Reviewed: June 7, 2002
Reviewed by: Mark Smith
Publisher
Ubisoft
Developer
Lexis Numérique
Released: March 19, 2002
Genre: Adventure
Players: 2
ESRB: Everyone
6
6
6
6
6.0
System Requirements
Recommended System
It seems that anniversary editions of classic movies is becoming increasingly popular and E.T. The Extra Terrestrial is latest movie to get the anniversary treatment. Twenty years ago E.T. visited the theaters on our humble planet and spawned one of the first video games movie-spin-offs in gaming history. Those of you with an ATARI 2600 may have even played the E.T. game, and for those that did you will probably remember it being one of the worst games ever made. Rumors circulate even today about landfills full of unsold E.T. game cartridges.
Technology has come a long way in twenty years. Spielberg can now use computers to digitally remove guns and replace them with cell phones, and we can use computers to play several new Ubisoft games based on everyone’s favorite alien.
E.T. Phone Home Adventure is one of three new games based on E.T. and targeted for younger kids. I approached this game and the review a bit skeptical. While I am a walking example of a “kid who refuses to grow up” I still fall 30 years above the target age group for this game. Rather than recruit a new reviewer from the local elementary school who can write a review I decided to tackle this project myself and had a surprisingly good time.
E.T. Phone Home Adventure is a clever mixture of action, exploration, and challenging activities. There are twelve various puzzles that are great for younger kids. As you complete these challenges you will explore various locations from the movie and relive classic moments like the moonlight bicycle ride. Help E.T. phone home and get back to his spaceship.
The graphics are a bit low-res at 640x480, but they feature 32bit color and look very good for a game targeted toward this age group and computer system. The graphics are rendered in 3D and the backgrounds are colorful and nicely detailed. The game is easy to start and play and even the youngest of kids will be able to navigate the notebook-style menu and play this game unattended once they have played a few times. The puzzles are charming and quite clever, but may stump some younger kids.
The music and sound are quite good in this game. The background music is nice and the sound effects and speech samples will delight kids and adults alike. The sound compliments the visuals quite nicely and creates an enjoyable cinematic experience.
I zipped through this title in about 2 hours, but I would guess it would take around 8-10 hours for kids more age-appropriate to this game. The mixture of puzzles and adventure will have kids wanting to replay this game even after they’ve finished it.
At $9.99, this is a great gaming alternative that works on a modest system, and with so few games out there for kids these days, E.T. Phone Home Adventure is a refreshing adventure for younger kids probably aren’t ready for the harder games teenagers and adults are playing. Parents will enjoy playing this with their kids and reliving the adventure they experienced more than twenty years ago.