Fuzion Frenzy

true <img src="/contributed/1228415857GbXH5AipMn.jpg" width="440" height="250"> Name: Fuzion Frenzy Platform: Xbox Year Released: 2001 <img src="/contributed/1234460728v4jAT78P5Y.jpg"> The original Xbox wasn’t exactly known as a party game machine. When it came time for some silly four-player gaming action with friends, Mario Party on Nintendo’s consoles had always been the thing to get the job done. However, one Xbox launch title unexpectedly left a lasting impression as the ultimate party game for the duration of the system’s lifespan: Fuzion Frenzy. Originally introduced to me by my little brother, as so many games have been, I went on to play Fuzion Frenzy for years. It became the quintessential hang-out-and-play game, while Mario Party 6 and 7 collected dust on my shelf. It may not have been the best game ever made, and the sequel certainly left a black mark on the franchise’s reputation, but aside from Halo, I don’t think there was any Xbox game I played more. At its core, Fuzion Frenzy is exactly what you would expect a party game to be: a collection of mini-games organized in a competitive fashion, throughout which players could earn points to become the eventual winner. Unlike the board game set-up of Mario Party, the main game in Fuzion Frenzy is arranged as a tournament. Tournament Mode is broken into six different locations, each one consisting of three randomly selected mini-games and a Fuzion Frenzy ending level. Of course, the players could also choose to only play through two or four levels if time was an issue, but six zones is considered a full tournament. There are also six characters to choose from, and their repetitive dialogue range from “mildly annoying” to “really annoying.” Still, it is pretty funny to watch a green robot, young boy, pink-clad girly girl, and manly wrestler in competition with each other. Who are these people, and where did they come from? I don’t know, and I don’t care. <img src="/contributed/1234460714wkPlWd6BYw.jpg"> There is a decent selection of mini-games to play, with 45 regular games, not including the bonus Fuzion Frenzy levels. Like most party games, there are a few stinkers in there that no one really wants to get stuck with, but most of them are pretty fun, and require more skill than luck, which is nice. However, many of the games are clones of each other with only slight variations, so if you play enough of the game, you could find it a bit repetitive. The Fuzion Frenzy levels themselves require players to gamble orbs that they’ve earned in hopes of gaining more points, or banking them, but earning less during the level. It’s a knock-down, drag-out free-for-all that has players running wild around the board collecting orbs while keeping their opponents from doing so. In the meantime, natural disasters will be springing up across the level to make things even more difficult. These levels can make or break a winner, but they’re usually so ridiculous and funny that no one cares all that much about who is in the lead. The biggest problem with Fuzion Frenzy is that it only has value as a multiplayer game. Sure, you could play it alone with three computer-controlled opponents, but why would you want to? Computer players suffer from the usual trend of being annoyingly cheap, so this game is best played with three other friends. Back in 2001, it wasn’t really an issue to find some friends to join you in some Xbox action (provided you could afford three extra controllers), but good luck getting anyone to help you haul out the black behemoth now. Sure, you could also play this backwards-compatible game on your Xbox 360, or download it from Xbox Originals, but something tells me that most 360 owners aren’t going to spend time on this—especially with <a href="/gamer/gamervision/blog/article/reminder_the_zombie_apocolypse_happens_on_sunday1">another four-player game</a> becoming the object of so many gamers’ affections. <img src="/contributed/1234460703d8PoOCF71i.jpg" width="440" height="330"> It may be dated, and it may be silly, but if you’re ever in the mood for something a little different and don’t mind last-gen graphics, spend the $15 to download this or grab yourself a used copy, probably for even less than that. It may not be anything brilliant, but it can provide you with hours of ridiculous fun. I only wish that the sequel, Fuzion Frenzy 2, had actually been a worthy next-gen game instead of a giant pile of crap. I doubt that, after the disastrous ratings of FF2, there will ever be another game produced from this series. However, if any publisher wanted to release Fuzion Frenzy 3 and make it as enjoyable as the first, I would welcome it with open arms.   <a href="http://www.gamerankings.com/"><img src="/contributed/12049090913D6uenyIJz.jpg" width="111" height="42"></a><a href="http://www.metacritic.com/games"><img src="/contributed/1204909164Gepk74pXtB.jpg" width="154" height="51"></a>   Related Articles: <a href="/gamer/sarah/reviews/article/bugs_bunny_birthday_blowout_nes">Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout - NES</a> <a href="/gamer/sarah/reviews/article/cool_boarders_2_ps1">Cool Boarders 2 - PS1</a> <a href="/gamer/00_19/reviews/article/tecmo_bowl_nes">Tecmo Bowl - NES</a> review

2009-02-12T12:51:34-05:00

<img src="/contributed/1228415857GbXH5AipMn.jpg" width="440" height="250" /> Name: Fuzion Frenzy Platform: Xbox Year Released: 2001 <img src="/contributed/1234460728v4jAT78P5Y.jpg" /> The original Xbox wasn’t exactly known as a party game machine. When it came time for some silly four-player gaming action with friends, Mario Party on Nintendo’s consoles had always been the thing to get the job done. However, one Xbox launch title unexpectedly left a lasting impression as the ultimate party game for the duration of the system’s lifespan: Fuzion Frenzy. Originally introduced to me by my little brother, as so many games have been, I went on to play Fuzion Frenzy for years. It became the quintessential hang-out-and-play game, while Mario Party 6 and 7 collected dust on my shelf. It may not have been the best game ever made, and the sequel certainly left a black mark on the franchise’s reputation, but aside from Halo, I don’t think there was any Xbox game I played more.

8291

7424

2009-02-12T17:52:11-05:00

2009-02-12T12:51:34-05:00

10189

8.0

fuzion_frenzy_xbox published A Party in a Box Fuzion Frenzy - Xbox

2009-02-27T16:45:09-05:00

763