Telltale Games did a great job reviving the Sam and Max series for Gametap, and now it's trying its luck with Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People Episode 1: Homestar Ruiner, available via WiiWare. Like Sam and Max, the game relies heavily on point-and-click gameplay. While this won't suit everyone's tastes, it's a fun adventure that even Trogdor would love.

Let's tell you a little bit about Strong Bad. This dude spends his days drawing a comic strip called Teen Girl Squad, while dealing with a crew of quirky characters on a day-to-day basis. He receives an email saying he should beat up a nerdy athletic character named Homestar Runner, who's about to take part in a legendary race. Instead, Strong Bad decides that sabotaging the race would be more fun. While this ruins the Runner's day, Strong Bad pays the price when he finds him crashing on his couch. He tries to find a way to resolve the situation, one that eventually ties in to the next episode, which arrives this September.

"Buy my game, or suffer burnination!" Click to see more images from the game...

For $10, you don't get a lot of substance. To direct Strong Bad, you point to areas on the screen using your Wii remote. He interacts with many items in the environment, either commenting on them or picking them up for later use. There are a few situations to solve, but most of the resolutions are found through simple trial-and-error.

Still, what's included in Homestar Ruiner is fun. Along with visiting locations (which you can set up on a hand-drawn map) and solving problems, you can also mess around on Strong Bad's computer ("DE-LEE-TED!"), order items and play a couple of minigames. One minigame, The Teen Girl Squad strip, lets you dress the characters with accessories, leading them to eventual doom. There are also a few minigames, with the best of the batch being the beat-em-up Snake Boxer 5. They're Atari 2600 quality, but a joy to play.

Visually, Strong Bad is shoddy. It's not a terrible-looking game, but it doesn't bring out the best in the Wii. Characters are crudely animated, just like in the Internet show episodes, and the locales are rendered in basic 3-D. The levels are easy to navigate and watching some of Strong Bad's expressions and animations are humorous.

The sound, however, is terrific. The music is great to listen to, especially the intro song "Please Stop Trying To Handle My Style." Matt Chapman, one of the creators of Strong Bad, does awesome work voicing the maniacal character, right down to begging for an invite to a party he wants to utterly destroy. (He freely admits he wants to destroy it, too. That's Strong Bad for you.) The other characters are good, too, even if Homestar Runner sounds like a combination of Paul Hamm and Steve Urkel.

If you're looking for an amusing addition to your WiiWare library or just want to try something completely off-the-wall, Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People Episode 1: Homestar Ruiner is worth the dough. Granted, if you're not a fan of point-and-click games or just don't understand what Strong Bad is all about, you may feel cheated. Otherwise, you'll love its style.

Related Links

Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People Episode 1: Homestar Ruiner Game Guide

Telltale Games

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