| Introduction
When I was a kid, the Muppet Show was one of the
most popular programs on TV (circa 1976 –1981). It was
wild and funny, and provided the kind of good, clean
and zany entertainment that the whole family could enjoy.
Even today, the Muppets are still popular, and according
to news reports, Fox Entertainment might be planning
a Muppet Show for the new millennium. Still, despite
their popularity, The Muppets have only appeared once
on the GBC and sadly enough, it was a big disappointment.
Last year's Muppet Pinball Mayhem for the GBA, however,
was better, although it still failed to capture the
unique sense of fun that made Jim Henson's creations
such a phenomenal hit. TDK are the current license owners
and On With The Show is their first attempt at a Muppet
game.
GamePlay
On With The Show is a basically a collection of eight
mini games, and just like the show itself, each game
features a different scene with various different characters.
Although the games are rather simple, they're still
fun to play and younger players in particular will enjoy
the fact that most of the games can be mastered in a
few attempts.
The Electric Mayhem Band game for example, features
simple Parappa The Rappa type action were you must replicate
the music of the band by pressing the corresponding
buttons, while Gonzo's Stunt Race is a racing game which
has Gonzo racing on a track trying to avoid dangerous
objects and collecting bonus items at the same time.
Although there are eight games in total, only six
are available initially. The remaining two games are
unlocked only when you achieve a perfect score in the
various difficulty settings. This is probably the most
challenging aspect of the game and once you've unlocked
everything, you're then allowed to replay any of the
mini games via the Activity Mode without having to play
through the whole adventure.
On With The Show uses a password save system, but
luckily it's only five digits long. The game also has
a 'sleep' function, which is particularly useful when
you have to do something in the middle of a game. The
'sleep' function will power down the GBA and re-start
at the exact same spot you left it.
Control
The controls in the game are reasonably simple and
responsive. Since each game is also preceded by clear
instructions and objectives, you can start playing almost
immediately without having to read a boring instruction
manual.
Graphics
On With The Show is a colorful game and obviously
aimed to be appealing to younger players. All the visuals
have been rendered with a great deal of care and while
the animation during the cut screens occasionally appears
a little wooden, the rest of the game is far more fluid.
The character sprites in particular are all nicely done,
with some of them large enough to fill up half the screen.
Most importantly though, the graphics and animation
department have done a great job of keeping the personalities
of all the various Muppets intact and looking just like
they were on the actual show.
Sound & Music
The music in the game is pretty good although it
does suffer from the age-old problem of a short and
therefore repetitive loop. On the whole, however, it
does manage to capture the excitement and manic nature
of both the games and The Muppet Show and perfectly
complements some of the excellent samples provided by
the original voice artists.
Final Comments
While there's nothing original about this latest
Muppets title, it is still enjoyable and will appeal
to both younger players and nostalgic older players
who want to remember the show. The title does suffer
slightly from being a tad too short and a few more mini
games or a multiplayer option would have been a good
idea. These are minor quibbles though and overall, On
With The Show, is quite an entertaining game with a
good 'pick up and play' quality.
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