Reviewed: November 21, 2008
Reviewed by: Chris Wong
Publisher
Warner Bros. Interactive
Eidos Interactive
Developer
Amaze Entertainment
Released: June 10, 2008
Genre: Music
Players: 1
5
6
8
5
6.0
Supported Features:
If there were a DDR game for the DS, it might turn out like Looney Tunes: Cartoon Conductor. You’re in charge of conducting symphonies that correspond to a Looney Tunes episode or scene from an episode, and to do that you must hit the certain notes in time. The songs range from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 to Rossini’s Barber of Seville Overture and to Offenbach’s Can Can. If you enjoy Looney Tunes, you might enjoy some memorable quotes or lines said by characters as you select different options or might enjoy the replayed episode on the top screen as you conduct the symphony.
The entirety of this game uses the touch screen, whether it is selecting an option, song, or conducting. Like many music games, you have to hit a note at a certain time. There are 3 innovative ways of doing this; however, you might find yourself frustrated over some because sometimes it will say you missed a note when you really didn’t.
This game makes you a conductor, but you will not feel like one because the notes you have to press will be only a small beat of the music and the rest of the instruments will play on their own. Often times, though, the beats you have to press will not match with the song being played, making it more difficult to synchronize yourself with the tune. This is slightly remedied on a more difficult setting, though; the notes will still not match the music many times.
What is worse is that while you are focusing on the notes on the touch screen, the upper screen plays scenes from episodes. Sometimes the song was originally used in that episode, other times, it is just a song put over an episode. However, because you will be focusing on the touch screen, you cannot peer up at the upper screen to see the episode or see how the music corresponds with it. You’re more likely to remember sheet music than 3D Looney Tunes.
There isn’t much else to this game. There are no minigames, only about 10-15 songs that you can play 3 times each on different difficulties. The extras only consist of a jukebox and character bios.
I wish there were more songs to play to make the game longer and a better system of hitting notes. I found the frustration of it was overwhelming to enjoy a great symphony.
The graphics are pretty solid for the DS. The characters and backgrounds are 3D while the menu select options are cartoonish. One down part is that many of the characters lack facial expressions and their lips don’t match the words spoken; they are just flapping their lips open and closed.
While conducting music, a video of an episode plays on the upper screen, but it is in unviewable since you’ll be locked onto the touch screen. There are arrows telling you what screen to look because there is a short cutscene to watch before you have to go back to conducting; however, sometimes something is happening on the upper screen as you conduct that you cannot see altogether.
The music is good quality and the voices are clear and understandable. If you enjoy symphonies, then you’d probably just find yourself enjoying the song rather than playing the game. However, as this is a music game, hitting the notes along with the music is key, but too often than not, the notes just don’t match with the music at all. On the plus side, you might find some of your favorite symphonies that were used in a Looney Tunes episode you may have enjoyed.
Priced at $19.99, the lack of songs and each is roughly 3-5 minutes long, this game will only last a few hours. You will find yourself frustrated over anything else, but if you like symphonies, you may enjoy listening to them in the jukebox assuming you don’t own a CD of it.
This isn’t much of a Looney Tunes game as you are only conducting music. You may want to wait for this to drop even lower than its $19.99 price value if you must get it. I’d vouch for another music game, though.
