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| By the water. |
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| Herding! |
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| | Herdy Gerdy |
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| Number Of Players: | 1 |
| I-link/Internet: | No |
| Publisher: | Eidos |
| Developer: | Core Design |
| Genre: | Herd 'em up |
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| | Full Review: |
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Originality. Not a particularly hard word to write, however, its meaning is one of the hardest things to implement. When you look back through the thousands of games now a part of history, you realise just how much variety there is, and as a result, how hard it is to think up something new. However, Core have done the unthinkable, ditching the endless sequel tactic, they've come to PS2 with one of the most original games for years, Herdy Gerdy.
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| | Gameplay |
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As the name suggests, this is a herding game, and more accurately, a cartoon herding game. As Gerdy, you set out on a mission to become a master herder in order to free your father from the spell cast by an evil enemy herder. Gaining skills as you progress, you begin herding animals of all kinds - doops, gromps, bleeps, and many more as you get further into the game. Simply herding however, is not the entirity of the game. Its made a lot more complicated by the fact that a lot of the levels will require careful puzzle solving in order to herd enough creatures.
Every animal behaves completely differently, and responds to other creatures according to what species it is. For example, anything with in range of a Gromp is likely to be chased, whilst anything near a bleep will be completely ignored (they are after all the lemmings of the herding world). Interaction between within the community is one of the most important features of the game. Without it, it would simply be a case of walking around. Instead, you'll have to find ways past gromps, using diversions or alternative paths, you'll also have to tackle a variety of terrain obstacles such as water and cliffs.
Pleasingly, the herding element of the game works very well, and its unlikely you`ll feel frustrated whilst waddling along behind a party of doops. Sadly there is one major let down with the gameplay - the camera. Always a problem with 3D games, the camera is a hard piece to control. Games such as Zone of the Enders and Jak and Daxter managed it perfectly, but they are a rarity. Herdy Gerdy does have a manual camera to let you help out, but quite often the automatic angles will have you looking from behind a tree or in completely the wrong direction. If you have the patience, this is tolerable, but it is still a shame, as without it the gameplay would have been near perfect.
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| | Graphics |
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Graphically, the game is... unusual. Rather than the traditional animation styles of Jak and Daxter and other platformers, Herdy Gerdy is almost identical to a Disney Cartoon. In fact, this was the intention, and it has worked fantastically. For the first time in a 3D game, you are let loose in the world of Disney. Were you to turn the game off late afternoon, and start watching cartoons, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the game was still on.
There are minor niggles like a slightly choppy framerate, but this really doesn't detract from the superb cartoonesque visuals. Thankfully, a 50Hz/60Hz option has been included in the game, meaning that those of us with a compatible tv can use the game with any nasty borders. Both modes look great, but its always nice to eliminate any large black blocks.
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| | Sound |
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Music in cartoons has never really been a major thing, as they rely more on well-timed sound effects and the voices of the characters. However, this hasn`t stopped Herdy Gerdy coming up with a pleasant sound track. It is perhaps not the most moving of tunes, but it suits the relaxing atmosphere of a quick spot of herding.
Sound effects such as the noises the doops make are absolutely brilliant. I don't think anybody could actually find their noises annoying, and will most likely find doops adorable for their quiet "doop" "doop" noises. Similarly, the other animals are equipped with well suited noises. However, another flaw arises in the form of the character voices - they're just toooo ssllooowwww. This is fine if you're a little younger, but you'll be thanking core for the skip button allowing you to race through - it would have been hell without it!
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| | Overall |
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Its got the newest, freshest ideas on PS2, and were it not for a few minor niggles the game could have been up with Metal Gear Solid. As it is, Herdy Gerdy is based on a great idea, and is a fine game, certainly making it worth a look, though not quite the perfection we hoped for.
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| Score |
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| | Gameplay
Very original, but with an annoying camera.
| 7.2 | |
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Graphics
Lovely to look at, though Gerdy himself is a little grey.
| 8.8 |
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Lastability
Enough length to satisfy, but replay value is low.
| 7.7 |
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Sound
Terrriiibbllleee voices, but nice sound effects.
| 7.5 |
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Overall
Fun for a while, but not if you focus on the niggles.
| 7.8 |
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| | Alternatively: |
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You could also check out Ratchet and Clank, for sublime platform gaming. Ratchet and Clank has a more open feel to the game, allowing you to explore at your own pace, visiting the areas you feel are important, and exploring its vast areas, enjoying the incredible detail.
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