Encleverment Experiment - Xbox Live
As a child experiments are rarely fun. You sit apathetically in Chemistry burning splints and scribbling on heatproof mats while the teacher at the front of the room has it all to himself – conducting a small fireworks display with the alkali metals.
With the latest generation of gaming though, games have become about more than just having fun. Wii Fit and Brain Training proved games can be practical tools, rather than just something to do to pass the time – taxing the body and mind to either boost your self esteem as you gradually reap the benefits, or scowl angrily as you’re told you have the brain of a 60-year-old at the age of 20.
Encleverment Experiment is for the sort of person who revels in mental agility, with its mixture of brain teasers squaring you up against increasingly (ridiculously) clever computer opponents in games of memory, co-ordination and word association, accompanied all the while by your trusty mascot.
With looks similar to the likes of a children’s cartoon – in fact the mascots bear an eerie resemblance to the “Only In Kenya” internet video (‘Tube it) – you know what to expect the second Professor Ivon Question greets you, armed with a fistful of puns and a moustache which would make Einstein jealous.
Far from the over-enthusiastic quips of Buzz!, voiced to perfection by Jason Donovan, the Professor plays his stereotype in a re-assuring British way, though after even one play through the single player, the repetitive comments begin to grate.
The game does offer avatar support, but disappointingly it’s limited to a face in a box, and it’s 3D-ness looks out of place in the 2D landscape. Otherwise the delivery is straightforward enough for children to grasp, but the difficulty settings do not allow you to choose difficulty based on player, since all challenges are simultaneous – not to mention even ‘easy’ is far from a breeze.
For worldwide brainstorming action you can challenge players from around the world, as well as being able to create your own quizzes by choosing the rounds which will appear, complete with pun-ridden titles such as “Welcome to the Jumble” and “Partial Recall”.
Mascots add a mild sense of amusement, their various sounds acting as your buzzer while they keep an eye on your score. As with many mind-melters, frustration is the first thing you feel when you make a mistake in this game since the questions sound so simple: “Memorise these objects and then tell me which ones you saw” for example, but trying to remember if it was a blue or green shoe you saw only a moment ago could quickly become too much of a challenge for some.
At 800 Microsoft points (£6.80) it may not sound like much for a game, but remember you could now rent a shiny 1080p HD film for that price (with money left to spare).
This game would do gloriously on DS and not too badly on Wii, but on Xbox it seems out of place. It’s nothing more than an entertaining short-term distraction.
Score: 6/10
The Good
Make your own quiz (30 rounds of spot the difference anyone?)
Tongue-in-cheek
The Bad
Puns aren’t that funny
Limited variety of options
Frustratingly difficult
