Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events - Review

Added December 20th, 2004 by Dakota Grabowski

Introduction:

If Harry Potter wasn’t your thing, maybe you should give Lemony Snicket a chance. The movie is coming out over this weekend and the word is that the flick will be the top movie over the holidays in the box office. If word spreads, Activision will be deep in their own pockets because the video game adaptation off the same license doesn’t disappoint when it comes to what currently is being produced with other movie to video game franchises. Lemony Snicket is going to be compared to Harry Potter till the movie leaves the theatres so it has some high standards to meet up to.

For story line sakes, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events follows the life of the Baudelaire children who recently have been orphaned due to the deaths of their parents. They (Klaus, Violet, and Sunny) find themselves in the caring hands of Count Olaf. Well, caring if you count the fact he has so many dark secrets he hides in his manor and forces the children to live in the attic to bunk with some spiders and cobwebs. As you unravel all the secrets and mysteries, the children soon realize that Count Olaf has so much hidden in his past that maybe even their parents are involved with his past history.

The movie is set to dominate the box office into late January but does that warrant a good game? The expectations should be according to the books, as the movie is based off a set of highly successful children’s books that have sold like hotcakes at bookstores worldwide. The movie includes Jim Carrey carrying the film off his out of this world acting where he acts over the top to provide some comedy. So does the game have the lighthearted and funny side of the movie or still have the fantasy and admirable world from the books? It has a little of both but tends to try and provide a much easier tone to give off the essence of a pain free game that can be enjoyed by the younger crowd.

Gameplay:

Taking control of the three Baudelaire children is the course that the game pits you through. Switching through Klaus and Violet for the most part is what most of your time will be divided into while completing your quest against Count Olaf. Violet is able to create selectable gadgets and inventions as you journey through the mansion to collect the parts you need. The devices aid you for a weapon or a puzzle solver, but the inventions have their uses. Enemies that you’ll need weapons for consist of rats and small rodents that really only are there to hassle you.

The missions throughout your journey through the mansion are varied. From rhythm based missions that require you to play a piano and match the beats with the controller to missions that have you collect the items to put together the inventions you need, Lemony Snicket does have its variety. Of course no game would be complete without the stealth-based missions that have you sneaking around.

Graphics:

What was missing in other adventure games based off movies was considerable graphics. Lemony Snicket doesn’t disappoint on those standards and even throws in nice detailed models which are always a plus when comparing to the movie counterparts. The representations of the characters look similar to the actors. The environments are full with detail but of course they aren’t among the elite on the Xbox. When compared to the other adventure games on the Xbox, Lemony Snicket’s graphics are superb. Framerates barely ever drop and the smooth gameplay makes the game play much better. If there had to be a problem to nitpick about, it would be the camera that feels like there is a ton of bricks weighing it down from being flowing.

Audio:

The audio and soundtrack feel authentic to what the movie puts out. The game’s nice resemblance of what it feels like to walk through the eerie mansion makes the game that much better. The atmosphere of the game is what stands out and the music makes that even more important to keeping you interested in the game. The voice acting is the best part of the audio department with Jim Carrey voicing his character from the movie, Count Olaf. Also Tim Curry is back as the narrator of the game taking over what Jude Law did for the movie. That is a huge plus for me as Tim Curry is a fantastic actor that I adore to watch in the theatres. Violet and Klaus have their voices played by the actress and actor from the movie. The audio is well rounded and serves the video game well.

Controls:

Throughout your journey in Lemony Snicket, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny will all be available for your controls. Simplicity is rewarded to the children that play this game so if you are a part of the aimed younger audience you’ll be finding this game has easy controls. With Violet you’ll be in full control of a Fruit Flinger invention while Klaus has his Bopper invention. Meanwhile, Sunny has the ability to bite, which she so often does in the movie. Sunny doesn’t require a whole lot of skill as he only has a few controls options.

Klaus:
Left Thumbstick- Move Character
Right Thumbstick- Move Camera
Left Trigger- Control the Stilts invention
Right Trigger- Readjust the camera
A Button- Jump and use Levitating Loafers invention
B Button- Action Button
X Button- Brilliant Bopper invention
Y Button- Switch over to Violet

Violet:
Left Trigger- Use Stilts
Right Trigger- Center Camera; go into 1st person mode (by holding it)
A Button- Jump
B Button- Action Button
X Button- Fruit Flinger invention
Y Button- Switch to Klaus

Sunny:
Left Thumbstick- Move Character
A Button- Jump
B Button- Bite; Push Objects

Replay:

If you loved the movie or still need to see it, the game may just be a quick fix for that hunger for your Lemony Snicket love. The game only lasts for about ten hours but it is easy to pick up and play again due to its natural charm. The difficulty of the game may have children playing through it twice, as it’s easy enough to understand and navigate through the mansion. With the game being so easy, it won’t attract the teenagers that want a lot of action in their games. Basing it off of its appeal to children, the game has enough replay value to warrant you to play it twice.

Summary:

With such a boring December for the Xbox, it wouldn’t hurt you to try out Lemony Snicket and play an adventure game. It’s a successful representation of the movie though some may argue it’s far fetched from the books, but that’s arguable. Pick this one up, it includes a free movie ticket to the movie and you may just enjoy both the movie and the video game before you know it.