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Napoleon Dynamite
Console
PSP
Publisher
Crave
Genre
Collection
Developer
Crave
Release Date
10/30/07
ESRB Rating
Everyone
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Posted by:
Ryan Olsen
Reviews Director
REVIEW
Napoleon Dynamite: The Game
February 5, 2008 | 8:08 PM PST

Kombo's Review Policy: Our reviews are written for you. Our goal is to write honest, to-the-point reviews that don't waste your time. This is why we've split our reviews into four sections: What the Game's About, What's Hot, What's Not and Final Word, so that you can easily find the information you want from our reviews.

What the Game's About
Napoleon Dynamite: The Game is a causal game that features events from the movie and explores the skill set of Napoleon himself. The mini-game centric gameplay offers more than a handful of different short games that keeps the gameplay diverse.

What's Hot
Fans of the movie will find many of the same charms that the movie possesses in the game. The mini-games are quirky and have premises that closely follow the misadventures of the movie's characters. Off-beat humor and style is used to hold your attention. The mini-games themselves are not that bad and offer a fairly diverse setup perfect for short trips.

There is a loosely tied together story that serves as introduction to some of the mini-games. Unlike other games in this genre, the inclusion of a story is a welcome addition partly because it follows the movie but stands on its own.



What's Not
If you have never seen Napoleon Dynamite, you won't understand this game. If you hated the movie, you won't like the game. For one reason or another, Napoleon Dynamite has the kind of polarization with it. As a result, the mini-game charms will be lost on you, and there goes the enjoyment of the title.

A few of the mini-games are ridiculously hard. The very first game you play will likely frustrate you (Expert Tip: You are not penalized for rapidly pressing the same button, use that to score big points) beyond belief and could sour the game before it gets off the ground.

Final Word
Chalk another casual game up for the PSP, a popular genre lately. Napoleon Dynamite does a good job at staying faithful to the movie and adding some gameplay mechanics. However, there are some poor design choices like the flash-like graphics and some frustrating mini-games. For a casual crowd, many will be upset over the choice for first level.
Visuals
The visuals are on par with PC flash games but there is still clipping?
3.5
Sound
A few Napoleon quotes will make you smile and the music bops along.
5.0
Control
The dancing mini-games are atrocious and some control in the Cake Building game are just as bad.
3.5
Gameplay
Barring the few games that stink up the medley, many of the games are nice casual games, even if you have played them on your computer in some fashion before.
7.0
Lasting Appeal
Some of the games are worth playing again and fans will want to catch every Napoleon-ism
5.0
Verdict
While the game stays faithful to the movie, the execution of the design is severely lacking.
4.5
[not an average]
Review Scores Guide
Screenshot Gallery

October 30, 2007

October 30, 2007

October 30, 2007

October 30, 2007

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