Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People Episodes 3-5 Wii Review

We’ve already reviewed the first two episodes of Strong Bad, having played through the remaining three games, my thoughts are printed below.

Strong Bad Episode 3: Baddest of the Bands

Strong Bad’s game console (the wonderfully titled Fun Machine) might be more obscure than a Wii, PS3 or Xbox 360, although obscurity doesn’t always equal rubbish. When the Fun Machine malfunctions, Strong Bad not only learns that he won’t be playing any game any time soon (Limozeen: Hot Babelian Odyssey is the game waiting to be played when the Fun Machine is eventually repaired), but also that he’ll need to raise some funds in order for Bub’s to repair it. You, once again playing as the titular Strong Bad, have to encourage some bands to get involved, even those that have long been disbanded.

There’s new areas and some fantastic puzzles, in fact some of them are a little trickier this time as well. The humour is as silly as ever, and just keeps getting sillier as the game wears on.

Strong Bad Episode 4: Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective

This time around, Strong Bad and company have made a film (Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective) that makes any low budget B-movie look like a Hollywood blockbuster. Strong Bad is premiering the film to his audience of cast members, it’s then that you get to play as Dangeresque (Strong Bad with a pair of shades) in this laughably shoddy cinematic production.

Dangeresque 3’s inspiration is obviously the spy genre of films, in fact the very cool music tells all. The film set is that of familiar locations of Strong Badia, although the very amateur props (we’re talking cardboard and childish artwork here) give each one more than a hint of freshness. The cast members of Dangeresque 3 will be familiar to fans of previous games, as well as the Homestar Runner universe in general.

Puzzles are generally very logical, although, like Episode 3, a few do come across as rather obscure.

The humour is well done, often reminding us as to just how bad the SFX and camera work are, and the extended play is a great idea (bloopers and interviews with the Dangeresque 3 cast members).

Episode 3 is definitely one of my favourites out of the five, and fans that have been waiting for a new Dangeresque will be delighted that it’s finally here.

Strong Bad Episode 5: 8-Bit is Enough

The final episode is also one of the best of what has been a consistently entertaining series.

Trogdor (a dragon with a pair of burly arms) has escaped from his arcade cabinet and is running rampant in Strong Badia, obviously it’s all up to Strong Bad to put things right again. The recurring theme in this one is games: an inevitable topic and one that is utilised superbly

Instead of merely playing primitive games, this time around you’ll actually be controlling Strong Bad within them. The silliness is on top form and the gaming related jokes are very entertaining. 8-Bit is Enough also has more references to previous games than other episodes, and actually begins straight after the events of Dangeresque 3.

Puzzles are largely easy to overcome, although I did find myself stumbling on a few occasions with some of more complex problems.

The Strong Bad games are all very enjoyable, each for different reasons. They may lack long-term appeal, have changed little with each new release and are arguably overpriced (I see the logic, thus I’m not complaining), although each one offers a couple of hours of solid entertainment, something which is well worth paying for. I highly recommend the series not only for fans, but also for those who like a bit of silliness in their games.

With Nintendo’s new Wii game storage solution (using an SD card), there’s no better time to join the many other purchasers that have parted with their cash in order to download the lot from WiiWare. I, for one, would love to see a second series.

8/10

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