Fuzion Frenzy [Xbox]

Party games sounded like a great idea. Friends, family, love and lemonade under the happy belt of a console, puppies and kittens and things exploding and smashing under a bright crayon sun. Unfortunately, they've become synonymous with kiddie repetition and slow, slow pacing, not to mention yawn-worthy simplicity. When Fuzion Frenzy was first shown at this year's Gamestock, back in the Xbox dark ages of March 2001, it was in a lonely corner, overshadowed by games like Halo and Nightcaster, and given raised eyebrows by press that had grown wary of the genre. Those that gave it play, however, were somehow shocked with the realization that it was actually a -- gasp! -- real game, and that someone had finally done the party game genre right by making it party, instead of a board game on wheels.

Fuzion Frenzy cracks the genre open by doing the obvious, namely making the damn genre fun for once. We all want to play games with our friends, and Microsoft's launch offering gives you 45 ways to do just that, by milking old school arcade favorites (changing the name and the game style slightly, of course), and by keeping thing fast and, well, frenzied.

Gameplay
Finally. Someone out there, someone with a heart larger than Texas finally decided that people may want a party game without all the fluff. Fuzion Frenzy surpasses even Crash Bash in getting you to the games as quickly as humanly possible, always keeping you moving and playing, not watching and waiting. If you can't handle the pacing of tournament mode, you can always just pick out mini-games one by one, and play them without worrying about the overall tournament structure.

The games themselves are sometimes boring, mostly a blast, and at times pure genius. On the average you'll find yourself surprised at the variety and density of the games -- and only wishing you had more of the same, not something better or different. From rolling around in still balls in racetracks to full-on tank battles, there's always a new type of game to play that will challenge a different type of skill. If you suck at racing the tough bumper boats, then you might just beat the competition in the rhythm games. If you hate rhythm games, then maybe the tron-like Pod games will be your forte. With 45 games to choose from, you'll find at least a dozen that will have you addicted, and most likely more.

Don't get worried that this game will gather dust with groups under four, either -- all games are built for four players, but the computer will fill in for gaps, and makes for a solid AI opponent as well. Even in one player, the game's fun, but mostly to learn the skills you need to wallop your pals. Sure the game's not built on depth or long-term gameplay, but if you're reading this review you know that's not what party games are about. Do you have friends? Do your friends like games? Then this is the game for you and your friends.

Graphics
It's shiny, sparkly, full of neon... and just happens to be a perfect example of what the Xbox can do with its power. Fast framerates, crisp textures, tons of realtime lighting and particle effects made this one of the first Xbox games to truly impress visually, and it's still one of the prettier games to peek at during the Xbox launch. If you can gripe about anything, it's the character design, which you may or may not be a fan of, especially depending on how you feel about either:

• Gelflings
  
• Janice from the Muppet Show
• The new version of Fisher Price Little People

Other than that, level and object design is nicely done in the details, while still kept chunky and cartoony enough to make this a party game, not a "futuristic sporting simulator."

Sound
Oh Zak, you crazy scamp. How I'd like to squeeze the life out of your annoying throat. But anyway, there's a few characters to play, all with their own unique voices in the game!

The character voices can get annoying at times, but to make up for it, the in-game music is surprisingly solid in a big-beat, electronic, "hey I've got some Red Bull and a Now-n-Later to share" kinda way. If you get tired of the game music, you can always just use on of your own soundtracks, which you'll find is an odd experience that takes some getting used to. Maybe Cat Stevens was never meant to croon in Amped, but he is, and now Lil' Kim's hosting the musical portion of my Sumo battles in Fuzion Frenzy.

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