GameCube

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

Activision follows up with another solid movie-to-game adaptation. The game is based on the movie of the same name, which stars Jim Carrey and isn’t due for another month or so. The game, like the movie, is targeted to kids, and includes rather straightforward gameplay. Along the way you’ll find that there are a number of unfortunate events that mar the characters in the story.

Given the GameCube's penchant for kid-targeted games, this ranks right up there with the best. My only caveat has to do with the game’s length and lack of replay value combined with the steep price. This is certainly one game that every child should play, even if you have to rent it. I’m also betting that more than a few adults are going to get hooked on the simple old-school adventure gameplay that oozes with charm and a unique vision that mirrors the movie and the novels that inspired them both.

I know that movies are a chief source of video games these days, and every current movie's just about got to have one. But there still is a fine line between making it a great game, like a Spider-Man 2, and making it a mediocre game like Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Despite an interesting story and what should have been a solid puzzle solving game engine, it just turns out to be too easy and to be honest a little on the boring side for me. And I am not sure I can say this would be great for kids because it's not a happy game at all. I don't know, seems like a weekend rental if you're looking for a quick adventure game to tide you over for a couple days. It's not a game I would run out and buy.

Longtemps éclipsé par le phénomène Harry Potter, l'oeuvre de Lemony Snicket risque de connaître un nouvel essor avec la sortie du film et des jeux vidéo. L'aventure est étonnamment plaisante à jouer, et seul un manque de précision dans les phases d'action est à déplorer. Si comme moi vous n'aviez encore jamais entendu parler des Désastreuses Aventures Des Orphelins Baudelaire, le jeu risque fort de vous donner envie de parcourir les romans originaux.

If you're searching for a video game that ends happily ever after, look somewhere else. The tale of the Baudelaire children is not for optimists, dreamers, or those who like everything wrapped up in a nice little bow. Instead, the three orphaned stars of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events find heartache, death, and madness wherever they turn. Each good moment is met with three bad, every well-meaning friend defeated by a sinister villain.

Overall, the game is well designed for its audience, but I would have to advise that players above the age of approximately 12 will not find it very appealing. If you're a parent whose child loves the books, the game is probably a good choice.

On the whole, this is a pretty good start for the series. Inevitably, there will be more Lemony Snicket based movies, and of course, there will be tie-in games. If they build off the base they've got going here, those could be pretty fun in their own right, but this is really best left to die-hard fans to play through.

However, that does not mean that you should write it off entirely. It's short and easy, meaning you can beat it very quickly. That's not appealing at all, but the story is. If you just can't wait to see how filmmakers adapted this classic novel for the big screen, play this game. Most every rentailer in the country will have it. And since it's a lower-profile game, you don't have to worry about it being checked out for weeks at a time.

The most unfortunate thing about Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is that it was developed in the first place. Activision released in the fall of 2004 a game for one of the least appealing movie properties, a game with a more depressing storyline than 30 minutes of the Evening News - or even worse, MTV. This is one children's game that should have a "keep out of reach of children" label on it.