''Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure'', known in Japan as , is a 2001 video game developed by Nai'a Digital Works and published by

Kemco Kemco (abbreviated from Kotobuki Engineering & Manufacturing Co., Ltd.) is a Japanese video game developer and publisher established in 1984. It is headquartered in Kure, Hiroshima. One of its best known franchises is the ''Top Gear'' series ...

for the GameCube. Set in the

Universal Studios Japan is a theme park located in Osaka, Japan. Opened on March 31, 2001, it is one of six Universal Studios theme parks worldwide and was the first to open outside the United States. The park is owned and operated by a wholly owned subsidiary of NB ...

park, the object of the game is to complete several mini-games loosely based on the real-life attractions Back to the Future: The Ride, Jaws, Jurassic Park River Adventure, E.T. Adventure,

Backdraft A backdraft ( North American English) or backdraught (British English) is the abrupt burning of superheated gasses in a fire, caused when oxygen rapidly enters a hot, oxygen-depleted environment; for example, when a window or door to an enclosed ...

, Wild, Wild, Wild West Stunt Show, and

Waterworld ''Waterworld'' is a 1995 American post-apocalyptic action film directed by Kevin Reynolds and co-written by Peter Rader and David Twohy. It was based on Rader's original 1986 screenplay and stars Kevin Costner, who also produced it with Char ...

. The player is encouraged to collect trash located in the park, wear merchandise based on the respective franchises, and complete movie quizzes, in which the player must answer trivia questions about the Universal Studios films. The game was panned by critics for its tedious gameplay, poor graphics and anomalous nature. It is frequently censured as one of the worst video games ever made.

Gameplay

The object of the game is to collect stamps by going on rides throughout the park. To get on the rides, the player needs points, collected from picking up trash around the park and putting it into trash cans. The player can also meet and shake hands with costumed characters inside the park for additional points. The game uses a fixed camera that does not move or zoom in with the player. There are set camera vantages that the player moves in and out of by going outside of the field of view to go to the next camera point. Rides include Back to the Future: The Ride, Jaws, Jurassic Park River Adventure, and E.T. Adventure.

Minigames A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements, and is often smaller or more simplistic, than th ...

, hosted by

Woody Woodpecker Woody Woodpecker is an animated character that appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz Studio and distributed by Universal Studios between 1940 and 1972. Woody, an anthropomorphic woodpecker, was created in 1940 by ...

, include a Universal Studios quiz of film-related questions and puzzle games such as Concentration (memory match).

Reception

The game was panned by critics. Matt Casamassina of

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

criticized the game's graphics, comparing it to a "bad N64 game", and noted that the game still suffered frame-rate issues.

UGO Ugo is the Italian form of Hugh, a widely used name of Germanic origin. Its diminutive form is Ugolino. It is also a Nigerian Igbo first name. It may refer to: People * Vgo (stonemason), medieval stonemason * Ugo Bassi, a Roman Catholic prie ...

rated the game #78 on their list of "The Worst Video Games of All Time. Brad Shoemaker of ''

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

'' panned it in his review, saying: "The game is too frustrating and convoluted for kids to have any fun with it, and all but the most desperate adult GameCube fans will find it tedious and unentertaining as well." Matt Casamassina of

also panned it, calling it "a jumbled mess of disorganized goals, sloppy navigation and boring destinations topped off with incredibly dated graphics and an overall adventure that can fairly easily be beaten, if one has the stomach for it" and concluded: "Not recommended for young or adult gamers." It remained ''NGC Magazine UK'' lowest-rated GameCube game until surpassed by '' Batman: Dark Tomorrow''.

References

External links

* {{Woody Woodpecker 2001 video games Dinosaurs in video games Adventure games Back to the Future (franchise) video games Crossover video games E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial video games Hanna-Barbera Jaws (franchise) video games Jurassic Park video games Kemco games GameCube games GameCube-only games Universal Pictures Video games based on films Video games based on adaptations Video games developed in Japan Woody Woodpecker Video games set in amusement parks Multiplayer and single-player video games Party video games Works based on amusement park attractions