Family Guy: Uncensored Review

The general trend of licensed games on the iPhone is for them to be crap. Luckily, Family Guy: Uncensored, while not completely breaking the mold, proves to use that licensed games can actually be entertaining, and funny too!

I have been a fan of Family Guy since Season 1 of the show, so I should be considered a tougher critic when it comes to a game based off the series. Family Guy: Uncensored is essentially a collection of mini-games featuring various characters and situations from the show. When you first play the story mode, the mini-games are strung together with a story about the power going out during Peter’s viewing of some “too hot for TV” type show. This takes him on a journey to the Clam to get s

Where's my MONEY!?

ome drinks with the guys, and hilarity/mini-games ensue.

The mini-games vary quite a bit, and although there are not a whole lot (only 7, until new ones are released via free update), they are for the most part quite enjoyable. A particular gem is the Stewie game that lovingly replicates the MegaMan series… complete with a little blue robo-cap for Stewie. The controls work really well for this game, with simple left/right side scrolling with jumping and shooting. The controls work well for the other games as well. There is a great game with Chris that has him piloting a ship while blasting Meg piggies out of the sky this is done by tilting your phone up and down to move Chris, and dragging over enemies to target. All of these games are done with excellent artwork and attention to detail with characters and backdrops.

After playing through the story mode, you may be surprised at how short the game is. That is, until you open the mini-game menu and find that each game has 2-3 extra levels to play. At first I thought this would just be a simple upping of the difficulty; more bad guys, less health, same level, etc. However, many of the new unlocked levels actually add in new gameplay elements, and in the case of the “Mega Man” set of games, actually put you through entirely different levels and bosses! This was a pleasant surprise, and increases the replayability of the games quite a bit.

The Stewie MegaMan game is awesome!

Despite Family Guy: Uncensored being very polished graphically and gameplay-wise, it suffers a bit from Glu not having license to the characters voices. All the dialogue is done via text on the screen. This isn’t a huge issue, considering the characters’ voices were going off in my head as I read their lines, but it would have really helped round out the game, and overall make it a lot funnier. The music works well though for the most part, and even without “official” Family Guy tunes, still fits the theme for the games.

I was also disappointed to find out that the game has no online support, or games with scoring or timing. Again, because the games are fun, and unlockable levels increase in difficulty, it’s still quite enjoyable. However, once you complete all the levels for all 7 games, you will be left waiting for the new games to be released via update, rather than having the choice to compete against other player scores.

Presentation & Graphics

It’s Family Guy from start to finish. Great animation, great character cameos, and great attention to detail. Sometimes the sprites seem a little lifeless.

Sound

The impact of the jokes and story suffer from lack of voice work. The music works well though, and adds nicely to each game.

Gameplay

Each game mixes things up nicely, and the controls are very responsive. There are some nice surprises with funny moments from the show, and Family Guy fans will appreciate the nods to several popular characters and situations.

Gamelife

The unlocked game levels are challenging, with some good variety to keep you coming back. Unfortunately, with lack of online scores or leaderboards, you’ll be stuck waiting for the new levels to be released.

Game Rating – EDITOR’S CHOICE

4-stars
Family Guy: Uncensored is one of the few licensed iPhone titles I can firmly recommend to any fans of the show out there. The storyline is entertaining, and the mini-games are a ton of fun! To be honest, an entire spin off game could be made from the Stewie/Mega Man game alone. I had a good time, and a few chuckles while playing. There would have been more if the game had actual character voices, but my mind pretty much did that work for me. You can tell Glu had fans working on this game, as it is chock full of cameos and references to some of our favorite Family Guy moments. With a lot of gameplay to be had, and new mini-games being released for free on the horizon, Family Guy: Uncensored is a must have if you’re like me, and just can’t get enough of the Griffins!