nomination and voting process determines which of the remaining housemates gets banished from the Big Brother household. The last man, or woman, standing receives the grand prize, a large sum of money.

In the PC version of Big Brother, you'll take your place in the Big Brother house. It should be noted that the video game Big Brother is based on the UK television version of Big Brother, featuring the current slate of housemates found in the UK Big Brother house, hence why the Big Brother video game is only available in the UK and not in North America. That's right, those of you in the US and Canada may now collectively sigh in relief.

Ok, let's get on with the show. Big Brother features a small assortment of mini-games. The first of those games is called 'Budget Breaker'. In this contest, you'll be required to purchase the weekly groceries on a set budget. This is achieved by manoeuvring a grocery bag at the bottom of the screen in order to catch groceries that fall from the sky (I'm sad to say folks, no, I'm not joking). Your grocery budget appears at the bottom of the screen and dwindles down every time you catch an item. There's an assortment of items that fall ranging from cheap foods to expensive household items. You can also catch special items that give bonuses, as well as penalty-ridden items.

The second game is called 'Take 12'. This contest is a video puzzle in which a picture of one of the real-life housemates (Melanie, Darren, Anna, etc.) gets scrambled and it's your job to unscramble the photo in the allotted time. The third game is called 'Doom Dishes'. In this contest, as one of the housemates, you'll be required to catch dishes, that have just been washed, before they hit the floor. The dishes, much like the groceries, fall from the sky (Ohh, how inventive). The fourth and final game is called 'Photo Fun'. In order to play this game, you must collect a key from each of the other three mini-games. Keys are obtained by achieving high scores in each of the games within Big Brother.

So there you have it, the Big Brother game. Break a dish, exceed the weekly budget or fail to finish a video puzzle in time and you'll receive a nomination. If you receive three nominations in any one particular mini-game, you'll have been banished from the house… err, game that you were playing. Your score is than added to the High Scores list and you can thankfully exit Big Brother and promptly throw it in the crapper where it belongs!

Graphically, Big Brother is very cartoon-like. The graphics are nothing to get excited over and besides a few supposedly exclusive video clips, it's all rather unornamented. Did you hear something? Neither did I. Big Brother features very little audio to speak of either.

Big Brother in essence has little to do with the actual television show. There's no interaction with characters, no interesting or unique challenges, just mundane mini-games that revolve around daily activities the housemates incur. It's a rather pathetic attempt by all involved to capitalize on the television show and I'm here to put a stop to it before it even gets started. As if the television show wasn't bad enough, I think it's accurate to say that Big Brother is one of the worst games I have ever played!

 

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Rating
9%
 

 

 
 

 

 

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